Sequoia Elementary School

As a student at sequoia union i appreciate all the hard work every teacher, parent, and student volenteer has really made a difference in the way we students learn at this school. And its true our school is like a large family, though sometime we fight when times get tough we stand as one. It gives me great pleasure to learn and to be interactive with my school because it makes me feel that i am doing good in the community and am helping students that come after me learn and hold the great gift of knowledge and respect the school and all who are in it.
--Submitted by a student

We have been at Sequoia Union for 2 years and love it. Mr Lakey is an awesome leader and is wonderful with the kids. He is always available for parents to talk to. The teachers and staff are great with the children. Our two children started in 2nd and 4th grade and have excelled. They are much happier in this small school environment that seems more like a large family.
--Submitted by a parent

Sequoia Union is a wonderful school. There is a new superintendent/principal and some new teachers and staff. This is a hard working team that gives 100% to the students. The parents are very involved and the school is motivated and energetic. This is a private school setting, without the cost. We love it!
--Submitted by a parent

Sequoia Union is now thriving under new leadership. The entire school has went through a revamping. The grounds are much nicer thanks to parent volunteers. There has been some new additions to the teaching staff.The environment is completely different from that of the past few years. It's the leadership! My children are getting a good education from caring nurturing teachers and staff.
--Submitted by a parent

On the surface, it appears that everything is fine at Sequoia Union. The Principal is always smiling and the office staff is friendly and very helpful. Beyond the surface though, a concerned parent might see that there are serious problems at the school. The Principal likes a Laissez-Faire leadership style, which leads to inadequate supervision and no direction at the school. Without direction, once-quality programs (athletic and academic) are beginning to falter. Enrollment is down. The school grounds/buildings look terrible: dead grass, leaking roofs, litter, peeling paint and gang graffiti. My child has noted the gang graffiti and some children feel threatened. SU s biggest problem is the lack of discipline at the school. There is no coherent discipline policy at the school and the Principal sloughs off the discipline responsibilities to the Reading Specialist. It won t be long until the academic performance suffers due to distractions in the classroom.
--Submitted by a parent

Intelligent parents would do well to stay far away from this school. There is no such thing as discipline here - the principal does not feel he can dirty his hands with such trivial things, so it is left up to the reading specialist. Wonder about the poor reading scores that more than half the school has? It makes perfect sense when the reading specialist is babysitting the principal's problems. Most teachers are great. From the administration on down, there are serious problems.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had two children graduate from Sequoia and have one still attending. This school has been a great place for them to grow up. The staff and community are great and I wood recommend this school to anyone.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had kids attending Sequoia Union for 14 years. In that time, I have found it to be an excellent school. It's small size and remote location offer an almost idyllic environment. I am very greatful that S.U. does not have many of the problems of larger, urban schools. The teachers are excellent and the administrative staff is supportive and caring. I would not hesitate to recommend this school to anyone.
--Submitted by a parent

I am writing as a former student, not a parent. I attended Sequoia Union from Kindergarten through 8th grade (graduating in 1998) and I look back on my years at Sequoia Union fondly. The relationships I built with teachers have lasted, and I have excelled in High School and now in College because of the quality education I received there. Every school has it's flaws, but Sequoia Union is a great school and I hope one day when I have kids of my own that they will have the opportunity to attend as great of a school as Sequoia Union.
--Submitted by a former student

As a relatively new parent I wouldn't want to uproot my kids again but I couldn't recommend this school to any new families. There is a clear lack of supervision and leadership at Sequoia Union to the point of crating an unsafe environment for the children. There is no consistency in discipline, the yard duty personnel have no supervison resulting in some staff barely doing their job and others improvising. There is a fulltime aid that I have yet to even meet she is at the school so infrequently. Overall, there is a complete lack of accountability if something serious did happen to a child, and the school is wasting tens of thousands of dollars a year on staff that don't work because the principal is not supervising them. Until they get a new principal my vote is stay away!
--Submitted by a parent