COVID-19 Forces Sequoyah School to Transition to Distance Learning

Sequoyah School in Pasadena has been using distance learning since Wednesday, March 18, less than a week after both the K-8 and high school campuses were closed to students because of concerns about the COVID-19 emergency.

Sequoyah High School’s campus is situated on the grounds of the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church at 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd. The K-12 campus is located at 535 Pasadena Ave.

Before the closures, which became effective Monday, March 16, Azizi Williams, Assistant Head of School, and Emily Singer, Director of Curriculum and Student Support, circulated an email to inform parents and students that the school was preparing for distance learning while the campus is closed.

The email advised the community to prepare computers, laptops and tablets for students to be able to participate in the programs planned. Parents were also asked to complete a survey designed to assess their technical needs.

On Tuesday, March 17, Sequoyah High School officially launched their distance learning system with an update and orientation on using Zoom as the online platform. K-12 started the next day.

Williams said students are instructed to start the school day by checking their classroom page on the parent portal for the day’s schedule. The schedule usually consists of a daily class meeting, directed work, a weekly conversation with their teacher, and structured opportunities for students to connect with each other.

“The same attendance expectations for the regular school day apply for distance learning. If your child is sick or can’t participate on a particular day, please email your classroom teacher,” Williams said in the email. “Please be patient with us while we make this unprecedented transition.”

In a later email, Williams said parents are now able to access the school’s parent education program and can continue parent committee work as well as other forms of parent community through digital platforms while school is off-campus.

Sequoyah School continues to relay COVID-19 related communication and responses online through a resource page on their website.

For more information, visit www.sequoyahschool.org.