Sequoia Parent Teacher Organization (SPTO)

THE TL;DR

The Sequoia Parent Teacher Organization (SPTO) includes all caregivers, teachers and staff at Sequoia Elementary. We organize the community to build unity, foster volunteerism, and raise funds to make Sequoia a fair, fun, healthy, nurturing, and safe school for all students.

  • What’s cool about us? All caregivers are automatically voting members and there are no dues since we are a PTO and not a PTA.

  • How do we operate? Our board is comprised of caregiver volunteers who work in their free time (or whenever they can) to help make Sequoia awesome.

  • Can I be on the board? Probably, we typically have spots open, please reach out to the co-chair (sptocochair@gmail.com) to see how you can help.

  • What’s the difference between SPTO and ACORNS? The SPTO gets into the weeds and the ACORNS likes to party. SPTO helps plan the budget, raise the funds, deals with the hard stuff. The ACORNS get to plan the fun events in conjunction with the SPTO like movie night, bike day, pancake breakfast, etc.

  • I don’t want to volunteer with SPTO but I want to stay in touch and get communications? SPTO maintains the Sequoia Community Google Group, a listserv for Sequoia caregivers and affiliated community members to communicate critical information to each other. Please remember to uphold the Sequoia core values when posting to this group: Responsibility, Respect, Honesty, and Compassion.  Fill out this Form to be added to the group!

SPTO MISSION STATEMENT

The Sequoia Parent Teacher Organization (SPTO) supports high quality, equitable education at Sequoia Elementary in Oakland, CA. Placing our children at the center of what we do, SPTO strives to promote an inclusive learning community where all students receive the specific support they need to explore the world, build strong relationships, find their confidence, and reach their potential. SPTO also strives to reflect and uphold the diversity of our school community, informed by a collective commitment to anti-racism and a rejection of prejudice and intolerance of any guise. Creating a safe space for all students and raising anti-racist children who are aware and loving towards all is a critical part of our mission, and an integral component of the emphasis on equity, inclusion, and acceptance our children receive at Sequoia. We convene and organize parents, caregivers, faculty, staff and leadership to build unity, promote equity, foster volunteerism, and raise funds to make Sequoia a fair, fun, healthy, nurturing, and safe school for all students.

SPTO Vision Statement

As caregivers, teachers, and staff, we nurture the gifts of each and every student at Sequoia. Together, we work to amplify the very best in ourselves and our children, to create and sustain an environment that will help in raising adults who are caring and inquisitive, active and collaborative, alert and deliberative. We do this so they can meet the challenges they inherit from us, including climate change, inequality, and rapid technological change that will mold our children’s future. As a body of caregivers and educators, we understand that our vision of an inclusive school community begins with the behavior we model and the values we uphold for our children and students. We also take the responsibility and leadership to promote an engaged and informed Sequoia community and ensure our school serves, and is accountable to, all of its students.

VALUES

SPTO expects that parents and caregivers, in interactions with one another and with our children, faculty, and staff, will display the same core values that inform our children’s behavior during the school day: respect, compassion, responsibility, and honesty. Amplifying these core values is our vision of an anti-racist Sequoia that honors and celebrates the diversity of the community we are all fortunate enough to share. These values guide our behavior and establish community guidelines that ensure an inclusive and productive environment that can radiate beyond campus and into our neighborhoods and the larger community. In addition, we value courage to look at the issues that need to be addressed and to engage in the difficult conversations and processes to actually address them.