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Our Mission

A Sequoyah School education challenges the mind, nurtures the heart and celebrates human dignity.

Sequoyah School

K-8 CAMPUS
626-795-4351
535 S Pasadena Ave
Pasadena CA 91105-3001

9-12 CAMPUS
626-441-2076
301 N Orange Grove Bl
Pasadena CA 91103

Sequoyah School is an independent day school in Pasadena, California, where students thrive in a diverse community, appreciated for their individuality, and supported by a progressive approach to learning.

Sequoyah offers an innovative college-preparatory curriculum in a student-centered, experiential, humanistic environment. The school maintains a low student-to-teacher ratio and a developmentally appropriate program from elementary grades through high school, so that attention may be continually focused on a student’s social and emotional growth and academic progress.

Sequoyah's high school is growing and we are looking for faculty members to join our team.

TO APPLY: Please email your resumé and indicate your area of interest in the “Subject” line.

We are a community of learners.

Philosophy & Values

Sequoyah seeks to understand each student’s abilities, personality characteristics, and the pursuits in which they are likely to find the deepest satisfaction. Students at Sequoyah know that their voices matter in the world and that their acts of stewardship make the community a better place for all.

Sequoyah’s Habits of Mind encompass a broadened definition of expected school-wide learning results. Faculty and staff are expected to incorporate these same principles in their work as members of the school community.

Teaching & Learning

Sequoyah’s teachers possess the expertise to develop curriculum and to apply strategies that foster critical and creative thinking, inquiry, and application. They are encouraged to bring their talents and interests to the classroom.

Administrators work alongside faculty to develop a culture that values multiple perspectives to broaden understanding, address challenges, and identify opportunities.

A professional development program informs shared practices throughout K-12.

Approach

Sequoyah’s placed-based approach utilizes the surrounding community as the context for teaching. Education is regarded as a preparation for active citizenship while reinforcing the skills for continuing scholarship. On field trips and camping trips at each grade level, students are immersed in local heritage, culture, and landscape. An emphasis on social justice and the application of knowledge and skills to contemporary issues extends from kindergarten to high school.

Community

The Sequoyah School community honors and reflects the ethnic, cultural and economic diversity of Southern California. Our student and family populations represent a diversity of ethnic backgrounds and cultural experience. Our commitment to the principals of mutual respect, inclusion, and equity inform our admissions process and tuition structure, with 30-40% of families paying below the maximum tuition.

History

In 1958, Sequoyah’s founders established a school community comprised of a broad spectrum of family backgrounds and offered a thoughtful alternative to standardized classroom teaching. For more than 60 years, the school has provided an education based on distinctive values, aspirations, and research-based practices. 

Accreditations & Memberships

Sequoyah is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Independent Curriculum Group, and is an Ashoka Changemaker School.

Sequoyah School is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Introducing Sequoyah's

New Head of School

Opportunities
at Sequoyah

Sequoyah School has a rich history of diversity and seeks candidates to enhance that tradition. Sequoyah offers competitive salary and benefits.

TO APPLY: See specific instructions in job listings below.

K-12 Administrative Positions

K-12 Librarian and Media Specialist

Full-time 10-month Position: Starts August 2024

Reports To: Director of Teaching and Learning

Salary Range: $60,000 to $80,000, depending on experience and education

Apply for This Position:

Sequoyah School is an independent K-12 day school in Pasadena, California. In our innovative program, students are guided through the deep intellectual exploration of content following a student-centered, problem-based pedagogy that offers relevant contexts and opportunities for application. Field studies is a hallmark of a Sequoyah education that extends interdisciplinary teaching and learning as students and teachers travel to explore the natural world and engage with a variety of communities. The school was founded in 1958 on the belief that diversity of all kinds is a cornerstone for a powerful education.

The Librarian and Media Specialist supports the Sequoyah K-12 community by ensuring that the libraries are inviting “hubs” for learners. They are responsible for the planning, development, implementation, evaluation, overall management, and maintenance of the library program, and are also responsible for coordinating all library, media, and information services. They work under the day-to-day guidance of the Director of Teaching and Learning. Through library visits (K8) and classroom collaborations (K12) with teachers, the Library and Media Specialist nurtures critical thinkers, adept researchers, and enthusiastic readers. Candidates must have extensive knowledge of diverse voices in childrenʼs, young adult, adult print and digital materials, with a particular interest in finding and fostering developmentally appropriate experiences to engage young people in the library. They should be excited to work with teachers, and find joy in administering library operations, including collection management, programming, and volunteer opportunities.

Position Overview

We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year.

Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities include:

  • Administer and continue to develop the K-12 library program, including articulating program outcomes (e.g. research skills), managing collections and selecting, curating and updating books, digital resources and other research materials with diverse perspectives for the community.
  • Collaborate with department chairs and program directors and coordinators to develop information literacy and research competencies in Sequoyah’s mastery framework, and create curated resources to support student learning
  • Collaborate with teachers to design and implement lessons and units of instruction and to ensure that our collection supports the curriculum.
  • Train, supervise and direct the library teacher associates to support information literacy
  • Manage budgets for both libraries
    Maintain policies for collection development and use of library facilities.

Qualifications

We are seeking a candidate who:

  • Loves kids and is fascinated by supporting their development;
  • Creates authentic learning experiences and fosters belonging for students;
  • Has experience managing a library;
  • Can support teachers in teaching research skills;
  • Is passionate about project-based, student-centered pedagogy;
  • Has experience with or has an interest in change-making and service-learning;
  • Is interested in the collaborative work of faculty, including interdisciplinary projects;
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Library Science preferred.

Diversity is a founding value of Sequoyah School, and we seek candidates willing and interested in upholding an equitable, inclusive environment. Sequoyah offers competitive salaries and benefits; the range for this position is $66,000 – $80,000, depending on factors such as experience or education.

Sequoyah School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any phase of employment. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

K-8 Faculty & Staff Positions

Junior High Language Arts Faculty

Full-time Position: Starts August 2024

Reports To: K-8 Assistant Head of School

Salary Range: $66,650 to $80,000, depending on experience and education

Apply for This Position:

Sequoyah School is an independent K-12 day school in Pasadena, California. In our innovative K-8 program, students are guided through the deep intellectual exploration of content following a student-centered, problem-based pedagogy that offers relevant contexts for exploration and opportunities for application. Field studies is a hallmark of a Sequoyah education that extends interdisciplinary teaching and learning as students and teachers travel around California, the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, and Latin America to explore the natural world and engage with a variety of communities. The school was founded in 1958 on the belief that diversity of all kinds serves as a cornerstone for a powerful education. Sequoyah recently expanded its highly regarded elementary and junior high program to include a high school. The high school campus is located just a few miles away from the K-8 campus.

Position Overview

We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year.

Roles and Responsibilities

Language Arts Junior High Teacher responsibilities include:

  • Teach four sections of mixed 7th/8th language arts
  • Design courses and projects aligned with Sequoyah’s mastery framework, centering around big ideas and a deeper sense of meaning and purpose, including opportunities for authentic application of learning to academic, real-world/societal issues and/or personal concerns and issues in the students’ lives, and strong assessment and feedback for student growth.
  • Engage in equitable teaching practices to establish a student-centered learning environment that creates belonging and nurtures the engagement and growth of all students
  • Build strong rapport with students by seeking to understand each student’s background, interests, and hopes, in partnership with the family.
  • Serve as an advisor to a designated group of students; responsibilities include host and prepare for student-led parent/guardian conferences, academic coaching, writing letters of recommendation, facilitating lessons on diversity & inclusion, and interpersonal skill development and team building
  • Individuate attention to know and support advisees and students in the junior high.
  • Lead/supervise K-8 multi-age groups and projects (Stewardship, Options, lab, etc.)
  • Chaperone two field studies trips per year (one in the fall or winter; one in the spring)

 

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who:

  • Loves junior high kids and is fascinated by supporting their development
  • Has experience teaching Language Arts and/or Humanities-related subjects
  • Is passionate about project-based, student-centered pedagogy
  • Centers authentic learning experiences and belonging for students
  • Has experience with or have an interest in changemaking and service-learning
  • Is interested in the collaborative work of faculty, including interdisciplinary projects

Diversity is a founding value of Sequoyah School, and we seek candidates willing and interested in upholding an equitable, inclusive environment. Sequoyah offers competitive salaries and benefits

There are no K-8 positions currently open. 

Thank you for your interest in Sequoyah School.

Substitute Teachers (K-8)

Part-time position
Reports to:  Assistant Head of School

Apply for This Position:

If you are interested in joining the Sequoyah community as a substitute teacher, email your resumé and indicate your availability in your email message. Use the title of this position in your “Subject” line.

Summerhouse Crew (K-8)

Temporary Full-time Position:

40 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Hours vary during training week) 

Duration:

June 12 through August 12, 2023

Includes mandatory training week of June 12-16, 2023 and Summerhouse Sessions from June 20 – August 12, 2023

Reports to: Director of Auxiliary Programs

Compensation: $17 per hour

Apply for This Position

Our Summerhouse Crew is a group of energetic partners in discovery with Summerhouse Kids. We’re curious, creative, knowledgeable, and playful. We are the adult peers to our students, meeting them at their level as we all learn, play, and grow together, and we guide them towards responsibility and collaboration.

Summerhouse Crew’s first priorities are always communication, as well as student supervision and safety, through activities, games, arts & crafts, learning, and play.

This is a temporary full-time position:
40 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
June 20 to August 12, 2023
Plus a mandatory training week – June 12-16, 2023. (Hours vary during training week.)

Summerhouse Crew Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Provide supervision for students through support and play
  • Act as a Summerhouse group leader/point person to an assigned group of Summerhouse Kids
  • Lead and assist in rotating learning activities
  • Bring in new expertise to continue developing new programmatic activities
  • Work side-by-side with and act as a mentor to our Crew-in-Training (CIT)
  • Observe students’ and CITs’ behavior and progress, and reflect with the group as needed
  • Be flexible and aware as we move through our day, being willing to flow as needs arise, ensuring that all students are supervised at all times
  • Support Summerhouse in the cycle of work, from set-up to break-down, including some cleaning
  • Perform other duties that may be assigned occasionally
  • Support the school’s mission and culture, have good attendance, and be a positive team player

Desired Expertise and Experience:

  • Experience working with children 5-17 years of age
  • Bachelor’s degree, or some post-secondary education

TO APPLY: Please email Beatriz Rodriguez-Lagunas, Director of Auxiliary Programs, at and include your resumé and a cover letter. Your cover letter should detail why you are interested in this position and why you think you would be a good fit for Sequoyah. Please include “Summerhouse Crew” in the subject line of your email.

Download Full Job Description: Summerhouse Crew

Daycare Staff (K-8)

Part-time position: 17.75 hours per week
Mon–Thur, 2:30–6:00 p.m.
Fri, 2:15-6:00 p.m.

Reports to: Director of Auxiliary Programs

Compensation: $17.85 per hour

Apply for This Position:

Sequoyah’s after-school Daycare program supports students in continuing to explore and deepen their social connections, interests, and play. Daycare staff’s first priority is always student supervision through engagement in activities, games, arts and crafts, learning, and play.

This is a part-time position: 17.75 hours per week, Monday – Thursday 2:30–6:00 p.m., Friday 2:15–6:00 p.m., and during special events, meetings, and on Daycare full-days.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Provide supervision for students after school through support and play.
  • Observe students’ behavior and progress, and reflect with the group in weekly meetings.
  • Be flexible and aware as we move through our day, being willing to flow as need arises, ensuring that all students are supervised at all times.
  • Be willing to work special events, meetings, and full-day Daycare days.
  • Perform other duties that may be assigned occasionally.
  • Support the school’s mission and culture, have good attendance, and be a positive team player.


Required Qualifications

  • Be responsible, on time, and 100% dependable
  • LOTS of energy
  • Passion for working with children
  • Patience
  • Creativity


Desired Expertise and Experience

  • Experience working with children 5-14 years of age
  • Bachelor’s degree, or some post-secondary education
  • Desire to work with children

Sequoyah School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any phase of employment. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

9-12 Faculty & Staff Positions

Sequoyah's high school is growing and we are looking for faculty members to join our team.

Mathematics Department Chair and Faculty

Full-time Position: Starts August 2024

Reports To: High School Director

Salary Range: $66,250 to $104,450, depending on experience and education

Apply for This Position:

Sequoyah School, an independent school founded in Pasadena, California in 1958, launched an innovative high school program in September of 2016. As an extension of our K-8 program, students are guided through the deep intellectual exploration of content following a student-centered, problem-based pedagogy that offers relevant contexts for exploration and opportunities for application. Furthermore, the high school program builds upon the changemaking work practiced in the K-8 program by offering a program for Social Innovation. Finally, field studies is a hallmark of a Sequoyah education that extends interdisciplinary teaching and learning as students and teachers travel around California, the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, and Latin America to explore the natural world and engage with a variety of communities.

Position Overview

We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2024.

Roles and Responsibilities

The full time teaching position responsibilities include:

  • Teach two sections of mathematics courses per semester
  • Teach one section of mini-course electives for the equivalent of one semester
  • Act as an Advisor to a group of 10-12 students
  • Facilitate a group in the Social Innovation Program (SIP) during the weekly SIP block
  • Supervise Talking Leaves presentations twice a year
  • Act as a chaperone on Field Studies & camping trips twice a year

 

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who:

  • Have a bachelor’s or graduate degree or higher in mathematics, science, or related field
  • Have 3+ years of teaching experience
  • Are interested in deeper learning and competency-based education
  • Are interested in participating in field studies/camping trips
  • Are interested in interdisciplinary teaching
  • Teach from an inclusive, anti-racist standpoint
  • Demonstrate a sensitivity to, and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation and ethnic backgrounds of high school students

 

High School STEM Leadership

Full-time Position: Starts August 2024

Reports To: High School Director

Salary Range: $66,250 to $104,450, depending on experience and education

Apply for This Position:

Sequoyah School, an independent school founded in Pasadena, California in 1958, launched an innovative high school program in September of 2016. As an extension of our K-8 program, students are guided through the deep intellectual exploration of content following a student-centered, problem-based pedagogy that offers relevant contexts for exploration and opportunities for application. Furthermore, the high school program builds upon the changemaking work practiced in the K-8 program by offering a program for Social Innovation. Finally, field studies is a hallmark of a Sequoyah education that extends interdisciplinary teaching and learning as students and teachers travel around California, the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, and Latin America to explore the natural world and engage with a variety of communities.

Position Overview

We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2024.

Roles and Responsibilities

The full-time leadership position responsibilities include:

  • Act as a Department Chair for the STEM Department(s) (including Mathematics and Science, as well as oversight of other STEM programming)
  • Serve as a member of the program administrators team at the High School
  • Teach 2 sections of mathematics and/or science courses per semester (as needed)
  • Teach one section of mini-course electives for the equivalent of one semester
  • Act as an Advisor to a group of 10-12 students
  • Facilitate a group in the Social Innovation Program (SIP) during the weekly SIP block
  • Supervise Talking Leaves presentations twice a year
  • Act as a chaperone on Field Studies and camping trips twice a year

 

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree or higher in mathematics or science
  • Have 5+ years of teaching experience
  • Are highly collaborative problem solvers
  • Have demonstrated leadership experience in a K-12 school setting
  • Have demonstrated interest in deeper learning and competency-based education
  • Have an interest in participating in field studies/camping trips
  • Have an interest in interdisciplinary learning and teaching
  • Teach from an inclusive, anti-racist standpoint
  • Demonstrate a sensitivity to, and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation and ethnic backgrounds of high school students
Assistant Director of Social Innovation

Full-time Position: Starts August 2024

Reports To: Director of Social Innovation

Salary Range: $75,000 to $102,000, depending on experience and education

Apply for This Position:

The Assistant Director of Social Innovation will be responsible for the successful evolution and weekly operation of three co-curricular programs focused on changemaking: the Social Innovation Program (SIP), student government, and the Stewardship program. A successful candidate will be a bold program designer who will see the design and execution of these programs as their own social innovation endeavor. In collaboration with the Director of Social Innovation and part-time Social Innovation Coordinator, the Assistant Director will work iteratively through research, design, and implementation to strengthen programs that effectively equip students to create the worlds they’d like to live in.

About the Social Innovation Program
SIP is a signature program of our high school, designed from the ground up with continual opportunities for program innovation and experimentation. Every Friday afternoon, 15+ teachers support all high school students as they learn about and do something about the social and environmental issues they care about. In a given year, student teams carry out 35+ projects—ranging from founding non-profit organizations, building political coalitions for local movements, completing community art projects, publishing books, producing films, and more. Through field trips and hosting guests on campus, students meet with 200+ systems changemakers ranging from entrepreneurs, local civil servants, community organizers, artists, and more. After a variety of experiences in teams and conducting independent capstone projects in 9th-11th grade, seniors finish their SIP careers with internships.

About Student Government
Consisting of 6 grade representatives and 2 co-presidents, high school Student Government is the primary avenue for student agency. In close collaboration with high school administrators, Student Government takes on the nurturing of systems-level solutions toward improving the student experience. Students meet 1-2 times weekly with administrators to develop their leadership practice by defining problems, preparing to facilitate meetings with peers, and engaging in creative problem solving.

About Stewardship
All students meet weekly on Friday mornings as a member of a committee dedicated to improving a particular aspect of school culture and community. Examples include, Sustainable Campus Committee, Equity Alliance Committee, Morning Meeting Committee, Yearbook Committee, or Student Store Committee. Each committee is facilitated by an elected student chair who is supported by a faculty member. Committee chairs meet on a monthly basis with administrators to hone their leadership practice, discuss budget, and collaborate across committees.

Position Overview

We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2024.

Roles and Responsibilities

The full-time position responsibilities include:

  • Program design
    • Refine goals and learning outcomes for each program by participating in school-wide conversations about mastery transcript and assessment.
    • Identify and facilitate opportunities for co-design of programs with faculty and students.
    • Establish and maintain organizational partnerships with people within the school community and around the region who are willing to host student interns or teams.
    • Advance channels for collaboration between Student Government and high school administrators.
    • Explore opportunities to create summer SIP experiences for students and educators.
    • Conduct program annual evaluations and undertake improvements.
  • Teaching and learning
    • Support teachers’ growth as SIP Faculty Facilitators and Stewardship Committee Faculty Facilitators through coaching, writing lesson guides, conducting participatory workshops, and more.
    • Formalize assessment practices in SIP to support student learning.
    • Provide leadership development instruction for Student Government and Stewardship programs.
    • Provide ongoing and timely education on civic engagement, school-wide
    • Collaborate with departments and teachers to foster SIP-like work in courses.
  • Program operations
    • Facilitate regular experiential learning opportunities (including calendaring, creating transportation plans, staffing, and more)
      Communicate weekly to families, teachers, and students about curriculum and field trips.
    • Communicate to external and internal audiences about program successes and ambitions using channels such as, email newsletters, blog posts, or social media.
    • Provide event production leadership for related events (e.g., Creative Connections networking event, annual changemaking panel)
    • Oversee student and faculty placement into SIP sections and Stewardship Committees.
    • Evaluate risk management practices of off-campus trips
  • Teaching (Spanish and/or other course)
    • Teach 1 course per semester or another course as needed by the school

Requirements

  • Experience overseeing the operations of an experiential program (e.g., field trip transportation, risk management, chaperone training, communication, etc.);
  • Experience designing educational programs;
  • Strong organizational and communication skills to support managing a diversity of responsibilities at the same time;
  • Ability to maintain and grow a network of nonprofits and other changemaker partners in the Los Angeles area;
  • Familiarity working with teachers and/or previous teaching experience;
  • Strong working knowledge of civics, public policy, entrepreneurship, community organizing, design thinking, social change, etc.

Qualifications

Qualified candidates must have a minimum of 5 years experience in a middle or high school setting, and demonstrate success working with teams, as well as a diverse group of students and families.

Additional qualifications include:

  • A Bachelor’s degree; Advanced degree preferred
  • Demonstrated success working with a diverse population of teenagers and families
  • Demonstrated success in a leadership role
  • A commitment to equity and inclusion
  • An understanding of anti-bias and anti-racist practices
  • Strong interpersonal and writing skills
  • Effective presentational skills
  • Demonstrated history of commitment to inclusive and equitable practices in a school setting

Ideal qualities:

  • Believes in experiential education’s ability to activate and propel student passion;
  • Believes that youth are not only tomorrow’s changemakers but also today’s changemakers;
  • Is invested in creating meaningful partnerships with individuals, organizations, and communities;
  • Has an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset;
  • Thinks creatively, both within and beyond “design thinking;”
  • Is equally ready to facilitate, instruct, and advise.

You might be…

  • An administrator at a school looking for a school community that embraces progressive pedagogy and innovative program design through a DEI and social justice lens, and believes that there are opportunities to think beyond the service learning paradigm.
  • A nonprofit program manager eager to support a substantive 4-year sequence for a dedicated group of students and educators.
  • A teacher eager to expand beyond your own discipline who has a history of taking your students beyond your classroom walls.
  • A community organizer who would like exposure to a variety of causes and movements.
  • Or something else!
Substitute Teachers (9-12)

Part-time position
Reports to: High School Director

Apply for This Position:

If you are interested in joining the Sequoyah community as a substitute teacher, email your resumé and indicate your availability in your email message. Use the title of this position in your “Subject” line.

There are no 9-12 full-time positions currently open.
Thank you for your interest in Sequoyah School.

Sequoyah School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any phase of employment. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

Sequoyah School

Elementary & Junior High Campus (K-8)
626 795 4351
Fax 626 795 8773
535 S Pasadena Ave
Pasadena CA 91105

Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

K-8 CAMPUS MAP

High School Campus (9-12)
626 441 2076
301 N Orange Grove Bl
Pasadena CA 91103

Monday– Friday 7:45 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

High School Website

HS CAMPUS MAP

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