Shark Bytes

Dear Students and Families,

Today was the final day of the fall semester. I want to take a moment to recognize the hard work, dedication, and accomplishments of our students over the past months. They've worked hard and deserve a break.

I hope all students take the opportunity to rest and recharge. A reminder that students will return to school on Monday, January 6th, ready to start the spring semester.

Have a great break!

Take care,

Maritza Torres

Oceana would like to Congratulate Hayden Leung for being chosen as Jefferson Union High School District December Student of the Month! Hayden is a senior and was accompanied by his family. You can watch Hayden receiving this honor here.

With finals and holidays just around the corner, feelings of overwhelm and stress may arise. During these moments, it is good to pause and take care of ourselves. Please see the resources above and below to aid in your wellness during this winter season.

We are excited to introduce the Cyber Sharks, Oceana High School's first-ever robotics team. Our goal is to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), but we need your help to make it happen!

Join us in making history at Oceana High School by donating today and helping the Cyber Sharks swim to victory in our first season!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cyber-sharks-thrive-in-inaugural-robotics-competition?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Hey parents and rock band enthusiasts! Our students are rocking out every Thursday afternoon, and it’s been a blast—so much creativity, so much energy, and yes, a lot of loud noise! But we’ve run into a bit of a dilemma: we’ve got more eager musicians than we do instruments and amps. Imagine trying to form a band with three guitars and only one amp—it’s like trying to throw a party with one slice of pizza! We need your help to make sure everyone can join the fun and strut their musical stuff.

Donating to our Oceana High School Rock Band account will help us get the extra gear we need now, but we’ll also need funds later for things like guitar and bass strings, synthesizers, gear maintenance, and the cases to keep everything safe. Not to mention, we’ll need transportation to gigs and recording studios when our rock stars are ready to hit the road! Your support will keep our band running smoothly, so we can focus on making awesome music. We’d really appreciate any donation you can make to help our young musicians thrive! Thank you!

https://oceana.myschoolcentral.com/Index.aspx#/1282/product/805

This year's yearbook is currently on sale online at Yearbook Forever. The price will be slightly increasing throughout the year, starting in November, so purchase your yearbook now for the best deal!

Prestige Portraits scheduled the second round of senior portraits on January 14 and January 15. These are the last dates that Prestige Portraits will be at Oceana.

Instructions on how to schedule/cancel/change senior appointments online:

• Go to: https://prestigeportraits.com
• Enter your 8-digit appointment code then select "Go".
• If you do not have a code, enter the city and state of the school, then select your school. After you select your school, enter your first and last name then click "Search".
• You will then see the 8-digit appointment code. Enter the 8-digit code in the appropriate box then click “Go”.
• From there, the students can select the date and time of their appointment. Seniors can also contact Prestige directly at byarea@lifetouch.com or call 1-877-825-7922 (Mon-Friday 9am-4pm) for any questions.

If any students have trouble finding their names online, they can contact their customer service department at byarea@lifetouch.com or call 1-877-825-7922 during our business hours (9am-4pm). Their team will assist with adding their names to our system and help assign an appointment.

The FAFSA and CADAA are NOW OPEN! Be sure to submit your financial aid applications by the priority deadline on March 2nd. Need support successfully completing your financial aid application? Join us on Wednesday, February 12th in the library from 6-8pm for our annual Cash4College event hosted by Skyline College! Please be sure to have your FSA ID created before the event and the appropriate documents for a smoother process.

Website for FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

• CHECKLIST FOR FAFSA:

• FSA ID and Password for Student and Parent

• SSN (if you + parent(s) have one)

• Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S Citizen)

• Tax Returns and/or W-2 Forms

• Any records of untaxed income received such as: SSDI, child support, TANF, IRA payments, 401(k), or military allowance

Website for CADAA: https://dream.csac.ca.gov/

• CHECKLIST FOR CADAA:

• Dream Act ID and Password for Student and Parent

• SSN or ITIN (if you + parent(s) have one)

• Tax Returns and/or W-2 Forms

• Any records of untaxed income received such as: SSDI, child support, TANF, IRA payments, 401(k), or military allowance

RSVP by completing this google form: https://forms.gle/LNXWMDCY1rFgnnVXA

Early release/late start applications for seniors will be open on Monday, December 16th. Applications can be picked up in the purple box outside of Ms. Owyang's office in the counseling hall (#11). Students must have a parent/guardian signature and a signature from their humanities teacher that they have met their first 8am deadline. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, January 10th at 3:15pm to the attendance office. NO EXCEPTIONS.

As a reminder, here is the criteria:

Criteria for student eligibility for “late arrival/early release” at the start of the spring semester of students’ senior year:

1. Students must have a 2.0 GPA (TotalGPA weighted).

2. Students must be at or have surpassed the following graduation requirements:

1. Community Service (90% completed)

2. Senior Exhibition (met all 8am deadlines)

3. Students must not have more than 6 unexcused periods absent OR unexcused tardies.

Note: a full day unexcused absence = 4 unexcused periods

All absences or tardies must be cleared within 24 HOURS.

Students must have exemplary attendance, with no more than 6 unexcused absences or tardies in the first semester. If students are reported ill for 14 days in a school year, any further illness must be verified by a physician’s note.

1. Unexcused absences for zero period count towards the students’ total unexcused absences.

1. Students must have completed 210 course credits to drop one class.

2. Students must have completed 215 course credits to drop two classes.

3. Your parent or guardian agrees that you may drop one or two classes.

4. Students are not allowed to drop a TA period

5. Students are not allowed to drop an AP course.

Requirements for the implementation of the policy:

1. Students cannot drop a class needed for graduation.

2. Students can only drop Block I or Block III classes.

3. Students cannot be on campus when they do not have classes scheduled. (Contact VPs with questions).

4. The Late Arrival/Early Release Contract must be signed by the student, Parent/Guardian and Senior Humanities Teacher then turned into the Attendance Office by the first Friday of the Spring semester.

5. Students are not dismissed from classes until paperwork is processed and a new schedule is delivered to the student.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Owyang at aowyang@jeffersonunion.net

Check out these workshops if you want info/support with Skyline College! Priority Enrollment Program Day is updated!

Questions? Email Ms. Owyang at aowyang@jeffersonunion.net

Interested in the opportunity to contribute to OHS sports and earn community service hours? Our winter sports are in need of responsible and committed team managers throughout the winter season. This commitment includes attendance at practices and games.

Please reach out to Athletics Director, Dan Johnston (djohnston@jeffersonunion.net) with any interest or questions.

Interested in seeing a game? Fantastic! All of our sports games are on our school calendar. Come and support our athletes. Go Sharks!

To participate in athletics, your child must be registered on SportsNet, and you must submit a physical through SportsNet. Please note, physicals are good for one year.

Many players do not have their physicals and can't practice. Please get the physical complete so your student can participate.

The Excelsior Community Food Pantry distributes fresh groceries to families each week and students can volunteer!

Every 9th, 10th, and 11th grade humanities class has now joined Mr. Mattias for a flex time lesson to plan out their future coursework. Students planned courses on CaliforniaColleges.edu and will make official course requests next semester. Students and families are encouraged to review plans together and explore the website's information about careers, colleges, and financial aid.

This week, Wellness met with Ethnic Studies classes to learn about the Zones of Regulation. Wellness and Ethnic Studies collaborate twice a semester and our focus for the year is “Tools for Wellness.” The Zones of Regulation are a tool to help us slow down and communicate how we are feeling and what we need. Today, 9th grade advisory classes played games based on these zones and the winning advisories will celebrate with a donut party when we return from break!

Attached is a slideshow containing all kinds of information you might need to know about Oceana! It discusses graduation requirements, senior exhibition, interim, and more. Additionally, the slideshow has links to digital resources you might find helpful, such as college application guides, SATs, financial aid support, and more.

We encourage all students to review the attached flyer and take advantage of these resources. Mental health is an important aspect of your overall well-being, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

The JUHSD Wellness Page also has many additional support resources.

Wellness Counselor and School Social Worker can provide support with short-term mental health, stress management/mindfulness, grief/loss, anxiety/depression, health appointments, crisis, referrals to community resources/outside counseling, and more! No question or concern is too small!

Click here for the request form!

Alyssa Owyang (she/her), aowyang@jeffersonunion.net, School Counselor, is on campus on Monday, Wednesday & Thursday supporting the 12th grades

Mattias Johansson (he/him), mjohansson@jeffersonunion.net, School Counselor is on campus Monday - Friday supporting 9th-11th graders

Jeannette Herbert (she/her), jherbert@jeffersonunion.net, Wellness Counselor is on campus Monday - Friday

Liberty Cajayon (she/they/siya), lcajayon@jeffersonunion.net, Wellness Counselor II/School Social Worker is on campus Monday - Friday

Website: https://www.juhsd.net/ohs
Location: 401 Paloma Avenue, Pacifica, CA, USA
Phone: 650-550-7300