The much-anticipated election of officers for the PBL Student Leadership Advisory is happening Thursday, September 19th during Community Meeting in the SMMUSD Board Room. We look forward to hearing inspired speeches from our incredible candidates as they share their vision for the year ahead. It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity to see who will lead us through this transformational school year.

But that’s not all—Friday brings us together for the Fall Pep Rally in the Greek Theatre, where all of Samohi will unite for some school spirit!

Be sure to wear your class colors:

Don't forget to check the special Pep Rally schedule and get ready to cheer loud and proud!

Students have a minimum day (8:30 - 1:52pm) in preparation for this evening event on Thursday 9/26 from 6:30 - 9pm.

The PBL Pathway will have a our own presentation for parents in D100 starting at 7:15pm. More information about this in Next Week's PBL Blast.

• Are you interested in being an advocate on campus for student mental health and well-being? The Samohi Wellness Advisory Group, or SWAG Club, is starting their meetings at lunch in room E113 and will meet every Friday at lunch. Open to all new members so come by and check it out.

• Esports Club will meet on Monday in D217 during lunch. Come as you are!

• Lovers of Alchemy, Magic, Interior Design, Creativity, and Good Karma,- Samohi Library needs you! Help us finish transforming our library classroom into a special place where wonder, joy, creativity and other good things can happen. You can earn volunteer hours, clear absences, and feel good about helping others. See Ms. Bart-Bell for information

• Are you interested in solving global conflicts, looking good for college apps, and making friends? The Model United Nations meetings will be held on Thursday at lunch in D218. Come see what it is all about! (Google Classroom Code: dep3g6k)

SNACK + Water Donations needed:

We are noticing that the long stretch between the start of school and lunch has left our young scholars hungry and thirsty. They have been finding healthy snacks in the PBL House Office, but our supplies are dwindling. Please feel free to donate healthy snacks to the office so that we can nourish our students when they need. 🙏

The Santa Monica-Malibu USD participates in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program by offering nutritious meals every school day. Students may buy lunch for $4.00/$4.75 and breakfast for $2.00/$2.25. Eligible students may receive meals free of charge or at the reduced-price rate of $0.40 for lunch and $0.30 for breakfast. You or your children do not have to be U.S. citizens to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. If there are more household members than the number of lines on the application, attach a second application. Applications are available on line at www.smmusd.org/foodservices.

You also get reduced fees for AP exams and school functions!

APPLY NOW

To report a student’s absence, please send an email to:

AttendancePBL@smmusd.org

or call Crystal Griffis at 310.395.3204 ext. 71-177

Please include your student’s first and last names, student ID numbers, and the reason they are absent (illness, family matter, medical or dental appointment, etc.).

• Students who become ill at school need to go to the nurse’s office to be released from school

• If a students leaves at lunch, we MUST have an email from you IN THE MORNING, asking for an early dismissal pass…if we receive an email AFTER they have already left, the absence will not be excused

• Students can pick up their early leave pass from the PBL house office after the 1st period of the day

• These passes CANNOT be delivered to their class

• When students leave early for a doctor’s appointment, they must bring a note back from the doctor so we can clear their absence…if we don’t receive a note, it is marked as a cut.

• All absences must be cleared in 3 days…please email the PBL house office if your child is out sick…after 3 days, it is an unexcused absence

• After a student has had 5 full day absences in the school year for illness, any further absence for illness must be verified by a physician

• Attendance for athletic participation is cleared through the athletics office

• This can take a few days to be corrected. Thank you for your patience.

• Questions about attendance procedures, please go to our website: https://www.smmusd.org/domain/3026

Attention Seniors: if you are applying to colleges that require letter(s) of recommendation and/or official transcript, the Guidelines must be completed– Letter of Recommendation & Transcript Request Guidelines

Many of you have asked what you need to be working on for your college apps. We got you! The updated College Admission Application Survival Guide ~ It’s Your Senior Year! includes the knitty-gritty on to-do tasks, deadlines, and frequently used websites. We recommend you bookmark it and use it everyday.

Samohi has over 100 clubs students can participate in. There is a club for everyone! This is a great opportunity to get involved on campus and expand your interest. If you have an idea for a club, you can create it!

Currently, 60 clubs have applied but there’s always room for more! If you are interested in joining or creating a club, be sure to get on the new Clubs Google Classroom with the code w2eck7n to get all the updates regarding the application, $10 fee, ICC meetings, and club row.

SMMUSD's Weekend Bags Program offers nutritious, easy-to-prepare weekend food for Samohi students when school cafeteria breakfasts and lunches are not available. Each Weekend Bag holds two breakfasts, two lunches, and two snacks. The menus have been evaluated by a dietitian and provide a balance of healthy, nutritious non-perishable foods which change each week. Students can drop by and pick up their Weekend Bags on Fridays afterschool from the Vikings’ Hub in E113.

Students should let Carla Nuñez, Community Schools Specialist in E113, (or their House Office assistant or their House Advisor) know if they would like to receive Weekend Bags. Families wishing to have their students receive Weekend Bags on Fridays should contact Carla Nuñez at carlanunez@smmusd.org or 310 395-3204 ext. 71-143.

SMMUSD continues to provide free TAP cards to all of our students. For our PBL students this is important that each student have an active TAP card as this is our main mode of travel for many of our Leaving 2 Learn experiences (ie: field trips).

If your child did not receive a TAP card or activation code, please have them come to the PBL House Office (B111).

To reactivate your existing TAP card, please submit the following form to receive a new eligibility code: https://bit.ly/GoPass2024-2025.

Take advantage of purchasing an ASB card. For $75, you can get free admission to football and basketball games (not during playoffs), up to 3 free I.D. replacement, a reduced price for your tickets for formals, homecomings, and prom, reduced price for school plays and band concerts, reduced price for your yearbook, and local business benefits like Donut King, Little Bean Coffee, Pita House, Samo’s Oaxaca,and Sylvan Learning. Saving you over $250!!!

Margaret’s Place is open for the school year in E117 and offers services to students every weekday! At Margaret’s Place, our mission is to help end the cycle of violence in our relationships, schools, and communities. We offer free counseling for students, open lunch drop-in, therapeutic recreation activities, and more! See our newsletter for students and our newsletter for parents/caregivers to learn more about services and how to get involved, email ldesanto@smmusd.org with any questions.

If you have not received an ID card,

you LOST your ID card,

you now have an ASB card and need the stamp, or

you now have an off campus lunch pass...

use the QR code (or click on the image) to have an ID reprinted/ printed.