“If you are absorbed by what you're doing, one of two things is going to happen. You're going to get really good at it and whether you're rewarded, recognized or get the positions you want or not, the journey will have been a good one.” - Barack Obama

EVERY WEEK, students need to sign up for Academic Support time provided on Wednesdays. Take advantage of this opportunity to get extra help from a teacher, catch up on missing assignments, or get ahead on your work. The first grading period of the semester is approaching fast—use this time wisely!

Students - before scrolling any further, complete the form linked below to sign up for your Academic Support. Your grades will thank you!

Wednesday, February 19th, our Samohi Clubs will offer a variety of foods, drinks, crafts and personal care products for you to purchase. The link below offers details on what offerings we have, along with prices during lunch. We look forward to seeing you in the quad next week!

LINK to Club DAY info

Show off your PBL pride with our latest merch—T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, and trucker hats are now available! Don't miss out—place your order by March 2nd so we can all sport our new gear before Spring Break. Students and parents, get yours today! 🔥

Link to t-Shirts + Hoodies

Link to Tote Bag

Link to Trucker Hat

This is the FINAL week before the 2025-26 school year Application to our PBL Pathway! To help us continue building momentum for new students, we kindly ask for your support in spreading the word about the PBL Pathway. Encourage your friends and neighbors to learn more about our program and apply!

Thank you for helping us grow our community.

Students - don't forget to sign up for your academic planning meeting via google classroom. You will find the link in your Class of... (2026, 2027, 2028). Make sure to review the Samohi Course Catalogue so you are familiar with the many elective choices.

At the meeting, we will review your progress toward graduation and college admission requirements AND select your electives for the 2025-26 school year. Parents can join the meeting in person or via Zoom.

Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us for the PBL Parent Mixer on Saturday! It was a wonderful evening filled with great conversations and connections. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other better. A very special thank you to Claire, her husband, and their family for graciously opening their home and making the event so warm and welcoming.

The PBL staff is diving into The Anxious Generation, and we invite parents to read along with us! We’d love to host an evening book discussion this May with Parents and Teachers. Stay tuned for more details about our Parent Book Study Group—we hope you’ll be part of the conversation!

PBL Students who signed up for this experience were guided through the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden by 2 garden staff.

Despite the rain, the PBL Pathway community made its way downtown to the Mark Taper Forum to experience Fake It Until You Make It—the first play by a Native American playwright to be featured at the theater. This sharp, satirical production had us laughing while also sparking important conversations. A theater educator and actor visited three of our PBL classes before and after our L2L for Fake It Until You Make It. We explored the play’s complex themes of identity, settler colonialism, and Native American history—brought to life through sharp satire and farce. It was a fun, engaging, and a meaningful experience for all!

Players of all ages/levels invited.Third St. Promenade, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

FLYER LINK

Volunteer tutors offer free help reading documents, writing letters and resumes, completing forms, navigating government websites, using mobile devices, email and more. Santa Monica Main Library, Thursdays, 2-4 p.m.

FLYER LINK

• UNCF Scholarship List - deadlines vary
• Playa Vista Optimist Club-looking for student entries for the Optimist International 2024-2025 Essay Contest.The local award for the winning essay is $400 and the winner will then advance to the District Contest. The first place winner of the District Contest is then awarded a $2500 scholarship and a plaque which is presented at a special District Awards luncheon.
• Foundation for Fraternal Excellence Men's College Scholarship - due 4/1/2025
• Asian Pacific Community Fund Scholarship Program - due Apr. 21, 2025
• Sacramento Region Community Foundation 2025 Scholarship Opportunities - deadlines vary; many are for Sacramento area only, but there are a few opportunities open to all

💸 Ready to secure the bag for your college dreams? Whether you're aiming for FAFSA or the CA Dream Act, now’s your chance to grab FREE $$$ for school! Scholarships, grants, work-study, and loans—there’s something for everyone to help lighten the load.

📅 Don’t wait—deadlines are closer than you think!

• FAFSA: Open to U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens → Click here to apply

• CA Dream Act: For undocumented students meeting AB 540 requirements→ Click here to apply

• CSS profile: out-of-state and private colleges may require an additional app → Click here to apply

Why apply?

• It’s free and easy 💻

• You might get money you don’t have to pay back 💵

• Your future self will thank you 🙌

The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) announces the release of a new informational resource to assist Mixed-Status Families in applying for financial aid.For more details, please view GSA 2024-93.

Monday, June 23 to Friday, July 25, 2025

We are pleased to offer in-person opportunities for students this summer. Summer School at Samohi will be held in the Innovation Building on the Samohi campus. We will offer breakfast and lunch daily to students. Summer at Samohi includes the following programs:

Accelerated Course details—deadline to apply is Apr 25, 2025

PBL Students may take Geometry or Art. History courses are an integral part of our PBL Pathway and are required to be taken as part of our program.

• Accelerated Geometry: Students who wish to accelerate in the math pathway of their choice. Students with grades of an A or B in Algebra will be considered for this course. Students who take Accelerated Geometry will still be enrolled in a math class for the following year.

• Accelerated Geometry Application

• Accelerated Art: students looking to develop their artistic skills and explore various techniques in drawing, painting, and design. Perfect for those passionate about visual arts, this course provides a strong foundation for future artistic endeavors

• Accelerated Art Application

• California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) - due Feb. 28, 2025

• CSSSA is a rigorous, preprofessional, month-long training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, animation and film for talented artists of high school age. CSSSA provides a supportive environment in which students hone acquired skills and explore new techniques and ideas for an intense and exciting learning experience.

• California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) - coming soon!

• COSMOS is an intensive four-week summer residential Pre-College Program for high school students who have demonstrated an aptitude for academic and professional careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

• Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement - coming soon!

• The Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement is a four-week summer intensive academy for 26 talented high school students from the communities surrounding the USC University Park and Health Science Campuses. Students are exposed to the equivalent of first-year college-level courses and develop a rich conceptual understanding and practice of the necessary role that media communications and journalism play in fashioning civic-minded thought leaders and innovators.

Lastly, reminder that you also have a list of Fly-In Programs here.

This is a great opportunity for your child to strengthen their math skills over the summer! The sessions are designed to support your child in building a strong foundation in math, while also preparing them for more advanced topics in later grades. Additionally, attending this workshop will look great on their academic record, as they will have participated in a Young Mathematicians course hosted by UCLA!

Registration will open in January.

Please feel free to reach out to Christine Riad at riad@gseis.ucla.edu with any questions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeu_eZ_o4gmQY0U0FfikGTGMCsaK1zjjBuZt7eBkVGbeRRiwA/viewform

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

The CSF Membership Application for the Fall 2025 is now open! It is due Friday, February 21, 2025.

For eligibility requirements and application completion steps, see attached PDF or click here. It is also be posted at the Samohi Academic Honor Societies website

Attached, you will also find FAQs. If after thoroughly reading both documents there are follow up questions, email them to samohiacademichonorsocieties@gmail.com (from your personal email, not SMMK12 email)

In AD 103- Across the hall from the nurse’s office,

Open on Tuesday from 1 to 3:45 pm and on Thursdays from 8:30 to 11:45 am!

• Immunizations

• Physicals

• Medical Care

• And so much more

Counseling groups for 2nd semester will be starting soon and are taking referrals!

We are offering a variety of support options based on the needs of our students. This is a great opportunity for students to find support and build connections in confidential group therapy sessions.

Groups for this semester will include:

• Finding flow (watercolor art therapy group),
• AFFIRM (support group for Queer students),
• Write your own story (art therapy journaling group),
• a Grief and loss support group.

Wellness Services Center Website

Mental Health Referral Form

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.

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.

Tickets are on sale NOW for CHICAGO, Samohi's Spring Musical! One of Broadway's all-time greats, CHICAGO hits SAMO for two weekends only, starting Friday, February 28 and closing Sunday, March 9! CHICAGO promises a little something for everyone: sizzling dance numbers, hot-blooded murder, courtroom drama, a media circus, and ALL THAT JAZZ! Student tickets are just $10 at SamohiTheatre.org. Score the best seats in Barnum while you can!!