PBL Weekly Blast

We are excited to kick off the 2025–26 school year and thrilled that our students have already had the opportunity to engage in meaningful community-building activities. These experiences allowed PBL students from each grade level to connect, collaborate, and start the year by strengthening our sense of belonging. New students also began working with the tools and resources in our i-studio, taking their first steps toward hands-on learning and creativity. This spirit of connection and discovery will continue as we launch our first design challenge of the year: Let’s Play!

In the week ahead, students will shift their focus to Core Academic classes within the PBL Pathway as we move into our regular PBL Block Schedule. Still, in true PBL fashion, we know that “all work and no play” doesn’t align with our do.learn.thrive motto. That’s why we’re excited for our first Leaving to Learn of the year on Tuesday, August 26th when students will explore a variety of games on the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade.

Parents, please be sure to sign the permission slip so that all students can participate in this enriching experience. Printed copies will be available in advisory tomorrow.

Click on the images for the PDF copy of the PBL Schedule

📷Make-Up Picture Day/ ID

Friday, August 29th

This Tuesday, August 26th our PBL students will be taking their learning out into the community with our first Leaving to Learn of the year! As part of the Let’s Play! design challenge, we’re heading to the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade to explore the creativity, strategy, and pure fun behind carnival games and life-size games. We hope this quick little adventure will spark inspiration for students as they begin designing their own games.

Parents, please be sure to sign permission slip (linked below) so all students can join in the fun.

Note:

• 9th and 10th graders will be leaving campus at 9am and returning at 12:30pm before lunch at Samohi
• 11th and 12th graders will be leaving campus at 11am and returning at 2:30pm before period 6. Plan to have lunch off campus on this day.

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 daily announcements you’ll find here are a great way to highlight the amazing things happening across our school community. Each morning during homeroom, our Associated Student Body President, Sadie Gryczman, and Vice President, Archie Windsor, share the announcements over the intercom, helping us start the day connected and informed.

Fellow Vikings are encouraged to share:
• Celebrations and successes from your classes, athletic and academic teams, and clubs
• Upcoming events, projects, and performances

• Fundraisers, spirit days, and school-wide activities

Opportunities

Vikings, want to try out for the Mock Trial team? Come by the courtroom, EX311, and pick up an informational packet from Ms. Boyd. Tryouts will be September 3rd or 4th from 5:30-7:30 (8/27)

Spirit and Activities

Hey Vikings - Happy Friday! Let’s bring some extra spirit to campus! We’re inviting everyone to dress up and show off their Samohi pride every week with:

• Blue and Gold gear
• Sports attire (jerseys, team shirts, etc.)
• School-related gear (club shirts, event tees, or anything that reps our Viking spirit!)

This will be happening every Friday — it’s the perfect chance to add some energy to the week and show that school spirit is for everyone. Let’s turn the halls into a sea of blue and gold!

Athletics

Attention Girls Soccer players: If you were unable to make the try out in June, we are having two days of make-up tryouts after school at Belmar on Monday, August 25th and Tuesday, August 26th from 3:45PM-5PM. (8/25)

Samohi Girls Volleyball Tryouts on Tuesday, August 26th Gold Gym 3:30 (8/26)