We are excited to share that we are in the midst of recruiting students for the 2025-26 school year for our PBL Pathway! As part of our efforts, we will be presenting information to 8th graders at JAMS on Tuesday, January 28th, and at Lincoln Middle School on Friday, February 7th.

Our information sessions on campus have been well attended, and we’re thrilled about the interest and enthusiasm surrounding our program. To help us continue building momentum, 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 by attending the Samo Experience Open House (6pm for new families). It’s a great opportunity for prospective families to explore the unique benefits and opportunities we offer.

Thank you for being champions of the PBL Pathway and for helping us grow our community!

📣 Calling all Future Vikings! 📣

Does your child love to cheer, dance, and have fun? Sign them up for the Future Vikings Cheer Clinic hosted by the SAMOHI Pep Squad!

UPDATED Details:

When:
📅 Clinic: Tuesday, January 28th | 4:00–6:00 p.m.
🎉 Performance: Wednesday, January 29th | 5:00- after performance TBD

Cost:

💵 $50 - Includes the clinic and halftime performance

💵 $25 - Optional bow and t-shirt

Spectator fee: $10 per adult for the basketball game

We will be donating half of our proceeds directly to dance studios and cheer gyms affected by the Palisades wildfire.Your child will learn skills and perform with the SAMOHI Pep Squad!

Sign up Here: Future Vikings 2025 Registration

For questions, email Coach Lily Sheahan at lsheahan@smmusd.org.

Let’s make memories together—sign up and join the fun!

Welcome to Samohi, Future Vikings!

Coach Lily Sheahan

This event is all about empowering young adults to prioritize their mental and physical well-being in today's world. Discover the latest trends in nutrition, mindfulness, and more. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to invest in your health and connect with like-minded individuals. See you there!

Click here to register!

This year, thanks to an incredible donation from the City of Santa Monica, we are fortunate to offer a College Expo the morning of Tuesday, January 28th. There will be over 30 HBCUs and HSIs represented at the College Expo. The event is open to any Junior or Senior interested. Many of the colleges will be offering on the spot acceptance for qualified students and some will be giving out scholarships as well. In addition to the college reps, there will be three seminars that students can choose to attend on being a student athlete in college, funding college, and STEM careers.

If you are interested in attending this event, complete the interest form.

The College/Career Center is thrilled to invite you and your student to the STEM Admissions Night on Tuesday, February 4, 7-8:30pm in Barnum Hall.

We will be joined by a panel of experienced and knowledgeable college admission representatives who will be sharing about their institution's STEM academic offerings and the application process. If your student is interested in pursuing STEM fields in college or as a career, you will not want to miss out!

Media Art Workshop

• 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.
• California Association of Collectors Educational Scholarship Foundation - due Jan. 31, 2025
• Geri & Richard Brawerman Leadership Institute - due Feb. 17, 2025
• 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

Other Opportunities

• Ballotpedia’s Volunteer Fellows Program - due Jan. 20

The Samohi Scholarship Program will open today at 1:30pm. Scholarship application and any additional materials are due Fri., Jan. 31, 2025. This is a firm deadline, there will be no extension.

Click HERE to view the Scholarship Application Steps.

If you have questions/clarifications, please email your college/career counselor.

💸 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.

• USC Bovard Scholars Program - due Jan. 17, 2025

• The USC Bovard Scholars program helps high-achieving students with financial need gain admission to and succeed at the nation’s top universities.

• MIT MITES - due Feb. 1, 2025

• The MITES Semester and MITES Summer application and selection process is holistic, meaning that we consider a variety of factors when determining which students are the best fit for our programs. We look for students with demonstrated interest in science and engineering and a strong academic record who are motivated, hard-working, and focused on growth and improvement

• 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.

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

For families in the evacuation warning area serving Roosevelt Elementary, Lincoln Middle School and Samohi, along with any family who makes the personal decision to keep their children home tomorrow, we will excuse these absences. Please contact your school office to report this absence.

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

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.