PBL Weekly Blast

On behalf of our PBL staff, thank you for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special! From the fresh bagels to the beautifully catered lunch, we felt seen, celebrated, and appreciated. We’re so grateful to be part of a community that values and supports educators.

Academic Support = Sign up to work with a PBL teacher

Students - Click on the link below and sign up. Not signing up will result in community clean-up assignment and/or a period absence.

In your cross grade level groups, we will be doing a bit of bonding through board games. If you have a favorite, bring it on Thursday. Oh, and we will finally FLY those paper airplanes that were mindfully crafted.

We are in the final weeks of our classes so now more than ever, is the time to focus in class, ask questions, support your peers, and finish the school year STRONG!

Key Dates:

• Thursday, May 22 - Senior PBLx Talks
• Friday, May 30th - last day of instruction for all PBL academic classes
• Monday, June 2nd - ALL PBL work Deadline (This is a hard deadline for ALL students. It is the last day to submit work for your PBL classes. Check with each teacher to know what can be submitted by this deadline)
• Monday, June 2nd - PBL Science FINAL EXAMS
• Tuesday, June 3 - Last LTI/ Project day (yes, the i-studio will be open)
• Wednesday, June 4 - PBL Math FINAL EXAMS
• Thursday, June 6 - POL Preparation (our seniors last day of HS classes!)
• Friday, June 6th - 10th grade POLs - SAMOHI AM FINALS & PBL Senior Stole Ceremony 5:30 - 8pm
• Monday, June 9th - 9 +10th grade POLs - SAMOHI per 1 + 2 FINALS
• Tuesday, June 10th - 9 + 11th grade POLs
• Wednesday, June 11th - Graduation! - SAMOHI per 5 + 6 FINALS
• Thursday, June 12th - L2L: Community Bonding @ the beach

Click on the above images for the PDF End of Year Schedule

Our seniors will be sharing their Senior Thesis Project journeys in the PBLx Talks, but take a look at the photos offering a glimpse of them in their internships (above) and preparing for the Talks (below).

PBLx Talks are the culminating Presentations of Learning of our PBL Senior Thesis Projects. We hope that you will come celebrate the learning journey of PBLs Class of 2025.

Please RSVP for this event with the link/ QR code below.

Grad Nite Tickets – Prices increase on April 5th. Buy early to save money. Scholarship forms are available in house offices or in I305. You can check if you’ve already purchased a ticket by looking up your student’s ID on the regularly updated passenger list.

Grad Nite Lawn Signs – Support Grad Nite and celebrate your senior with a Class of 2025 lawn sign. Email florams@hotmail.com for more information.

MedReach at UCLA is pleased to invite high school students across Los Angeles County and beyond to our in person "Ready for Healthcare" seminar. The in person seminar will be held Sunday, May 18th from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on UCLA Campus (specific room location TBD). At this seminar, students will learn about various healthcare careers, participate in mock case studies to better understand the role of healthcare providers, and engage in fun activities to challenge their knowledge of medical terminology! Students will also have the opportunity to ask a panel of pre-health college students their questions regarding college applications, career choices, academics, and more!

If interested in attending our in person seminar, please have them RSVP via this link

College Essay Writing Class

If you are interested in taking a course through an outside program (NOT SAMO or Community College) please read the following information. All students MUST APPLY AND BE APPROVED BEFORE registering in a class.

Information on policies and schools that are accepted by Samohi can be found at: https://www.smmusd.org/Page/4233 Application to turn into Advisor and can be found on the website: CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT APPLICATION 2025. Deadline to apply for approval is May 25, 2025

😎 SMC Summer schedule is AVAILABLE! It can be found here: https://www.smc.edu/academics/classes/

All students must apply to be a SMC student before you can submit the SMC’s High School Concurrent Enrollment Form. Please follow the directions LINKED below on how to enroll at SMC as a student.

Students MUST turn in this SAMO Concurrent application to Nicole if wanting to take an SMC class: CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT APPLICATION 2025. This is in addition to the SMC application.

Please read thoroughly:

• All applications will be submitted virtually

• Your first step is to apply to SMC - apply online today

• Once that is complete, application materials must be submitted through the High School Concurrent Enrollment Application Form

• Once you complete the student portion of the form and attach the required documents, it will be forwarded to your parent to approve, and then to Nicole Nicodemus (your HS Counselor) smmusd email and mcruce@smmusd.org (HS principal) for approval.

• Students may take a variety of classes as long as you meet any SMC requirements and get approval from Samo. Please speak to Nicole if you have any questions. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL CORE SUBJECTS ARE TAKEN AT SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL. You must enter the correct course number when you fill out the High School Concurrent Enrollment form

More information was sent to you by your advisor please read over all the directions

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

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

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.

Wellness Services Center Website

Mental Health Referral Form

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.

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.

Support a young author and purchase Malaika's book on Amazon today!

Categorized as a coming-of-age psychological thriller.