Shark Bytes

Dear Students and Families,

I hope students had a restful winter break and had a happy new year! I am always surprised at how fast the school year goes. We are starting the spring semester with lots of athletic sport games so check out our calendar for upcoming games, including the games tonight!

Please calendar that Oceana does not have school on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Oceana will be having a day of service on that day, if students are interested. Please look below under the "I AM HUMAN" announcement for additional details. Also, calendar that Oceana does not have school on Wednesday, January 29 in observance of Lunar New year.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Take care,

Maritza Torres

Career Day is coming to Oceana on Friday, January 31st. An overview of the day's format and a link to bios can be found here. Students had time in their advisories to consider the bios of the presenters and submit five preferred choices. Thank you to the wide range of community members who have offered their time to speak to our students!

January 20th is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and it marks the 30th anniversary as a National Day of Service. Some students will be at Oceana on January 20th doing community service preparing murals and posters for a FlexTime event, the following day, called I AM HUMAN - THEY CAN'T CLIP MY WINGS.

The murals will be of wings that represent Oceana's commitment to helping all our students and our community 'fly' no matter who they are or where they come from. Also, in the words of the East Bay artist, Favianna Rodriguez, "Migration is Beautiful".

Posters are also being made for students to hold for a group photograph that declare "I Am Human". Inspired by the Memphis Sanitation Workers strike of 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. was visiting the strikers to show his support. It was on this trip that he was assassinated. The strikers held signs that read, "I am a Man". Students will be offered the opportunity to hold these signs as they get photographed. Our 'protest' is intended to declare that no matter how much some may attempt to dehumanize others, the Oceana Community remains committed to supporting one another and affirming everyone's right to live life as one's authentic self.

Students will receive their Course Request Sheets for their 2025-2026 schedules during a FlexTime presentation with the counselors between Jan 23 and Feb 6. These Course Request Sheets are due February 12.

Families - If you want to learn more about graduation requirements and what classes your students can request for, you can come to an information session (either Wednesday 2/5 morning @ 7:45 am or Thursday 2/6 evening @ 6:00pm) in the library.

Do you have a current sophomore or junior who may be interested in attending Middle College at Skyline University? An info night for parents and students will be held on Zoom on January 29th from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. Additional information regarding a Shadow day on the 29th and the link to the application have been added to student's Google Classrooms.

This year's yearbook is currently on sale online at Yearbook Forever. The price will be slightly increasing throughout the year, starting in November, so purchase your yearbook now for the best deal!

Did you know that students can earn a Biliteracy Seal on their diploma?

Students who exhibit proficiency in English and a second language can qualify for a State Seal of Biliteracy on their Diploma. For Seniors who have met the English proficiency requirement, they can either complete their second language proficiency by finishing (1) 4 years of a second language in high school, (2) passing an AP exam in the second language, or (3) passing a language proficiency test paid by the district.

If your student wants to complete the second language requirement through the district-paid test, please fill out this form by January 20th.

Prestige Portraits scheduled the second round of senior portraits on January 14 and January 15. These are the last dates that Prestige Portraits will be at Oceana.

Instructions on how to schedule/cancel/change senior appointments online:

• Go to: https://prestigeportraits.com
• Enter your 8-digit appointment code then select "Go".
• If you do not have a code, enter the city and state of the school, then select your school. After you select your school, enter your first and last name then click "Search".
• You will then see the 8-digit appointment code. Enter the 8-digit code in the appropriate box then click “Go”.
• From there, the students can select the date and time of their appointment. Seniors can also contact Prestige directly at byarea@lifetouch.com or call 1-877-825-7922 (Mon-Friday 9am-4pm) for any questions.

If any students have trouble finding their names online, they can contact their customer service department at byarea@lifetouch.com or call 1-877-825-7922 during our business hours (9am-4pm). Their team will assist with adding their names to our system and help assign an appointment.

The FAFSA and CADAA are NOW OPEN! Be sure to submit your financial aid applications by the priority deadline on March 2nd. Need support successfully completing your financial aid application? Join us on Wednesday, February 12th in the library from 6-8pm for our annual Cash4College event hosted by Skyline College! Please be sure to have your FSA ID created before the event and the appropriate documents for a smoother process.

Website for FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

• CHECKLIST FOR FAFSA:

• FSA ID and Password for Student and Parent

• SSN (if you + parent(s) have one)

• Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S Citizen)

• Tax Returns and/or W-2 Forms

• Any records of untaxed income received such as: SSDI, child support, TANF, IRA payments, 401(k), or military allowance

Website for CADAA: https://dream.csac.ca.gov/

• CHECKLIST FOR CADAA:

• Dream Act ID and Password for Student and Parent

• SSN or ITIN (if you + parent(s) have one)

• Tax Returns and/or W-2 Forms

• Any records of untaxed income received such as: SSDI, child support, TANF, IRA payments, 401(k), or military allowance

RSVP by completing this google form: https://forms.gle/LNXWMDCY1rFgnnVXA

Check out these workshops if you want info/support with Skyline College! Priority Enrollment Program Day is updated!

Questions? Email Ms. Owyang at aowyang@jeffersonunion.net

Mark your calendars! Basketball Senior Night is scheduled for January 31st in the Oceana Gym.

Interested in the opportunity to contribute to OHS sports and earn community service hours? Our winter sports are in need of responsible and committed team managers throughout the winter season. This commitment includes attendance at practices and games.

Please reach out to Athletics Director, Dan Johnston (djohnston@jeffersonunion.net) with any interest or questions.

Interested in seeing a game? Fantastic! All of our sports games are on our school calendar. Come and support our athletes. Go Sharks!

To participate in athletics, your child must be registered on SportsNet, and you must submit a physical through SportsNet. Please note, physicals are good for one year.

Many players do not have their physicals and can't practice. Please get the physical complete so your student can participate.

Our Service & Health Fair is next Friday, January 17th in the courtyard during lunch! Several non-profit organizations will be attending to teach students about different ways to spread physical & mental health awareness. Community Service opportunities will also be offered to those in need of fulfilling their hour graduation requirement.

On Saturday, January 11th from 9:00AM till 1:00PM we could use your help serving the community with free groceries.

For volunteers we will have donuts and coffee, and volunteers can receive a box of groceries to bring home to their family too! We really need the volunteers as this is the first food bank of the school year.

If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this volunteer Google form, show up to Jefferson High School between 8:30-9:00AM on Saturday, and meet at the front office.

The Excelsior Community Food Pantry distributes fresh groceries to families each week and students can volunteer!

Every 9th, 10th, and 11th grade humanities class has now joined Mr. Mattias for a flex time lesson to plan out their future coursework. Students planned courses on CaliforniaColleges.edu and will make official course requests next semester. Students and families are encouraged to review plans together and explore the website's information about careers, colleges, and financial aid.

This week, Wellness met with Ethnic Studies classes to learn about the Zones of Regulation. Wellness and Ethnic Studies collaborate twice a semester and our focus for the year is “Tools for Wellness.” The Zones of Regulation are a tool to help us slow down and communicate how we are feeling and what we need. Today, 9th grade advisory classes played games based on these zones and the winning advisories will celebrate with a donut party when we return from break!

Attached is a slideshow containing all kinds of information you might need to know about Oceana! It discusses graduation requirements, senior exhibition, interim, and more. Additionally, the slideshow has links to digital resources you might find helpful, such as college application guides, SATs, financial aid support, and more.

We encourage all students to review the attached flyer and take advantage of these resources. Mental health is an important aspect of your overall well-being, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

The JUHSD Wellness Page also has many additional support resources.

Wellness Counselor and School Social Worker can provide support with short-term mental health, stress management/mindfulness, grief/loss, anxiety/depression, health appointments, crisis, referrals to community resources/outside counseling, and more! No question or concern is too small!

Click here for the request form!

Alyssa Owyang (she/her), aowyang@jeffersonunion.net, School Counselor, is on campus on Monday, Wednesday & Thursday supporting the 12th grades

Mattias Johansson (he/him), mjohansson@jeffersonunion.net, School Counselor is on campus Monday - Friday supporting 9th-11th graders

Jeannette Herbert (she/her), jherbert@jeffersonunion.net, Wellness Counselor is on campus Monday - Friday

Liberty Cajayon (she/they/siya), lcajayon@jeffersonunion.net, Wellness Counselor II/School Social Worker is on campus Monday - Friday

Website: https://www.juhsd.net/ohs
Location: 401 Paloma Avenue, Pacifica, CA, USA
Phone: 650-550-7300