Shark Bytes

Dear Students and Families,

We are officially in the last month of school! If you have not done it lately, this is the time to log into ParentVUE and review your student's grade. If you have any questions, please reach out to your student's teachers.

If you didn't do the surveys last week, please do them today! Your opinion and voice matters on how we create a learning environment for your student.

• Short Alternative School Survey: Oceana is an Alternative School and to continue to keep our alternative school status, we need families annual input on only seven specific questions.
• California Healthy Kids Survey: Oceana uses the data from this survey to create school wide goals, learn about our strengths and areas to improve. Additional information below.

Take care,

Maritza Torres

Honoring History and Humanity: The AIDS Memorial Quilt at Oceana

Presented by the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)

During the week of May 5–9, Oceana High School will have the extraordinary privilege of hosting two sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. This powerful and historic work of art was first created in 1987 as a way to honor the lives lost to the AIDS epidemic, to raise awareness, and to fight the stigma surrounding the disease. Today, it remains one of the largest ongoing community art projects in the world, embodying love, remembrance, and the enduring fight for justice and compassion.

During Flextime throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to view the quilt sections in person, learn about its profound history through short videos, and hear a presentation from Oceana’s own Gay-Straight Alliance. This is a rare and meaningful opportunity to connect with a living piece of history — one that calls on us to remember the past while continuing to build a more inclusive and empathetic future.

We hope you’ll join us in honoring the lives represented in the quilt and supporting the important conversations it inspires.

Oceana High School friends,

Scholarship funding for the Class of 2025 needs your help! We are asking YOU to pitch in with a scholarship award gift in any amount. OSPTO will match your gift dollar for dollar - effectively DOUBLING the impact of your generosity - up to a total of $5,000 in new gifts.

OSPTO’s goal is to create a minimum $10,000 scholarship award fund for qualifying OHS students. Our deadline to secure this funding is May 15, 2025. With your help and OSPTO’s matching funds, we can do this!

Donate to OSPTO via PayPal here: https://bit.ly/donate2OSPTO

Want to go the extra mile? Ask your employer about their charitable gift matching program. Some employers offer up to a 200% match to your gift!

OSPTO is also looking for volunteers to join our Board of Directors. We meet monthly during the school year, and enjoy additional activities supporting the school of about 1-2 hours per month. Also, watch for opportunities to join our Fantastic (July) Four Fundraiser Crew this summer!

Gifts to OSPTO are tax deductible. Our tax ID is 81-3470624.

Please come support the OSPTO fireworks booth by either signing up to volunteer at the fireworks booth sales, come buy your fireworks from us, or, even better, both!

Volunteer here!!

Our school is asking parents/guardians to complete this brief, anonymous online survey to help improve school culture, safety, and learning supports. The survey includes questions about topics such as school connectedness, safety, harassment, substance use, and overall learning experiences.

Participation is voluntary but strongly encouraged, as your input will guide efforts to make Oceana a better place to learn and grow. No identifying information is collected; you may skip any questions you prefer not to answer. The results will be used by the district only, and all data will remain confidential.

If you have questions, please contact VP Jose Campos, jcampos@jeffersonunion.net.

Thank you for your support!

Be the Change Youth Council (BTC) is a group of youth leaders from Oceana High School who work together to reduce youth substance use and raise awareness about mental wellness. BTC would like to invite students and families to join us for our 7th annual Youth Summit.

Date: Saturday May 10th

Location: Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School

Time: 11:00 am - 2:30 pm

It will be a great day including youth-led workshops, live streamed podcast, free photobooth and door prizes. Free lunch is included for all attendees!

Registration link:Youth Summit Registration Link

If you have any questions feel free to contact Program Director Mary Bier: mbier@jeffersonunion.net

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news about a course update for the upcoming school year!

This year’s Sculpture class was a tremendous success—students explored their creativity, built impressive works, and discovered a love for working with their hands and imaginations. Thanks to the incredible work of our teacher and the enthusiastic participation of our students, we’re ready to take things to the next level.

Next year, Sculpture will evolve into 3D Studio Art—a refreshed and expanded course that builds on everything students loved about Sculpture, while diving even deeper into the world of three-dimensional artistic expression. Based on student feedback and the teacher’s vision, 3D Art will include a wider variety of materials, techniques, and creative challenges, giving students even more ways to explore, design, and bring their ideas to life. We can’t wait to see the amazing work students will create in 3D Art!

For students who signed up for Sculpture, please be advised about this change in their schedule next year. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Leung 650-550-7308, sleung@jeffersonunion.net.

Today, all of our 9th grade humanities students got the opportunity to attend the Ethnic Studies Summit at San Francisco State University, along with all the other ethnic studies students of Jefferson Union High School District. There, they got to hear empowering and personal speeches from the dean of SFSU College of Ethnic Studies, Grace Yoo; the mayor of Daly City, Rod Daus-Magbual; and Bay Area native musician and community activist, Dregs One. They also got to hear the personal stories of four original striking members of the SFSU 1968 Ethnic Studies Strike, JUHSD student panelists and performers, and participate in workshops led by current SFSU students. It was a fantastic and thought-provoking day!

Last week was F.A.M.E. Night, where Oceana’s talented artists shared their creativity across a wide range of mediums—including visual art, live music, poetry, creative writing, and more.

Congratulations to the students who made this night happen: Zaiden A., Emmy M., Annelise C., Adelina L., Jiro D. and DJ C. And, of course, to Mr. Cruickshank, their advisor.

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

Last school year, we were able to stream our graduation which was a huge success. We are happy to announce that we will be stream the Class of 2025's graduation!

We will share the link in SharkBytes and through an email to our seniors as soon as we have the link available.

Graduation day is fast approaching! Please review this letter to the graduating seniors and their families from Principal Torres. If you have any questions, please reach out to Principal Torres. We are excited to celebrate your graduation!

Community Service Senior Deadlines

• May 1st, 3 pm, hours for silver cord (250) and
• May 16th, 3 pm Graduation requirement (76 hours)

Bring proof to Laurie in room 209 or ask office staff to put form in her box. Do not forget to make a copy of your hours.

Last school year, Oceana established a new tradition that we hope better reflects our student population and increases the general enjoyment of the graduation ceremony. In our opening, we would like to invite a senior class poet or singer to help celebrate the achievements of the class of 2025. If you are interested in being considered, please fill out this form.

The Senior Class would like your support! We would like to create a memorable Senior Class trip to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The estimated cost for transportation, food, and any additional expenses is around $70 per student. Please consider to donating to the wonderful Class of 2025!

👉 Donate here! 👈

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

Linked is an opportunity to spend the day assisting a Zoo Camp, playing with the campers, helping to assist with activities, making crafts, and exploring the Zoo.

Daly City Youth Health Center wellness interns will be hosting a group for seniors and juniors on Wednesdays after school. The group will focus on post high school planning and students will learn DBT skills and other skills to manage anxiety and life stressors. The group will be capped at 12 students and students who attend prior sessions will have first dibs in the group.

Students, especially seniors who may be in need of community service hours, check out this website with multiple soup kitchens in SF. This is a great resource for completing your community service requirement:

https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/ca-san_francisco

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

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