Shark Bytes

Dear Students and Families,

Happy Senior Exhibition Day! As I mentioned before, Senior Exhibition Day is my favorite day of the school year and, today, did not let down! I loved the excitement and the celebration. All of our seniors worked so hard over the course of the school year and they were able to share everything they learned to their community. Our underclassmen all got to see four different presentations so they can peak into potential topics for their own senior exhibition project.

Next week is Interim week, students will have a week long elective from Monday March 31 until Friday April 4. I hope students will enjoy their week. Please look out for emails from teachers as field trip plans may change due to weather.

After interim, students and staff will get a well deserved week off for spring break. Oceana campus will be closed for spring break from April 7th to April 11th. We will see students back on Monday, April 14th for an even day.

Take care,

Maritza Torres

Prom ticket sales start on Monday, March 24th. Stop by the student store ASAP for the best prices, as the prices will increase the longer you wait! Check out @ohsprom25 on instagram for more information.

To continue to track our students’ academic progress, and to see the strengths and areas of improvement for our academic program, all Juniors will be taking the CAASPP Test for English and Math, as well as the CAST test for Science on the week of April 14th- April 18th. (There is a small group of 10 Juniors who need to do the CAST Tuesday April 22nd due to scheduling conflicts.) If your student misses school or does not finish, there will be additional make up sessions. To understand the importance of and logistics of CAASPP and CAST, please refer to this informational slideshow. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Leung at sleung@jeffersonunion.net.

Oceana will be joining the Private School Athletic League (PSAL) for the 2026-2027 school year. Oceana was approached by the PSAL earlier this school year and asked us to join the league. Academic Council will be discussing this change in April and we would like to hear from families about this league change. Please email Mr. Johnston, at djohnston@jeffersonunion.net, and Ms. Torres, mtorres@jeffersonunion.net, to share any input about this placement.

To share a little information, the PSAL is a league of the CIF/ Central Coast Section. PSAL is comprised of local high schools in the Central Coast Section participating in interscholastic athletics. Currently, the PSAL has 23 league member schools. For Oceana, cross-country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, and track and field will all join the PSAL. Our remaining teams, boys and girls tennis, wrestling, and swimming will still compete in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL). Oceana will remain in the PAL as a provisional member for these three sports. Oceana will maintain all of our current sports programs.

On behalf of schools with students fasting for Ramadan, the California Department of Education (CDE) has approved Jefferson Union High School District for a Ramadan Meal Waiver. This waiver allows schools to send a breakfast and a lunch home with students, in attendance, that are fasting. Non-fasting students will receive school breakfast and lunch, as usual, that are to be consumed at school.

Students who are fasting during Ramadan will have the option to receive a take home lunch for the day of service, and a breakfast for the following day beginning Friday, February 28-Friday until April 4, 2025. Please visit the school cafeteria during normal hours and request a takeaway lunch and breakfast.

Each meal is served according to state and federal school breakfast/lunch requirements.

allcove San Mateo is happy to announce that they have extended their parent support group to June 17th! Attached is our updated flyer with the new date.

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!

Throughout this week, Oceana's halls were buzzing with seniors practicing before school, during flex time, humanities class and after school. Today, we celebrate our seniors. Senior Exhibition Day is a celebration of our students' accomplishments with Senior Exhibition. Seniors publicly presented their in depth research to students, staff, family, and community members.

Great job Seniors!

This last Wednesday, Laurie Hughes' Food and Nutrition class went on a tour at Dandelion Chocolate Factory in SF. Students tasted different types of chocolates and learned about chocolate making.

Gabby May was awarded Best of Show from the JUHSD Student Artist Exhibit!

Gabby May. Wasteland. Mixed Media. 18 in x 13 in x 6 in. 2025

"This Monument is dedicated to the musician, Brent Faiyaz. Brent Faiyaz's music often explores themes of love, heartbreak, self-reflection, and vulnerability. His lyrics have a way of connecting with listeners who appreciate raw, honest reflections on relationships and inner struggles. They aren't just about surface-level emotions, often diving into the complexities of modern relationships, self-identity, and the tension that comes between desire and independence."

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.

Ms. Owyang will be taking seniors to Skyline College for Priority Enrollment Day on Thursday, May 1st! PEP day is for students attending Skyline College next fall so they can complete the mandatory orientation, have their 1:1 counseling appointments, hear about the Promise Scholars Program and prepare to choose classes for the first semester. Students who are attending Skyline next year as a first time college student must have submitted their Skyline application in order to attend the field trip.

Need support or have questions? Contact Ms. Owyang at aowyang@jeffersonunion.net

Attached is a link to order your transcripts when you need to. This link can apply to all grade levels, however Seniors might find this link most useful now.

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

The Golden Gate National Park Conservancy is looking for volunteers for Saturday, March 29th at Rancho Corral de Tierra in Half Moon Bay. Please use this link to enroll.

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!

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