Shark Bytes

Dear Students and Families,

By now, students should have received their course request sheets for the 2025-26 school year. We encourage students to sit down with their families and carefully consider their options when selecting classes. Students and families should reach out to their students' counselor if they would like to work through their options. Course request sheets are due Wednesday February 12th in the front office. Please note that course request sheets are binding, as they directly inform the Academic Council's decisions on which courses to offer and the number of classes needed for the 2025-26 school year.

The February break is just around the corner! The first marking period will officially end on Friday, February 14th, and students’ first progress reports of the spring semester will be available by Wednesday, February 26th. This will show students and families a snapshot of where students stand in each of their classes. Log into ParentVUE to view student's grades and assignments. If you have any questions, reach out to your student's teachers. Please remember that Oceana will be closed from Monday February 17th until Friday February 21st for the February break.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Take care,

Maritza Torres

Mae Jemison made history as the first African American woman to travel in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. Prior to her groundbreaking space mission, Jemison had a successful career as both a medical doctor and an engineer. Her achievement not only broke barriers for women and minorities in STEM fields but also inspired countless young people to pursue careers in science, technology, and engineering. Reflecting on her journey, Jemison said, "Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations."

The Culinary Arts students- Cale Neden, Joey Lam, Johon Damian and Danielle Mangaoang- made and sold chili crisp and pickled garlic. There are a few extra jars that have not sold, so if anyone is interested they should contact Laurie Hughes at lhughe@jeffersonunion.net.

The ASB Freshman Secretary position is now open! Starting today, you can grab a form from the front office to sign up. These forms as well as your election video will be due on February 24 at 3pm. You can submit the form to the front office, or Mr. Korp's room 305, and you can email your election video to ASB President Julian Dalton, stu.jdalto21@jeffersonunion.net. The election will take place on February 28!

Hey Sharks and Shark families! Oceana ASB needs your help raising money for our student body!

They're collecting donations through the Snap! Raise linked below, and would greatly benefit from your support in donating what you can, or sharing this link with family and loved ones. All money donated will go directly to providing our students with the best high school experience possible!

Donations will go to giving our students improved and never-seen-before dances, rallies, and fests!

The Wildfire Relief Drive ends on February 14, please consider contributing what you can to help those in need!

Attached is a list of items you can donate.Thank you for your generosity, every contribution counts!

SamTrans wants any Feedback! SamTrans is recommending route 49’s afternoon routing to match routes 10 and 110 and go straight on Manor Dr to Esplanade Ave to avoid the difficult right turn and traffic. 49 will then use Monterey Rd to get back on route on Palmetto Ave (see image below). This change will serve the same bus stops today, so the only effect on students will hopefully be a quicker trip.

Please share any feedback on this google form by Thursday, February 27, 2025 which will be shared to SamTrans. SamTrans plans to implement the change if there is none by August 2025.

If parents or students have any concerns or questions, please email to customerservicesupport@samtrans.com or call SamTrans Customer Service at 1-800-660-4287.

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 to the main office.

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!

On February 1st, the CyberSharks finished their first FTC competition! This past season, they have seen such growth as a team, and we’re excited to see what they can accomplish next.

CyberSharks highlights:
• Climbed from 16th place regionally to 9th within two meets
• Won five games total
• Scored many low/high baskets, high chambers, and level 2 ascends
• Raised over $600 within a few months and got a grant of $750
• Started with the FTC design but modified the robot to be our own, coding an autonomous mode

Special thanks to their mentor, Mr. Levin, who has helped them every step of the way.

The Anime Club was invited to visit the Crunchyroll Headquarters in San Francisco to learn about both the business and art of anime. Crunchyroll is one of the top distributors of anime in the world and welcomed Oceana students to explore their space.

Oceana juniors participated in SMCOE's Fred Korematsu day on Wednesday, February 5 at the Redwood City Courthouse. Students learned about Korematsu's life and his Supreme Court case that challenged Executive Order 9066 that created Japanese Internment camps. Students in Humanities 11 have been learning about the history of immigration in the US for the last month; this event is not only timely for our curriculum but incredibly important to understanding what is happening in our country right now.

"On February 5th, the students from Oceana High School were given the unique opportunity to speak in small groups with judges and attorneys and receive an address from Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Johnny C. Gogo, who discussed his 48-Star American Flag signing project. As an inspirational send-off, four judicial officers participated in a minority judges panel where they shared their unique personal journeys to the bench."

Read more about the event from San Mateo County Office of Education.

Last Friday, we celebrated our senior basketball players in a special Senior Night event! It was a great evening filled with recognition, appreciation, and support for our graduating Seniors. We wish all of our seniors the best of luck as they finish their season and move on to the next chapter!

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.

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

Committing to self-care means actively prioritizing your physical, mental and emotional well being. Join us on March 20th for a morning of presentations and self-care activities to explore different ways of taking care of yourself. Come by the counseling hall to pick up a permission form.

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