This summer, our. Samohi Professional Learning Community Greetings, The Reference Issue Welcome to the school

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1 SPECIAL: REFERENCE ISSUE A publication of the Samohi PTSA Para recibir el boletín en español, vea la página 8 IN MEMORIAM: FORMER VIKING VOICE DESIGNER SHERI OLMON Santa Monica-Malibu Council, 33 rd District CCPTS, Inc September 2014 Issue 1 This summer, our community lost one of our most cherished parents, Sheri Myers Olmon, wife of Krister, and mother of three beautiful girls, all graduates of Samohi. Sheri was a most devoted and engaged mom, reveling in the embrace of her loving family. A brave survivor of cancer, she remained active in the community helping to fight the disease and increase awareness. During her many years at Samohi, she was recognized for her never-ending dedication, infectious laugh, and generous nature. The designer of this publication for many years, Sheri knew the ins and outs of our school and would volunteer anywhere, at any time, always with a smile. Sheri Myers Olmon will be missed by many people in many different communities, from Samohi, to Westside ballet, to our local Santa Monica neighborhood, to Hawaii where she treasured spending time with her extended family. Sheri Olmon EVA MAYORAL, PRINCIPAL emayoral@smmusd.org Samohi Professional Learning Community Greetings, Parents! We are working hard to support inspired learning for all in a setting of a true and Eva Mayoral supportive community. To this end, we have launched two major philosophical ways of operating: Restorative Justice, and the establishment of Samohi as a Professional Learning Community (PLC). Although Restorative Justice (RJ) is touted as an alternative to discipline, at its core, it is a community building practice that focuses on gaining insight into the perspective and experiences of others, as well as the impact of our words and behaviors. In short, it provides an opportunity to truly know and, thereby value, one another. When misbehavior occurs, there may indeed be disciplinary consequences, but the way in which this is done, and the follow-up interactions that occur, are restorative in practice. In the event of conflict or emotional harm, rather than alienating students from the community, students are supported through the conflict (or resolution of the harm), and the focus is on identifying what it will take to restore faith and a sense of goodwill in one another. Through RJ, students engage in opportunities to positively shape their thinking and interactions in ways that are supportive of self, community, and ultimately, society. As a Professional Learning Community (PLC), Samohi establishes itself as a school that believes all students can learn and that our community will work together to do what it takes to insure this happens. This year, our focus will be on enhancing a culture of collaboration and support between teachers within a particular grade and subject area, with the primary goal of more effectively supporting student learning. Each collaborative team has agreed upon an overarching learning goal that is anchored in the Common Core. Throughout the year, teachers will be working on best practices, examining student work, and collaborating on next steps to maximize student achievement. I d like to emphasize that neither RJ nor PLC are programs. Rather, they are ways of thinking, ways of operating, ways of considering self and others in the context of community, and ways of collaborating, supporting, and embracing the gifts and growth needs of each other. To experience success, both will require a commitment to embrace kindness, fully invest in self and other, and fully support one another in the peaceful, productive resolution of conflicts. While each of these two approaches could (and often do) stand alone, through embracing and interweaving both, we will create a profoundly amazing atmosphere and educational experience for everyone of our students, staff, and parents. This is an exciting time to be a part of the Samohi family! Welcome aboard! JOAN KRENIK, PTSA PRESIDENT president@samohiptsa.org The Reference Issue Welcome to the school year! We are calling this issue of the Viking Voice THE REFERENCE ISSUE. It is jam packed with information and resources you will find useful all year long. I encourage you to save it. PTSA is committed to parent education and communication. In addition to the Viking Voice, PTSA supports Joan Krenik the Blue Bulletin, which is the Daily Bulletin of Samohi activities for students. This year, we launched the Samohi News. This update is designed for parents and is sent approximately every two weeks. All parents should read or at least scan the headlines in Samohi News to stay informed! Finally, parents can subscribe to Samohi PALS, an interactive Yahoo group. If you are not receiving these publications, the sign-up information is provided below: Samohi News samonewsletter@ gmail.com (put Subscribe in the subject) Blue Bulletin - samohi-ptsasubscribe@yahoogroups.com Samohi PALS samohi-palssubscribe@yahoogroups.com Communication is important. Knowledge is power. Please take time to stay informed. Don t hesitate to contact me at president@samohiptsa.org with questions or suggestions. I look forward to working with you this year.

2 SAMOHI C A L E N D A R AT A G L A N C E August 8/19 8/26 School Starts September 2 9/1 9/9 9/15 9/16 9/22 9/25 9/26 October NO SCHOOL LABOR DAY Back to School Night NO SCHOOL ADMISSIONS DAY 10/3 10/6 10/7 10/7 10/10 10/11 10/13 10/14 10/17 10/18 10/21 10/21 10/25 10/27 10/28 10/31 November Grading Period 1 Ends Homecoming Rally Homecoming Carnival and Club Day Homecoming Dance PTSA Collge Fair Orchestra The Beatles at Barnum Concert Samohi Senior Family Night PTSA Executive Board Mtg. Choral Sweet Serenade Band Fall Concert 11/4 11/4 11/7 11/7-8 11/10 11/11 11/ /15 11/18 11/24 11/27-28 December Fall Choral Festival Grading Period 2 Ends The House of Blue Leaves - Fall Play NO SCHOOL VETERANS DAY The House of Blue Leaves - Fall Play Mock SAT/ACT Exams NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING 12/2 12/5 12/8 12/9 12/12 12/ /22-1/5 January Orchestra Winter Concert Winter Choral Concert 1st Semester Finals NO SCHOOL WINTER BREAK 1/6 1/10 1/12 1/13 1/19 1/20 1/24 Site Council, 4pm 4-year Academic Planning - Parent Presentations Band Winter Concert NO SCHOOL MLK, Jr. Holiday Orchestra Spaghetti & Strings Samohi PTSA Viking Voice 1/26 1/29 1/30 1/30-31 February 2/3 2/3 2/6-7 2/9 2/10 2/12 2/18 2/20 2/20 2/21 2/23 2/24 March District-wide Art Show, 5-7 pm Café Samo, Humanities Center Samohi Bands at the Broad Concert For the Arts Benefit Concert Stairway Choir Concert Stairway Bands Concert Stairway Orchestra Concert Grading Period 4 Ends Mock SAT/ACT Exams 3/2 3/3 3/10 3/ /17 3/17 3/ /23 3/24 3/27 3/30-4/10 April Orchestra Spring Concert OPEN HOUSE The Wizard of Oz, Barnum Hall Career Day The Wizard of Oz, Barnum Hall NO SCHOOL - Spring Break 4/13 4/14 4/18 4/21 4/24 4/26 4/27 May ACT Test Grading Period 5 Ends VSS Pier Party 5/1 5/4 5/4-5/15 5/8 5/12 5/16 5/18 5/19 5/21-5/23 5/25 5/26 5/27 5/ /29-5/30 5/30 June Orchestra POPS Concert AP Testing Senior Prom Band POPS Concert Public Domain, Humanities Ctr. NO SCHOOL MEMORIAL DAY Senior Honors Night, 7 pm BSU Rites of Passage Dance Show Public Domain, Humanities Ctr. Orchestra Senior Gala Concert 6/1-6/4 6/4 6/5 Final Exams Graduation Last Day of Classes

3 THE HOUSE SYSTEM AT SAMOHI Samohi is divided into five houses: S House, M House, O House, H House and I House. Working as a tight knit group, each house has a principal, an administrative assistant, two advisors, a teacher leader, an outreach specialist and approximately 30 teachers. With our large student population, the house system helps divide Samohi into smaller, more responsive administrative units, giving students a better opportunity to get to know administrators, advisors and teachers in a more intimate setting. Incoming students are randomly assigned a house and remain in that house throughout their years at Samohi. Each Advisor works with two grade levels per year (e.g., 9 and 11 or 10 and 12), following each student through their four years. In addition to working with their respective houses, each house principal has schoolwide responsibilities. You and/or your child will likely have an opportunity to interact with all of our administrators. For example, S House, Hector Madrano, oversees PSAT & campus activities. M House, Elias Miles, supports athletics and coordinates the CAHSEE. Interim O House, Greg Runyon, works with the College Center and Alternative Placements (such as Olympic, ISP and the OCLC). H House, Leslie Wells, manages AP Testing and Textbooks. I House, Florence Culpepper, manages Illuminate and school security. To see a full breakdown of House responsibilities please visit the Samohi web page. S House Hector Medrano x71269 hmedrano@smmusd.org Terry Morris x71250 tmorris@smmusd.org 9, 11-Aimee Stauffer x71268 astauffer@smmusd.org 10,12-Lisa DeMirjian x71167 ldemirjian@smmusd.org M House Elias Miles x71554 emiles@smmusd.org Jenny Chew x71186 jchew@smmusd.org 9, 11-Judith Hinojosa-Riusech x71551 jhinojosa@smmusd.org 10, 12-Maribel Pulido x71552 mpulido@smmusd.org Parent Education Fall 2014 This fall, parent education focuses on learning about life at Samohi and beyond. At our first meeting on August 26, parents attended breakout sessions led by their House principal. On September 16th, heard from Mayoral about homework and course choices. October is College Month, and we kick it off on October 7th with our annual college Admissions Officers panel followed on October 14th with the College Fair. On November 18, we will be presenting our Third Annual Academic Support, Tutoring and Test Preparation Fair. At this event we raffle off prizes of free tutoring services, test preparation books and entire test prep courses to a number of lucky attendees! Don't be left out! O House Dr. Regina Zurbano x71299 rzurbano@smmusd.org Eileen Gilbert x71289 egilbert@smmusd.org 9, 11-Maricela Gonzalez x71291 mgonzalez@smmusd.org 10, 12-Laura Simone x71292 lsimone@smmusd.org H House Leslie Wells x71136 lwells@smmusd.org Elena Martin x71139 emartin@smmusd.org 9, 11-Cam-An Navarro x71134 cnavarro@smmud.org 10, 12-Ashley Lucas x71132 alucas@smmusd.org I House Florence Culpepper x71226 fculpepper@smmusd.org Chanée Washington x71211 cwashington@smmusd.org 9, 11-Jessica Garrido x71216 jgarrido@smmusd.org 10, 12-Yumi Valencia x71218 yvalencia@smmusd.org CLUB IN THE SPOTLIGHT Student Steering Clubs At Samohi, there are nearly one hundred active student clubs, the group s directions range from hobby, to fitness, to charity, to raising awareness. Additionally, every grade at Samohi has its own Student Steering Club, guided by a teacher. The Steering Clubs aspire to unify their respective grade by enhancing class spirit and grade identity. Through fundraising, each steering club strives to help subsidize various events for their senior year, such as yearbooks, prom, and graduation tickets. Steering Clubs can fundraise for their respective grades in many ways, including producing and selling merchandise, and putting on dinners or events. The more effective a Steering Club is, the more prepared that particular grade is to make their Senior year a successful one. For more information on Samohi s wide array of clubs, and how your student can join them, please visit clubs/index.html Samohi PTSA Viking Voice 3

4 SAMOHI REFERENCE PAGE Information You'll Find Useful All Year Long Website - Samohi's website is the best and most up-todate source for a wealth of information. The website includes the staff directory, school calendar, policies and procedures, student grades, college information, PTSA information and more! Contacting Teachers and Staff Members All Samohi staff have both voic and . For voice mail: dial (310) If you know the extension, enter it. For a directory of staff member' extensions by name, dial 8. To reach an operator during school hours, dial 0. For a complete staff directory, with phone extensions and addresses, is provided on the school website: smmusd.org. Counseling and Support - For You and Your Student Counseling is available on campus for students who are experiencing challenges that might interfere with their ability to be successfull at school. All students are assigned a House Advisor who will work with them during their time at Samohi. Outreach Specialists are available through students' Houses to help both parents and students. For more information, please contact your House Advisor for a referral. Class Drop Deadlines Week 1-2: students may drop a course by meeting with their advisor Week 3: students may drop a course only with approval of their House Week 4: dropping a course must be approved by the Appeals Committee No drops will be permitted after the fourth week of the semester Parent Access to Student Grades Keep up with your student's grades, and stay informed about classroom performance by logging into Illuminate, the online link to class grades and assignments. With Illuminate's Parent Portal, you can access your child's class assignments, attendance, grades, and even teachers. For more information, or to set up a parent account, please visit smmusd.org/illuminate/. Progress Reports Progress reports are issued at the end of each six-week grading period, as well as at the semester and end of year. Only the end of each semester final grade reports will be mailed home. Intermim (six-week grading period) reports will be available online through Illuminate on the following dates: October 7, 2014 November 11, 2014 February 24, 2015 April 28, Parent Communication about Samohi Samohi PTSA mails home the Viking Voice newsletter four times per year. You may also receive official communication and calendar updates from Samohi, your House, the PTSA and other parent groups. To receive the Blue Bulletin (morning student announcements made daily over the speaker system) - send a blank to samohi-ptsa-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To receive the Samohi News - send an to samonewsletter@gmail. com and write "subscribe" in the subject line. To become part of the Samohi PALS interactive group - send a blank to samohi-pals-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To receive Communications from your House - send an to your House office and ask to be added to their address book. Absence Policy Differences between excused and unexcused absences are detailed at To be readmitted, students must report to their House office with proper ID, a note including the date, student name, ID number, date/period of absence, reason for absence, signature of parent/guardian and parent/guardian phone number for verification. A student who has no note will be issued a readmit indicating truancy. The student must clear the truancy by bringing a note the next day. Tardy and Truancy Policy All students are expected to arrive to every class on time. Habitually late students will be required to meet with Samohi staff, who will implement a progressive discipline policy. Consequences include parent/guardian contact, detention, Saturday school, and in-school suspension. Parenst may be asked to attend conferences with faculty at school with their child. Students with a pattern of excessive truancy will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board. Students attending Samohi with a permit or affidavit may have either revoked for violating the attendance portion of the agreements. Permission to Leave Campus For permission to leave campus during the school day, students must report to their House office before school with a note including the date, student name, ID number, reason and time students will be off campus, parent/guardian signature and parent/guardian phone number. Parents must be reached at this number for verification. If they cannot be reached, students will not be allowed to leave campus. Students will be instructed to return to their House office to get their off-campus pass. If a Student Becomes Ill Students are not to leave school without first going to the Health Office. This includes during lunch. The school nurse will contact a parent/guardian to release the student from school. It is imperative that the nurse has an accurate Emergency Health Card on file for each student. Change of Address, Phone Number or Address If your phone number or address changes, please notify Samohi's Enrollment Office as soon as possible. Contact Dina Mendoza at (310) , ext or dmendoza@smmusd.org. Note that in order to continue receiving the parent communications discussed above, you may need to provide your new address to each group. For Two-Household Families For students who live in more than one residence, please notify the House office if you would like both households to receive mailings and automated phone dialer messages from school. One parent should already be receiving these, but you may contact your student's House office to request that both parents receive these communications from the school and PTSA. Samohi Regular School Schedule - Late Start Wednesdays! On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, school begins at 8:15 am with Period 1 classes. Period A classes begin at 7:12 am On Wednesdays, school starts later to provide time for professional development for staff and student support. Every Wednesday school begins at 9:36 am for Period 1. On late start Wednesdays, Period A classes begin at 8:45 am School ends every day at 3:16 pm 4 Samohi PTSA Viking Voice

5 COLLEGE CORNER October is College Month! Our Samohi College Center is located in room B115 and is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 pm 4:00 pm There is a wealth of information and resources available to students in the College Center. On the College Center webpage (samohi.smmusd.org/collegecenter) students/parents will find financial aide weblinks, the calendar of college visits, UC/CSU admission requirements, testing information, scholarship links, the senior calendar, summer college program information and much more. Appointments are highly recommended; fall is primarily reserved for seniors as they are in the midst of preparing and submitting their college applications. Students are assigned to a counselor based upon their last name. To Schedule an Appointment Ernesto Flores (A-G) e.flores@smmusd.org Julie Honda (H-N) jhonda@smmusd.org Rosa Mejia (O-Z) rmejia@smmusd.org College Center Special Events October 7 College Panel representatives from UCs, Cal State, SMC and private universities will answer questions October 14 College Fair over 100 colleges/universities will be on site Some Tips for Seniors - Procrastination is NOT your friend! Please don t overwhelm yourself with stress by waiting to the last minute to finish/submit documents. Plan and prepare early. -Use a professional , it s a reflection of who you are to those reading your messages (an address correlated to your name is good). - Samohi College Counselors submit all official school documents (i.e. transcripts, letters of recommendation) via Naviance. Even if you are working with an Independent College Counselor, you must request official documents from us. - We are here to support you. But, remember, this is YOUR college admissions process take ownership and be proactive about your application requirements, deadlines, etc. to decrease the pressure. - Good websites to begin researching scholarship applications are and Things for Juniors to Think About - Log into Naviance and work on your Brag Sheet - Visit and tour colleges, or participate in the Samohi College Visits to learn about your preferences - Brainstorm essay topics and themes by keeping a journal, free writing start early! - Attend your one-on-one College Counselor meeting in February/ March Freshmen and Sophomores - Perform to the best of your academic abilities. Colleges love to see A s and B s with only a sprinkling of C s. - Be involved! Arts, athletics, clubs, community service, work, etc. are all great ways to be involved. - Build a positive rapport with teachers and your House Advisor. You will most likely need a letter of recommendation and these are best written by those who know you well. Delians Honor Society Since 1923, Delians has been the honor society organization at Samohi. Through Delians, Samohi students can be recognized for academic achievement and community service. Delians Sealbears wear a gold stole at graduation. To be recognized as a Delian at graduation, students must be members in good standing for four semesters, not including Freshman year and including one semester of the Senior year. To view the Delian application and requirements for membership, please go to To qualify, students must generally have A s and B s in their prior semester transcript, they must complete at least 10 hours of community service per semester if they include participating in a Delians event, or over 25 hours without a Delians event. There is a $10 application fee to join Delians. Students must apply each semester. Fall registration dates are Nov. 3-4 for seniors, Nov. 5-6 for juniors, and Nov. 7 for sophomores. Spring registration dates are Feb for seniors, Feb for juniors, and Feb. 13 for sophomores. Delians Faculty are Julie Honda and Rosa Mejia, as Delians operates under the College & Career Center. Naviance - Why It Is Important Samohi has invested a lot of money in Naviance. Why? Naviance is a comprehensive college and career readiness solution for middle and high schools that helps connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals. It is a great system. Use it. Through Naviance, students can explore career interests, identify colleges that match their goals/interests, look at requirements to get into those schools, search for scholarships, learn about college visits, sign-up for workshops, request letters of recommendation and transcripts, and track their achievements. Open your account at: connection.naviance.com/santamonica; username: first.last (if you have two last names, your usename is first.last space second.last.); password: Student ID number Samohi PTSA Viking Voice 5

6 Samohi Sincerity Maturity Honor Service Tutoring Services Program Description Location Time Teacher Office Hours Xinachtli Library Research Assistance Boys & Girls Club College Bound Police Activities League Santa Monica Library Brainfuse HelpNow Virginia Park Teen Center Pico Youth & Family Center Night Owl Tutoring Approaching your instructor should always be the first step when seeking extra help. All Samohi teachers offer individualized tutoring for their current students. Individual & group tutoring by UCLA students in English, Math, Spanish, Social Studies & Science. Teachers are available in the library after school to assist you with research for papers & projects. Help is available for English, Social Studies, Science & Math. Individual & group tutoring, individual & family counseling, dinner, college counseling. REQUIRES $20/year Membership. Staff members are available for homework assistance. The site includes computer access. REQUIRES FREE Membership. 8-week SAT Prep or PSAT Prep Program REQUIRES FREE Membership. An online tutoring service that connects students 1-to-1 to a trained tutor for assistance in math, science, English, & social studies. Spanish speaking tutors are available. A quiet place for working on assignments & receiving help. There is a library of school text books available at the homework room, computer lab & homework help. Academic support, tutoring & college readiness. Tutoring available to all students who need support during the evening hours due to scheduling conflicts. Tutoring is available for all subjects. Varies Check with your teacher Days Available Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri H102 3:30-5:30 Library 3:30-5: Lincoln Blvd 2:30-8: Olympic Blvd 3:30-8:00 SAT 4:15-5:15 PSAT 5:15-6: hours a day 2200 Virginia Ave 3:00-6: Pico Blvd 3:30-6:00 T100 7:00-9:00 6 Samohi PTSA Viking Voice

7 ATHLETICS New Athletic Director As the new year begins, we welcome our new Athletic Director, Mr. Al Trundle. Although new to the position, he is certainly a well-known member of the Samohi staff. Since 2001, after transferring from Lincoln Middle School where he served as a teacher, counselor, and assistant principal, Mr. Trundle has been an S House Advisor. That's 23 years with SMMUSD, 13 of which he has advised and guided Samohi students! Mr. Trundle is a Bruin, and earned his Masters in Education at UCLA. His counseling and administrative credentials are from LMU. His summer was spent with student athletes and generally learning the new job. Seasoned Samohi coaches have expressed support and enthusiasm for our new Athletic Director, and when asked, Mr. Trundle said that with the rich tradition of Samohi athletics, "I am simply happy that I can be a part of it!" Fall Sports Update We have a fabulous line-up of Fall Sports and great teams this year! We encourage parents and students to show up and support our dedicated athletes! Football Our own Terrance Jackson was recently named by the Los Angeles Times as "One of the CIF Linemen to Watch." Athletic Director Al Trundle Cross Country Keep your eye on Lucas Jackson; he qualified for State last year. Girls Tennis Keep your eye on Chloe Wright, an outstanding player and Team Captain. Reminder: You will find a list of all coaches on the Samohi website, and a detailed schedule of games on the website calendar. Girls Golf New coach (and Samohi Band Director) Kevin McKeown is excited to lead the Lady Viking Varsity Golf Team. This year's team is led by Senior Captain Claire Goldberg and Captain Tiana Elliston. Girls Volleyball Students Sophie Major, Brooke Earkman and Maya Daukus were identified as top players in the region in the 2014 ACVC Phenom Selection. Blossom Sato is on the Under Armor High School All American Watch List as one of the top 100 Senior Athletes and has accepted a full athletic scholarship to Central Arkansas University. Boys Water Polo Evan Blaney continues to demonstrate leadership in and out of the pool during major victories against Redondo and Pali High. THE ARTS AT SAMOHI - SOME HIGHLIGHTS Choir Director of Vocal Music - Jeffe Huls Choral Music students are looking forward to an exiting spring as the Chamber Singers and Madrigal Ensemble prepare for a performance tour to Holland, Belgium and France. To raise funds for scholarships, festival fees, transportation, sheet music, SMART technology and other expenses, Choir s primary fundraiser Sweet Serenade, Silent Auction and Concert, will take place on October 25th at 7:00 pm. This fun evening features treats from fantastic restaurants, a silent auction and fabulous contemporary music performed by our performance ensembles and student-run groups. On December 12th at 7:00 pm, our choir ensembles will perform a Winter Concert, our 10th Annual Motus Perpetuus X, conducted by our Bravo award-winning Choir Director Jeffe Huls. Theatre Director of Theatre - Kate Soller There s a lot of buzz around Samohi Theatre Department after Pippin s big win last June for Best Musical Staging and Best Choreography at the Jerry Herman High School Musical Theater Awards. Our outstanding theater program was also bestowed with honors at the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California Shakespeare Festival. First up this winter will be The House of Blue Leaves, a zany dark comedy written by John Guare, performed on November 7-15th. On March 13-21, in collaboration with the Samohi Choir, Bands and Dance department, we will present The Wizard of Oz! In an effort to create articulation between schools, our theater director, Ms. Soller, plans to include Santa Monica elementary school students in the cast as Munchkins! The show promises to surprise and delight our audiences with special effects and elaborate staging as we will have the privilege of learning and collaborating with Academy Award winning designer Al Hodges. We promise to send you "Over the Rainbow"! Band Director of Bands - Kevin McKeown Director of Bands - Terry Sakow 2014 is the Samohi Band program's 100th year! This past year was full of successes in all ensembles, with high scores in concert band and jazz band festivals, a sweepstakes season for our Viking Marching Band, a WGASC championship for our Winter Guard, and our fine performances at the Sonoma Invitational Wind Festival. We are going to celebrate our 100th year in a big way with four strong concert bands, two jazz bands, a marching band and color/winter guard. Our winter concert will take place on Tuesday, October 28, at 7:00 pm in Barnum Hall. On October 25th, our marching band will also perform a special field show dedicated to the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup. The third annual Bands at the Broad will be held on February 3rd, and in April, our Wind Ensemble will visit historic Carnegie Hall in New York City, performing with Samohi alumnus Michael Sachs, the principal trumpet of the Cleveland Symphony. Orchestra Director of Orchestras - Joni Swenson Orchestra Director Jason Aiello This school year promises to be an exciting one for our orchestra students. Two Samohi students, Celia Daggy, (viola) and Chris Pak (trumpet), will represent our school, and the State of California, at the National Association for Music Education All-National Honor Symphony. Both Celia and Chris will also perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee in October. Celia Daggy Chris Pak Other exciting news is the addition of a seventh orchestra here at Samohi. Due to our strong feeder program, the number of orchestral musicians has warranted the creation of the Intermezzo Orchestra. The Samohi students and orchestra teachers are grateful to the talented music teachers at the elementary and middle school levels, as well as to the district and to Samohi administration for their continued support of students and their musical development. Samohi PTSA Viking Voice 7

8 601 Pico Boulevard Santa Monica CA Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 113 Santa Monica, CA Why Give to Both the PTSA and the Education Foundation? You've received our solicitation letter; you ve read the requests; you ve noticed we are asking you to donate to both the Samohi PTSA and to the Santa Monica/Malibu Education Foundation. You are probably wondering why you should donate to both. First, a little history Last year, in an effort to promote equity and access, the Board of Education passed a mandate prohibiting PTA s and Booster Clubs from paying for personnel and professional development. Essentially, PTAs can pay for stuff and the Education Foundation for staff. As a next step, SMMUSD, in collaboration with the Education Foundation and PTAs, created the Vision for Student Success (VSS). To break it down for Samohi, think of it in terms of STAFF and STUFF. Samohi PTSA funds important STUFF like technology, teacher grants, supplies, equipment, parent education and communication. The Education Foundation (through VSS) pays for additional STAFF classroom support (which provide academic and enrichment opportunities for our students); two professional development team leaders to help train fellow teachers; teacher access to educational tools and professional literature; a $23,000 professional development grant to support staff training and collaborative work unique to our school, and a discretionary grant of nearly $76,000 to fund additional Samohi academic and enrichment programs. Obviously, we must support both organizations. Please give as generously as you can to support Samohi PTSA and the Education Foundation; all our students win! To give, go to samohi.smmusd.org and click on the TWO donation buttons at the bottom of the home screen. Viking Voice Staff PTSA President Joan Krenik editor Joan Krenik Spanish Translation Delia Lopez Diana Marquez- Garban Designer Alisa F. Stewart PARA RECIBIR EL BOLETÍN EN ESPAÑOL Para pedir una copia del Viking Voice en español, favor de enviar un correo electrónico a: president@samohiptsa.org o comuníquese con Angelica Gonzalez al extensión Necesitamos su nombre completo, dirección y su número de teléfono. 8 Samohi PTSA Viking Voice