May 3, 2023

Important Dates

May 3: National Bike to School Day
May 4: First Thursday Meetings (SSC, PTSA, ELAC)
May 7: International Academy End of Year Celebration
May 8-12: Teacher Appreciation Week

PTSA News

First Thursday PTSA Association Meeting

Thursday, May 4 at 5:30 pm

Allendale Cafeteria/Auditorium, aka "Cafetorium"

We are having our final PTSA association meeting of the year in person! Please join us on the Allendale campus, in the newly improved Allendale Cafetorium! Come any time to enjoy snacks and hear about PTSA plans for a special end of the semester and how you can get involved next year! Read the Agenda here and the Minutes from our April meeting here.

Volunteers Needed: Make

8th Grade Promotion Special!

When: May 31, 9:30 am set up

Where: Blair Gym

Parents of 6th and 7th grade students, we need you! Parent volunteers from the younger grades have historically decorated and served juice and cookies to the 8th grade students so their parents can have a good cry in the bleachers. PTSA will buy the snacks, but we need help serving. It's a lot of fun and a great social event. Please contact Sarah Marcotte at President@Blairptsa.com to join our team!

First District PTA Honorary & Lifetime Service Awardee:

Kitty Cahalan

First District PTA (270+ PTA units) awarded our former Blair PTSA President and current VP of Membership, Kitty Cahalan, with an Honorary Service Award PLUS a Lifetime Service Award! As the current President, I still have much to learn from Kitty and appreciate her mentorship and leadership in Blair PTSA and for others in Southern California!

Teacher Appreciation Week

May 8th-12th is national Teacher Appreciation Week! PTSA has teamed up with ASB to write cards to show our teachers that students and families truly appreciate their efforts. You too can write a note, send an email, give a gift card or just say thank you to a teacher this week.

In addition, Blair PTSA will be setting up a Continental breakfast station at the Middle and High School offices throughout the week. You can help us celebrate our teachers by donating breakfast items on this SignUp Genius. Please bring donations to the high school office on Monday, May 8th.

Blair News

Join ASB!

If you are interested in participating in Student Government and having your voice heard for future events and other school activities, then please apply to participate ASB. The application is now open and will remain open until tonight, May 3rd at 11:59 pm. Click here to apply.

Ovations is hosting a Chipotle Fundraiser! Support Ovations by purchasing a delicious meal from Chipotle today, Wednesday, May 3rd from 4-8 pm at the East Pasadena location (3409 East Foothill Blvd). Show the flyer at the restaurant or use the code NFLFEMJ for online orders.

Ovations will be performing a Night of One Acts on Friday, May12th in Room C1135 on the Middle School Campus. Tickets are free (or pay what you can) and can be reserved here.

Donations Needed: Junior Breakfast

The Class of 2024 is hosting a pancake breakfast on May 15th and is in need of some donations! If you are feeling generous, please sign up here. Our junior class council has some awesome plans for the upcoming year and would love to host this breakfast to encourage their peers to participate in making their senior year as amazing as possible!

Donations Needed: Cake

The classes of 2024 and 2025 are collaborating on a festive Cake Walk at the ASB Multicultural Fair on May 19th. They are asking for 18 store-bought or homemade cakes. (If homemade, please avoid allergens such as nuts). Please drop off your cake in the high school office by Friday, May 19th at noon. Sign up here!

New Speech & Debate Club's First Tournament

Blair's new Speech & Debate Club will meet today, Wednesday, May 3rd at 4 pm in Mr. Dakan's room to prepare for their first tournament -- but anyone interested is welcome to come! The tournament will be held this Friday at Arcadia High School and Saturday at San Gabriel High School. Good luck to all of our participants!

Any student interested in joining the club for next year should come to Mr. Dakan's room for the meeting and/or be on the lookout for future meetings.

Save the Date: The DLIP Biliteracy Attainment Award Ceremony for 8th and 10th Graders will be held in the Blair Bowl on Thursday, May 18th at 5:30 pm. Questions? Contact Ms. Tovar.

The Sophomore class will be selling Finals Grams at the Student Store from May 22nd to 26th. Support your friends and the Class of 2025! Win-Win!

PUSD 2028 Strategic Plan Town Hall

The Pasadena Unified School District is developing a five-year Strategic Plan (2023-2028). The Board is hosting a Town Hall on Thursday, May 11th at 6 pm. Everyone who has a stake in PUSD is encouraged to attend, either in person or online. Your input is important before the Strategic Plan is finalized.

The Inside Scoop - Virtual Student Panel

Students in grades 9-11, join CAP for a virtual student panel on Wednesday, May 10th at 6:30 pm to hear from current PUSD seniors and recent graduates about tips, tricks, and lessons learned from applying to and attending college. Represented institutions include PCC, CSUN, UCLA, USC, Virginia State, and more. Register here.

The Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel Valleys will award a scholarship in the amount of $2,500 to a current high school junior. The scholarship will be sent to the college the student will attend following completion of high school. More information can be found here. The application deadline is Monday, May 15th.

High School Sports

Anyone interested in playing on the Girls Tennis Team next year should come to a meeting in Mr. Craig's room (A213) during lunch tomorrow, May 4th. For more information, please contact Coach Craig or Coach Esther.

Our new Athletic Director is Kyla Berman.

Blair Commits 2023!

Interested in seeing where our Seniors are headed to next year? Check out this student-run Instagram. Congratulations, Seniors!

Scholarship Opportunities

The Chinese American Citizens Alliance seeks eligible, outstanding high school students, who have aspirations for higher education at 4-year or 2-year institutions. Awards: $1,000 to each winning student. Information and application are available here. Application deadline is Friday, May 12th.

The Amara Young Alumni Scholarship will award $500 to one Black and/or Latino college-bound senior. Details for applying can be found here. Application deadline is Monday, May 15th.

Kids' Chance of California is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to provide need-based educational scholarships to the children of California workers who have been fatally or seriously injured on the job. They are currently accepting applications. Information and application can be found here. The application deadline is Monday, May 15th.

The Genita Evangelista Johnson Endowed Scholarship is a need-based award that provides $2,500 to one female African American high school senior in Los Angeles County, who has been accepted into a four-year collegiate program and has a strong interest in pursuing a career in medicine. Click here for more information.

The application deadline is Sunday, June 4th.

Comprehensive lists of scholarships are available from StudentScholarships.org, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, and Bold.org.

Are you applying for any scholarships? Please communicate with Ms. Escalona or your counselor what scholarships you have applied for so that we can keep track of this information and support you in seeking other scholarship opportunities.

Other News

PEF’s high school summer classes give students a chance to explore career paths, learn new skills, prepare for college, share their talents, and have fun. Most classes last just a few weeks, and offer a deep dive into a particular topic. Classes are taught by industry professionals from ArtCenter College of Design, California College of Music, and College Access Plan. High school students can also volunteer as Summer Youth Leaders to mentor younger students. Click here for information and to register by Friday, May 12th.

The Child Mind Institute has a new opportunity for enthusiastic and motivated high school students from structurally marginalized groups. Students aged 16+ may be eligible to participate in a community-based career development program called the Youth Mental Health Academy (YMHA). Students can receive up to a $2,000 stipend for completing project-based learning, acquire career skills and knowledge, build their resume, develop professional networks, work on a capstone project with a group of their peers, and be inspired to pursue a career in a mental health-related field. For more information, visit their website.

Volunteer Opportunity: The Pasadena Latino Heritage Parade (PLHP) is hosting a soccer tournament and Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Rose Bow this Saturday, May 6th. Interested students can sign up here.

Volunteer Opportunity: End Overdose is a nonprofit focusing on education, medical intervention, and public awareness related to preventing and responding to opioid-related overdoses. Volunteers for End Overdose are eligible to receive community service hours by helping with kit packing at our main office in Pasadena or through volunteering at training / tabling events in their area. More information and application here.