We are so excited to welcome you to the 2022-23 school year!

Please read important details about the beginning of school below. We are counting down the days to Tuesday, September 6!

Lower School students will attend optional on-campus student orientation meetings with their teacher on Tuesday, September 6. Please click here for the Orientation Day sign-up link. Students are not required to wear uniforms on this day.

The first day of Lower School with full uniform dress is Wednesday, September 7. Morning care will be available starting at 7:30AM. The day will begin with a "Tecolote Wednesday" Assembly at 8:30AM with classes following. School ends at 3PM, and after-care runs until 5:30PM. Please note that school ends at 12PM for Early Kindergarten and Kindergarten students, with full days beginning on Monday, September 12.

We look forward to welcoming Middle School students to the Hope Ranch campus on Tuesday, September 6 for Opening Day & Orientation. That day, Grade 8 students will depart for their class retreat at 11:30AM.

On Wednesday, September 7, students in Grades 6 & 7 will depart for their class retreats. Grade 5 students and their families are invited to campus that day for a Welcome to the Nest event, and fifth grade students will depart for their class retreat on Thursday, September 8.

Upper School students will join us on the Hope Ranch campus on Tuesday, September 6 for Opening Day & Orientation. On Wednesday, September 7, Upper School students will depart on their class retreats by grade level.

Please click here for the full Upper School Orientation Week schedule by grade level.

Gr. EK-12 Family Association Welcome Coffee (9AM)

All School Family Picnic on the Green (5-7PM)

Family Association Lunch & Learn (11:45AM-1PM)

We are still in need of a Middle School and Upper School lunch coordinator as well as lunch servers. If you are interested, please click here to sign up.

If you have questions, please contact Debbie Popovich or Sarah Lustfield.

Join the Family Association for upcoming Tuesday Trail Adventures!

San Ysidro Traihead (9:30AM)

Cold Spring Trailhead (9:30AM)

Buena Vista (9:30AM)

Bring water, hiking shoes, and sun protection.

Questions? Contact Ashlee Mayfield.

A play by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon

Auditions & Callbacks

After School Rehearsals

Performances

Cast, crew, and student musician opportunities are open to students in Grades 7-12. Stay tuned for audition details and crew signups towards the end of Semester 1.

Step into the enchanted world of Broadway's classic, Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature. The stage version includes all of the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice, and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

“What’s the buzz on campus?” Want to find out what your kids forgot to tell you? Miss a game? Don’t fret…read our sports section. Be in the know. Share school happenings with grandparents. Subscribe to The Fourth Estate, Laguna’s student-produced, award-winning magazine, which publishes four times a year with a senior section included in the June issue.

Proceeds from subscriptions will directly benefit the journalism program and go towards publishing costs and conference expenses. As a subscriber, The Fourth Estate will be mailed directly to your door. Please complete the form below and you will receive all four beautiful issues of The Fourth Estate.

Click here to subscribe. You will be redirected to PayPal for payment and delivery information. Thank you!

By Barry Punzal, Noozhawk Sports Editor

Senior quarterback Kent Dunn passed for two touchdowns and ran for one to lead the Laguna Blanca 8-man football team to a 40-38 season-opening win over Orcutt Academy at Santa Maria High.

Sophomore running back Sam Narva had a rushing and receiving touchdown and a pair of two-point conversions before sustaining a leg injury.

His replacement, Carter Plowman '26, ran for a TD. Junior Cole Sharpton caught a touchdown pass from Dunn.

Sophomore Carson Stewart and junior James Couvillion led the Owls on defense, and Spencer Hlavaty '24 played both ways on the line.

By Dennis Moran, Noozhawk Correspondent

Laguna Blanca’s three singles players, Caroline Kenny '25, Danica Damiani '24 and Jinling Wang '25, each won all three of their sets to lead the Owls to a 16-2 decision over Orcutt Academy last Friday.

Laguna Blanca’s top doubles team, Katherine Ball '23 and Grace Trautwein '24, also won their three matches, dropping only one game. The doubles team of Nikki Mielcarek '24 and Molly Morouse '23 won two sets and fought back on every point from a 0-5 deficit, making the third set close at 4-6.

The doubles team of Alexandra Siegel '23 and Natalie Schweitzer '25 won their first set, then Siegel needed to leave in place of sub Evie Comis '26, a junior varsity player who was there to support her teammates.

By Dennis Moran, Noozhawk Correspondent

On Tuesday, August 30, Laguna Blanca singles players Jinling Wang '25 and Caroline Kenny '25 each won two sets, contributing to a 14-4 Owls win over Nordhoff.

Laguna’s No. 1 singles player Danica DamianI '24 won her first set over Nordhoff’s No. 1, coming back from a 1-4 deficit to prevail 7-5. Natalie Schweitzer '25, in her first match of the season representing Laguna Blanca, beat played Nordhoff's No 3 singles player, 6-2.

The No. 1 doubles team of Katherine Ball '23 and Grace Trautwein '24 and No. 2 team Nikki Mielcarek '24 and Molly Morouse '23 both swept three sets, contributing 6 points to the win. At No. 3, Alexandra Siegel '23 and Lucia Camp '24 won two sets, in Camp's first time representing Laguna Blanca.

Laguna Blanca returns to action on September 13, hosting Bishop Diego.

Abby Kim '23 and Luz Schubert '25 shot 38 to share medalist honors, while Jayla Provance '24 carded a 39.

"It felt really good to win our first match,” said Kim, a senior. “The season so far has been great with a lot of team bonding. And we are fortunate to have Dionne (Peterson '25) on the team this year, so we could have five on the roster and have a season.”

Girls volleyball (outdoor) and boys soccer will take place during the first season of Laguna Blanca athletics for Grades 6-8.

Both sports will begin on Monday, September 12. Practice will take place on the athletic field from 3-4PM, Monday through Thursday.

At the Grades 4 & 5 level, the first co-ed soccer practice will take place on Wednesday, September 14 on the field at the Hope Ranch campus. Practice will be on Wednesday and Friday from 3:30-4:30PM.

The season for each team concludes the first week of November.

Please contact Director of Athletics Matt Steinhaus with any questions or to sign-up.

September is Coastal Cleanup Month! Please plan to join the Laguna community on Miramar/Hammonds Beach for California's Annual Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 17! It's a fun way to start the day and will help remove trash and plastic pollution from our beaches. In 2019, over 74,000 volunteers picked up more than 900,000 pounds of trash from beaches and waterways throughout California.

If you can't join us in person, you can participate in a self-guided neighborhood cleanup by picking up trash in your neighborhood, local park, and other areas. Trash from inland areas flows downstream to the coast, so cleaning up neighborhood trash prevents marine debris. Gather cleanup supplies from home, download the CleanSwell app (to count your trash, and to have your trash counted!), and clean on your own time throughout September.

See you at the beach!

Although summer is coming to a close, there's still time to sneak in one last book! At Laguna, there is suggested summer reading for students in Grades EK-4 and required reading for students in Grades 5-12.