John Bowes

Superintendent's Newsletter
August 19, 2022
Dear MBUSD Parents and Community,

I hope this letter finds you well and you had a safe and enjoyable summer break with family and friends! We are ready to kick off a great beginning of the school year on Wednesday, August 24! 

Our Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees, administrators, teachers, and staff are excited and looking forward to welcoming students back to our campuses. Our District remains committed to our Board Goals and we already have a lot to celebrate as we enter the 2022-23 school year. 

Today’s newsletter highlights the recent MBUSD leadership retreat, summer student achievements, progress on our facilities projects, and much more!
First Day of School Stories

We want to share your #MBUSDFirstDay stories! If you post a photo on social media, tag us! Make sure to check out our favorite highlights in the upcoming Superintendent's Newsletters!
MBUSD Leadership Retreat

District and school site leadership teams attended the annual MBUSD retreat! It was an opportunity to meet new team members and collaborate for the upcoming school year while focusing on our District goals. I am proud of our MBUSD administration and, under their steadfast leadership, our schools are preparing our students for success in college, career, and life while keeping our community safe and healthy.

Thank you to our community partner Kinecta Federal Credit Union for hosting us at their beautiful facility! 
Welcome our New Leaders
Please join me in welcoming our new staff members to the MBUSD family.

Former MBMS Vice Principal, Kerry Riccio Aguero has been appointed as the new Director of Student Services. Click here to read more.
We are also thrilled to welcome two new leaders to the Food and Nutrition Services Department. 
Edward Rafael
MBMS Café Supervisor
Julio Matus
MCHS Café Supervisor
I want to also welcome the newest teachers to join our District! Today we were so excited to meet with 35 teachers during the MBUSD new teacher orientation that was hosted at Mira Costa. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for your dedication and commitment!  
Mira Costa High Senior Featured on ABC7 News
Athletic Summer Highlights
Mira Costa Girls Varsity Volleyball Team Brings Home the 2022 Ann Kang Invitational Championship

We are so proud of our athletic programs and students! Our Mira Costa Girls Varsity Volleyball team brought home the win from the Ann Kang Invitational Championship. The tournament attracts top high school varsity teams from across the country making it one of the largest high school volleyball tournaments in the State of Hawaii. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the MBX Newsletter to stay updated on Costa teams and Co-curricular.

Dalia Frias Named CA State Girl Athlete of the Year

Recent Mira Costa graduate Dalia Frias does it again! She received another title to add to the numerous accolades she received at MBUSD. Dalia was named the California State Girl Athlete of the Year by CalHiSports.com.

Photo by Kirby Lee, Image of Sport
Facilities Projects Make Progress

We have continued to be busy this summer with our school modernization projects thanks to the support of the Measure C bond. Our school sites are looking more beautiful by the day! At Pennekamp Elementary, classrooms on the existing campus have been modernized with new infrastructure, HVAC units, flooring, and paint, along with repairs to cabinets and drawers, and fully functional slider doors. The new 2-story building is nearing completion and will be ready for our students and staff on the first day of school!
At Grand View Elementary, we are excited to open the newly modernized TK and Kindergarten wing. The pictures below show the 3-story multi-purpose/administration building under construction. The project is slated to be completed by February 2023. 


We are also proud to share that the new music building space at MBMS will start looking very different next week. Silver Creek plans to place the modular building units that will become the new home to our choral and band groups! 

For all facilities projects information, visit here!
MBUSD Emails

We want to share a friendly reminder to our staff and families about email addresses. If you are a parent/guardian, please use our mbusd.org email accounts to send messages to staff when communicating. Please avoid using the mbusdapps.org accounts to communicate with MBUSD staff. The email convention for most of our accounts is [email protected] ([email protected]).

Also, if you are a staff member, please only use your mbusd.org email address when communicating as well. Our mbusd.org accounts are the only official email accounts to be used for email communication.
It's Official! MBMS is Now on Instagram!
MBUSD’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program promotes the joy of learning in a positive and nurturing environment. TK programming creates critical thinkers, effective oral communicators, and life-long learners. The classroom environment includes many opportunities for fine and gross motor activities, oral language development, and social-emotional learning. Our program prioritizes intentional teaching that is hands-on and child-centered, purposeful structured play, and small-group instruction.

All children who will be five years old as of September 1, 2022, are eligible to enroll in Kindergarten, and all children who will be five years old as of February 2, 2023, are eligible to enroll in Transitional Kindergarten.

The next Superintendent's Newsletter will be published on Friday, August 26. 

Thank you as always for your continued support and partnership. I look forward to a wonderful year ahead and want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of our families and staff who support our students every day on their path to success. 

Sincerely, 
Dr. John Bowes
MBUSD Superintendent
Manhattan Beach Unified School District

325 S. Peck Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310.318.7345