Dear MBUSD Parents and Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well! In today’s issue, we highlight Pacific Elementary, tickets on sale for MBMS’ first drama show of the year, and the District’s E-Bike Safety Program for elementary schools.

Spotlight on Pacific (Special Thanks to the First-Grade Team and Principal Amanda Vavao)

The first-grade puppeteers took to the halls and participated in Pacific’s annual "Balloons Over Pacific" parade inspired by Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Students made a plan after reading the book Balloons Over Broadway, a true story about the original puppeteer Tony Sarg. They constructed their creations using paper folding and attachment techniques. Students loved parading down the halls, sharing their colorful balloon "floats."

Staff Spotlight: Sheri Hynding | MBMS Vice Principal

Sheri Hynding is a vice principal at MBMS and is in her first year in this role. Before joining MBUSD, she dedicated twenty-three years to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) as a teacher, PK-12 District Edtech coach, and assistant principal. Her career journey also includes teaching at a middle school on the Pascua Yaqui Native American Reservation in Tucson, Arizona.

Originally from New York, Sheri’s path to education was inspired by her favorite teacher, Mrs. Donegan, who taught her 5th grade. Sheri shared, “I clearly recall how engaged I was with her lessons, and her level of passion was contagious. My biggest takeaway was how connected her students felt. I felt seen and heard, and I will never forget her or that connection.”

Sheri was drawn to MBUSD for many reasons, including its strong focus on professional learning communities (PLCs), its climate of care work, and its commitment to valuing staff.

She is incredibly grateful for the warm welcome from the MBMS team. 

She is passionate about building relationships with students, staff, and the parent community. “Middle school is a very challenging time for students, and anything that I can do to help navigate the twists and turns so they feel supported is why I do what I do,” she said.

She is also looking forward to strengthening her connections with the MBMS students and community. “I want to learn as many names as possible and for the students to feel like their vice principal truly cares about them.”

In addition to her leadership, Sheri is an accomplished public speaker. She has shared her expertise at local, state, and national conferences on educational technology, professional development, and fostering engagement among staff and students. She plans to pursue her doctorate and is dedicated to lifelong learning. 

Outside of work, Sheri enjoys cooking and recently traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, to deepen her understanding of the region’s rich culinary traditions and culture. 

She says her family is her ‘why.’ She has been married for over twenty years and has two high school-aged children, whom she calls her “life force.”

MBUSD Schools and District Honored for Academic Achievement

We are excited to announce that MBUSD schools have earned a place on the Educational Results Partnership’s (ERP) “Honor Roll” list for another consecutive year, recognizing California’s top-performing schools, charter schools, and districts! In addition to our schools, Manhattan Beach Unified School District has been named an “Honor Roll Scholar District.” 



Now in its 10th year, the ERP “Honor Roll” celebrates schools and districts that consistently achieve high levels of student academic success, show continuous improvement, and close achievement gaps. This recognition is based on student performance data from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in reading, writing, and math.

The accolade is part of the national campaign for business and education excellence, which engages business leaders in recognizing successful schools and educational systems that prepare students with the fundamental skills needed to succeed in the workforce and life. 

The Honor Roll is the only school recognition program based solely on objective student achievement data. Its goal is to find and highlight successful districts and encourage collaboration among educators on best practices for raising student achievement. 

MBEF Directed Grant Sponsors Unique Cultural Experience at Elementary Schools

This week, elementary students across our District had the chance to immerse themselves in Afro-Brazilian dance, music, and culture through a special visit by the Samba dance group Viver Brasil. It is a Los Angeles-based company that honors Brazil’s African heritage through contemporary dance theater. It is inspired by orixa movements and rhythms, samba, forró, dança afro, and bloco afro styles. 



During their performance, the group showcased dances representing various Orishas and celebrated the richness of the African diaspora. The vibrant dancing and singing took students on a cultural journey, and throughout the assembly, they learned about the instruments the performers used.

This unique opportunity was made possible by a directed grant to MBEF from the Siddhartha family to fund a variety of cultural experiences in our elementary schools for the next five years.

Tickets on Sale for MBMS Play, INVISIBLE

The countdown is on! Just one week remains until the curtain rises on MBMS Drama’s first Ghostlight production of the year! Students in the year-long performance-based Drama 7/8 class have been hard at work since October, preparing for the big show.



INVISIBLE tells the story of Kita, a perfectly typical girl who has stopped caring about being unique and has lost sight of the simple fact that everyone is special. As a result, she's become invisible . . . literally. After meeting other kids who have vanished from the world, she must make a choice: embrace her place in the world or forever be a shadow in the background. Inspired by H. G. Wells's The Invisible Man, the play deals with teen socio-emotional issues, bullying, and personal choice.

You can purchase your tickets here. 

E-Bike Safety Program at Elementary Schools Launches on December 9

Our E-Bike Safety program for 4th and 5th graders will go into effect in just a few days! If your elementary student rides an e-bike to school, they must have an MBUSD-registered sticker on their e-bike to be permitted to park on campus. In order to receive the sticker, students are required to complete an approved safety class only through Pedal Ace and E-Bike Sense.

In partnership with the City of Manhattan Beach and the police department, we remind our community that several City ordinances apply to bicycles and e-bikes. According to Manhattan Beach Municipal Code 3.01.020—Operation of bicycles, electric bicycles, and motorized bicycles—it is illegal to park bicycles against windows, parking meters, or on a sidewalk that obstructs sidewalk accessibility or passage. Bicycles of any type should not be parked in a way that causes a hazard to pedestrians, traffic, or property.

Local law enforcement also emphasizes that bikers should avoid attaching bikes to posts, fences, or buildings. Please encourage your students to follow this ordinance and park their bikes according to the law.

Municipal Code 3.01 also contains safety rules requiring bike riders to use bike lanes where possible and, on streets without bike lanes, to ride close to the right curb or edge of the roadway. It also prohibits speeding, racing, or stunt activities.

For more information about MBUSD’s E-Bike Safety Program, please visit here.

Signs of Suicide Day

Each school year, MBMS and Mira Costa participate in the Signs of Suicide program (SOS Day). This week, on Thursday, December 5, the event took place at MCHS. Staff showed videos about the warning signs of suicide, alcohol, drugs, and technology related to mental health. After the videos were shown, 10th-grade students were given adolescent depression screening forms, providing an opportunity for them to share how they felt privately. The goal is to educate on the signs and symptoms of depression and help students and staff know what to do when warning signs are recognized. The pillars of ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) were shared with students and staff to utilize as lifelong skills.  

Once this form was submitted and reviewed by staff, students who needed support and mental health checks were provided with resources that day. Twenty-one students were seen by mental health professionals available for SOS Day from MCHS. Additionally, in an effort to be proactive, our local Psychiatric Emergency Team (PET) Team was on hand for any emergency situations. Students and staff were given the choice to opt out of participation if requested. MBMS held their event on Tuesday, November 12, for 7th and 8th grade students - supporting thirty-two students during the day. 

This program is used throughout the country to raise awareness about depression and suicide. 

PTA Reflections National Art Program Winners Announced

The winners are in for the 2024-25 PTA Reflections Art Program. Eighteen artists from across the District have been selected to advance to the regional competition, showcasing their creativity through a variety of mediums. This year, the theme was “Accepting Imperfection.” Each year, students in Pre-K through 12th grades are invited to create and submit original works of art in the areas of Dance Choreography, Film Production, Visual Arts, Literature, Music Composition, and Photography through the Reflections Program. 

This year’s MBUSD student winners are:



Dance Choreography - 

Kensington A.H. - Square Peg Round World - MBMS

Walker O. - Perfectly Imperfect Dance - Grand View

Mila U. - We Belong Together - Grand View 

Film Production - 

Sahana C. - Danca By Maya - Pennekamp

Catherine C. - Accepting Imperfection - Mira Costa

Ben F. - Strike Out - Pacific 

Literature -

David U. - I’m Imperfect - MBMS

Amelie H. - Mistakes are Good - Grand View

Georgie P. - Men Don’t Mumble and Girls Don’t Cry - Mira Costa

Bennett W. - Free to be me - Pennekamp

Visual Arts -

Emerson K. - This is Me - Pennekamp

Marlowe M. - 20 Faces - MBMS

Tasha Y. - Broken Vase - Meadows

Tessa Y. - Adoration - Mira Costa 

Photography - 

Tommy D. - Seeing Through Different Lenses - Grand View

Yumie L. - The Entrance - Mira Costa

Shailen P. - The Lonely Flower - MBMS

Music Composition - 

Cameron G. - Nestle and Flow - Mira Costa 

We also want to congratulate the students who received the Award of Merit and Honorable Mention. These students will now advance to the regional level of the competition. We look forward to celebrating our students at our February 26, 2025 Board meeting. Reflections is a national PTA arts recognition and achievement program for students. 

Stay up to date with MBUSD Happenings!

Every Wednesday, our families and staff receive an email with digital flyers about activities, events, camps, and more through our e-flyer platform, Peachjar.

We work with our schools, PTAs, MBX, MBEF, and community partners to make information readily available on Peachjar. Please visit our Peachjar page to visit our school dashboards.

Manhattan Beach Education Foundation is Hiring!

MBEF is currently hiring for the position of Development Coordinator. This role offers an opportunity to contribute to MBEF’s success and support educational excellence in Manhattan Beach. If you are motivated, community-oriented, and want to make a difference, this job might be the right fit for you!

The full-time role supports the development efforts and manages the donor database to ensure accuracy and consistency. Working at MBEF means being part of a small, dynamic team that makes a big impact in our schools.

The L.A. Kings have announced they will provide two free tickets (an estimated processing fee of $7.50 will apply per ticket) to each student and each staff member for upcoming games at the Crypto.com Arena!

You can find the complete list of games and instructions on redeeming your tickets here. 

On November 14, all staff and families received an email with details on how tickets can be redeemed. Every student and staff member received a unique code that can only be used once. (Student codes were sent to the first parent listed in Aeries—if you did not receive your student(s)’ unique codes, please check with your spouse.) We hope you take advantage of this wonderful offer! Go, Kings, Go!

The next Superintendent’s Newsletter will be published on December 13. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely, 

Manhattan Beach Unified School District

325 S. Peck Avenue

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

310.318.7345