Dear Parents and Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Today’s issue highlights academics at Grand View, Mira Costa’s Signing Day, and United Against Hate Week events starting this weekend.  

Spotlight on Grand View (Special Thanks to the Fourth Grade Team, Carrie Fairbrother, Jeannette Shaw-Bueno and Marianne Slater, and Principal Tara Grings) 

At Grand View, fourth grade students recently completed an integrated reading and writing workshop mini-unit focused on Folktales: Fables, Myths, and Legends. The Reading Literature standard RL4.9 states: “students will be able to compare and contrast the treatments of similar themes and topics and patterns of events in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures." The unit was also a meaningful way to celebrate Native Heritage Month.

During the Reader’s Workshop, students explore how different cultures passed on their oral history explaining how something came to be, and oftentimes helped build character by teaching the reader lessons about life. In class, students read and analyzed the moral/theme of Aesop’s Fable “The Tortoise and the Hare," the Greek Myth “Pandora’s Box," and the legends “How Lizard Lost its Colors” and “How Tiger Got its Stripes." Classes compared and analyzed the common themes of the Greek Myth “The Tale of Medusa'' and the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee folktale “Legend of the No-Faced Doll."

During Writer’s Workshop, students drafted their own legends. Some ideas students brainstormed were: why the leaves change color, how the stars got in the sky, what makes ocean waves, and why an animal has a certain adaptation. They included a message in their legend about how something came to be, and also described how a character solved a problem. The student below is holding her writing about “Why Beavers Build Their Houses on Lakes and Rivers.”

Visit our Facts vs Rumors page! The purpose of this page is to answer any questions in regard to the rumors we hear and read in our own MBUSD community and sometimes beyond. It is our long-standing commitment to continue to be transparent with our community.

We will continue to update this page when new information becomes available.

Veterans Day Tomorrow

All of our schools and District offices will be closed on Friday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. It is a time to express our gratitude and recognize those who have served and currently serve in the United States Armed Forces. Thank you for your selfless service to our country.  

The City of Manhattan Beach will hold its 25th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony this Friday, November 11 at 11:00 a.m. at Veterans Parkway. You can find all the details here. Happy Veterans Day! 

Pacific Veterans Day Assembly

Pacific Elementary School hosted a very special Veterans Day assembly appreciating veterans and their families. Manhattan Beach resident and former MBUSD parent Lieutenant Colonel Charlene Harding was the guest speaker and shared with students the importance of the day, how to honor a veteran, and what it means to be a veteran. During the assembly, students also honored veterans in attendance and for some, it was their own family members!

Mira Costa Athletes Celebrated on National Signing Day 

Seventeen student-athletes signed a letter of intent committing to playing their sport in college. At the Mira Costa Signing Day Ceremony, students were surrounded by friends and families during this special moment at the gym. 



Coaches for each student shared the athletes' stories and highlighted their athletic careers at Mira Costa. We are proud of our students' commitment and dedication!

Congratulations to the following outstanding student-athletes:

Brooke Balue​ | Beach Volleyball​| University of Washington​

Ameena Campbell | Indoor Volleyball | California State University, Fullerton

Jaylen Clark | Indoor Volleyball | Texas Christian University (TCU)

James Coyne | Swimming | Niagara University

Dillon DeSpain | Baseball | Long Beach State University

Lauren Donnelley| Rowing | University of Southern California (USC)

Carly Greskovics | Indoor Volleyball | University of Michigan

Shae Harvey | Soccer | Stanford University

Jacqueline "JJ" Hoover | Soccer | Loyola Marymount University (LMU)

Erin Inskeep | Beach Volleyball | California Polytechnic State University

Dustin "DJ" Mullenhoff | Lacrosse | Elmhurst University

Grace Pfaff | Beach Volleyball | California Polytechnic State University

Emily Protiva | Soccer | The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tanon Rosenthal | Beach Volleyball | University of Arizona

Ben Tunila | Swimming | Villanova University

Drew Wright | Indoor Volleyball | Northwestern University

Watch the Signing Day Ceremony Below!

The Board of Trustees Approves Resolution Recognizing

United Against Hate Week

The Resolution declares November 13-19 as “MB vs. Hate Week” and “United Against Hate Week” in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District.

Click the image below to read the full resolution

Join us! MB vs. Hate Week Kick Off CommUNITY Event

This Sunday, November 13 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Polliwog Park there will be the unveiling of the rainbow pathway, special guest speakers, sidewalk chalk art, treats from Mychal’s Learning Place, live music, art projects, and a drum circle. 

There will also be a distribution of MB vs. Hate lawn signs, which is part of an ongoing campaign to denounce hate in our community. The lawn signs will be distributed during pick up and drop off to all of our families on Monday, November 14. After that, they will be available for pick up outside each school campus on the main front lawn.

Throughout the week there will be several other events, including on Tuesday, November 15, Manhattan Beach Education Foundation is hosting a free screening of Race to be Human. It’s a documentary told through the lens of students, experts, and educators, which explores how to foster healthy conversations about race and racism. You can register here.

Please visit www.mbvshate.org for more information.

MBMS Hosts Nearly 40 Schools for a Drama Festival

MBMS staff hosted the 81st Annual Drama Fall Festival on behalf of the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California. They welcomed nearly 40 schools from all over Southern California to campus. 

Students performed in various events throughout campus based on their designated categories such as Open Musical, Playwrights, and Monologue, to name a few. Each event was judged. All of our MBMS students took the stage and made it to the finals and won awards. The comedy group won first place and the Junior Varsity who were eighth graders won second place against high school groups. Thank you to David Levy and the staff for leading this great event. 

New Pickleball Courts Open

Also at MBMS, we officially opened the newest public pickleball courts thanks to our partnership with the City of Manhattan Beach. The City hosted a community ribbon cutting, where students and pickleball enthusiasts joined in on the celebration. During the ceremony, Selkirk Sport donated pickleball equipment including 40 new paddles to our students.

The space has four courts designated by skill level for open play and two courts are first-come, first-served with a one-hour limit per group. The City of Manhattan Beach converted former paddle tennis courts into pickleball courts to meet the demand for more spaces for the sport. The project was provided at no cost to the District by the City. 

The MBMS Pickleball Courts will be used by our students during the school day and the City will manage the use of the courts outside of school hours. The courts are open to the public on weekends from 8:00 a.m. to dusk. The courts are free for now during a pilot program in place until the end of 2022. 

For more information on available courts, visit www.manhattanbeach.gov/tennis.

Grades of Green Hosts Annual Fundraiser 

The International non-profit organization Grades of Green, which was created by a group of MBUSD mothers, hosted its annual VERTE fundraiser recently. Grades of Green representatives say this year is record-setting and the support will assist Grades of Green to continue expanding their programs around the world. The organization, started in 2009, educates and empowers students to take action to protect our planet through many programs and opportunities. MBUSD environmental leaders attended the event to share the work they are doing to inspire others. During the event, they played the video below featuring our students, parents, and principals Rhonda Steinberg and Tara Grings.

Hear from students on how they are making a difference.  

The 5th Grade Green Team from Grand View also presented at our Board meeting this week sharing the ways they are educating other students on campus. They shared the food waste sorting system they have in place for lunchtime.

Diwali Assembly at Grand View

Grand View families celebrated Diwali with an afternoon of interactive activities for students. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights and is considered one of India’s biggest holidays of the year. Observances of Diwali differ depending on the region and tradition. 

As soon as you walked onto campus, there was music playing with a live Dhol performance and dancing. Dhol is a double-headed drum widely used in many South Asian celebrations. In its second year, the assembly had a large turnout with families celebrating Diwali by participating in customs families take part in during the festival, such as making rangoli patterns, which are bright colorful designs through colored powders/sand and chalk art. Students also decorated clay lamps, called diyas, and put on temporary henna sticker tattoos. 

Watch Grand View’s Instagram Reel on this Celebration.

In the Classroom: Project-Based Learning 

At MBUSD, STEM education is a vital part of academics and it’s part of the many opportunities offered to our students in the classroom starting from elementary school. Project-based learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math has been an important part of STEM education in our District. This week 8th graders in their science class learned about Newton’s Laws of Motion through this type of learning.

Students built balloon-powered toy cars with their team, then presented their prototypes and shared how they designed them with their class and “toy company representatives” (who were our parents). They were asked questions during the presentation and students displayed their critical thinking skills! 

Students showcased the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. Thank you to Ms. Reyes for letting us visit your class! Check out some of the amazing prototypes created by our students. 

Buy your Ticket for the Last LOVE/SICK Show This Saturday!

We look forward to having you support our students!

Explore their Instagram account to learn more about the production!

Join the MBUSD Family!

We are hiring classified and certificated staff. We’re looking for individuals with a passion for helping students discover the joys of learning and creating a safe and engaging learning environment. 

We have an opening for MBUSD Personnel Commissioner. Click here for more information and to apply.

A Personnel Commission is a nonpartisan public body responsible for the administration of a “merit system” for the selection, retention, and promotion of classified (non-certificated) employees in a public school district. 

Click the links below to learn about the variety of MBUSD job openings currently available.

Classified Job Opportunities

Certificated Job Opportunities

The next Superintendent's Newsletter will be published on Friday, November 18. 

Thank you as always for your continued support and partnership. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,