Superintendent's Newsletter
April 1, 2022
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Dear MBUSD Parents and Community,
I hope this letter finds you well. Today’s message features a spotlight on Grand View Elementary, Spring Break reminders, FOX 11 features Mira Costa's H.E.A.R.T. Club, and much more!
Spotlight on Grand View Elementary (with special thanks to Principal Tara Grings)
After a 2-year hiatus, Grand View Gators were able to participate in the annual STEAM Expo on campus this week which featured 20 exhibits. Students and families enjoyed the hands-on event showcasing science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Our science enthusiasts were able to experience the Magic of Science show, BubbleMania, the Roundhouse Aquarium, the BMX StuntMasters show, and a visit by Thor’s Reptiles.
One of the highlights for students was immersing themselves in actual experiments. For instance, led by an expert from the STEM Coalition, they constructed rockets by rolling paper around a PVC pipe and securing the fairings and fins with tape. The expo is an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom such as the fundamentals of force, energy, and the development of organisms.
A huge thank you to parents Becky Castanega and Vanessa Sullivan for organizing such a sensational event!
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Reminders for Spring Break
Spring Break is here and I hope you will be able to take the time to relax with family and friends in the coming week! Over the past months, I have seen incredible support from you as we move towards a more normal school year and I want to thank you for that. Once we return, we will be in the home stretch making that final push to the end of the school year.
We ask all students, staff members, parents/guardians, and volunteers to continue to monitor themselves and their household members for symptoms of COVID-19 and to stay home and test if any symptoms develop, or if they find out they have been in close contact with anyone positive for COVID-19. While we have moved towards more relaxed guidance, COVID-19 is still present. Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we continue to keep our schools healthy and safe.
Here are a few steps you can take to help keep your family safe:
COVID-19 Testing – Please see the COVID-19 section further below in the newsletter.
Travel Guidance - We know many families will be traveling over the spring break.
Masking – it is still strongly recommended that you wear your mask when indoors and at crowded outdoor events, regardless of vaccination status.
Make sure to visit our COVID-19 page to find the latest guidance on quarantine/isolation,
what to do if you test positive for COVID-19, testing, and much more.
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Updated Morning Drop-off Procedures
Starting April 18, parents/guardians will have an additional option for morning drop-off. You can either drop your child(ren) off at the designated drop-off area or you can walk your child to their classroom. If you decide to drop them off at the classroom, please be mindful of teachers’ schedules; we ask that parents/guardians find a different time than morning drop-off to set up a meeting with the teacher if you have any questions or need to discuss anything.
Student pick-up at dismissal time will continue to occur at school gates.
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Amazon Future Engineers Scholarship
Congratulations to Mira Costa High School seniors Xavier Dargan and Isamar Zhu!
This week they received quite the surprise in Mr. Braskin’s class as they found out they are recipients of the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship! They each received a $40,000 scholarship and will also get the opportunity to be part of a paid summer internship program at Amazon.
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The scholarship assists high school seniors who have completed an Advanced Placement computer science course and plan to continue their education at an accredited four-year college or university in the field of computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or another computer-related field of study.
Isamar will be heading to MIT next year with a major in computer science and engineering.
Xavier plans to attend Brown University!
Thank you to our amazing Mira Costa Technology and Engineering Department staff who support our students to excel every day.
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Mira Costa English Teacher Nicole Wachell Competes on Jeopardy! |
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Congratulations! Nicole Wachell earned $1,000 for competing in Jeopardy! She was featured last Friday on the show. It was a competitive game, and she held the lead for most of the initial Jeopardy! round, winning 65% of her buzzer attempts.
In the second round of play, she won 41% of her buzzer attempts. She went into Final Jeopardy! with $12,000 before the final clue was revealed. Ultimately, she lost in a tough Final Jeopardy! question (all three contestants missed it), and the competitor who had been in third place was able to win the game by betting very modestly.
Great job, Ms. Wachell - you made your Mustangs proud!
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Scholar Quiz Champions
I was honored to be the Reader in the final round of the Scholar Quiz, a tradition that began 36 years ago. As a Jeopardy! fan, I was amazed to see our students be so knowledgeable on a variety of topics.
It was a heated competition as students swiftly responded to 52 questions. Congratulations to the green team for taking the win with a total of 170 points.
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Winners: Ethan Greenberg, Ezra Cohen, Ozan Bayiz, and Andrew Yang
This year 256 students participated. A special thank you to the more than 175 volunteers, including parents, guardians, and staff, who made this possible.
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Advanced Tech Students Win Nine Medals at Drama Festival
Congratulations to the 2022 Mira Costa High School Advanced Tech Gold and Green Teams on bringing home a win from the annual Fullerton College High School Drama Festival.
The festival was canceled for the last two years, and this year Fullerton College was able to host a hybrid version of the competition, where performance recordings were submitted electronically, while the Tech Olympics was an in-person competition.
Mira Costa Tech won 9 medals and won first place overall (Gold Team) and third place overall (Green Team).
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Tech Olympics events include electrical wiring, lighting focus, tool relay, and props quick change to name a few.
Over the years, the festival has been attended by more than 20,000 students from 150 high schools - in a typical year 1,500 to 2,000 students from 60 to 70 schools participate.
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MBUSD students win in the Neptunian Woman’s Club 42nd Annual Art and Photography Contest
Our students continue to excel in the arts. Students from all grade levels across our school sites showed off their creativity in the 42nd Annual Neptunian Woman’s Club Student Art Contest and Show. There were 148 entries this year, and 33 students from MBUSD won awards in the categories of Art and Photography.
The Club hosted an awards ceremony recently as they celebrated the youth of Manhattan Beach.
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This year one of the winners received an extra special prize with a media pass to one day of the BeachLife Festival. Mira Costa High 11th grader Luke Langton received this, along with a cash prize.
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Beauty and the Beast Musical Coming Up!
The Mira Costa High School Drama/Tech Department is thrilled to return to the stage and we hope you’ll join us!
After a 3 year absence from live musical theater, MCHS is presenting the full-scale, family-friendly musical Beauty and the Beast in a new and exciting visual presentation. This timeless classic promises to delight and excite the theater-going community this spring. We also hope that it inspires a new generation of performers and theater lovers in the South Bay! All ages are welcome!
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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. Click here for enrollment information.
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As COVID-19 health and safety updates are constantly changing, we want to make sure you have the latest information in a timely manner on multiple platforms.
quick links to important resources, COVID-19 policies, and much more!
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At-Home Antigen COVID-19 Home Kits Distributed
In preparation for spring break, we are distributing at-home antigen test kits for both staff and students. These tests were procured using funds provided through the County to support testing programs and were supplemented by additional tests provided by the State. Through these programs, each staff member will receive three boxes (6 tests) and students will receive two boxes (4 tests).
While these can be used at your discretion and as needed, the District is, in alignment with CDPH and LACDPH, recommending that all students and staff members self-test the day before or the morning of returning to school (April 11 or early on April 12). It is further recommended that all students and staff members self-test again 2‐3 days after returning to school (April 14 or 15).
The use of these free home tests should be supervised by an adult, and their purpose is to identify whether a student is positive for COVID-19.
If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they should self-isolate and report the case to the school site/District as soon as possible. In addition to reporting all positive cases, please let us know if you used a school-provided test in the identification of a positive case.
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Self-Screening Required After Spring Break
Upon our return to school after spring break, the District will no longer be sending Ruvna messages to families or employees. Instead, each individual will be required to self-screen at home before coming to campus.
Parents should ask students, and employees should ask themselves, whether they are experiencing any symptoms* that could potentially be related to COVID-19. If they have symptoms, they must contact the school (students) or District (employees) to determine whether they should come to campus.
In addition, if a student or an employee has been in close contact** with anyone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, they must contact the school (students) or District (employees) to determine whether they should come to campus.
And, of course, if a student or an employee is positive for COVID-19, they must stay home, follow home isolation guidelines, and contact the school (students) or District (employees) to report the case.
*As a reminder, symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever or chills, new cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, the new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. For children, symptoms to look for are fever, new cough, or diarrhea.
**A close contact is defined as anyone who was within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative amount of time of fifteen minutes or more over a twenty-four hour period.
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Weekend COVID-19 Testing Clinic Open Through April 9 at Mira Costa!
Don’t forget we are hosting free testing opportunities every Saturday through April 9. You can drop by between 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Mira Costa High School student parking lot, located at Peck and Artesia.
It is open to the community and is a drive-thru testing opportunity. Pre-registration is required before arriving at Mira Costa. We have had some questions in regards to our extra weekend testing opportunity and want to clarify that it is a one time test ONLY and does not register you for any other testing.
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The next Superintendent Newsletter will be published on Friday, April 15.
I appreciate your support and hope you have an opportunity to relax and recharge over spring break. Thank you for helping keep our families, friends, and school community safe. Happy Spring Break!
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John Bowes, Ed.D.
MBUSD Superintendent
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Manhattan Beach Unified School District
325 S. Peck Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310.318.7345
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