Dear Hermosa Beach City School District Community,

As I reflect on my first 100 days serving as your superintendent, I am incredibly grateful for the warm welcome and support from parents, community members, educators, staff, and students. Your engagement, feedback, and shared aspirations have provided invaluable insight as we work together to enhance the educational experience for all students in HBCSD.

Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations guided by these essential questions:

• What are your beliefs, expectations, and aspirations for education in HBCSD?
• What are you most proud of, and where are opportunities for improvement?
• How do you define and measure growth and success in our Hermosa Schools?

These discussions brought forth several key themes. HBCSD takes great pride in our strong and tight-knit community as well as our dedicated staff and teachers. HBCSD is a high-performing district comparatively across the state, but there are opportunities to strengthen student engagement through instructional practices and curriculum, enhance social-emotional support, and improve communication between schools and families. We are committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and shared responsibility.

In my recent School Board Presentation, I identified the next steps that will help guide our progress. These include:



• Engage all partners to develop a 3-year strategic plan that is focused around common goals, measurable, and time-bound.
• Enhancing communication and transparency to strengthen partnerships between families, staff, and leadership.
• Fostering rigor in teaching and learning to engage students and provide enriching educational experiences, including a new Kindergarten through 8th grade English Language Arts curriculum adoption.
• Prioritizing student well-being by strengthening social-emotional, behavioral support systems, and school culture initiatives, including the re-engagement of parent volunteers in supplemental programs.

I encourage you to watch my entire video presentation and view my presentation slides. 

As we move forward, I remain committed to listening, learning, and leading with the collective voice of our community in mind. Your voice is critical as we work to keep growing and improving. Please take a few minutes to complete the 2025 HBCSD Strategic Planning Input Survey to share your valuable feedback and help shape the future of our schools. 

Thank you for your trust and partnership in this journey. Together, we will continue to cultivate a thriving and dynamic educational environment in Hermosa Beach.



Warm regards,

Dr. Susan Wildes

Superintendent of Schools, Hermosa Beach City School District

What an incredible week we’ve had celebrating Read Across America at Hermosa View! From engaging guest readers to exciting spirit days, our students experienced the joy and power of reading in so many meaningful ways.

We were honored to welcome an amazing lineup of guest readers, including authors, voiceover actors, law enforcement officers, first responders, and local leaders, all sharing their love of books and storytelling. Their visits sparked curiosity, imagination, and lively discussions in our TK & Kinder classrooms and 1st Grade RAA Assembly.

A huge thank you to HVPTO’s incredible Jessica Jacobs, HVS parent and Read Across America Chair, and our dedicated teachers, staff, and families for making this week such a success. Let’s keep the momentum going, whether it’s reading together at home, visiting the library, or discovering new books. Every day is an opportunity to celebrate the magic of reading!

This week, we also hosted our book fair in the library, giving students the chance to explore and purchase new books with their classes. Many thanks  to all our parents who supported the book fair throughout the week and on Thursday evening. Special appreciation goes to our parent volunteers and our librarian, Sheila Hanley, for all their hard work in organizing this wonderful event!

Kind regards,

Sandy Skora, Hermosa View Interim Principal

We've now finished Trimester 2, and with only 65 days left in the school year, every day of learning is more important than ever! Regular attendance is key to academic success and personal growth. Missing even just a few days can create learning gaps, making it harder for students to stay on track and meet end-of-year expectations. While we understand that illness happens, we ask families to avoid unnecessary absences and schedule vacations or appointments outside of school days. Please reference the HBCSD School Calendar 2024-2025 to plan accordingly. Let’s finish the year strong and Show Up to Thrive. Every day matters!

Warmly,

Hillary Overbeck, Hermosa Vista Principal

At Hermosa, we believe in the power of partnership. Every day, we work hard to set high expectations and guide your students toward their full potential. We want to reiterate that we will always have their best interests at heart, and together, we can create an environment where they thrive.

We use PBIS to encourage positive choices, provide opportunities for students to learn and grow, and help them build the skills they need to succeed. At times, this requires courageous conversations and school discipline, but always with the goal of supporting their growth and development. At Valley we are committed to implementing restorative practices, including a diversion program, and will continue to find unique opportunities to support positive student behavior.  

We are so proud of the incredible accomplishments of our HVS students, both in school and beyond. Every day, we strive to help them grow into confident, capable individuals who lead with kindness. We need you as partners in this mission—supporting your students by supporting the school, reinforcing expectations at home, and building resilience together.

When we work as a team, the possibilities are endless. Thank you for your partnership and commitment to helping every Hermosa student thrive.



Warmly,

Jessica Bledsoe, Hermosa Valley Principal

P.S. We've noticed a lot of coffee and energy drinks on campus lately. While it's important for students to stay energized, we encourage healthy habits and staying hydrated throughout the day. Please support us in reinforcing this message with your students. Thank you!

2/18-4/30: Valley: Physical Fitness Testing - 5th Grade

2/28-3/30: Ramadan

3/1-31: March is National Women's History Month

3/1-31: March is National Disabilities Awareness Month

3/9-31: HBCSD: Strategic Planning Input Survey for Staff, Parents, & Students (5th-8th Grade)

3/12: Valley: 8th Grade Disneyland Trip

3/12 (During Lunch): Valley: Beach Kids Yoga Classes

3/12 (5:00-8:00 PM): HBCSD: Regular School Board Meeting

3/14: HVPTO: HVS Yearbooks - Last Day to Buy (LINK)

3/14: Valley Yearbook: 8th Grade Dedication Pages & Baby Pictures - Last Day

3/14: Valley: 5th Grade California Science Center Field Trip

3/15 (11:00 AM-1:00 PM): HB Chamber: Hermosa Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade