August 22, 2025

Dear MBUSD Parents and Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Welcome to a new school year! Our campuses are once again filled with the energy and excitement from students and staff. This year, we remain committed to providing an exceptional educational experience for all of our learners and ensuring our campuses remain safe. Our dedicated educators and staff have been working hard to create an environment where each child feels supported, inspired, and ready to thrive. Together, we are shaping bright futures for our students, and I look forward to a wonderful year ahead.

Today’s issue highlights the beginning of the 2025-2026 new school year, District-wide testing of our new mass communications system, and the beginning of TK/Kinder Back to School Nights.

The first day of school is always special in MBUSD, and this year was no exception! From preschool to high school, our students arrived prepared to learn and grow. Classrooms were filled with curiosity, laughter, and a sense of belonging. To mark this important day, Cabinet members and I visited all school sites to greet students, families, and staff, celebrating the joy and energy that make our District so unique! Enjoy a look at some of the unforgettable moments from across MBUSD. Click here for more Back to School photos.

Mira Costa seniors began the first day of school bright and early with the annual Senior Sunrise tradition! Hosted by the PTSA and ASB, this special event brings the Class of 2026 together to watch the sunrise and celebrate the start of their final year of high school. 

This year’s gathering was extra meaningful as it marks Mira Costa’s 75th anniversary. 

We began the week with our annual All-Staff Opening Day, a special event that brought together hundreds of certificated and classified staff members to celebrate the start of a new school year and engage in meaningful professional development. This year’s theme, “Excellence Together: Cultivating Safe Schools Through Strong Systems and Shared Responsibility,” set the tone for the event. 

The morning began with a continental breakfast and a lively performance by the MCHS Band, providing time for staff to connect with colleagues. It was an honor to welcome everyone and share in the excitement of the year ahead. We were also inspired by Executive Director Hilary Mahan, who highlighted the incredible impact of MBEF on our schools, staff, and students.

One of the most meaningful moments of Opening Day is the Service Pin Recognition, where we celebrate staff for their years of dedication to MBUSD. This year, we honored employees for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service. Collectively, these incredible individuals have contributed 1,585 years of service to our District. Please join me in congratulating and thanking them for their commitment to excellence! (See the full list of honorees here.)

The day continued with engaging professional learning sessions, many focused on campus safety, and also included topics such as building a Climate of Care in the classroom, instructional strategies for literacy and math, planning support, and exploring the role of artificial intelligence in education, to name a few. A special thanks to Kinecta Federal Credit Union for providing a delicious BBQ lunch!

Safety has been an ongoing priority built into everything we do. This year, MBUSD is focusing on school safety with a proactive approach that goes beyond traditional training. Staff attended research-driven sessions designed to equip attendees with the tools and confidence that will help them to respond effectively in any situation.

The keynote speaker for the morning session was Soraya Sutherlin, founder and CEO of Emergency Management Safety Partners (EMSP) and a former member of the U.S. Secret Service. She delivered a session on human behavior in times of crisis. She shared how people react under stress and shared strategies we can apply not only during real-life emergencies but also in everyday classroom and campus interactions. Soraya talked about “The Power of Three” and how breaking information into small, manageable steps helps us think clearly and respond effectively when it matters most. 

Joe Viramontez, from ICS4Schools, provided another session about safety. This session focused on Incident Command Systems, a structure used on a local, state, and national basis to help coordinate organizational response to disasters and emergency situations. MBUSD has long used the ICS structure, and Mr. Viramontez is assisting the District in revisiting and refining these structures to ensure that we are all well-versed in our roles and responsibilities and that our overall system is as efficient and effective as possible. Since the end of last school year, ICS4Schools has conducted site-specific assessments and created tailored plans for each school, so the training staff receive is directly relevant to their environment. 

Schools also had the opportunity to learn about Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG), a threat assessment model that helps us to gather and analyze information to allow us to proactively intervene to address and work to defuse potentially dangerous situations. Again, threat assessment is not new, but through our training and implementation of the CSTAG model, we will be more coordinated and better equipped in our approach. Our CSTAG training was paired with an MBPD-led review of Run-Hide-Fight strategies that staff can use in their schools should an incident occur. We have also partnered with Chameleon Associates to provide advanced security awareness training. Their work throughout the year will focus on proactive threat detection and prevention, empowering staff to spot potential risks before they escalate and creating a safer environment for everyone.

Our holistic and comprehensive approach doesn’t just “check the box,” rather, every session, drill, and partnership is designed with the goal to make sure all of us are prepared and confident in protecting our students, colleagues, and families. 

This school year, MBUSD is using Apptegy Alerts as our new primary notification system for the District and all schools. Apptegy Alerts allows us to connect with families through multiple channels, including SMS text messages, voice calls, and emails for both regular and emergency communications. 

To help everyone get familiar with the system, we conducted two test text notifications:

Monday, August 18 – Test text sent from MBUSD at 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 21 – Test text sent from your work site(s) and/or student school site(s) at 3:00 p.m.

The text messages came from 98900, so please check to make sure you received them. These tests are an opportunity to confirm you are receiving messages from both MBUSD and your school site. Your contact information for Apptegy was pulled directly from our student information system, Aeries.

If you did not receive a text on the dates above and are a parent/guardian, please ensure your contact information in Aeries is up to date. Families can do this through the same Aeries Parent Portal used for Data Confirmation. Staff may provide their updated information using the form here.

In today’s digital learning environment, it is essential  that all students and families understand the rules and expectations for using District technology and personal devices on our network. We have created an informational video introducing the updated Student Technology Acceptable Use Agreement for MBUSD.  This agreement ensures technology is used safely, responsibly, and to support learning. We encourage you to watch the video below together as a family and discuss its key points. 

By following these guidelines, we can all work together to keep our digital spaces safe, secure, and focused on education.

MBUSD is committed to fostering a learning environment where students are engaged and learning in an environment free from distractions. To support this goal, MBMS has introduced a one-page guide covering cell phone and technology use on campus, while Mira Costa’s one-page guide focuses on cell phones. They clearly outline expectations for student use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day. 

These guidelines are designed to promote responsible use of technology and maintain a safe and productive environment. We encourage all school site staff, families, and students to review these guides to better understand and support these expectations.

This week, some MBUSD students received a phishing email that appeared to offer a part-time job opportunity from a sender claiming to be associated with the District.While it may have looked legitimate, this was a phishing email designed to obtain personal information.

What is phishing?

Phishing emails are fraudulent messages that try to trick you into sharing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or login credentials. These messages often look like they come from trusted sources, such as schools, banks, or government agencies.

How can you spot a phishing email?

How to protect yourself:

If you or your student receives an email that looks suspicious—even if it appears to be from the school—please forward it to phishing@mbusd.org rather than responding or clicking on any links.

Be extra cautious when using public or free Wi-Fi networks, especially abroad. Avoid entering personal login information on unsecured networks or unfamiliar authentication pages. Doing so can expose you to phishing attacks or identity theft.

Our youngest learners and their families recently gathered for TK and Kindergarten Back-to-School Night this week, marking a significant milestone for their education journey. The evening allowed parents to step inside their child’s classroom, meet teachers, and learn more about the experiences that will shape the school year ahead. Thank you to our teachers and staff for creating a warm and welcoming experience for our students and families!

Follow our accounts for the latest MBUSD information, updates, news, and events.

The next Superintendent’s Newsletter will be published on August 29. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. John Bowes, Superintendent

325 S. Peck Ave.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 318-7345