As we prepare to begin a new school year in Manhattan Beach schools, I want to thank our staff, families, and community for the support you provide to our students. The first day of school for students is Wednesday, August 20, and we can’t wait to visit classrooms and campuses during those first days. They are always filled with energy, excitement, and new opportunities ahead.
Education is a team effort, and our students succeed because of the strong partnerships between our staff, parents, and community partners. I am proud to serve this remarkable community as your Superintendent and appreciate your ongoing support.
Our dedicated teachers, support staff, and administrators are committed to providing an inclusive learning environment where every student can thrive and grow academically, socially, and emotionally. I wish everyone a successful and fulfilling year ahead!
2025-26 School Year Calendar
Please review our District calendar ahead of the new school year. The calendar includes important dates such as holidays, dates on which our schools and offices are closed, and breaks. You can find the full calendar on our District and each school website.
This school year, MBUSD will use 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. Your contact information for this system is pulled directly from our student information system, Aeries. Please ensure your contact information in Aeries is up to date.
To help everyone get familiar with the system, we will conduct two test text notifications:
Monday, August 18 – Test SMS text sent from MBUSD
Thursday, August 21 – Test SMS text sent from your work sites and/or student school site(s)
Text messages will come from 98900, so please be on the lookout. These tests are an opportunity to confirm you are receiving messages from both MBUSD and your school site. If you do not receive a text on these dates, please click hereso we can assist.
Telephone Systems Restored at MBUSD School Sites and District Office
Our school sites and the District Office phone lines, which were down earlier this week due to an AT&T outage in the region, are now back up and functioning. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the disruption to our phone service.
If you are unable to reach a school or office by phone for any reason, please email the person you are trying to contact. Email addresses can be found on our websites:
Preschool: click on “Staff”
Elementary: click on “Teachers & Staff”
MBMS: click on “Staff Directory” under “Our School”
MCHS: click on “Faculty/Staff”
District Office: click on “Staff Directory” under “Parents”
Thank you for your patience and understanding while this issue was resolved.
Stay Updated! Download the MBUSD App!
If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to download the MBUSD app before the school year begins. Search “Manhattan Beach Unified” or “MBUSD” in the Apple App Store or Google Play to find and install the app. Once downloaded, you can select the school(s) and the District you’d like to receive announcements from. You can easily switch between the District and school site pages using the menu at the top of the app.
All elementary school sites share the same features, while MBMS and Mira Costa have customized options for their families and students. With push notifications enabled, you’ll receive daily updates on what’s happening across the District and at your selected schools.
How We’ll Thrive in 2025 Board Presentation
At this week’s Board of Trustees meeting, we highlighted “How We’ll Thrive in 2025,” sharing our priorities for the year ahead, new and continuing programs, facility improvements, and the newest members of our MBUSD leadership team. From advancing student learning to deepening our connections with families and the community, our work this year is centered on ensuring every student has the tools, support, and opportunities to thrive.
Share Your First Day of School Moments!
The first day of school is always filled with excitement, smiles, and new beginnings, and we want to celebrate with you! As you capture those special moments on the morning of August 20, we invite you to share your photos with us! Tag @ManhattanBeachUSD on social media and use #MBUSDFirstDay2025 so we can see your posts and highlight the joy of starting another great school year together.
E-Bike Safety Requirements
Manhattan Beach Unified School District is continuing its E-Bike Safety Initiative, which requires all 4th–12th-grade students who ride an e-bike to school to have an MBUSD-registered sticker affixed to their e-bike. Students are required to complete an approved safety class to be eligible to receive a sticker and park their e-bike at school. The District’s approved safety classes are offered only through PedalAce and E-Bike Sense. Students who successfully complete one of these courses, either through District-sponsored classes offered free of charge through E-Bike Sense or private enrollment in either program, will be issued stickers once we have confirmed their certification. Please note that each sticker will be numbered and registered to the individual student who earns it. Certification only needs to be completed once and will be valid as long as the student remains enrolled in MBUSD schools.
If your student has already completed or will complete a private class through PedalAce and E-Bike Sense and has not previously been issued a sticker, please submit their certificate of completion to the front office as soon as possible. Once verified, a sticker will be issued to be immediately placed upon the e-bike. Certificates will be cross-referenced with lists provided to the school by Pedal Ace and E-Bike Sense. Please use this link if you would like to sign up for an upcoming District-sponsored in-person class through E-Bike Sense, available at no cost on a space-available basis. Students MUST bring their street-legal e-bike and helmet to the class.
Note that all e-bikes parked off campus MUST be parked legally and not block pathways, sidewalks, etc. Bikes illegally parked may be subject to fines or confiscation by MBPD. E-bikes parked on campus without a sticker will be confiscated by the school site administration and subject to after-school parent pick up.
Diligent Implementation
We are excited to announce that MBUSD has adopted Diligent Community as our new Board management software. This platform is designed to help keep our community more connected, informed, and engaged by offering improved access to important information and streamlined processes.
The platform allows you to view meeting agendas, minutes, policies, and other documents through a new, easy-to-use public site linked here.
We began using Diligent for our Board meeting on July 16, 2025.
Special Dolphin Photo Donation
At the August 13 Board of Trustees meeting, the Dolphin Committee of the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium presented MBUSD with a special photo of Bottlenose dolphins near the Manhattan Beach Pier. This gift honors the District’s long-standing support of the Aquarium and pays tribute to the late Evelyn “Evie” Hannah Rowland, a beloved Grand View teacher and one of the Aquarium’s founders. Judge Richard Fruin, OTS Board member and founder, presented a dolphin surfing video set to Surfin’ U.S.A. The Committee’s next public event, “Why Do Dolphins Surf?”, will take place on September 17 at 6:00 p.m. at the Manhattan Beach Library. Thank you to the Roundhouse Aquarium Board of Directors for this donation.
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The next Superintendent’s Newsletter will be published on August 22. Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. John Bowes MBUSD Superintendent
Manhattan Beach Unified School District
325 S. Peck Avenue Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (310) 318-7345
