Blue Elephant invites you to their first Sip & Shop.

Wednesday, September 18th

10am - 1pm

1527 Silver Street

Hermosa Beach

Sourced directly from Indian Artisans, come shop their hand curated collection of dresses, lounge wear, sleep wear, stoles, tablecloths, blankets, and more!

10% of all sales will be donated to HVPTO.

We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous donations to our school. Since we kicked off the Back to School Annual Giving Campaign, we’ve raised $294,442 to date. Your generosity extends beyond the tangible benefits. It sends a powerful message to our students that their education matters, and there are individuals who believe in their potential. This encouragement inspires our students and educators to work harder, dream bigger, and achieve their goals. Our goal is to raise $1,500,000 this year, every dollar helps, so please donate today! Questions? Email annualgiving@hbef.org

Let the challenge begin! Ms. Peng. (from View), Ms. Patel (from Vista), and Ms. Lee (from Valley) are taking the lead at their respective schools, all vying for the opportunity to win a $250 gift card. The teacher with the highest family participation at each campus will claim this prize. Additionally, there's an exciting ice cream party up for grabs for one lucky classroom spanning grades TK-8. While the $250 gift card and the ice cream party are up for grabs, let’s not forget that the real winners will be our students.

HBEF invites Annual Giving donors at the Thrive level (and above), as well as Business Sponsors, to the “You’re Golden” Thank You Party on Friday, September 27th at Resin Gallery. Yet to donate to the 2024-25 Annual Giving campaign? CLICK HERE by Friday, September 20th and we hope to see you there!

More than 200 popsicle tops from the Back to School Picnic were handed off to EcobyRy to upcycle into surf wax combs, plates, pots, and other cool new products. Thanks to everyone who purchased popsicles for popping your tops, and extra special thanks to our Grades of Green booth volunteers Arbor, Heather, Sadie, Kyla, Abbie, Penelope, Katie, Phoebe, Winton, Rachel, Dan, Serena, and Lee!

September is full of other opportunities to show our planet some love. Challenge yourself to take a small action on one (or more!) of the following “holidays”:

Sep 20 - Clean Up the World Weekend

Sep 21 - National Cleanup Day

Sep 21 - Zero Emissions Day

Sep 22 - World Car Free Day

Sep 27 - National Crush (a can) Day

You can learn more about the Grades of Green mission, programs, and opportunities to earn stipends at www.gradesofgreen.org. And if you or any students you know are interested in being part of our “Green Team” or have any questions, please reach out to us at gradesofgreenhb@gmail.com.

*Indivisible Arts' Creative Wisdom Tools program is where emotional growth meets creativity! Kids dive into fun, hands-on projects like painting, music production, fashion design, resin pouring, and even upcycling clothes—all while learning life tools like Awareness, Gratitude, and Compassion. With personalized guidance from mentors, each child gets to express themselves through their favorite art forms, making every session a unique and empowering experience!    

Classes take place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 4 to 5:30pm at RESIN in Hermosa Beach (corner of 6th and Cypress). CLICK HERE to learn more.

If you are a father who wants to spend quality time with your child, then Adventure Guides is the program for you!

Adventure Guides is a year long program for fathers and their kids in TK through 2nd grade. This program is an opportunity to build, strengthen, and nurture healthy relationships between fathers and their kids while making connections with other dads in the South Bay through group camping trips and other fun activities.

If you are interested, please join an information night at 7:00pm on Wednesday, September 18th at Hennessey's Tavern in Hermosa Beach. If you can't make it, reach out to Cassandra Buzze for more details.

We loved meeting so many of you at the week's BTSN events. Whether you are joining us as a new docent or a veteran, the common excitement around bringing art into our classrooms was so great to see. A special shout out to Ms. Overbeck and Ms. Bledsoe for highlighting the value of YAA at these events.

If you are signed up, you should have received an email from YAArtHb@gmail.com with all the relevant dates for the year, beginning with 9/23 and 10/1. In the coming weeks, please keep your eyes peeled for the following:

• Docent assignments and class team information.
• An RSVP link for our HB Kickoff on 10/1.
• Ways to get involved if you love what YAA brings but cannot volunteer in the classroom (e.g., Amazon wishlist and ways to sponsor a project as a business, group of friends or individually).  
• The most art-forward YAA swag.
• Peep the projects for the year! 

Thank you for the support!

Please join the Mira Costa High School girls soccer team on Saturday, October 3rd from 9am to noon for a fun filled morning of soccer and camp activities! Girls TK through 8th grade are welcome. Coaches will be current members of Mira Costa girls soccer team. Snacks and a camp T-shirt will be included. CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up. For questions, please contact Alexa Young.

The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Young Entrepreneurs Academy for 6th-12th graders across the South Bay. This year, the program runs from October 2024 through May 2025 and teaches students how to start and run their own businesses. Each student will be paired with a business mentor, attend a weekly class on entrepreneurship, and have a chance to start their own business with funds given by local investors. CLICK HERE to learn more and apply. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, September 18th.

HVPTO has partnered with Headed for College to provide a virtual college prep presentation tailored for middle school parents on Tuesday, September 17th at 6:00pm. Discover early steps to set your student on the path to college success, from exploring academic opportunities to selecting a high school based on your student’s interest. Don't miss this chance to learn how you can support your child's educational journey and help them reach their dreams! If you have any questions you’d like the team to discuss, please feel free to email Chelsea Harder in advance. Register for the Zoom webinar here.

Hermosa Beach Youth Basketball League registration is filling up fast! REGISTER NOW to ensure your spot! We hope to see you on the court! All league and season information is available on our site, www.hbyb.net. Registration closes Monday, September 30th.

The Annual Back to School Picnic was so much FUN! Thanks to all those who attended and shared in a great time!

A huge thank you to the Back to School Picnic Chair, Melissa Grashow.

Of course, we couldn't do anything without the parent & student volunteers who gave their time to make this event a success, specifically: Sandra Endo, Lisa Gardner, Becky Scholten, Jen Kucera, and Jo Fish. A big thank you to Fatema Akhter, Susie Arjani, Ava Arjani, Heather Baboolal, Crosby Baboolal, Noelle Balik, Braden Balik, Katiana Bozzi, Kamila Bozzi Fiedler, Susan Bridges, Shea Bridges, Kelly Castillo, Cru Castillo, Lucia Cosgrove, Kennedy Cosgrove, Katie Cuza, Liam Cuza, Jett Dang, Lauren De Avila, Lilly De Avila, Carrie Dodd, Hudson Dodd, Debra Drucker, Amy Eells, Brad Eells, Carly Eells, Cooper Eells, Stephanie Eskowitz, Jack Eskowitz, Allyson Estess, Shane Estess, Steph Fanous, Fiona Fanous, Tucker Fulbright, Lauren Grancio, Anthony Grancio, Carter Grashow, Melinda Green, Miles Green, Laura Hall, Reuben Hall, Hudson Harris, Laura Harris, Nolan Harris, Leah Horvath, Kaylee Horvath, Kelly Houghton, Eli Houghton, Monique Jones, Zoe Jones, John Kennett Venable, Jemma Lewis, Jane Mancuso, Edward Mancuso, Debra Martin, Lauren Martin, Quinn McDowell, Betina Mekhtarian, Gregory Mekhtarian, Rory Merkin, Nicole Moriarty, Dominic Morrocco, Kate Mosier, Olivia Mosier, Sonya Oliver, Zachary Oliver, Rayan Rahman, Shef Rao, Leela Rao, Jen Rementer, North Rementer, Jessica Rendes, Marley Rendes, Henry Reynolds, David Sambuchi, Frankie Sambuchi, Maribeth Springob, Hudson Springob, Rob Tabak, Jackson Tabak, Dani Terrasi, Karla Torres, Dani Torres, Alex Torres, Kennett Venable, Marisha Ward, Crystal Watson, Kieran Wyly, Patrick Wyly, Vanessa Yasment, Oliver Yasment, and Athen Young.

THANK YOU to the organizations that joined us and all of their volunteers: Art Zone, Beach Cities Health District, Cub Scouts, Family Theatre Inc., Farm Fresh to You, Friendship Foundation, Grades of Green, Hermosa Beach Education Foundation, Hermosa Beach Historical Museum, Hermosa Baseball Little League, Hermosa Beach Youth Basketball, Hermosa Star, HVPTO, HVPTO Spirit Wear, Indivisible Arts, Mis Amigos, Smug Mugz, Young at Art, and YMCA Adventure Guides.

We thank our Valley School Maintenance and Operations Staff Jay Pech, Jenness Riley, Gionti Vega, Humberto Rodriguez, and Giuliano Leon for all of their support and hard work.

Last, but not least, a BIG THANK YOU to our generous sponsors including: FRESH BROTHERS, SUZY ZIMMERMAN, BOCCATO’S, THE COOKIE CONTENT and the CITY of HERMOSA BEACH.