MISSION BAY HIGH An Open House/Back to School Night is set for Wednesday, Sept. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. From 5 to 6 p.m., the event will feature pizza and salad from Woodstock’s Pizza. At 6 p.m., participants will gather in the auditorium for a brief welcome and presentation and before parents and students have a chance to visit classrooms, meet the teachers and learn about the 2012-13 school-year coursework.   PACIFIC BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL • An Open House/Back to School Night is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. From 5 to 6 p.m., participants will enjoy a dinner sponsored by the Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools (FOPBSS) for current students and their immediate families. Tickets will be provided to PB Middle School students. At 6 p.m., guests will gather in the auditorium with new principal Ernie Remillard and set off to visit classrooms, meet the teachers and learn about the coursework for the 2012-13 school year. Interested volunteers are urged to get more details and sign up by contacting Elkie Wills at [email protected]. • Picture Day is Tuesday, Sept. 18. Interested volunteers should contact Lourdes Mosqueda in the front office at [email protected] • There will be a student-service opportunity on Saturday, Sept. 15 during a 9 a.m. Coastal Cleanup Day event at the Tourmaline Beach parking lot. Join PB Middle international baccalaureate (IB) students as they clean up their adopted beach from Tourmaline to Pacific Beach Point. Waivers can be obtained at cleanupday.org. • PB Middle IB students logged over 14,000 hours of service to the community in the 2011-12 school year. • PBMS IB teachers Erin Knight and Carren Lindsay-Dial have been chosen from applicants all over North America to attend the prestigious IB Academy. Their training, funded 100 percent by the greater IB Organization, will prepare them to be IB volunteers. As a volunteer, the pair will be invited to evaluate, authorize and consult with other schools, as well as train other IB teachers. The knowledge they gain through volunteering with IB will benefit PB Middle School as they share what they learn upon their return to school.   PACIFIC BEACH ELEMENTARY PBE will celebrate “back to school” with Penguin Pride Night on Friday, Sept. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. This is a free evening of friends, games and complimentary snacks for new and returning PBE families. The parent/teacher group Friends of Pacific Beach Elementary will highlight programs and activities and encourage all Penguins to participate in the fun.   KATE SESSIONS ELEMENTARY • The second annual Kate Sessions Elementary Seahawk Pride Education and Enrichment Drive is set for Sunday, Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mission Bay Sportscenter. Mission Bay Sportscenter will provide paddleboards, kayaks and paddleboats for no charge. Pack a blanket to sit on, bring a picnic lunch and come out to enjoy this wonderful free event.    FRIENDS OF PACIFIC BEACH SECONDARY SCHOOLS (FOPBSS) FOPBSS will hold a meeting at the Mission Bay High School library on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. Learn about what is going on at PB Middle School and Mission Bay High, along with volunteer opportunities. For more information, go to FOPBSS.org.   PACIFIC BEACH SECONDARY SCHOOLS Help PB secondary schools win tablets like iPads! Pacific Beach secondary schools could win $25,000 worth of tablet PCs through an essay contest sponsored by Digital Wish and the 3M Corp. Credit is given to schools that have multiple entries. Entries need only be 200-500 words and you must be at least 18 years old to enter.  Submissions are due Sept. 12. The link for the essay submissions is www.digital-wish.com/dw/digitalwishscreens_for_schools_-3Mcontest and the representative contact for each school is the international baccalaureate coordinator: • PBMS: Jennifer Sims — [email protected] • MBHS: Doug McIntosh — [email protected]  • Betsy Knight, grantwriter for FOPBSS, can answer questions about this initiative. Contact her by emailing [email protected], or by calling (858) 531-0319.