Mission Bay High
– Back to School Family Fun Night will take place 5 p.m. to midnight Sept. 15 at Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club. Catch up with old friends and meet new ones while enjoying live music from Laylow (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) and Jetpack Mojo (9 to 11 p.m.). There will be opportunity drawings, a dessert table, and loads of fun. Adults, $10, and students, $5. All proceeds will benefit MBHS Class of 2019. PB Middle
– Builders Club board members Kai, Jaylen, and Khouri welcome new and returning students to PB Middle. Builders Club is a student club, sponsored by Kiwanis of Pacific Beach, which plans service events for the entire school. Last year, students coordinated Beachfest, Leukemia Lymphoma Society Fundraiser, Doggy Bags for PAWS, WeHelpTwo project to donate prosthetic limbs, and planned celebrations and awards recognizing student volunteers. If your organization has an idea for student service, or you’d like to help support students with awards and prizes for volunteers, contact [email protected]. Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary
– Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary’s students received a thrilling welcome on their first day of school (left). The school’s panda mascot and traditional Chinese lion dancers enlivened the morning assembly by tiptoeing through the audience and performing an elaborate act to wish the students and teachers good luck in the year ahead.
– Barnard teaches its students in a Mandarin immersion environment for 50 to 80 percent of the day and incorporates extensive Chinese programs and cultural arts within its classrooms. This year, students will learn tai chi, abacus, calligraphy, and more in order to gain a better perspective on the culture from which the Mandarin language derives. “Today was my daughter’s first day of kindergarten,” said parent Mariya Kovetskaya. “Starting her academic career like this was fun and exciting. How can you not be happy about school when you have events like this to look forward to?” The lions are sure to make an appearance again at Barnard. Coming up are the Autumn Moon Festival in mid-September and then Chinese New Year in February.
– For information on Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary School, or to find out about the District’s School Choice program, visit sandiegounified.org/barnard. The choice application window for the 2019- 2020 school year will open between Oct. 1 and Nov. 13. Pacific Beach Elementary
– Good Neighbor Gardens is partnering with Pacific Beach Elementary, helping the school install drip irrigation and getting the garden ready for the school year. PBE will also be the new pickup location for the Good Neighbor Gardens CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
– Pacific Beach Elementary is holding a book fair on Thursday, Sept. 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the school library. All proceeds benefit the school. – The first Friends of Pacific Beach Elementary meeting, the school’s parent-teacher organization, is on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. in the school library. Kate Sessions Elementary
– Students at Kate Sessions Elementary experience hands-on learning in their Garden Class. Friends of Kate Sessions, the PTO, has decided that in addition to funding weekly art, music and library classes, students will now receive an extra day of Spanish per week. New this year will be a garden arts and science class. Sessions would like to thank parent Holly Lutz, the La Jolla Village Garden Club, and San Diego Hydroponics for their help in making the garden class possible.  
– Sessions would like to send a warm welcome to the first-to-fifth-grade students and families who are new to the school, to the Class of 2031 kindergarteners and their families, and also to the transitional kindergartener families. Mission Bay Cluster
– The group’s four meetings this school year, to learn about issues common to the school community, will take place Sept. 6, Nov. 1, Feb. 7 and June 6. All meetings are at 6 p.m. in the Mission Bay High library.
– The third annual “Future Bucs Night” will take place 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Mission Bay High stadium. This fun community event gathers elementary and middle school students and their families to cheer on the Bucs football team and get a taste of life as a Buccaneer.