Starting tomorrow through March 29th drop off your new or very gently used preschool through middle school books in the collection bins outside of each school's front office. Donations will benefit Hermosa school & classroom libraries, Access Books, and Hawthorne school district families. Special thank you to Jaymeson Rapone, Mira Costa student who is collecting the donations at Vista on behalf of Access Books to help refurbish a library at an underserved elementary school in Los Angeles!

Cara Mentzel, who co-authored the books Loud Mouse and Proud Mouse, with her sister, Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel (voice of Elsa in Disney's Frozen) will be a guest reader at View Elementary on Tuesday, March 26th. Cara is a former teacher and her books have great messages about friendship and being proud of yourself so we can't wait to have her come read.

In anticipation of Cara Mentzel's visit, we've partnered with {pages} a bookstore if you'd like to purchase a copy of her book, Proud Mouse, to be delivered to school for the day of her visit.

Pre-order HERE by 5:00pm on March 20th and 20% of the proceeds will be donated back to HVPTO.

IMPORTANT: At checkout, scroll down and select "Pick-Up Options" and then, "I would like to pick this order up at the store," so that {pages} a bookstore knows to deliver your book to Hermosa View for Cara's visit.

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Jacobs.

The Hermosa View, Vista & Valley PTO is accepting nominations for all Executive Board positions for the 2024-2025 school year. If you ever wanted to get involved, now is the time! We are specifically recruiting for the following positions:

• President
• Co-President
• Treasurer
• Co-VP of Communications (Social Media & Website)
• Co-VP of Communications (Room Parent Coordinator)
• Co-VP's of Volunteers and Events
• Secretary

If you or someone you know would like to be nominated, please fill out our online nominations form by Friday, March 29th. Yes, you can self-nominate! Not interested in an Executive Board position but want to be involved? We have jobs, big or small. Grab a friend and come and help us make memories for our kids!

Questions: Carrie Smith & Jo Fish @ volunteers@hvpto.com

We are in search of 1-3 chairpersons for the Memorial Day Weekend Parking Lot Fundraiser at Valley School. Are you willing to be in charge for just one of the days that weekend? If you are looking to get involved and want to help support HVPTO, this could be the event for you!

The Annual Memorial Day Weekend Parking Lot Fundraiser brings in $12,000 for HVPTO every year! Parents at View, Vista and Valley are encouraged to participate. Email us at volunteers@hvpto.com if interested and Carrie Smith & Jo Fish can share more details.

HVPTO is proud to partner with Farm Fresh To You to offer you a unique and convenient way to eat healthfully! With each delivery of fresh, organic produce and natural grocery items you receive, HVPTO earns 10% back when you add promo code "HVPTO" to your account. This ongoing fundraiser allows you to customize each delivery with regards to box type, size, and delivery frequency to fit your needs!  Click here to get started! Existing customers can also add the promo code "HVPTO" to their account online.

Here’s the DEAL…time is running out for the hottest party of the year! Get your tickets to the Hearts of Hermosa Gala before it’s too late. This Saturday, March 23rd, we’re going all in to transform our Community Center parking lot into le Casino Monte-Carlo. Click HERE to complete your final mission and secure your Secret Agent pass and enjoy dinner and drinks from all our neighborhood favorites, live and silent auctions, casino games and a DJ to dance the night away!

Set your alarms for 6am tomorrow, Monday, March 18th, to snag a coveted spot at one this year’s Hearts of Hermosa Flash Parties. From Tequila Tastings to Pickleball and Corn Hole Tourneys to an Unlimited Number of Units Botox Party, there's a bash for everyone. These exclusive parties are initially for Hearts ticket holders only and will sell out! 

Get ready for the Hearts of Hermosa Silent Auction which launches tomorrow, Monday, March 18th, and closes at the Gala on Saturday, March 23rd. This auction is open to everyone to bid and we have a variety of Bond-worthy travel destinations, sports event tickets, party dining packages, kids and wellness offerings, wine, jewelry, art (including our very own Young at Art projects), and more up for grabs. Register now for the silent online auction but remember only Hearts attendees will get a chance to bid on exclusive live auction items. 

Be sure to check out our students’ very own Young at Art pieces included in the auction at the Preview Art Show on Friday, March 22nd, at Resin Gallery (618 Cypress Ave, HB) between 5:30-8:00pm. The event is free and open to anyone! 

Teacher Experiences also open tomorrow with the online auction so don’t miss the chance to let your child hang with their favorite Hermosa teacher or staff member and grab ice cream, play TopGolf or even be PRINCIPAL for the day!

In collaboration with Young at Art docents, students from Hermosa Vista, Valley and View have created unique, one-of-a-kind art pieces that will be included in the Hearts of Hermosa auction. The artwork will be on display for all to see at a special Preview Art Show held at RESIN Gallery on Friday, March 22nd from 5:30-8:00pm. Students, family and friends are encouraged to come experience the creativity of our community. Admission is free.

Grades of Green is excited to bring environmental fun and education to our schools throughout the month of April. We’re kicking off with some “trash-y” assemblies on April 8th at all three schools, and students will have access to a new selection of green-minded books in each of our libraries. Earth Day is April 22nd so stay tuned for more eco-excitement coming later in the month as well.

Have questions, ideas, or want to join our Green Team? Please email Grades of Green Co-Chairs, Jessie Kernan & Julia Lau, at gradesofgreenhb@gmail.com.

If you missed Valley School's Empty Bowls Event, you can still help support the fight against hunger. Bring in this FLYER to The Rockefeller this Friday, March 22nd and they will donate 15% of your bill to the LA Regional Food Bank on behalf of HVS and Empty Bowls.

Interested in learning more about youth sailing? Want to learn more about the summer and year-round after school sailing program (ages 7-17) offered by King Harbor Youth Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to educate, challenge and inspire the next generation of sailors throughout the South Bay. Please join us at our Open House & Sail-A-Thon event at King Harbor Yacht Club where you can take a sail, enjoy family activities, listen to live music and win great auction items. Mark your calendar and buy your tickets HERE. For more details about the summer sailing program, please visit the King Harbor Youth Foundation.

Questions: Email Ally Estess at allyestess@gmail.com

Read Across America 2024 was a huge success!

HVPTO would like to thank all of our incredible guests for joining us and sharing their love of reading! The guests brought excitement and joy which was equally matched by the student's enthusiasm and energy! 

A BIG THANK YOU to the amazing Jessica Jacobs, RAA Event Chair, who created the amazing roster of guests and arranged the five assemblies and 12 classroom visits! It was a fantastic and fun week for our elementary grades!

Whether it was Bailey the Mascot energizing the crowd, a community leader inspiring our students to be a leader too, learning how to do the "Piney Prance" with author Jane and the LA Rams Cheerleaders or Mark Feuerstein imparting a message of being a hero; we hope that your child came home with a fun story to tell about their assembly or classroom visit! Check out some fun photos from the week HERE.

Thank you to our guests:

Actor, Writer, Producer & Director Mark Feuerstein 

Author Jane West Bakerink

Author June Sobel

Author Brigette Allen

HBPD Chief Lebaron and Officer Rushton with K9 Charlie

RBPD Officer Kyle Lofstrom 

LA County Lifeguard Jasmin

Voice Actors Arnie Pantoja, Dino Andrade, Connor Andrade, Jewels Jaselle, Queen Noveen, Lauri Fraser, and Cesili Williams

LA Kings Mascot Bailey & the Ice Crew

LA Kings Former Player & Stanley Cup Winner Jordan Nolan 

LA Kings Color Commentator Daryl Evans

LA Rams Cheerleaders Courtney and Eswinn

Hermosa Beach City Council Member Ray Jackson

Manhattan Beach Mayor Pro Tem Amy Howorth

Manhattan Beach Former Mayor Hildy Stern

HBCSD Superintendent Dr. Jason Johnson 

HBCSD School Board President Quentin Kluthe

Shout out and thank you to our HVS Librarians: Ms. Meyers, Ms.Hanley, and Ms. Graham for their selection of books for our guest readers to choose from!

Lastly, thank you to our classroom and assembly parent chaperones including: Anne Marie Austin, Christine Elfalan, Dominique Dodd, Lauren Merriam Sprague, Goli Shamsian, Paige Smith, Lillian Stratton, Emily Lefkowitz, Laura Esmailzadeh, Erin Smith, Christie Forgash Good, Trixie Snyder, Katiana Bozzi, Ann Ewing, Andrea Schwab, Nicole Ellison and Keary Ann Bixby.

Want to get involved, but now sure how? Here is a summary of upcoming Volunteer opportunities.

HVPTO Executive Board

Watch D.O.G.S. at View

Watch D.O.G.S. at Vista

Watch D.O.G.S. at Valley

View and Vista Valet Lines

HVPTO Event & Fundraiser Chairs

Reach out to volunteers@hvpto.com to learn about other upcoming HVPTO volunteer opportunities.