SMMUSD - OFFICIAL

Roosevelt Elementary School brought students, families and staff together for its second annual Hispanic Heritage Festival! From delicious food and live music to arts, crafts and cultural traditions, the celebration highlighted the richness of Hispanic and Latino heritage while fostering a sense of pride, unity and belonging throughout the school community. Read more: bit.ly/RooseveltHispanicHeri…

SMMUSD brewed up a spook-tacular edition of the #SMMUSD Wave filled with school celebrations, student achievements and exciting District updates! 🎃🕸️ 👻 Don't ghost us! Read the October 2026 edition today: bit.ly/SMMUSDWave-V47-Oct26.

Meet Charlotte Bonnici from Malibu High School and Elina Nagiel from Santa Monica High School, this year’s student representatives on the #SMMUSD Financial Oversight Committee (FOC). Through their roles, they are gaining firsthand experience in District financial planning and budget decisions while ensuring student perspectives are part of the conversation. Their leadership, interests in economics and finance, and commitment to representing their peers highlights the importance of student involvement in shaping the District’s financial future. Read more here: bit.ly/FOCStudentMembers-Spo….

🌧️ SMMUSD IS PREPARING FOR POTENTIAL SUPER EL NIÑO IMPACTS Through SMMUSD READY — Readiness, Education, Awareness, Disaster Preparedness and You — Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is preparing for the possibility of severe winter storms. Preparations include school facility inspections, planning for power outages and learning disruptions, emergency meal supplies, transportation monitoring and coordination with local emergency partners. 💙 Student and staff safety remain our priority. 📱 Families: Monitor ParentSquare for official updates on school closures, transportation, meals and learning resources. 🔗 Visit the link in our bio for preparedness information and updates. SMMUSD READY: Prepared for Emergencies. Ready for Extraordinary Achievement. #SMMUSD #SMMUSDREADY #SuperElNiño #SchoolSafety #EmergencyPreparedness

🎃 Ready for a spooktacular Halloween? Check out these trick-or-treat safety tips to help keep the whole family safe while enjoying a fun night of treats and costumes. 👻

🎉 More than 180 SMMUSD employees received New Hero Awards at the Santa Monica New Heroes Celebration, hosted by Santa MoniCARES, recognizing their contributions to our schools and community. Special congratulations to Dr. Susan Samarge-Powell, Director of Early Learning, recipient of the Inspirational Hero Award for her enduring leadership, empathy and commitment to making others feel valued, safe and seen. 💙 #SMMUSD #SantaMonicaNewHeroes

Congratulations 🎉 to John Adams Middle School seventh-grade student Harrison McGee, who was selected as one of just 10 Scholastic Kid Reporters nationwide for the 2026-27 school year! Harrison will report on literacy, education and topics that matter to young people. Read more here👉 bit.ly/HarrisonMcGeeJAMS.

🎉✂️ Go Lions! 🦁 McKinley Elementary celebrated the grand opening of its new 28,000-square-foot building with student performances, community pride and a big ribbon cutting! The new space connects McKinley’s historic campus with exciting possibilities for generations of students.

UPDATE: Malibu High, Malibu Middle, Malibu Elementary and Webster Elementary are scheduled to reopen Monday, Oct. 19, following the Bryson Fire. Updates via ParentSquare and social media. Our Malibu community remains in our thoughts. Student and staff safety is our priority.

All Malibu schools are closed today, 10/16, due to the Bryson Fire. Malibu HS, Malibu MS and Malibu ES are under an evacuation warning. Webster ES is closed as a precaution. Schools are expected to reopen 10/19. Updates to follow. Student and staff safety is our priority.

✂️ SMMUSD celebrated the ribbon cutting of Grant Elementary School’s new Library and Innovation Lab! These refreshed spaces promote literacy, spark creativity and give students opportunities to explore, collaborate and discover new ways to learn.

🚨#SMMUSD schools and the District office participated in the 2026 Great California ShakeOut, joining millions across the state in practicing earthquake safety through the essential steps of Drop, Cover and Hold On. In addition to schoolwide drills, the District activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to practice emergency response, communication and coordination. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain a top priority. By regularly practicing emergency procedures and strengthening our response efforts, we are better prepared to protect our school communities when an emergency occurs. Learn more about earthquake preparedness: shakeout.org/california/

#SMMUSD brought families, staff, community members and education partners together for its State of Our Schools event at Santa Monica High School! Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton shared his vision for the 2026-27 school year, highlighting District progress, student success, teaching and learning, and ongoing investments in our schools. Following the address, attendees toured Samohi’s new Exploration Building, getting a firsthand look at innovative learning spaces designed to support collaboration and creativity. Thank you to everyone who joined us and continues to support the future of SMMUSD! bit.ly/StateOfOurSchools2026. (First photo credit: Levi Buckholz, Santa Monica High School)

Grant Elementary School celebrated the many cultures represented throughout its community during its annual World Cultures Festival! 🌍 This year's event was the school's largest yet, featuring more than 30 tables showcasing cultural traditions, food, history and customs while bringing students, families and staff together for a celebration of diversity, inclusion and belonging.

✂️🎉 A new chapter at Ocean Park School House! We celebrated the ribbon cutting of our newly redesigned campus during the school’s Fall Festival, hosted by the PTSA and featuring live music, art activities and community fun. Serving students from TK through eighth grade, Ocean Park School House brings together the history of John Muir Elementary School and Santa Monica Alternative School House in a new home for learning and growth. Thank you to everyone who helped make this transformation possible! 💙

🎉 Congratulations to Malibu and Santa Monica high schools for both being named one of @usnews Best High Schools in America.🏆Both, #MHS and #Samohi, ranked highly out of nearly 18,000 public schools. Read more here: bit.ly/SMMUSD-USNewsRankings….

🔥 As Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 4-10) comes to a close, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (#SMMUSD) reminds families and staff of the importance of staying informed and prepared as Southern California enters fire season. Families are encouraged to review their emergency plans, update their contact information in Aeries and ensure ParentSquare notifications are turned on to receive important District communications during an emergency. 🚨 📲 Stay informed. Stay prepared. Learn more about emergency preparedness and how to update your information: bit.ly/SMMUSDFirePreventionW….

🌡️ Heatwave & Outdoor Activity Update With temperatures reaching approximately 94°F in Santa Monica and 89°F in Malibu, our schools are closely monitoring conditions and adjusting activities to keep students and staff safe and comfortable. Throughout the heatwave, schools are providing frequent water breaks, access to cool or shaded spaces, and modifying, shortening, or moving outdoor activities, including PE, recess, and athletics, as needed. Staff are also closely monitoring students for signs of heat-related illness. Student safety remains our priority. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students safe and comfortable during this week’s heatwave. 💙 #SMMUSD #HeatSafety #StudentSafety ------------- 🌡️Información reciente en torno a la ola de calor y las actividades al aire libre Con temperaturas que están alcanzando los 94°F en Santa Mónica y 89°F en Malibú, nuestras escuelas están pendientes de las condiciones y ajustando las actividades para que los estudiantes y personal estén seguros y confortables. Mientras que dure la ola de calor, las escuelas ofrecerán descansos constantes para beber agua, acceso a espacios frescos o sombreados y, de ser necesario, modificar, reducir o cambiar de lugar las actividades al aire libre, incluyendo Educación Física, recreo y deportes. Asimismo, el personal está pendiente de los estudiantes para detectar las señales de enfermedades relacionadas con el calor excesivo. La seguridad de los estudiantes sigue siendo nuestra prioridad. Agradecemos su colaboración para mantener a los estudiantes seguros y confortables durante la ola de calor de esta semana. 💙

Olympic High School brought students, staff and members of the #SMMUSD community together on Oct. 5 for its annual Meet & Greet assembly! 🤝 Through personalized collages and an interactive bingo activity, students had the opportunity to learn more about the people who support them, while staff and District representatives got to know students beyond the classroom. The event was a great opportunity to build connections, strengthen relationships and celebrate the Olympic High School community!

👏 Congratulations to John Adams Middle School (JAMS) Social Studies Teacher and Spanish Immersion Department Chair Jorge Cierra, who was recently recognized by Teach Democracy for his commitment to civic education and student engagement. The celebration also highlighted three of Cierra’s former JAMS students, now ninth-graders at Santa Monica High School, who were invited to present their Civic Action Project and speak with Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal about their research. 📚 Read more here: bit.ly/JorgeCierraTeachDemoc….