We get a fair numbers of questions…answers to some of the most common ones are below

HVPTO and HBEF
They aren’t the same thing??

We like to think of HVPTO and HBEF as two sides to the same coin: your child’s total educational experience in the Hermosa Beach City School District.

HBEF raises the funds that allow us to offer essential programs while HVPTO supports those programs with supplies and materials. One great example is our elementary PE program: HBEF donates the funds pay for the teacher while HVPTO donates the funds to pay for PE equipment.

Click below for more examples!

HVPTO funds student experiences meant to enhance their educational experience:

  • Field trip transportation
  • Staff Appreciation & Development
  • Enrichment supplies & software
  • School clubs
  • Outdoor Education support & grants
  • Assemblies
  • Student Recognition
  • PE & Playground Equipment
  • Grade Level Teacher Grants

while also running school and community events including:

  • Back-to-School Picnic
  • Family Portraits at the Pier
  • Halloween Carnival
  • Dolphin Dash – Jog-a-Thon
  • Family Fun Night
  • Read Across America Reading Ambassadors Program
  • Field Days
  • Spirit Wear
  • Community Service Drives

and providing information and support to our parent/guardian community through:

  • Weekly Newsletter – HVS Surf Report
  • Social Media and Website updates
  • Parent Nights Out
  • School Directory
  • Middle School Class Fund
  • Room Parent Network & Support
  • School Supply & Emergency Kit Sales
  • Yearbook Sales

HBEF funds essential educational programs for our students:

  • Music Program
  • Librarians
  • K-5 PE Program
  • Middle School Electives
  • IDEA Lab
  • SPARKS Lab
  • Assistant Principal at Valley

They are able to do so through:

  • Annual Giving Campaign
  • Community & Business Sponsorship opportunities
  • Skechers Pier-to-Pier Friendship Walk
  • Santa Photos at Gum Tree
  • Mom’s Night Out at the Comedy & Magic Club
  • Hearts of Hermosa

Check them out at hbef.org!

PTO vs PTA
There’s a difference?

First of all, the image of the “PTA Mom” holds true for “PTO” parents as well! PTAs and PTOs might differ in how they are structured, but are both groups run by passionate volunteers whose missions are to support and improve their school communities.

The National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) is a formal organization and, in order to use the “PTA” name, school communities must pay dues to their state and national chapters, follow state and national rules, and, in return, may participate and benefit from their state and the National organization’s public policy lobbying. Parents, staff, students and other school-affiliated people must join and pay dues to be a part of their local PTA.

PTOs (Parent Teacher Organizations) are independent organizations whose goals and missions are similar to those of the PTA, but who operate under their own bylaws and rules and are not affiliated with a state or the National PTA.

What does that mean for HVPTO?

  • We do not charge dues to our member nor are we required to send dues to any parent-level organization
  • As there are no dues to join, our bylaws state that every parent/guardian and staff member at any HBCSD school are members and may vote on items presented at our General meetings including Executive Board slates and annual budgets.
  • Currently, our rules prevent HVPTO from any type of political lobbying. While we can do so as individuals, we cannot take official positions as HVPTO. This was written into our rules with respect to the fact that every parent/guardian and staff person is a member of HVPTO with their range of beliefs and opinions.
  • We are not bound by rules of a state or national organization. Our bylaws and rules were written by HVPTO members for HVPTO members and can be updated by a vote at a general meetings as our needs, structure and organization evolve.

That Stands for What??
Fun with Acronyms

Hermosa View, Vista and Valley Parent Teacher Organization.

That’s us – you are visiting and learning about HVPTO now!

Hermosa Beach City School District

That’s the name our school district.  It’s a mouthful, but so is HBCSD.  But… HBCSD is easier to write and it is good to know as it will take you to the district’s website (hbcsd.org) and is the @ for all staff emails.

Beach Cities Health District

BCHD is a fantastic partner to our school district and funds/runs several programs for our students including the LiveWell Garden Program at View, the MindUp program at both campuses, and the parent Speaker Series (with SBFC).

Visit them at bchd.org.

Young at Art

With cuts in state funding, Art for our elementary-aged students was first on the chopping block.  But thanks to a group of dedicated parent volunteers, our students continue to have Art lessons and bring home creative art projects through the Young at Art program.

YAA includes 13 participating schools, both public and private with approximately 300 docents. Lessons are submitted by artists and selected by the YAA design committee to ensure they meet all YAA requirements.

Young at Art-Hermosa Beach (YAAhb) brings the students of View and Valley six new art lessons per school year. Every class has 1-2 parent docents assigned to head the lessons and welcome additional parent volunteers to help on lesson days. Docents attend YAA workshops where they learn the history, inspiration and techniques used to create the artwork. They then bring the lesson to life for their classroom.

YAAhb funds itself through the notecard/Original Works fundraiser at the beginning of the year, Project Sponsors and the generosity of parents and community volunteers. We thank all who have contributed to YAAhb.

YAAhb docents also help our students create special class projects to be featured in HBEF’s Hearts of Hermosa Silent Auction.

Visit them at yaahb.weebly.com.

Hermosa Beach Education Foundation

They do the heavy lifting fundraising that helps keep our kids education top-notch.  See the “HVPTO vs HBEF” FAQ for more information, or, even better, visit hbef.org to learn more and donate today!

Hermosa View School AND Hermosa Vista School AND Hermosa Valley School

That’s right – this is a tricky one as it can refer to all three of our campuses. The fact that it works for both helps us out in our communications (the HVS Surf Report) and Spirit Wear (we only need one design!).

South Bay Families Connected

The mission of South Bay Families Connected is to improve the social and emotional wellness of South Bay youth by providing parents and caregivers with the support, resources, and education they need to help children reach their full potential and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

No matter what parenting philosophies or personal experiences guide us, we all have one goal when it comes to our children: for them to lead healthy, fulfilled lives. Social media, stress, depression, peer pressure, and yes, also drugs and alcohol, can challenge us as parents in our pursuit of this goal. But we are not alone, and neither are our children.

Families Connected Partner Districts and Schools each have their own customized Families Connected youth wellness webpages that provide their parent community with information about the youth wellness resources that they personally provide, as well as connect parents with the full array of resources on the Families Connected website, and events provided by SBFC.

HBCSD, HBEF, and HVPTO are all proud to be partners in bringing SBFC as a resource to our families – please avail yourself to their amazing resources, customized for our Disctrict at southbayfamiliesconnected.org/hbcsd.

Grades of Green

Grades of Green is an award winning, volunteer-based non-profit that brings science-based lessons about environmental issues to our students’ classrooms. Founded in 2007 at Grand View in Manhattan Beach, GoG now extends to schools across the world, providing educational tools that empower students to care for their environment.

Hermosa schools were introduced to GOG in 2008 by Elizabeth Riley and Geri Shapiro where they started Trash Free Lunches and Foam Free Fridays on both campuses and helped pass the city’s Styrofoam and Plastic Bag Bans. At Valley, GOG implemented a trash reduction & recycling program that resulted in the reduction of a dumpster a day. Erin Bender, environmental scientist and teacher, joined the Hermosa View GOG team in 2014. As a former science teacher, Erin saw the value GOG could add to student learning and began developing engaging curriculum tailored to each grade at Hermosa View.

First Grade – Students learn about the lifecycle of trash (recycling, composting and landfill disposal), building trash free lunches and the harmful impacts of trash on ocean ecosystems.

Second Grade – With a focus on reducing water consumption, students gain a better understanding of where our water originates and the importance of conservation.

Third Grade – It’s all about solar energy as students get to become engineers and use everything they learned about solar energy to optimize a solar car design.

TK/Kinder – Our youngest students are introduced to the program with a visit from the L.A. Environmental Defenders rock group and Docent-led story time.

Building a sustainable and easily accessible program has been a priority for GOG leadership. With the generous contributions of filmmaker Benjamin Friedberg of YayBig, training tutorials were created for our volunteers to watch online, at their convenience, to learn how to teach each lesson. The GOG website offers easy access to all lesson materials and scheduling to help our docents provide the lessons to students. With this infrastructure in place, GOG can continue to offer high quality education opportunities to View for years to come and the framework to expand the Valley program.

For more information please visit gradesofgreenhb.org.