Making it Happen! On March 31st of this year, we cut the ribbon to celebrate the completion of our construction project at Mira Costa High School. We turned old classrooms into new classrooms. We built a new math/science building filled with state of the art laboratories where our students make science happen. We created new music rooms where our GRAMMY-winning student musicians create works of art every day. We now have a beautiful small theater where we can host 300 people for speaking and performing events. And in the middle of it all, we made a huge new collegiate-style quad where our students can enjoy the outdoors each and every day. And all of it was on time and on budget.

Making the Student the Center of Instruction! Our teachers have participated in and helped to lead five full days of district wide professional development this year. Our focus has been entirely on making classrooms places where students are doing, making, problem solving, thinking, and creating. I see it in our elementary classrooms, where teachers serve as coaches and mentors to students as they work to improve their reading, writing and math skills. I see it in our middle schools where our amazing science teachers offer hands-on science lessons where students can make their own meaning. I see it in our high school where students lead seminar sessions, direct and produce video production programming, and debate in our internationally acclaimed Model United Nations Program. MBUSD students are increasingly spending their time communicating, collaborating, creating and critically thinking.

Making Makers! One of the big movements in our country is the “Maker Movement.” It is happening in MBUSD, as all of our elementary schools have parent-led MakerSpace programs. Our students are creating robots, machines and inventions. We see it in our middle school with our Fab Lab Program, where students are creating using 3D printing and much more. We see it in our high school with our new Robotics program. All of these programs are rich in technology. Making gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their technical knowledge and creativity as well as their habits such as perseverance and resourcefulness.

Making the Grade! Our students, teachers and programs have received so many recognitions this year. As I mentioned earlier, our music program was named by the GRAMMY Foundation as one of the top programs in the nation. Both MBMS and Mira Costa High School received Gold Ribbon School awards this year. For the second year in a row, a teacher from our small school district has been named as a California Teacher of the Year. Congratulations to Maggie Mabery and Michael Hayden, the 2015 and 2014 California Teachers of the Year!Congratulations to Mr. John Jackson, the California Middle School Principal of the Year! And congratulations to all of us for helping conserve our planet. The state of California named MBUSD as a Green Ribbon District, because of our exemplary sustainability practices.

Making Plans for the Future! As our Mira Costa Construction Program is complete, we have turned our attention to the future. We are seeking to understand the needs of all our schools in terms of facilities that will serve the students for decades to come. How can our needs also serve members of our community? How should we upgrade our campuses and facilities? On July 15, the Board will adopt a Master Facilities Plan that will give us a roadmap to address our needs for the future.

Mike Matthews