Dear Lunada Bay parents, teachers, and staff:

We hope that you are starting to feel settled in to this new and challenging school year. With Back to School Night and Fall Family Fun Night behind us, our PTA is also starting to settle in to our new virtual framework and is looking for new ways to support our school.

In prior years, Back to School Night included an address from the PTA President. However, given the virtual format of BTSN this year, and the many topics that already had to be covered by our Principal, teachers, and room parents, we felt it best to wait until a better time.

Now that some time has passed, I would  like to share a little bit more about myself.  I was our PTA’s Executive Vice President last year; I previously served as both a room parent and as a parent representative of our School Site Council.  I grew up here in Palos Verdes and attended Peninsula High School (back when there was only one high school on the hill).  My younger siblings attended Lunada Bay Elementary, and I fondly remember visiting our lovely school during their dropoffs, pickups, and many enriching events.

Lunada Bay Elementary has always held a special place in my family’s heart for that very reason: Our PTA has always had a strong tradition of enriching students’ lives with opportunities such as our Fine Arts Programs, and more recently, our STEM lab.

In our new COVID world, there will be heightened attention paid to our children’s outdoor opportunities such as our playground and outdoor eating areas. As a PTA, we hope to support Mr. Bernal and our district in keeping up with these new times and needs.

For better or worse, COVID is a new reality with which I’m well versed. As an Emergency Department physician and Assistant Chief, COVID has taken center stage at work. I hope to continue sharing some of that “inside knowledge” with our PTA and staff so that we can focus on the safety and health of our LBE students when we, one day, return to school.

I’m fortunate to have a supportive husband and daughter, Mark and Lila, who also have a lot of love for our Lunada Bay community. Our daughter is in second grade and has loved her three years here. We are so lucky to have had such loving and caring teachers every step of the way. 

I hope that you have taken the time to explore our PTA website at LunadaBayPTA.com. If not, please visit the site and register on our First Day Packet so that you can receive our emailed PTA Newsletter. Please also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for up to the minute LBE News. Lastly, please feel free to email me and our PTA at ptalunadabay@gmail.com.

Take care, and I look forward to the day that we can all return to our lovely campus.

Priscilla Hanudel