Parent Newsletter #2: 8/1/25
Highlander News from the Principal's Office
Website: https://phs.piedmont.k12.ca.us/
Location: 800 Magnolia Ave, Piedmont, CA 94611
Phone: (510) 594-2626 | Instagram: @piedmonthigh
Parent Newsletter: Archives
2024-25 School Profile | Bell Schedule (Regular)
Road to Graduation | Yearbook Info
College & Career Newsletter | Athletic Newsletter
Principal: Dr. Yoshihara
Assistant Principal: Mr. Marik
- ASB Activity Card ($40): Access to all regular season home sports games, during school hours food giveaways, club grant support, rally giveaways. (Does not include dances or any playoff games.)
- Class Donation ($30): Donation to the class of 26, 27, 28 or 29
- Class T-Shirt ($20): Will be given to students in time for the spring rally
- TPH Subscription ($60): The ASB student package also includes a year subscription for 8 print copies of TPH ( the student news magazine) that will be mailed directly to families. Along with the print subscription, we will send email updates when new stories are published online for subscribers to read.
This package will be available in the Infinite Campus store. ASB stickers will be available near the start of the school year to affix to your child's ID card.
Welcome Parents of the Class of 2029 and those new to our school!
We know you may be nervous about the start of the school year and may have many questions about what the high school journey at Piedmont High School will be like for your child. We want to be able to answer those questions.
Please join us on Thursday, August 7 in the Alan Harvey Theater from 7:00-8:00pm. We will also record this event for those that can’t make it in person. Students attending should fill out this survey ahead of the event.Thank you.
We have attempted to synthesize all of the start-of-the year donation requests in a single location. We know that the Education Foundation and Parent Club do yeoman's work in providing resources above and beyond state-allocated resources. We are truly grateful for their support. We also have exemplary programs that exist from additional donations.
Our teachers and respective programs (Athletics, ASB, TPH, etc.) truly appreciate these additional donations. They can be made within the School Store of Infinite Campus. Each of these items have specific account strings so they will go directly to the program/item(s) for which you've made the donation.
We have provided a brief description of what the donation will be used for without being overly detailed. We invite families who may have questions related to this to come to Walk Through registration where we will have people who can provide further information.
I plan to offer student generated music on Fridays at lunch near the student center. Students may submit song requests using the following form. I will compiled the list by Thursday each week and play the top 20 or so submissions each week. Some guidances for songs:
- The "playlist" will contain 20 or so rotating songs each week, based on student input.
- Songs may not contain explicit lyrics.
- Entrants must be current PHS/MHS students.
- Students are allowed to make one entry per day.
- I plan on the list to be "rolling" so songs can move up or down, based on demand/submissions.
- I reserve the right to add yacht rock (e.g. Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross) if the list is not filled out. 🤐
Welcome back students...this year we are moving from "Track it Forward" to a new volunteer/community service tracking system called "Mobile Serve". It will take a little time to get this up and running and details on how to login will be provided soon. Please read the College and Career Center newsletter as that will be where instructions on how to login will live; it will also be added to the College and Career Center webpage. Thank you in advance for your patience as we navigate this new program.
Abigail Jakoby becomes the first ever delegate from Piedmont High School to attend Girls State, "a program that seeks to promote the traditions of patriotism and citizen, in an inclusive and civil environment" (source) as CSU Sacramento this past summer. This program from the American Legion Auxiliary allows young women to develop their leadership skills, learn about state and local government processes, and discuss important issues with peers from all over the state.
Abigail shares, "I had a wonderful experience meeting some remarkable young women, learning more about the significance of patriotism, and the challenges of government. My experience with Girls State was as educational as it was empowering." She adds, "following Girls State, delegates have been instructed to provide a report of their experience to their sponsoring organization(s)."
If you would like to learn more about this special experience, please contact Mr. Marik or Abigail.
Sally Baack
Dana Lung
Per AB 3216 (Phone-Free School Act) signed by Governor Newsom in September 2024, all school districts must develop policies limiting or prohibiting phone use by July 1, 2026.
On May 28, 2025, the Board approved a policy that restricts cell phones to only be permitted before school, after school, and at lunch. This extends to all personally connected devices, including but not limited to:
Tablets (e.g. IPads)
Smartwatches
Earbuds/earphones
Smart watches
Laptops (beyond District-issued Chromebooks)
During class time, including Academy, all students shall place their phones into the “cell phone hotels”. They shall remain in the hotel until the end of the class. This shall include Academy.
Otherwise, the teacher may collect the phone (or personally connected device) for the remainder of the period or ask that office staff come retrieve the device. If office staff retrieves the device, a parent/guardian will be asked to come pick up the device.
During passing and brunch, cell phones shall be off (or on silent) in your backpack.
We will offer the following college entrance exams next school year. The dates are still tentative but we want to get information out to you know for planning purposes. All orders will be made through Infinite Campus School Store which can be done when the school year starts next year. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Marik
- Pre-ACT - Saturday, 10/4/25 (confirmed)
- PSAT - Saturday, 10/18/25 (new date)
- SAT - Monday, 3/16/26 (still tentative)
The California Education Code requires the school site council to develop a Single Plan for Student Achievement. The purpose of the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is to create a cycle of continuous improvement of student performance, and to ensure that all students succeed in reaching academic standards set by the State Board of Education.
The PHS Site Council serves as a forum where school staff, parents, and students can discuss a variety of issues that affect student performance at Piedmont High School. To support focus in the area of curriculum, agendas are typically developed in order to coincide with the curricular areas that are up for adoption.
If you are willing and able to join us on the school site council for this coming year, please email me. We meet roughly four times a year (fifth meeting may be added). I will then see if an election is needed and if so, put that out in a future newsletter. Parents and students are welcomed to apply.
