Piedmont Pulse

January 13, 2025

Dear PUSD Families:

Welcome back. This holiday season has been particularly challenging, marked by significant loss within our community. My heart also goes out to those with loved ones in Los Angeles, as the devastating fires continue to take their toll. Our daughter, a UCLA student, has transitioned to online classes for the week due to the situation. Amid so much devastation and loss, I’m profoundly grateful to be back with our students and staff, finding strength and connection together.

In Community,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Here we are in January, which begins our resident priority enrollment period on January 15th. If your child will be 4 years old by 9/1/2025, enroll in TK starting Wednesday. If you child will be 5 years old by 9/1/2025, enroll in Kindergarten starting Wednesday. Enrollment takes place online linked HERE.

More information about resident enrollment can be found HERE, and please note that enrollment for those who live outside the district begins March 1, 2025. We look forward to seeing you this fall!

Staff Professional Development Day

Thanks to our Educational Services team, led by Ariel Dolowich, who facilitated a useful professional development day for all staff. Sessions were varied and tailored to the needs of staff according to our strategic priorities. You can learn more about our January 8th professional development day HERE.

Yes, Our Teachers Rock

I happened upon a lunchtime session last Friday with Wildwood teachers, Martin Lewis, Jenn Kessler, and Adrian Behrendt leading students in learning guitar, practicing the Wildwood Way song. This moment was such a great reminder of the amazing array of skills our teachers have, including music. And, the kids were great! I am looking forward to the upcoming assembly where students will showcase what they have learned. Thank you, Martin, Jenn, and Adrian--you rock!

State of the District

At last week's Board meeting, I presented a State of the District report, the first of what will be an annual presentation on our district. This report is a culmination of our “State of School” presentations from each principal, as well as updates from our directors and cabinet throughout the school year, ensuring transparency about our successes and opportunities for growth. You can find this report linked HERE.

• Session 1: June 10-20, (8 days, no program on June 19)

• Session 2: June 23-July 3

Program Options (More information coming soon):

• Welcome to TK/Kinder (am)

• 1st-5th (am)

• Welcome to 6th (am)

• Middle School Adventures (7th/8th)

• Sports

• Basketball Camp (pm)

• Junior Counselor training

For more information, contact Erin Rivera at erivera@piedmont.k12.ca.us

LCAP/Curriculum Community Meeting - January 9, 2025 at 4PM - Havens Library

Assistant Superintendent, Ariel Dolowich, led a session on our progress toward meeting our goals according to our LCAP. If you missed this meeting, you can find the presentation deck linked HERE.

Facilities Steering Committee (FSC) - January 15, 2025 at 8:30AM - District Office

Director of Facilities, Pete Palmer, will present on facilities topics, including prioritization for summer projects. If you wish to attend, please email Pete Palmer at ppalmer@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Superintendent's Advisory Committee (SAC) - January 15, 2025 at 4:30PM - District Office

Superintendent, Jennifer Hawn will present the State of District presentation, along with a community discussion on the current and future state of our district programs. If you missed this presentation at the Board meeting, please join us. Let us know if you are coming by signing up HERE.

Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) - January 23, 2025 at 4PM - District Office

Chief Business Official, Ruth Alahydoian will present information a budget update as we head toward the second interim in March. If you wish to attend, please email Jennifer Stahl at jenniferstahl@piedmont.k12.ca.us

This year PUSD launched an Independent Study Program (ISP) for qualifying students in grades 9-12. Independent Study is a hybrid program that allows qualifying students to complete their high school requirements, with most of the work completed online and on-campus meetings at least once a week.

Key Features:

• Uses the Accelerate Education platform, with students completing ~5 hours of independent work daily.
• Weekly 1-hour individual meetings with an ISP teacher for mentoring, tutoring, and organization.
• Optional daily virtual synchronous sessions for core subjects.
• In-person attendance required for PSAT/SAT, state testing, and specific college/career events.

Application Process:

1. Submit the PUSD electronic application linked HERE, including a student-written letter.
2. Attend a Student Success Team (SST) meeting with stakeholders.
3. Receive acceptance and next steps upon qualifying.

Program Highlights:

• Students remain enrolled in their current high school (PHS or MHS).
• ISP provides a flexible, alternative instructional strategy aligned with district curriculum and graduation requirements.
• Access to A–G approved courses and equivalent standards-aligned content.

More information is linked HERE. For additional questions, please contact Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels at imunozdaniels@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday/PADC Celebration - January 20, 2025: Schools are closed for the holiday, and we encourage you to attend PADC's presentation celebrating Dr. King on January 20th at 11AM at the Alan Harvey Theater. More information is linked HERE.

Piedmont Portal - For all of the latest school and community events, please visit the Piedmont Portal linked HERE

Millennium High School is open for enrollment. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels directly at (510) 594-2703 or imunozdaniels@piedmont.k12.ca.us, or see more information linked HERE

Piedmont Alumni Network: Last spring, we launched the Piedmont Alumni Network! Linked HERE is a page on our PUSD website to invite alumni of PHS and MHS to sign up. Whether you graduated many years ago, or recently, we would love to have you sign up HERE.

Community Pool Construction Update - Safety measures around the Community Pool Project construction site on Magnolia Avenue across from PHS/MHS are currently in effect. Magnolia Avenue is open to traffic during school hours; however, we recommend avoiding the area when possible due to heavy truck traffic due to construction. Visit the City of Piedmont's website for details.

Substitutes Needed - PUSD seeking substitute teachers for the 2024-25 school year. Visit the District's EdJoin page for more information and to apply.

Follow PUSD - Please read our school newsletters sent out weekly for update to date information. The District Facebook (@piedmontunified) and Instagram (@piedmontusd)

Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600