Piedmont Pulse
Piedmont USD - Week 3 Update >>>
December 19, 2025
Dear PUSD Families & Staff:
As we move into the holidays, I want to share my gratitude for serving the Piedmont community. Given the state of volatility in our world, I feel fortunate to be part of a community that cares deeply about the safety and well-being of our kids and families. Safety is always front of mind for our staff, and I want to assure families that we feel for those impacted by the many instances of violence in the world, which unfortunately, serve as a reminder for us all about the importance of our care for each other. There is no place for hate in Piedmont schools, and we are grateful for our families and community partners who share in this responsibility. Together, we commit to modeling the values we teach our students and to upholding kindness and respect as foundational to our community.
Thank you for your continued partnership in creating an environment where all students can thrive, and happy holidays to our PUSD community.
In Community,
Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Last year we launched our State of District and State of School presentations in order to highlight the accomplishments across our district as well as a vision for the future. We have continued this practice this year, with state of the school presentations for each of our schools, concluding with last week's presentation by Principal Anne Valva for Beach. Thank you to our Principals and Directors for leading this effort to highlight the great work in our schools.
On January 21st, I will present a State of the District, which includes recent accomplishments, work in progress, along with a vision for where we might go in the next 3-5 years. To this end, I have invited staff to share their thoughts, and I invite you to also share your thoughts on our district HERE.
Thanks to all who joined our community presentation last week on rigor in PUSD schools. We had a great group of teachers, Board, and parents who joined the discussion on what rigor looks like in PUSD schools and why it matters in providing a high-quality education that prepares students for college and career. Following this meeting, we had a group of interested parents reach out to continue the discussion, which also offered useful feedback on how we can continue to improve our programs in PUSD.
The presentation on rigor is linked HERE. Thank you to the parents and staff who have offered feedback. And, if you have additional ideas, we invite you to share them HERE.
On Saturday, December 13th, the Piedmont Middle School campus buzzed with innovation and energy as Piedmont Makers hosted the largest-ever FIRST LEGO League Community Tournament. It was a monumental day for the league, featuring 55 teams and drawing over 750 attendees, including coaches, parents, and community supporters. The event was made possible by the incredible dedication of over 100 volunteers who managed everything from preparation and setup to serving as referees and judges. Thanks to their support, every team successfully completed four exciting rounds of robot matches and showcased their hard work in presentation judging pods.
The tournament concluded with a celebration of talent and creativity, where they presented 20 awards to deserving teams. This year marked a special milestone with the introduction of the first-ever Peer's Choice awards, allowing teams to vote for their favorites in Costume, Cheer, Robot Design, and Innovation Project. A huge congratulations goes to the Championship team, the "Piedmont Pharaohs," 5th graders from Wildwood and Black Pine Circle elementary schools, who demonstrated exceptional skill across the board and also captured the spirit of the event by winning the Peer's Choice award for Best Costume (pictured below). Thank you to everyone who made this historic event a reality!
Save the Dates: Adventures Programs 2026 with PUSD
We’re excited to announce the 2026 Adventures Programs for TK–5th grade students. These school-break programs feature hands-on projects, games, creative activities, and outdoor play in a fun, supportive community setting.
February Adventures: February 17–20, 2026
April Adventures: April 6–10, 2026
Summer Adventures (One-Week Sessions):
June 8–12 • June 15–18 • June 22–26 • June 29–July 2, 2026
Program Hours: 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Extended Care: 8:00–9:00 AM and 3:00–5:00 PM
Registration opens January 26, 2026. Please save the dates and look for program details and registration information in the new year
Calling all artists and writers! The Piedmont Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee (PADC) invites K-12 students to submit their art or writing inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The art and writing will be showcased at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Monday, Jan. 19. (Check out last year’s amazing work!). All participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of 10 gift cards to Mulberry’s. The deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 14.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Choosing our Future: Chaos or Community.” Students are asked to create a piece of art or writing imagining what they’d like our future community to look like.
Art should be made on 8.5. X 11 paper; writing should be limited to one page. It can be dropped off at the front office of your school or uploaded to PADC’s website. Please include your name somewhere on your work. If you are dropping it off, please fill out and attach this form.
More info is available at www.padc.info/artandwriting. Questions? Please reach out to Ellen Lee at hiellenlee@gmail.com.
We are closing in on the end of the Giving Campaign; however, it is not too late. Our community's support has sent a clear message about the high value of education in Piedmont. PEF's Giving Campaign is a remarkable force in preserving our outstanding educational programs. As of 12/18, here are the rates of giving at each school:
Beach: 69%
Havens: 70%
Wildwood: 62%
PMS: 52%
Millennium: 24%
PHS: 47%
TOTAL: 57%
We could not maintain the excellence in education without PEF. We are in it together, and we need everyone to give. Let's aim for 100% participation. You can give HERE.
Piedmont Unified School District
Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600