Parent & Student Newsletter #8

Website | Phone: (510) 594-2626

Location: 800 Magnolia Ave, Piedmont, CA 94611
Instagram: @piedmonthigh

Bell Schedule (Regular) | Ed Concern Protocol

Road to Graduation | Athletic Newsletter

College & Career Newsletter | Yearbook Info

2025-26 School Profile | Student Handbook

Principal: Dr. Yoshihara | Asst. Principal: Mr. Marik

Dear Highlander Families,

That concludes our first progress reporting period. It started off very warm this week, but am glad to see that today is much more temperate. The weekend is looking to be beautiful.

I recognize that today is joyous for those observing Rosh Hashanah. It is also a somber day for the tragedy that took place 25 years ago. It was such a defining moment that I still remember many of the details of that day. I know many people were deeply impacted by 9/11 and that the healing continues.

Concluding on a more joyous note, we begin homecoming next week. I invite all our students to participate at a level where they feel comfortable. See everyone on Monday.

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

September 11: PR 1 Period Ends

September 11: Last day to drop without a W

September 14-18: Spirit Week

September 14: School Site Council (3:40-4:40, ST-117)

September 18: Homecoming Rally (Academy)

September 19: Homecoming Dance

The agenda can be found here (subject to change).

Happy Latino Heritage Month! On September 9, the PUSD School Board approved a resolution making September 15 through October 15 Latine Heritage Month. Here's a little tidbit: Mexican-American botanist Ynés Mexía started her career when she was 51 — she went on to spend the next sixteen years collecting over 150,000 plant specimens across Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and even Alaska, several of which now bear her name. Not bad for a late start.

A huge thank you to the Senior Parent Representatives of the Parents' Club — Amy Cordani, Charlotte Ero, Kim Hunter, Janet Lai, and Sabrina Smith — for last Friday's Senior Fest! It was a huge hit, and it happened because of you. (To the Seniors reading this: (a) good on you for reading the newsletter; (b) if you see these parents, be sure to give them an extra big smile!) The Parents' Club pulled this off from start to finish, and the seniors won't forget it. Just another example of the many things the Parents' Club is doing!

Homecoming Dance is on September 19 and the school is going to need volunteers to pull it off. Keep an eye out for sign-up opportunities. Parents: don't forget to buy your kiddos tickets today!!!!

The next Parent's Club Meeting is on Friday, 9/25 @ 9am in the lobby of the Alan Harvey Theatre. (If it's cold that day, bring a jacket because the lobby can gets chilly.)

Have a question for school administration and can't make the monthly meeting? Send it my way for the Ask Your Administrator series — I'll bring your questions to our monthly meeting. Confidentiality available upon request; I'm a vault! avzambrana@gmail.com

I just had my Back to the Future Moment. While there was no lightning, I was so pleased to see that the clock on our Student Center now works. Thanks to Alissa for just asking, "can we fix the clock because students shouldn't be looking at their phones". And of course, kudos to Facilities and Mr. Palmer for making this happen so quickly. I'm just so excited to see our school clock working again!

All student Chromebooks include a web filter that works both at school and at home. It blocks inappropriate content and many non-educational websites, helping keep the Chromebook a safe, school-focused device. While no internet filter is perfect, it provides an important layer of protection whenever students use their school-issued Chromebook.

Want a little more control at home? The GoGuardian Parent App allows parents and guardians to view Chromebook browsing history, pause internet access after school hours, and block specific websites. These features apply only to the school-issued Chromebook.

Get Started

• Download the GoGuardian Parent App:
• Download via Apple Store
• Download via Google Play Store
• Open the app and enter the email address you use with the school.
• Check your email for the verification link and tap “Verify your email.”
• If using another device for email, select “Login with verification code” and paste the code from your email.

• More info: GoGuardian Parent for Guardians

If you have questions, send an email to help@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Our homecoming dance will be Saturday, 9/19 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Binks Gym. Tickets will go on sale next week in the IC store. If students would like to bring a guest from outside of PHS/MHS, they must complete a guest form which can be picked up in the front office. As a reminder, students must stay for the entire dance.

Peer Tutoring is back! Tag yourself to Peer Tutoring in Room 24 to get assistance during academy. Tutors are well-versed in Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, IM 1, 2 and 3, and more!

Email peertutoring@piedmont.k12.ca.us with any questions!

Calling all tutors! Any expertise is appreciated, and there is no required attendance. Honors Society hours are available for every academy tutoring session you attend.

And students need to get permission from their teacher at least 24 hours in advance of the visit, signed registration, in order to attend. September 8-11 we have 11 colleges visiting (3 international):

• 9/8: St Louis University-Madrid, Muhlenberg College, Oregon State University
• 9/9: Binghamton University, Dartmouth College, Fairfield University, Simon Fraser University (outside Vancouver, British Columbia), Western Washington University
• 9/10: Washington State University,Whitman College
• 9/11: University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland)

Just a reminder to our students, particularly freshmen. While PHS is an open campus at lunch, PMS is not. You may leave campus but you should not enter the PMS campus. They are a closed campus. Thank you for respecting each other's spaces.

This is the inaugural year for AP Research. For the 11 students and teacher, Mr. Mockel, they are trail blazers in many ways. Not only did these 11 students have to complete a rigorous course, AP Seminar, last year, they will produce an end product that is comparable to a thesis.

They will have produced a paper, given a presentation, and participated in an oral defense. Many of our students are also hoping to publish their work. Their topics thus far are as diverse as one can imagine. To see the level of achievement that can be gained from this course, one only has to check out a recent issue of The Daily where the student references that the work started with an AP Research class. I have no doubt that our students will be there someday too.

The handout given to seniors with important information and guidance is here: Nuts and Bolts of the College Application Process.

Notice something different about the newsletter? Well, if you look at the header, you will now see that I have renamed it to Parent & Student Newsletter. While our students always had access to the newsletter, I wanted to make it more inviting for all our students to read as an important source of information. While the target audience will be parents, many of the articles will have relevance for our students.

So Highlanders, please peruse the newsletter at your leisure and reach out if you have any questions.

An ASB activity card provides you access to all regular season home sports games, during school hours food giveaways, club grant support, rally giveaways, and other school-day activities during the year. Purchase one today on the IC store. (Note that the card does not include tickets for dances)

2026-2027 Yearbook Order Link:

We will be ordering a limited number of yearbook copies this year.

Yearbooks are only available for purchase through Jostens.

Please use this link: PHS Yearbook Purchase_Jostens_26-27

We love photo contributions from any and all students or community members! We will accept digital photo contributions from any PHS related activity from now until March 1, 2027. Please submit the (jpg format) photo to:

piedmonthighyearbook@gmail.com OR 2026-2027 Photos & Activities

Would you like to meet a lot of fantastic students all while serving them great food? Well, we have the opportunity for you! You can serve brunch or lunch at the PHS Student Center. It is easy, you can see students greet you with a "thank you" and smile every time. Having a variety of parents be a part of this makes us a more connected community. Plus, the pay is great--volunteer pay! You might even see me serving alongside you sometimes. I hope you can consider this. The signup is below.

Food Service Signup

PPN is excited to partner with the Wellness Center this month to present Dr. Lauren Hartman on Recognizing and Preventing Eating Disorders. This topic is increasingly relevant to our middle school-aged students, particularly with the transition back to school. Dr. Hartman will help us understand how eating disorders present across different ages and genders, gain confidence in knowing when to seek help, and learn practical evidence-based strategies to foster healthy attitudes toward food and bodies. Donations for this event may be made via the Piedmont Store. If you plan to attend, please RSVP HERE so we know generally how many to expect. The form will also allow for the anonymous submission of questions. We hope you will join us for this important event!

Upcoming Meetings:

9th Grade: Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 3: 7:00-8:30 pm. More details to come. If you have any questions about 9th Grade PPN, please email Judy Lin: judywlin@gmail.com

10th Grade: Wednesday, September 30: 8:45-10:15 am. Please RSVP to Anne Hawkins: hawkins42@gmail.com for location information.

• Kudos to our parent volunteers and leaders at Senior Fest--Charlotte, Amy, Sabrina, Janet, Elizabeth and Kim. Special thanks to Mr. Marik for spending the day with the students as well.
• Shout Out to Erica Smith for getting the HOSS (Highest Obtainable Scale Score) on the CAASPP last spring on both the ELA and Math portions of the exam. This is like a perfect score--twice!