Parent Newsletter #19: 12/5/25

Website | Phone: (510) 594-2626

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

Bell Schedule (Regular) | Library Schedule

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,

Welcome to a chilly start to our December. It has been a busy week as students are wrapping up the first semester. We are beginning the round of performances so please come check out our students show off all their hard work. From our Dance Performance tonight to our Music Concert on 12/11 (7 pm, AHT), these should be amazing. And for the first time in many years, you will get to hear the choir program under Mr. Chaix. I'm so excited.

On Monday, we will have the incoming 10th-12th Grade Course Selection night for parents. Students are welcomed to attend. It will begin at 6:30 pm in the AHT. We have a number of new courses and some changes that will be shared with our families.

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

December 8: Course selections opens up for all students

December 8: World Languages Singing Competition

December 8: Incoming 10th-12th Grade Course Selection Night (6:30 pm, AHT)

December 12: Parent Club Meeting (9-10:30 am, AHT)

January 12: Course selections close for all students

Your Parents' Club Hospitality Team needs your support. The staff holiday luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16. Our wonderful parents will be serving it up with salad, satay, and sandwiches courtesy of Ann's catering. We would love some support for desserts, drinks, and coffee pods for the office and teacher's lounge. We've included a Signup Genius below to help us with this. Thanks in advance.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044CA5AD2DA20-60792596-phsteacher#/

Your PHS Hospitality Team,

Cortney Allen, Cindy Hinman, Shilpa Patel, Heidianne Pillsbury

The Wellness Center will be providing snacks the week of Finals with tables on the quad Dec 16-19. Please volunteer to bring allergen free popcorn, granola bars, oranges and string cheese.

Please drop items off at the Wellness Center located in the library/30s building at the high school on Monday, December 15 between 8:30am and 12pm.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044EA9AD2EA1FC1-60665532-copy

Thank you so much,
Wellness Center Support Committee

We have high quality peer tutors available to answer student questions or assist them with completing review packets before final exams.

Sign-up for Wednesday's Academy in rm 127 (with Mr. Ortak) or Friday's Academy in the library (with Ms. Branisa). Join us on your own or bring a friend.

Course selection is just around the corner. Our website has been updated and contains the most current information. Please check it out under the counseling tab. There are a few tabs that may be most relevant for this: Course Catalog, Course Selection Process, and AP & Honors Classes.

Please Note: Course selection is due on January 12 at 11:59 pm.

We will be offering the SAT on Monday, March 16th. The test can be ordered in IC and will be available through 2/13/26. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Marik.

This is a reminder that any volunteers completed during semester 1 must be submitted into Mobile Serve by January 10th, 2026. See the Student Handbook for more details on volunteering and the Piedmont Honors Society.

Please join us for our next PHS Parents' Club meeting on Friday, December 12, from 9:00-10:30am in the Alan Harvey Theater lobby. We will have a lighter agenda and take some time to celebrate the holidays with one another. We will be having a holiday potluck - please feel free to bring a breakfast treat of your choice. To avoid duplication, here is a sign-up sheet, but no worries if you don't have time or can't bring anything - please come anyway. Here is the meeting agenda:

PHS Parents' Club Meeting - December 12, 2025, 9:00-10:30am

Alan Harvey Theater Lobby

Agenda

I. Welcome

II. Approval of November 14, 2025 Meeting Minutes - Vote

III. Announcements/Reminders

A. Teacher Grants

B. Giving Campaign Update

IV. School Board Report - Ms. Struble

V. Administrative Staff Report - Dr. Yoshihara and Mr. Marik

VI. Topic of Interest: 2026-2027 Course Selection Discussion and Q & A - Dr. Yoshihara and Mr. Marik

VII. Adjourn and Transition to Holiday Celebration

Happy Weekend,

Sally Baack and Dana Lung

Co-Presidents, PHS Parents' Club 2025-2026

We are thankful for all the time parents put into volunteering, and so very thankful for the financial support that your families provide our schools. Together, our contributions make up nearly 7% of our school's budget. That might not seem like a large number, but believe us it makes all the difference. Imagine what our schools would be like without those funds. Larger class sizes, less qualified teachers, fewer counselors, and the list goes on.

So far this year, 49% of PUSD families have contributed to the Giving Campaign. It’s crunch time. Let’s not rely on only half of our families to carry our schools. If you haven’t made a gift, now is the time. Send a check to Piedmont Education Foundation at 401 Highland Ave, or give online at PiedmontEdFoundation.org/Donate.

As part of our ongoing efforts to minimize classroom disruptions and protect instructional time, snacks will be distributed only during brunch, lunch, and passing periods.

Please do not be tardy to class in your pursuit of snacks. Be healthy and be on time!

What's the ideal technological future in Piedmont Schools? Help Us Design the District's New Tech Plan

Join our district technology meeting after school Monday December 8th! This isn't just a meeting - this is your chance to help build the ideal technological future for students and our schools!

This meeting will be about prioritizing actions and services around technology for the next 5 years. What sort of technology is available and used? what infrastructure, support systems, people, curriculum? What are students doing or know how to do?

Please let us know you are coming on the registration form so we can plan for in-person and remote participants

What: District Technology Advisory meeting
When: 12/8/25, 3:45-5:00pm
Where: Havens Library or via Google Meet

The Piedmont High School Dance Department presents its Winter Dance Concert on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m. “Once Upon a Magical Dance” features a range of dance styles from contemporary ballet to hip hop.

Mackenzie Seto-Nguyen (PHS, ’25), now studying dance at UC Santa Barbara, is a guest choreographer for the concert. Showcasing 47 dancers and their original choreography, the evening is a celebration of artistry and skill. The performance is appropriate for all ages. There will be one 15 minute intermission.

Get tickets HERE.

Thank you to all our families who attended the college admissions workshop this past Monday. It was a great inaugural effort. A special Thank You to Ms. Stefanie Manalo-LeClair, the counseling team, and Mr. Marik. Also, we are most appreciative of Mr. Valdivieso (University of San Francisco) and Mr. Jerzy (UC Berkeley) for donating their time to us. Their insight and responses were most helpful and align with our work thus far at PHS.

For those that missed the presentation or just want to view it again, you may watch the video below. Thank you.

November 17 College App Workshop (large file, may require you to download it)

You may have noticed something different at the front of our school. Yes, it is the marquee. It is now operational, and we are getting training on its operation. We plan to test it next week and to use it to inform our community starting in December. We thank our community for their patience in making this a reality. Also, kudos to Mr. Palmer for helping this come to fruition.

Imagine 50+ teams, 100s of robot runs, 10s of presentations, 1 Champion. You can volunteer all day (9 hours) or part of the day (1, 2 or 4 hours). Join us and give back to local elementary and middle school students.

No experience necessary for any roles! We will provide all the skills and information you need to have a great day of volunteering.

• Saturday, December 6 - FLL Explore Expo - Signup

• Saturday, December 13 - FLL Challenge Community Tournament - Signup

All student chromebooks feature a web content filter that works at school and at home. Unlike many student phones, the chromebooks run a CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) compliant filter that does a good job blocking students from inappropriate content, including pornography, obscenity, gambling and other types of undesirable content. Additionally our filter blocks access to many non-educational resources to help reinforce the devices' use as a tool for school. Of course, no filter is perfect, and interpretations of "appropriate" content differ, and the internet is an ever-growing landscape where new sites are created everyday.

In addition to the filter already at work on your child's school issued chromebook, we also have a tool that provides parents with more control over the school issued chromebook after school hours. The GoGuardian Parent App gives parents and guardians the ability to see their child's browsing history, turn off their child's internet access at any time after school hours, and/or block specific sites, among other things. Of course-- this only applies to activity on the school chromebook.

To access the app, please follow the below instructions:

1. Download the app

1. Download via Apple Store

2. Download via Google Play Store

2. After the app is successfully downloaded and installed, open it up and enter the email address you have provided to the school (the address that bulletins, etc. get sent to).

3. Login/Check Email: Check your email on your phone for a link to log in to the app. Tap the "Verify your email", and it will take you straight to the app. Note: If you don't have access to your email through the device you used to log in, tap on "Login with verification code", and copy and paste the verification code from the email into the app.

If you have any questions, please reach out to asaville@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

More information about the service can be found here: GoGuardian Parent for Guardians.

Step by step instructions for setting up access can be found here: Getting Started with GoGuardian Parent.

This week's report was run from 10/27-11/21 (4 weeks). 307 students had perfect attendance during this period. This includes:

• No tardies (of any type)
• No absences (of any type)

Congratulations to August for such great attendance. Please email the Principal with your Crumbl cookie choice, and I'll personally deliver it to your class.

12/1: 11 tardies to period 1 (1/1/2/7)

12/2: 28 tardies to period 1 (2/7/11/8)

12/3: 25 tardies to period 2 (2/6/12/5)

12/4: 25 tardies to period 1 (3/10/6/6)

12/5: 12 tardies to period 16 (4/3/8/1)

We had a couple close ones this week...for the freshmen all week, they had just a few students tardy each day--only one freshman was tardy on Monday. Seniors were very close today--only one tardy as well. Let's see if we can pull a no-hitter next week for continued rewards if a class can pull it off.

As we start a new sports season, I would like to do another round of Spirit Wear orders. It is always fun to come in your purple--be it Fridays, game day, or any day. We have hoodies, beanies, and polos to choose from. They make great holiday gifts too. Please place your order on the Infinite Campus (IC) store so I can get them to you before the break.

Missing your 7th-grade year? Want the year your parents or even grandparents were at PMS? We might have that yearbook! The yearbook staff is selling past yearbooks at a discounted price.

Our current inventory list is linked here. If you are interested in purchasing one of these, please email pmsyearbook@piedmont.k12.ca.us

What is PPN?

Piedmont Parents Network (PPN) is a parent-run organization that holds monthly meetings to provide parents with the opportunity to meet, connect and discuss issues affecting their child, the school, and our community All parents of students at PHS/PMS/MHS are welcome - there are no membership dues - RSVP and show up!

When are the next meetings?

12th Grade:

Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 16: 7:30-9:00 pm

Facilitators: Sara Ironside, Jen Ferguson

RSVP: jen.c.ferg@gmail.com for more information

Meetings for the remainder of the year:

• Thursday, January 22: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Tuesday, February 24: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Tuesday, March 24: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Thursday, April 23: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Tuesday, May 19: 7:30-9:00 pm

11th Grade:

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 22 from 7:00-8:30 pm. We are still looking for a host!

If you have thoughts, please fill out this form: Google Form for 11 Grade

Facilitator: Kristen Brett

RSVP: kbrett@srvusd.net

Meetings for the remainder of the year:

• Wednesday, February 25: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Thursday, March 26: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Thursday, April 23: 7:00-8:30 pm

10th Grade

Next Meeting: Coming Soon!

Facilitators: Sarah Puckett, Maggie Mittan

RSVP: sarahbeamish@hotmail.com or maggie.mittan@gmail.com to be added to the 10th grade PPN email list.

9th Grade:

Thursday, January 29: 7:00-8:30 pm

Facilitators: Judy Lin, Yoko Ichikawa, Anne Hawkins

RSVP: hawkins42@gmail.com for location information

Upcoming Meetings:

• Friday, February 27: 8:45-10:15 am

• Thursday, March 19: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Friday, April 24: 8:45-10:15 am

• Thursday, May 21: 7:00-8:30 pm

• A Shout Out to Lucy S. and Noah S. These two young individuals did an amazing job on Monday night presenting to our rising 9th grade parent community about our fine theater program. It made me want to sign up. Way to go!
• Kudos to Ms. Spinks and Ms. Famy for the introduction of the Tomato Bisque soup. The students loved it. "Top Tier!" they said.