Parent Newsletter #30: 3/21/25

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

Dear Highlander Families,

Today is the first day of spring and what a beautiful welcome Mother Nature has provided. We are in store for a treat this weekend, weatherwise.

Next week we will begin state testing for our juniors which different activities for our other students. A gentle reminder that Academy is a required class and students may not leave campus during this time.

Lastly, we have the Spring Fling tomorrow for our underclassmen starting at 6:30 pm in the student center.

Best,

Dr. Yoshihara

March 21: End of PR2, Semester 2

March 22: Underclassmen Dance (6:30-8:30 pm, Student Center)

March 25-26: CAASPP Testing (ELA, juniors only)

March 27: AP Art Show (5:30-7:30 pm, AHT Lobby)

March 28-29: Dracula (Starts at 7 pm, AHT)

April 1-2: CAASPP Testing (Math, juniors only)

April 2-4: The Grown Ups (Starts at 7 pm, AHT)

April 18: Bird Calling Contest (7:30 pm, AHT)

April 21: CAASPP Testing (Science, juniors only)

April 30: Cap & Gown Disbursement (10am-1pm, seniors only)

Friday will be Academic Support for all. Remember to tag a teacher!

Link to FlexiSched: https://piedmont.flexisched.net/

Thank you to all the students and parents to attended the AP Seminar info session last Wednesday. I know we have a lot going on. You can view the slide deck here.

We are now taking signups for the course through April 4. In signing up, a counselor will meet with you to discuss your overall schedule. This may mean dropping a class to make room for AP Seminar or adding the class if you have an open period.

The course is open to all rising 10th-12th grade students with priority given to rising sophomores, then rising juniors, then rising freshman. Please email the principal with any questions.

AP Seminar Sign Up Form (or use QR code)

We will have special schedules on 3/25, 3/26, 4/1, and 4/2 to allow for 11th grade state testing. All other students will be engaging in other activities during the testing blocks. For the most part, students will always report to their home academy first. There are some exceptions outlined below.

Adjusted Bell Schedules

Grade Level Specific Information

• 9th graders will report to home academy, more details found here on 9th Grade tab
• 10th graders will report to home academy, more details found here on 10th Grade tab
• 12 graders will report to home academy unless indicated below, more details can be found here on the 12th Grade tab

11th Grade CAASPP SBAC Testing

We will be facilitating SBAC testing for 11th graders on the following schedule:

• ELA - 3/25, 3/26
• Math - 4/1, 4/2
• Science - 4/14

Testing Room locations can be found here listed by student ID #. The IS # can be found in IC.

There will be a special testing schedule each of these days. All tests are digital and must be completed on a school issued chromebook. Most approved student accommodations are embedded within the program, thus, students with 504s and IEPs will test with appropriate support. There are no time limits on the tests and there will be opportunities to finish the tests outside of our testing blocks if needed.

Scores on these tests are important for many reasons. First, they serve as a state progress monitoring tool to ensure we continue to provide strong academic programming at our high schools. This information is part of the school "report card" and we strive for 100% completion.

On an individual student level, this information can be used with the CSU and UC systems to place students in courses. If a student purposefully scores poorly and intends to attend a CSU or UC, they should expect to take a placement test before being allowed to register for courses. Please take the test seriously!

Students will receive test room assignments via email and their unique testing ID on the first day of the exam. Also, after testing students will need to work on something non-digital such as classwork on paper or read a book. Please be prepared.

No additional prep is needed as our students are already engaged in a rigorous academic program.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Marik directly.

The AP Art Show includes 17 student artists that will be exhibiting 5+ of their works from their AP Portfolio. PHS offers three different AP Studio Arts portfolio options - AP 2D Design, AP 3D Design, and AP Drawing. An AP Studio Art portfolio requires a student to design a Sustained Inquiry that is a personal interest that they follow through the year in an artistic response to an aesthetic question. This mirrors the idea of a studio artist as they demonstrate research, design, technical skill development, revision, experimentation, and synthesis of a concept with media and style. At the point of submitting their portfolio to The College Board at the start of May, the student has created a cohesive body of 10 works of art accompanied by an artist statement.

The PHS Art Show in April will include all Art 1,2,3, Ceramics 1,2,3,4, Digital Photography, and Digital Design students. Each student will choose 2-3 works to prepare and present in this wonderful collection of PHS Student Art to celebrate their growth over the year.

The City is expected to have potential traffic disruption on Monday morning as a concrete pour has been scheduled for the aquatic complex next to PHS. Trucks will begin arriving at 7:30 am and could impact traffic flow on Magnolia. Please allow extra time during drop off. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

We are excited that more green space is coming to PHS. We know that seating is limited across our campus, and we are working to remedy that. In the near future, we will be creating a retaining wall and sprucing up the area around the Student Center/library. This should allow more student seating and congregation in a friendly atmosphere. Construction will depend on weather and availability of the contractors, but we are optimistic that this will be in place for the fall.

On March 12, the Board heard the presentation from the District's Cell Phone Task Force. The Board considered 3 options:

• Option 1: No PCD's during instructional time
• Option 2: No PCD's except at lunch
• Option 3: No PCD's bell-to-bell (all-day)

PCD: Personal Connect Device--any device that can send/receive data. This broadly includes, but is not limited to, cell phones, tablets, watches, glasses, and headphones/earbuds.

The Board provided direction to implement option 2 for the 2025-26 school year. The Board is also interested in movement towards Option 3 with continued discussion and follow-up next school year. The Cell Phone Task Force will reconvene in the fall to continue this important work.

The Board will also adopt policy pursuant to this by June 30. The school will provide much more information as we develop guidelines, update handbooks, signage, and presentations to our student and parent community between now and the start of next school year.

I would like to express my appreciation to all the Task Force members who participated in the meetings and those that came to the Board presentation on March 12 (Ted, Jonah, Anant, Julie, Sam).

PHS Advanced Acting Presents Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors March 28-29

by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, based on the novel by Bram Stoker

Piedmont High School’s Advanced Acting class is excited to present Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. It is a hilarious, 90-minute retelling of the classic story, in which adventurous Lucy Westfeldt and her meek fiancé Jonathan Harker and company search for the most dangerous creature the world has ever known. With witty puns, quirky characters, and ridiculous antics, this is Bram Stoker mixed with a screwball comedy.

“It's a super clever script,” says Theo Ferguson, who plays Jonathan Harker, “and there's many layers to it. There's the funny and satirical layer, and it also comments on the real world.”

The cast includes Amelia Addington, Amelia Carter, Theo Ferguson, Dinar Kidane, Sparrow Lieu, Sadie Shoop, and Ben Wakefield, with special cameo appearances by Louisa Symkowick and Ryo Woltag. The assistant directors are Ali Atanasio and Danielle Zaroukian with set design by Noah Bruggeman.

The show is rated PG, and will be enjoyed most by audiences ten and older who are comfortable with some cartoon violence and horror effects.

The two performances are Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 at 7:00 pm in the Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School, 800 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, with $10 for students/seniors.

For more information, please contact the director, Kimberly Taylor, at ktaylor@piedmont.k12.ca.us

PUSD now has a new board policy which allows students to complete courses for graduation and elective credit outside of the district. With prior approval, these courses can be added to a student's transcript. There is a limit of 40 total credits (no more than 20 per single subject area, no more than 20 per year) for which a student may apply under the policy over the course of high school.

To be considered for inclusion on a transcript, the course must be completed at an accredited institution and approved by your counselor prior to enrollment. A student should fill out the form here and schedule a conversation.

Details on credits earned, grade bump, and other components of the policy can be found in the form.

Courses completed prior to the adoption of this policy will not be subject to inclusion on the transcript (except for prior approved health courses). If a student has registered for a course that begins this summer, we will allow retroactive approval. Please complete the form above and reach out to your counselor.

We know there will be many questions about what this policy may mean for individual students and individual courses. Given each situation is unique, please first work with your student's counselor as questions arise.

Theme: “Who’s The Biggest Bird?”

The student-designed poster will be used for promotional purposes for the Bird Calling Show.

We will reproduce it in an 8.5X11 inch format, in a large poster format, on the cover of the program, and in publications for publicity.

The artist will be paid $200 for their work, receive a framed copy of their poster, receive two tickets to the show, and appear in the publicity for the show.

Required Information (at the bottom or side of the poster):

56th Annual Piedmont Bird Calling Contest

Friday, April 18th, 2025 at 7:30pm

Alan Harvey Theater

Deadline: March 31st. Please submit work digitally to Sally Baack sally@thebaacks.com

(last year’s Poster can be seen below)

For the first time in years, 9th and 10th graders will have an event of their own! On Saturday, March 22nd from 6:30 to 8:30, have your students come and enjoy food trucks, games, music, and dancing on campus. Tickets are now on sale for $10 on Infinite Campus.

The event will take place in the student center and entrance will close at 7:00 pm. Students can leave the event at 8:30 pm. All students will be breathalyzed prior to entrance. Backpacks and large bags are not allowed. Bags the size of small purses can be brought but will be searched. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Marik, Ms. Adams, or your ASB reps.

Manie Musicale is an annual competition where more than 864,000 students of French from around the world learn about and vote for their favorites from a bracket of 16 songs by diverse French-speaking artists.

Our 2025 LyricsTraining team members are Noah Sohn (captain), Francesca Ceccarelli, Cora Brozowski Schrader, and Devon Thai. Wish them luck — bonne chance !! :-)

Save the date for the Piedmont School Maker Faire at the Piedmont High School campus on Sunday, May 18 11am - 3pm! Come celebrate K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (S.T.E.A.M.) education for the Piedmont community & beyond.

Our “Call for Makers” is now OPEN. Students & the community can show off your creativity – drones, cosplay, puppets, kites, virtual reality, Legos, music – or check out our project ideas page for inspiration. When ready, submit your project by April 30th.

Registration for the Fall 2025 Robotics season for rising K-8th graders is now open. Robotics helps children develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills while having fun and learning about engineering, writing code, and thriving on a non-athletic team.

For more information about LEGO League Robotics, K-8 parents & students are invited to attend our Open House Presentation and Q&A on March 27, 7-9 PM at the Piedmont High School Student Center, or visit https://www.piedmontmakers.org/robotics to learn more.

Juniors: Counselors are winding down with meetings with juniors. But of course, if you did not get to see your counselor for this important 1:1 meeting, please feel free to stop by or email them.

Sophomores

Class of 2027! We will be meeting with all Sophomores from Monday March 24- Friday April 4 for a short, individual meeting with your counselor. During this meeting, we will review course selections, complete a graduation and A-G credit check, and discuss career survey results in the Naviance program. You may need to miss part of a class and will be responsible for any missed content. If you have any exams, please schedule your appointment around this.

Students, please complete the following steps.

Step 1 - Under Self Discovery, complete Naviance’s Career Interest Profiler (15 minutes) and Career Cluster (10 minutes) surveys before the meeting. Click on the clusters and interest areas to explore more. Directions for how to do so can be found here.

Step 2 - Sign-up for a meeting using your counselor’s calendar link below between Monday March 24-April 4.

Amanda Carlson ( last names start with A-G) https://calendar.app.google/KS431Y53NzcMfJqZ6

Chris Hartford( last names start with H-O) https://calendar.app.google/LZKM1kKmf8ahmAun9

Michelle Hoang( last names start with P-Z) https://calendar.app.google/d6gegmgywEVeDW479

If you have any questions, please reach out to your counselor.

Families, please talk to your students about the results of the Naviance surveys and generate a list of questions for your counselor prior to the meeting. An agenda for the meeting can be found here:

We look forward to supporting you with your High School and Post-High School plans!

Seniors- As you hear from your colleges, please reach out to your counselor or our College and Career Center if you need any assistance.

Also, a reminder to thank your teachers who write letters of rec for you! They really appreciate hearing the outcomes from college applications and your next steps along with a sincere thank you.

This week's student is Bodie Ironside. Thank you for getting your responses to me so quickly. We start off by having staff share some thoughts on Bodie.

1. What quality(ies) best describes this student? helpful, kind, inquisitive, insightful
2. How long have you known the student? 2 years
3. What is the most memorable event you have of this student? In yearbook there are SO many instances of Bodie stepping up and helping both students and teachers. Any tech support or help is given freely and cheerfully. He takes on extra tasks and is always the first to pass on knowledge to his peers when it can help them succeed. As for in his history classes, his passion for history and "fun facts" is contagious. He asks great questions that further the conversation, easily makes connections between ideas and events, and is always engaged. And he works well in groups - he listens well, takes the time to respond directly to the contributions of and questions posed by his peers, pushes discussions to the next level, and gets others more involved. He possesses the type of intellectual curiosity teachers love to find in their students; he seems to truly enjoy learning, simply for the sake of learning.
4. How does this student Achieve the Honorable? He would do the "right thing" even if no one was watching.
5. If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? magnanimous

And from Bodie himself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? Playing D&D with my friends after school
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? The math and science departments are both very strong, with some good study options, so if you're into that, that's really good.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? I would try to host and hold more dances overall, especially for underclassmen as they only have one.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? If I can't blow people away with my brilliance, then I try to baffle them with whatever else I have.
   
5. What is your favorite word? Transform. It rolls off the tongue really well.
   
6. What is your favorite song? The Last Stand by Sabaton
7. What is your favorite food? Cheeseburgers
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? It's a photo I took when skiing that just made me laugh. I also love ice cream.

• Shout out to Haden. This is a wonderful student who is always so insightful. From what makes his day great to what he'll have for lunch, he is always a ray of brightness.
• Kudos to the three siblings Andrea, Andrew, and Michael. Always polite, always respectful, always representing what it means to be a Highlander. I'm so glad to have the three of them at PHS.

Thanks to all those that participated in the Highlander Trivia question in the last newsletter.

The question for last week was: In education, part of our work is to deal with electronic communication. This varies with our job and specific duties. As principal, how many emails were sent since I started at PHS? This is non-scientific, and just a fun-fact. No rounding is necessary. The correct answer to this is 6,496 as of 7:30 am on 3/21/26.

We had good participation, and we have a repeat winner. Congratulations to Noah Sohn (Σ Trivia Winner!) who got the closest with his answer of 7,002. Very impressive! Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize.