Parent Newsletter #29: 3/14/25

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,

We wrapped up our first week of March and are approaching state testing. This next week will close out PR 2 of semester 2. That leaves only one reporting period left of the school year.

I encourage all our students to keep focused and maintain the energy as we head into April. We have a lot of learning and exciting events still ahead. We do have the underclassmen dance next Saturday (3/22) as well as a basketball tournament at lunch for students who want to form their own teams and go against others.

Have a great week, and we'll see our Highlanders on Tuesday morning.

Best,

Dr. Yoshihara

March 14: Non-student day

March 17: Non-student day

March 19: AP Seminar Info Session (6:30-7:30, Library)

March 21: End of PR2, Semester 2

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

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

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 14: CAASPP Testing (Science, juniors only)

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

April 21: CAASPP Testing (Science, juniors only)

April 30: Cap & Gown Disbursement (seniors only)

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

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

On March 12, the PUSD Board formally approved AP Seminar to be offered for the 2025-26 school year. We realize that course selection has closed. As such, we will hold an info session on Wednesday, March 19 for student and parents/guardians to provide background about the course as well as the process to add this course to an existing student's schedule. We will do our best to answer any questions at that time as well.

Title: AP Seminar Course Info and Sign-Up Process

Location: PHS Library

Time: 6:30-7:30 pm

Presentation should take about 30 minutes with time afterwards for Q&A.

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, 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.

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

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!

New Info - 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.

AI literacy - Technology Meeting March 31st, 3:45-5:00 pm Havens Library

Staff, students, and interested community members are invited to participate in a District Technology Advisory meeting on March 31st. The agenda will include discussions and activities related to AI literacy.

We will meet from 3:45 PM to 5:00 PM in the Havens Library, and a remote participation option will be available.

Please sign-up to let us know you are coming!

Join us for a Parent Social to celebrate our rising Seniors

Wednesday, March 12

6:30 - 8:30 PM

at 51 & TEL

5018 Telegraph Avenue @ 51st Street

No Host Bar

Please let us know if you will be joining us: https://evite.me/TkgFkqQa8g

Your class reps,

Barbara Dickason, barbaramccarthy@yahoo.com

Jenny Osman, jennyhed@yahoo.com

Michelle Heafey, michelle.heafey@gmail.com

Thank you to those who signed up for the SAT on Monday, March 17th at 9:00 am. Below, please find information on materials to bring on test day as well as test set-up requirements that must be completed in Blue Book before you arrive. The exam is digital.

Students should arrive by 8:45 am at the main office of the STEAM building. Students should bring:

• ID
• Charged chromebook and charger
• pens/pencils for scratchwork
• Calculator (optional, calculator is available in test program)
• Snacks and/or water bottle

Required Actions: Prior to the day of testing, you must complete some set-up steps in the Bluebook app.

Step 1 - Pick up your Sign-In ticket from the counseling office. You will need this to log-in to the Bluebook App.

Step 2 - Log-in to the Bluebook App on your chromebook and complete all pre-test set-up requirements. You will be prompted what to do when logging in. Please watch the short video here for guidance.

More information about the SAT can be found here. Once you complete your set-up, you may use the platform for practice tests.

If you have any questions please reach out to Mr. Marik (jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us).

• 9th/10th Grade: Thursday, March 20 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm
  Contact kbrett@srvusd.net or susystruble@gmail.com for details

• 11th Grade: Wednesday, March 26 from 7:30-9:00 pm
  Contact sarabironside@gmail.com or jen.c.ferg@gmail.com for details

• 12th Grade: Wednesday, March 19 from 7:30-9:00 pm
  Topic: College selection, gap year or work: has your student made a choice?
  What does the decision process look like?
  What are the next steps, what is coming up before graduation, how are you preparing for the transition ?
  Contact carolinesantander@gmail.com for details

To support PPN and help bring in more speakers and community events that support our parents - join HERE.

Counselors will be meeting with all Juniors for one more week (through March 21). Please click the links below to sign up. These are short 15 minutes meetings. It's a great chance to look at your course requests one more time for next school year.

During this meeting, we will:

• Review course selections for next year
• Complete a graduation credit and A-G credit check
• Discuss Letters of Recommendation
• Discuss Common Application and UC/CSU application information
• Discuss SAT, ACT testing

Are they needed for your student for college applications? 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, before your meeting, please complete the following steps in Naviance:

Step 1 - Complete Naviance’s “Colleges I am Thinking About” by saving 3 colleges to this list, preferably try the Supermatch option in Naviance.

Step 2- You can also utilize the Self Discovery surveys “ Career Interest Profiler” And “Career Cluster Finder” to look at how your interests match with college majors.

Step 3 - Sign-up for a meeting using your counselor’s calendar link below between Monday 3/3/24 - Thursday 3/13/24

• Ms. Carlson (A - G)
• Mr. Hartford (H - O)
• Ms. Hoang (P - Z)

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

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 Jerry Yu. Thank you for getting your responses to me so quickly. We start off by having staff share some thoughts on Jerry.

1. What quality(ies) best describes this student? Kind, persistent, ambitious, cooperative.
2. How long have you known the student? One semester
3. What is the most memorable event you have of this student? It has happened on multiple occasions. When providing opportunities for the class to volunteer to answer a challenging check for understanding question, Jerry will be prepared to offer his response but intentionally wait to give others an opportunity to respond to share the glory. He demonstrates his excellence with humility and grace.
4. How does this student Achieve the Honorable? Jerry is always willing and patient to explain complex concepts to his peers selflessly.
5. If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Exemplary!

And from Jerry himself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience this year has been working on and watching the school productions. I had the opportunity to create projected animations for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. Now, I’m working on some visuals for the upcoming Dracula play, so keep an eye out for that. The musical this year was also absolutely stunning.
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? I would say that PHS is a very open school. No matter what you’re interested in or if you are still exploring, there is always something in PHS’s wide variety of courses and resources that fits you. Whether you want to pursue academics, sports, or other careers, PHS can prepare you for your future. Some might worry about fitting in with PHS’s community as a new student, but I can tell you from personal experience that PHS is very inclusive and welcoming to new friends.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? If I were in charge of PHS, I would organize more events that bring students together, similar to Highlander Hunt and movie nights. I remember a student jazz performance during lunch one day, and it was a great moment that added something special to the school day. I think small, spontaneous events like that can make a big difference in creating a fun and connected school environment.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? I would say thank you for always supporting me through my every decision. I know you may not always agree with me, but your trust that I can be a responsible individual is something that I cherish. Thank you for your everlasting love and support.
   
5. What is your favorite word? Asymptotic
   
6. What is your favorite song? I have a lot of favorites, but See You Again by Tyler, The Creator is at the top of my list.
7. What is your favorite food? Dim sum. Who doesn’t love dim sum?
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This is my Eagle Scout photo, taken during Ski Week. Scouting has been a defining part of my childhood, and earning the rank of Eagle Scout was a huge milestone. This photo captures years of my scouting journey and personal development, so it holds a lot of meaning for me.

• Kudos Alex G. and Dylan H. for speaking at the Board meeting during the Cell Phone Task Force discussion. You both did an excellent job!

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

The question for last week was: Last week's question asked about the combined certificated experience of our staff. This week's question is to provide the staff member with the greatest seniority at PHS. (Month/Day/Year). The correct answer to this August 30, 1994. That distinction belongs to Dr. Hayden.

My apologies in poorly wording the question as many people listed a name rather than the date. Seeing that this was the case, I will work at making sure future questions posited are clearer.