Parent Newsletter #28: 3/7/25

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,

What a start to March. I can see why it is sometimes referred to as "March Madness". We had many great events this past week and much more on the horizon.

We capped the week with a pair of CIF athletic victories by our men's soccer and women's basketball teams. The men's Division IV finals and women's Division I semi-finals are tomorrow. The women will play at St. Mary's in Stockton with tip-off at 5 pm. The men will host at 5 pm at Witter (tentative).

A quick reminder that next Wednesday, the Board will hear a presentation from the Cell Phone Task Force regarding the work assigned and consider options for all schools, starting in the fall. Please consider attending in person or virtually if this topic is of interest to you.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward (more daylight), and we'll see everyone for a shortened student week on Monday. Also, Monday will be a W/F schedule, so release at 3:35.

Best,

Dr. Yoshihara

March 9: Daylight Savings Time starts

March 12: Board discussion on cell phone options (info below)

March 14: Non-student day

March 17: Non-student day

March 21: End of PR2, Semester 2

March 22: Underclassmen Dance (Save the Date, details forthcoming)

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 (Save the Date, details forthcoming)

April 21: CAASPP Testing (Science, juniors only)

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

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

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!

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.

Thank you to everyone that showed up for Mock Admissions Night on 3/4. We had a lot of positive comments and welcome any feedback folks may have.

Special appreciation to the following parents/students:

• Amy Aubrecht and Shilpa Patel for setting up the dinner for our reps: homemade lemon bars and nut bars, GF cookies, fruit, drinks
• Chris: for picking up the pizza
• Amanda for helping with sign-in
• Bridgette Brennan: for sign-ins and clean up
• Mary Wells, John Pope, Angela Enhk-Amgalan for showing families where to go for the break out sessions; Adrian Bush for the same support along with making signs for the classrooms and Theater.
• Dana Lung for making sure folks had the case studies packet and general support of participants

The Cell Phone Task Force has been meeting since December to research options to restrict personal connected devices during the school day. The Task Force will present these options for the Board to consider pursuant to AB 3216 on March 12. The impact of this will reach every student and may be significant for secondary students, particularly at the high school level.

We invite interested members of the community to attend, virtually or in person, the Board meeting on March 12. Start time is 7 pm at 120 Vista Ave or via Zoom. Members will have an opportunity to speak during the agenda item. Please email the Principal if you have any questions.

Thank you for all those that were able to make it out to our Young Professional's Panel yesterday. We truly appreciate our community's engagement, especially on a weeknight. And a shout-out to the panelists once again:

• Frances "Frannie" Lahey-Teare, class of 2019
• Jordan Marcus, class of 2017
• Sara Siqueira, class of 2018

They were amazing! You can watch the recording here. I would also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Linda Wendel, Sara Ironside, and Kim Hunter for their tremendous efforts at coordination and recruitment to make this go off so smoothly. And "thank you" to PPN for sponsoring the reception and Boosters for donating the gifts for the panelists. Lastly, kudos to Joe and Ms. ML for all the support.

We are so pleased that PHS will be offering the SAT for the first time on Monday, March 17, 2025, with a commitment to host March 2026 as well.

PHS cannot administer this exam without proctoring support by parents. This opportunity where your student is guaranteed a seat and knows the testing environment, and you do not need to drive/fly/spend hotel money requires nothing more than a few hours, being timely and reading instructions.

Please note:

Training will be held Monday, March 10th at 3:30pm via Zoom and recorded for those who can’t make it (30 min to train, plus additional time to help you set up College Board account)

Proctoring time is Monday, March 17th from 8:30am to 12:30pm (end time is approximate, dependent on room start time)

If your student is taking the SAT, you are strongly encouraged to support and will be placed in a different room

PLEASE SIGN UP now!

Questions, please contact Joe Marik (jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us), Nairobi Kim (robikim@gmail.com) or Amy Aubrecht (amy.aubrecht@gmail.com)

Counselors will be meeting with all Juniors from Monday 3/3/25-Thursday 3/13/25 for a short, individual meeting with your counselor. 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.

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

1. What quality(ies) best describes this student? Lucy is just a great all around kid. She always works hard and is very energetic. Lucy is always on time, never complains, always has a smile on her face, and is kind to everyone she comes across. When she is not in PE, she is missed.
2. How long have you known the student? Just one year, her freshman year at PHS.
3. What is the most memorable event you have of this student? Honestly, Lucy is great all the time and I appreciate her easy going nature. She probably could win the Highlander of the Week, every week.
4. How does this student Achieve the Honorable? By just being herself. She is one of those students that makes teaching easier and reminds you of why you became a teacher in the first place.
5. If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Outstanding.

And from Jaden herself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience at PHS would be eating lunch in Piedmont Park. I enjoy having a lot of time to play games, get food, or just talk with friends during the school day.
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? I would describe PHS as an environment filled with large competition but overall a lot of fun experiences.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? If I was in charge at PHS, I would make more lunch/brunch options for other people with dietary restrictions. I would also make more of a peer acceptance for imperfection.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? I would say to my parents thanks for being awesome and supporting me so much.
   
5. What is your favorite word? I don’t have a favorite word.
   
6. What is your favorite song? Currently, one of my favorite songs is Flowers in December by Mazzy Star.
7. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is Sushi.
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? I chose this photo of me and my dog, Frank, in Tahoe over the summer. In this photo, I was outdoor rock climbing for the first time and it was just overall a cool experience.

• Kudos to Stefanie ML (and many others named above) for hosting a wonderful Mock Admissions Night last Tuesday. Another great opportunity for our students and parents to prepare for life after high school.
• A Shout Out to Ms. Adams and the ASB students for putting together a spectacular rally. The participants and spectators were great, and the excitement was real.

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

The question for last week was: We have a wealth of experience at PHS. If you were to combine the time that all of the staff at PHS have been with Piedmont Unified, how many years will that be in total? This includes shared staff with MHS/PMS. The correct answer to this is 624.6 years. It is pretty incredible how much combined experience our staff has at PUSD.

Our participants actually all did quite well once again. Congratulations to Athena Li who got the closest with her answer of 628 years! Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize.