Parent Newsletter #35: 4/24/26

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

Nutrition Services Newsletter

2025-26 School Profile | Student Handbook

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

Dear Highlander Families,

Time to wrap up April. We have Senior Prom tomorrow and AP Testing in about a week. We are down the final stretch. Spring sports is also coming quickly to a close. Let's stay locked in as we close out another school year.

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

The photo below is from our Spring Dance Concert. They perform again tonight at 7 pm in the AHT.

April 23-24: Spring Dance Concert (7-8:30 pm, AHT)

April 25: Senior Prom (6-11 pm, TBD)

April 27: World Languages Singing Competition (All day, amphitheater)

May 1: S2, PR3 Ends

May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 14: Highlanders Athletics Awards (7-9 pm, AHT)

May 17: Maker Faire (11-3 pm, PHS)

May 18: Open House (6:45-8:15 pm, PHS)

Today, our student leaders took a courageous stand by sharing their lived experiences with identity, racism, and discrimination in a forum designed to foster a true sense of belonging. This conversation is especially urgent following recent, reprehensible acts of hate speech and antisemitism within our school—actions that violate our core values and will not be tolerated. We invite you to join us in honoring these students' leadership by listening with an open mind and leaning into the self-reflection necessary for genuine change. Following today’s event, we will continue these vital dialogues in our academies next week to ensure our community remains a place where every individual is seen, heard, and deeply valued.

Have you seen the cool new furniture at PHS? We are thrilled to inform you that indestructible, yet attractive and comfortable picnic tables (7 rectangular, 2 circular, 1 ADA-compliant and half with umbrellas) have been assembled and placed around campus. These wonderful additions are gifts from the Parents' Club to the entire student body through a thoughtful planning and decision making process using accumulated funds. PUSD Facilities Director Pete Palmer said that the picnic tables look amazing and that students immediately filled them minutes after his crew assembled them.

The next and final PHS Parents' Club meeting of the school year will be on Friday, May 15, at 9:00 am in the Alan Harvey Theater lobby. Please join us as we thank departing board members who have graduating seniors, and transition to the new board for next year.

Have a lovely weekend,

Sally Baack and Dana Lung

Co-Presidents, PHS Parents' Club 2025-2026

It's Teacher Appreciation Week May 4-8! We are planning a delicious breakfast early in the week and a special lunch on Thursday, May 7. We will be catering the lunch and would appreciate your contributions of drinks and dessert. No time to contribute drinks and dessert? Please consider donating to the hospitality fund which will help fund this event. Thank you!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044CA5AD2DA20-63629242-phsteacher#/

Winners of the 2025-2026 National Urban Plan Competition

Team Members:

Meher Bachher- Environment and Equity Director

Karina Patel- Site Planner

Rachel Young- Marketing Director

Chloe Koh- Neighborhood Liaison

Elisha Bell- Financial Analyst

They beat out 8 other teams from across the country, NY to Hawaii, to win. Each member of the team won $1,000. Piedmont Parent Jane Lin worked to support the students along with Economics Teacher Gabby Kashani.

P tests are starting on Monday, May 4th and will run through Friday, May 15th. Here is some important information:

This week students should:

• Restart their Chromebook, so that any OS updates will install

• Launch the Digital Bluebook App from their login screen to test it

• Sign into the Digital Bluebook App using their College Board login credentials

Before Test Day:

• Students should take the sample exam to familiarize themselves with the online format of the test (Note: World Language and Music Theory exams are not digital and will not show up in the Bluebook)

• Get Chromebook serviced if having issues - in the PHS Library at lunch or at PMS any time or email help@piedmont.k12.ca.us

• Test locations will be posted around campus next week

• Test locations for students with accommodations will be sent to them separately in class.

• Review What to Bring to your AP Exam

On Test Day:

• Write down personal College Board login information on a piece of paper for access during testing if needed.

• Make sure your Chromebook is fully charged

• You can bring a water bottle and snack

• Bring layers of clothing for temperature fluctuations

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Marik (jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us) or Ms. Low (dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us)

Open House is scheduled for May 18 fro 6:45 to 8:15 pm. This will be a secondary event involving PMS, MHS, and PHS with staggered times. While the details are still being finalized, it will be an educationally filled evening for families to see culminating work across our departments.

Families will be free to move about visiting the various disciplines. It is designed for current as well as future/prospective students. We also hope to have food trucks available for families that come with an appetite. More specific information will come as we get closer to the date, including what is happening by department.

I am excited to announce that our library should be fully staffed next year. We are still working on the details, but got permission to increase staffing to make sure that our students always have a quiet place to go to each day. In addition, we will also have a 0.2 FTE certificated librarian. We are working with the middle school on the details, but are planning on that person to be available on Mondays.

A special shout out to Karen Bird for leading the volunteer efforts to open our library this year. I know it was a lot of work, and we truly appreciate you for doing that!

From GoFundMe Page:

Ms. LaTanya Lloyd, affectionately known as "LT," was a cornerstone of our school and community. For nearly 25 years, she served as campus supervisor and attendance clerk, dedicating herself to the well-being and success of countless students. Her commitment was unmatched—she did a job only she could do, forming connections with colleagues and friends. LT’s presence brought safety, guidance, and stability to our campus, and her sudden passing has left a profound void in our hearts. The bond she shared with her two sons, who are also part of the PUSD family, was recognizable to all and a source of inspiration and pride.

Contributions Welcomed

We continue our work on the master schedule and are nearly ready to "lock it in". We are coordinating with PMS and MHS now over shared staff. We have to make sure that staff can travel between campuses and are also trying to minimize staff movement. We anticipate that finishing within a week. At that point, we plan to have counselors ensure the integrity of schedules. They will call students in for situations that cannot be resolved. Thanks for everyone's patience on this important process.

The District has developed a Communication Protocol for Concerns. It can be found at the link below. This has been shared with staff and Parents' Club. Please reach out if you have any questions as we look to standardize how we address concerns from students and parents.

Communication Protocol for Concerns

How can you support the fundraiser? Purchase tickets using this link and promo code!

Event Details

Saturday April 25th

Check-in: 5:30 pm

Buses leave PHS: 6 pm

Event: 7-10 pm

Buses return to PHS: 11 pm

Students and guests must have a signed permission form to board the bus.

This year’s theme is Casino Royale - there will be dinner (with gluten-free and vegetarian options), dancing, casino games, and other fun activities. Formal attire or theme-related.

The Prom Committee,

Sacha Grippando, Carrie Lee, Nadja Olsen, Dawn Riordan, Melissa Wilk & George White

Juniors! Over the next few weeks, counselors will be doing a short check in with you to discuss:

Transcripts, summer plans, questions about Fall college applications, review of Naviance and encouraging students to add to their "Colleges I Am Thinking About" list, SAT/ACT, asking for Letters of Recommendation, awareness of Common Application and UC/ CSU applications.

Please sign up using these calendar links:

• Ms Hoang ( Last names C, P-Z) https://calendar.app.google/L6wJ4hNMG47HZZ7UA
• Mrs Carlson ( Last Names A & B) https://calendar.app.google/CzNjPgCTipv5F69N6
• Mr Hartford(Last Names D-O) - will schedule students individually

AP Exams are just around the corner! Please have your student review the AP test schedule below.

Students who have a valid schedule conflict should email Darlene Low (dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us) ASAP so that they can be signed up for the makeup test session. Students will NOT be automatically signed up for makeup tests.

Only tests offered at PHS are shown.

Questions? Contact Joe Marik (jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us) or Darlene Low (dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us)

AP season is coming, and the PHS Parents Club needs parent volunteers to make it happen! Please sign up here to help proctor as many tests as you can. Note that if your student is taking an AP exam, you are welcome (and encouraged) to proctor a different exam. A brief training session will be provided before testing begins. More details are available at this Sign-Up Genius Link.

This short, anonymous survey asks about your experiences as a parent at this school. We want to better understand your perspective, and your thoughts on the phone policy at your child’s school. If you have more than one child attending this school, please answer with your oldest child in mind.

This survey is meant to capture a wide range of parent perspectives — not to judge or evaluate any particular choice. Your honest input will help us better understand the values, needs, and strategies that families use to navigate phone use. The survey will take about 5-8 minutes to complete.

Link to Phone Survey (Parents)

Link to Phone Survey (Students)

We would like to remind all our student walkers to please be alert as they are crossing intersections. Our crossing guard at Magnolia and Bonita has shifted to a new location. We have received several reports of close calls of our students as they cross the streets, especially Oakland Avenue, without giving traffic their full attention. Being on the phone is dangerous and distracting. Please be safe getting to school.

This is a reminder that we are still monitoring tardies, unexcused absences, and grades during Quarter 4. Eligibility for Quarter 1/Fall 2026 will be determined based on the remainder of this school year. Please work with your student to finish the year on a strong note and reach out to Mr. Marik if you have any questions.

Given the passing of Ms. LT, for the time being please direct all attendance related questions or updates to Michael Bell. We will provide updates to the community on any news related to the front office as they come up.

This is a reminder that college visits are not excusable absences. We ask that you visit colleges during scheduled breaks. If a trip does require a student to miss school, please apply for Short Term Ind Study. Reach out to Mr. Marik if you have any questions.

The Play Like a Girl+ event is less than a month away and we are getting excited for an even bigger and better event than last year. We expect more than 1,000 girls+ from around the Bay Area ages 2-18 to come out to jump, throw, kick, punch and play like a girl+!!! With an event of this size, we simply couldn’t do it without the help of our amazing volunteers (that’s YOU!). We need help from 7:30am until 2:30pm – please sign up for the shift that works for you.

Event Date: Sunday, May 3rd

Event Time: 10am-1pm

Event Location: Piedmont High School Witter Field Complex

To sign up for a volunteer shift, please click HERE. Volunteering is WAY more fun with a friend…please feel free to share this link.

For event details, including a list of participating sport vendors, please visit Play Like a Girl+ Piedmont.

We can’t thank you enough for once again supporting this impactful event!

The 12th annual Piedmont School Maker Faire on the Piedmont High School campus on Sunday, May 17th at 11am - 3pm! Come celebrate K-12 STEAM education in our community.

The deadline to respond to our "Call for Makers" and exhibit at the School Maker Faire is approaching fast on April 30th! This event wouldn't be possible without you sharing your projects! Whether you've built a flying robot, crocheted a plushie, created a cardboard arcade game, illustrated a comic, coded an interactive story, grown a hydroponic garden, or your latest experiment or creation, we want to see it. Come share your work or lead a maker activity and inspire our community.

Submissions are due April 30th → Submit your project here

Get your free tickets here and we’ll see you there!

This week's report was run from 3/9-4/10 (4 weeks). 152 students had perfect attendance during this period. This includes:

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

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

4/20: 20 tardies to period 1 (4/5/1/10)

4/21: 20 tardies to period 1 (5/4/2/9)

4/22: 12 tardies to period 2 (2/5/4/1)

4/23: 15 tardies to period 1 (6/2/5/2)

4/24: 14 tardies to period 2 (2/5/5/2)

We had a few close days where a class had just one or two tardies. It is interesting to look at the data for the very low numbers and see that we certainly have some patterns. Let's see if we can get a perfect day next week!

RESCHEDULED: Please note that our event scheduled for Tuesday, April 28: The Early Signs: Recognizing and Preventing Eating Disorders needs to be rescheduled due to conflicts. We plan to reschedule for the fall.

12th Grade:

Last Meeting of the School Year: Tuesday, May 19: 7:30-9:00 pm

Facilitators: Sara Ironside, Jen Ferguson

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

10th Grade

Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 28: 8:00-9:30 pm

Facilitators: Sarah Puckett, Maggie Mittan

RSVP: maggie.mittan@gmail.com for more information

Last Meeting of the School Year: Tuesday, May 26: 8:00-9:30 pm

9th Grade:

Last Meeting of the School Year: Tuesday, May 19: 7:00-8:30 pm

Facilitators: Judy Lin, Yoko Ichikawa, Anne Hawkins

RSVP: hawkins42@gmail.com for location information

• Kudos to our Parents' Club for the benches that are being placed around campus. They are a wonderful (and needed) addition to seating options for our students.
• Amazing work by our student speakers at the I Am Here Assembly: Zoe and Hunter, Ilias, Mr. Kight, Elisa, Karina, Dahlia, Colin, Mehrad, Kate and Allyson, Ali, Aava, and Meher