Piedmont Pulse
Piedmont USD - Week 3 Update >>>
November 3, 2025
Dear PUSD Families & Staff:
Okay, I confess, I love Halloween, and... I am always a bit wary of the costumes that our middle and high school students may wear, largely due to some mishaps with my own kids when they were teenagers (you don't want to know). However, our students again impressed me with their imagination and enthusiasm. There were many creative costumes this year, including the "6-7" meme taking on life with students and staff. And, of course, check out the young man toward the right of the photo who is close to my heart as a fellow Dodgers fan. I recognize that I am in Giants territory here (Go Giants!)...but this year's World Series win...let's hear it for the Dodgers!
In Partnership,
Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Last week, our Principals and I shared a short-term opportunity to help families in need due to the government shutdown. With the government shutdown continuing indefinitely, we are thoughtful about families in our community who are impacted by the loss of government benefits, including SNAP or TANF assistance for food and essential support.
In order to assist families who may have immediate need, we invite parents who would like to donate a grocery store gift card of any amount to the main office of their child’s school. Please place the gift card in an envelope labeled “government shutdown donation.” Our Principals will distribute the gift cards to families in need. We invite donations through November 21st, the Friday before the Thanksgiving week holiday.
We are grateful to the parents and our Board for this creative and real-time support idea. Let us come together during these difficult days to care for each other.
Good Afternoon PUSD Elementary Parents & Guardians,
We are delighted to share an exciting update with our elementary families following our October 23, 2025 Community Meeting (presentation linked HERE), where we discussed the progress toward introducing a world language program in 5th grade for the 2026–27 school year.
After deep reflection and extensive research, we are excited to announce that we will be introducing Latin as our 5th grade world language. Latin is uniquely positioned to support core literacy development, offering unparalleled benefits in vocabulary growth, word study, reading comprehension, and logical thinking. The structure and clarity of Latin not only help students grasp the mechanics of language but also directly reinforce the foundational reading and writing skills embedded in grade level standards, including our adopted ELA curricula, Fishtank Learning and Spellography. This addition highlights our continued commitment to giving students the tools to become strong, confident communicators while also cultivating curiosity about language, history, and the world around them.
We’re equally excited to share that, beginning in the 2026–27 school year, Piedmont Middle School will expand its world language offerings to include introductory French, Spanish, and Mandarin starting in 6th grade as part of our elective program. This thoughtful sequencing ensures that all students build a strong foundation in language learning before exploring a wider range of global languages.
Both the elementary and middle school world language proposals will be presented for Board approval at the November 12th Board of Education meeting. We look forward to your continued partnership as we take this exciting leap forward in preparing our students for a world rich in the academic study of language.
If you have additional feedback, please reach out at the email addresses below.
Sincerely,
Ariel Dolowich
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.
Superintendent
We will continue our focus this year on community engagement opportunities, including meetings planned throughout the school year on topics related to our District goals. We invite you to consider joining any of the meetings this year on a range of topics, which will be held online and in person. Be on the lookout for invitations to follow from each Committee leader. The community meeting schedule for 2025-26 is linked HERE.
November Meetings:
November 3 - District Technology Advisory Committee (Tech Plan): 3:45-5:00pm - Havens Library. We are developing a new district-wide Technology Plan to guide our initiatives for the next five years, and we need your help! On Monday November 3rd, we'll work together to imagine and create a bold vision for how technology can best support our students' learning.This isn't just a meeting—it's an opportunity to dream about what's possible. Please join us to share your hopes and ideas for the future of technology in our schools.
November 3: 6-8:00pm - Circle Keeper Training + Refresher - Havens Library
Join Ina Bendich and Cory Wechsler to explore what circles are and how to effectively lead one, whether in the classroom or for the community. All experiences welcome! RJ Training
November 5: 7-8:30 pm - Beyond the Binary - PMS Library
Explore how gender intersects in helping young students think critically about themselves and others. Beyond the Binary
November 10 - DEIB Committee Meeting: 4:00-5:30pm - Havens Library
November 13 - Budget Advisory Committee Meeting: 4:00-5:30pm - District Office Board Room
November 18 - Special Education Advisory Meeting: 4:00-5:30pm - District Office Board Room
Thank you to the students and parents who who wrote to AC Transit officials and/or attended the AC Transit Board meeting two weeks ago to restore Bus 33 service to upper Piedmont. To those surveyed families, I recently sent out an opportunity to write to AC Transit to restore service. If you would like to join in this letter-writing effort, we could use your help to advocate for this critical transportation need.
Linked HERE is information below to assist you in sending a letter via email to the AC Transit staff and Board. We believe advocacy from our PUSD community can make a difference in calling attention to this important matter and potentially leading to the restoration of bus service to upper Piedmont.
Piedmont Unified School District
Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600