Parent Newsletter #31: 3/28/25

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,

Well, here we are, wrapping up the last week of March. These are some of the most vibrant times at PHS with art shows, plays, musical contests, and a plethora of athletic events daily. We have great spirit every day, and I encourage us to continue the Highlander energy.

Next week we will continue state testing for our juniors with 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, come enjoy Dracula today or tomorrow (7 pm, AHT) or The Grown Ups next Wednesday through Friday (7 pm, PAC 212-Drama Classroom).

Best,

Dr. Yoshihara

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 7-11: Spring Break

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

April 21: CAASPP Testing (Science, juniors only)

April 24: Piedmont Adult School 50 yr Anniversary (6 pm, 801 Magnolia)

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

May 1: Phantasmagoria (PHS/MHS Talent Show)

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

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

We have had a number of people ask about general spirit wear for students, parents, and anyone who wants to support PHS. It took us some time to find a local vendor and mockups for the designs. We think we have some fun spirit wear for anyone who may be interested. Lots of purple and lots of school spirit. Please go to Infinite Campus (School Store) to pick out the items and sizes you want.

Sizes are available in children and adult. We will need to have 12 items total before we can place the order with the vendor. It will then take about 10 business days to receive. The first order may be a little slower as we learn how to make this work. Please email PHS admin if you have any questions.

And for all you Σ Hunters, we have the gear for you. Check it out in the IC School Store as well and wear your apparel proudly. Only you get to participate in the Hunt!

The 2025 yearbook has been sent to Jostens for printing! The editors and staff worked diligently and created a fantastic, inclusive yearbook - 98% of PHS/MHS students are in the yearbook three or more times! Thank you to all of the parents and students who shared photos with us this year and helped us tell the story of the 2024-2025 school year. There are limited copies of the yearbook left to order -- please don't delay in ordering a copy for your student(s). Please click on this link for purchasing information and other yearbook details as this year comes to a close: PHS Yearbook Bulletin.

If you have any questions, please reach out to PHS Yearbook Adviser Melanie McCauley mmccauley@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Hello, Juniors!

The sign-up lists for the AP English Entrance Exam are now posted on the wall outside the PHS Counseling Office.

You are required to take this exam to be eligible to take AP Literature next year. This exam is to make sure that the class is a good fit for you. Once you take the test, you alone decide whether you want to take AP Literature next year. Your score does not determine your eligibility, nor is it later reflected in your course grade. If you choose not to take the exam, you will automatically be moved into English 7-8.

There are 30 slots available per testing section. You must sign up for a test section with open slots. We cannot guarantee a testing slot for students who do not sign up.

There are FOUR opportunities to take this exam:

• Tuesday 4/1 @ 3:45-4:45 in room 30
• Thursday 4/3 @ 7:25-8:25 in room 32
• Friday 4/4 @ 7:25-8:25 in room 30
• Friday 4/4 @ 3:00-4:00 in room 30

Seating is limited for each testing time and location. Take note of the date and time of your exam. Remember: Students who do not take this AP English Entrance exam are not eligible to take the class.

If you have any questions, you can speak with Ms. Foster (Rm. 30), Ms. Black (Rm. 32), or Dr. Marks (Rm. 31).

Seniors, don't forget to buy your Prom tickets now! You don't want to miss out on this unforgettable night. Dinner, dancing, and entertainment. Transportation included. This year's theme is Masquerade Ball, so get ready for a night of mystery, glamour, and magic. Tickets on the Piedmont Store. Prom is Saturday, April 26th.

If your senior did not get their ticket at brunch this week, please contact Natalie Williamson - natalie.williamson@gmail.com.

Where There Be Dragons will be visiting Piedmont High School during lunchtime on Wednesday, April 2.

Dragons offers immersive Summer and Gap Year Programs for students aged 15-22 seeking an alternative to mainstream travel. Small group adventures are mentored by expert instructors and offer homestays, language learning, rugged travel, and more! Programs are offered in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and North America.

Feel free to reach out with any questions!

info@wheretherebedragons.com

www.wheretherebedragons.com

Note: We do not endorse any particular company but wanted to pass on information that may be useful to our students and families.

Gather your team to create one of the novelty holes for Piedmont's 2nd annual Pop-Up Putt-Putt Course!

The 18-hole course will be set up in the Piedmont Park Parking Lot and feature community entries from neighborhoods, families, schools and local organizations. After the course is installed on the morning of April 27th, it will be open for community play from 12:00–4:00 pm!

How to Enter

Those interested in designing a hole for the course should fill out an entry the form (click the button below or HERE). Deadline to enter is April 10th. Get creative, clever and have fun with your design!

There will be prizes for Best Overall Entry, Most Creative, Most Clever and Best Use of Recycled Materials!

Piedmont Pop-Up Putt-Putt & Picnic in the Park

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Course Open for Play: 12:00–4:00 pm

Piedmont Park Parking Lot

In case you need a few ideas to get the ball a rollin’…

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)

AP tests are coming in May. This year parents will help proctor the exams and we need your help! We need volunteers from May 5 through May 16 and PHS is offering several AP exams beyond offered courses. Proctoring times are approximately 7:45 am to 12:00pm or 11:45 am to 4:00 pm. Please sign up here if you can help.

If your student is taking any AP exams (or plans to in the future), you are strongly encouraged to support this effort. If your student or other immediate family member is taking an exam, please sign up to proctor a different exam. Other restrictions are described in the Sign-up link. If you aren't ready to sign up for a particular time slot and are still willing to help, please add your name to this google sheet and we will contact you.

Please note: There will be a training session for all proctors before the AP exam weeks.

Questions, please contact Joe Marik (jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us), Katie Gudiksen (katie.gudiksen@gmail.com), Leslie Pfister (pfisterbusiness@gmail.com) or Nairobi Kim (robikim@gmail.com)

Testing continues on 4/1 and 4/2 for all 11th graders. All other grades will have other activities planned.

11th graders, please report to your testing room where you will start the next test in the sequence. Please remember to bring wired headphones.

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

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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!

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

1. What quality(ies) best describes this student? Livi is a very bright, hardworking, and conscientious student. She is friendly and brings a positive energy to class. I can tell she is passionate about the French language and she is often seen helping her classmates with assignments.
2. How long have you known the student? I have known Livi for two years, since she started in French BC at PMS last year as a 9th grader (as far as I know, the first and now only 9th grader to take BC!)
3. What is the most memorable event you have of this student? A fond memory I have of Livi is her performance of En été (‘In summer’) from La Reine des neiges (‘Frozen') while wearing an Olaf costume for our Semester 1 World Language Singing Competition this year. Despite wearing the full-body costume, Livi sang loud and proud and was audible for the whole amphitheatre, and I think it made for an amusing performance.
4. How does this student Achieve the Honorable? Livi Achieves the Honorable by doing her best every day and being a model student for her younger classmates.
5. If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Loyal (to her friends, and of course her favorite artist, Taylor Swift)

And from Livi herself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience this year has been being part of the girls’ cross country and track team. This team is incredibly encouraging and tight-knit, and even though we’re all at different skill levels and come from different friend groups, we’ve built strong connections and truly care about each other. A small but meaningful part of it is how my teammates always greet me in the hallway at school; it’s a simple gesture that reminds me of how much we support each other. Running itself is so liberating, and it’s amazing to be able to share that freedom with such a lovely group of people. Join the team!
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 has an incredible community with so many different personalities, which is something I really appreciate about our school. When I moved to Piedmont, I felt accepted instantly and found my people right away. I have an amazing group of friends here, and there are so many people who are just really friendly. If a person is having a hard time talking to people, I recommend joining a sport or trying out for the school musical because you can meet so many wonderful people whom you never would have talked to otherwise.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? If I were in charge at PHS, I would try to reduce the frequency of tests so that there is more of an emphasis on learning rather than constant performance. I would love to introduce more balanced and creative ways to assess a student so that learning can feel meaningful rather than a competition for high scores. Also, one test, such as the SAT, shouldn’t define a student’s academic ability. I’d try to shift the focus away from grades in general because they take over so many people’s thoughts, and instead find more ways to prioritize school spirit and bring students together, making school a place we enjoy learning instead of stressing over.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? I would say thank you for always being by my side, believing in me even when I struggle to believe in myself, and for helping me find my way through life; I couldn’t imagine being where I am today without you.
   
5. What is your favorite word? That’s a hard one. Right now, I’m thinking of lethargy. I was sick a couple of weeks ago, and when I heard the word, I was stunned because the definition perfectly described how tired and out of it I felt. I had never heard a word that had captured what I was going through so well, and I found it satisfying to finally give that feeling a name.
   
6. What is your favorite song? Right now, I’m really into Daylight by Taylor Swift. I love any Taylor Swift song, but it changes depending on the season and my current mood.
7. What is your favorite food? I love the Sweet Little Pig from Pizzeria Violetta!
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This photo is special to me because it captures one of the most special places in my life: my summer camp in Vermont! Sleeping in platform tents and listening to the sounds of nature at night is one of the most calming and grounding experiences for me. Every summer, camp gives me the chance to grow, form incredible friendships, and appreciate the simple joys of life. This spot, next to my tent, represents a place where I feel completely at home, surrounded by the beauty of Vermont and the magic of camp.

• Kudos to Sophia P. This is a young lady who goes out of her way to make your day brighter--from her "hellos" to her smile, she exhibits the best that PHS has to offer.
• A Shout Out to Jack M. He is an athlete and such a down-to-earth person. Unassuming in his demeanor, polite in his interactions, he can always make your day better. [modified slightly on 3/31]
• Appreciation to Andrew C. Whether he is slapping the sticks in band or giving you a fist bump, I look forward to having Andrew greet me each day.

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

The question for last week was: As many know, schools are required to block sites that could be harmful to students. Filters work behind the scenes to ensure this 24/7/365. For the week ending March 15, how many unique sites were blocked by our network filters?. The correct answer to this is 2,146 sites blocked.

We had great participation, and we have a repeat winner. Congratulations to Trenton Downing (Σ Trivia Winner!) who got the closest with his answer of 2,222. Very impressive! Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize--I guess he likes those Crumbl cookies.