Parent Newsletter #37: 5/8/26

Website | Phone: (510) 594-2626

Location: 800 Magnolia Ave, Piedmont, CA 94611
Instagram: @piedmonthigh

Parent Newsletter: Archives | Parent Club

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,

It has been a busy and productive week. We are halfway through AP Testing, and it will continue for one more week. Just a quick note that the bells will remain off all next week to support our students who are testing.

I just wanted to express my thanks to our Parents' Club for their amazing food contributions this week. We are very lucky to have such a caring and supportive parent community. Let's just say we were very spoiled with the empanadas, donuts, and pastries that lasted us through most of the week.

Don't forget Mother's Day this Sunday. 18 days and counting folks....let's finish strong!

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

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

May 15: Parents' Club Meeting (9 am, AHT)

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

May 17: Advanced Robotics Open House (2 pm, Engineering Lab)

May 18: College Essay Workshop (1:30-4:30 pm, AHT)

May 18: Senior Awards (5-6:30 pm, AHT)

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

May 19: Student Panel - Looking Ahead: Advice from Graduating Seniors (7-8:30 pm, PMS MPR)

May 27: Cap & Gown Day (Academy)

On Wednesday night the Board provided direction with regards to personal, internet-connected devices (cell phones, smartwatches, etc.). The direction is to become free of internet-connected devices for all schools during the instructional day (bell-to-bell). The policy related to this will come to a future board meeting, and we will update guidance for current and future students to align with this.

The Wellness Center needs your help with donations of allergen free granola bars, popcorn, oranges and string cheese.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044EA9AD2EA1FC1-63542866-mental#/

You can drop the items off on or anytime before Tuesday, May 26 between 8:30am and 12pm at the Wellness Center, located in the Library/30s building at the high school. Marking donations with a note that says they are for Mental Health Awareness week is greatly appreciated and extremely helpful.

Thank you so much for supporting student mental health in our community.

Take care,

The Wellness Center Support Committee

Early Happy Mother's Day and thank you to the incredible moms in our community who do so much for our students, families, school and district!

Thanks also to the PHS Parents' Club Hospitality Team of Cortney Allen, Cindy Hinman, Shilpa Patel and Heidianne Pillsbury for their amazing planning and fabulous execution for this week's Teacher Appreciation brunch on Tuesday and lunch on Thursday. The staff loved both events very much. Thanks also to the ASB students who helped with setup and cleanup of the meals, and to the many parents who contributed desserts, beverages and financial support for the lunch.

The next Parents' Club meeting will be on Friday, May 15, at 9:00 am in the Alan Harvey Theater lobby. This will be our final meeting of the year, and we will be voting on next year's board roster and budget. We will also be thanking board members with graduating seniors who will be stepping off the board. As a thank you to all of our current board members and a welcome to next year's board members, we will provide a light breakfast and coffee to celebrate. Please join us! Here is the agenda:

PHS Parents' Club Meeting

May 15, 2026, 9:00-10:30am

Alan Harvey Theater Lobby

Agenda

I. Welcome

II. Approval of April 17, 2026 Minutes - Vote

III. Update on Mobile Device Board Policy

IV. Administrative Staff Report - Dr. Yoshihara and Mr. Marik

V. School Board Report - Ms. Struble

VI. Approval of Board Roster - Vote

VII. Approval of Board Budget - Vote

VIII. Recap & Recognition - Ms Baack & Ms. Lung

IX. Looking Forward - Ms. Andrea Zambrana

X. Announcements/Reminders

A. Amendments to Bylaws at First Meeting of 2026-2027 School Year

B. Walk-Through Registration Volunteers Needed

XI. Adjournment

Have a spectacular weekend,

Sally Baack and Dana Lung

Co-Presidents, PHS Parents' Club 2025-2026

You’re warmly invited to the Piedmont High School 2026 Spring Concert!

Get ready for a night of energy, nostalgia, and incredible talent!

Join us on Thursday, May 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the Alan Harvey Theater on the PHS campus for a vibrant, can’t-miss celebration of music—and a special tribute to our graduating seniors. The evening will also feature the presentation of our Senior Music Awards, honoring the dedication and achievements of our outstanding musicians.

Our four exceptional PHS ensembles—Choir, String Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band—will light up the stage under the direction of Trevor Chaix, delivering a dynamic program packed with audience favorites.

Travel from the big screen to the concert hall with music from Mulan, Ratatouille, How to Train Your Dragon, and La La Land. The Choir will bring the spirit of the ‘60s to life with hits from The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, and The Beatles. The Symphonic Band will have you grooving to the timeless sounds of ABBA, while the Orchestra performs the beloved Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. And don’t miss the Jazz Band’s showstopping take on Love Me or Leave Me, famously performed by Ella Fitzgerald.

Admission: A $5 donation is requested from adults to support the music program and help cover concert costs. Students attend free.

Come celebrate a fantastic year of music, support our talented performers, and send off our seniors in style. We can’t wait to see you there!

We’re hosting a PHS/MHS Student Panel - Looking Ahead: Advice from Graduating Seniors to give 10th/11th grade families a real, unfiltered look at what’s ahead next year, directly from current seniors.

Event details:

• Date: May 19

• Time: 7:00-8:00 PM

• Location: PMS Multipurpose Room

You’ll hear from a small group of seniors with different experiences and post-graduation plans as they share:

• What actually matters in the college application process

• How senior year workload really feels

• What they wish they had done differently prior to graduating

• How parents can best support (and what doesn’t help)

There will also be time for Q&A. Both parents and students welcome.

Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/uZSrqeqjZ87L74s67

You can view the original letter here. A big shout out to Parents' Club, students who participated, and all our amazing staff for their time and dedication. A special Thank You to Ms. Black for chairing the WASC process. We couldn't have done it without you!

We are very excited to see students connecting off of their devices and playing Hacky Sack! However, this should not happen during class time. Groups of students out of class are distracting to classes that are in session. Before/after school, passing periods, brunch, and lunch are all great times to play.

A warm thank you to everyone who helped make Prom such a special evening. Thank you to the Ferguson family for supporting the casino activities and to the Colberts for the photo booth — both adding so much fun to the night. Thank you to George White for the fantastic graphics and to Steven Thai for his beautiful watercolor sketches. We are grateful to Sabrina Casey, Frannie Cooley, Gisela Delventhal, Lara Dickinson, Venus French, James High, Catarina Rodrigues, Emily Shoop, and Pui-Wing Tam for their contributions, and to Arjan Flowers for the beautiful floral arrangement. We also extend our sincere appreciation to PEF, MHS, and PHS for their generous support — this evening would not have been possible without you. We truly appreciate the time, talent, and generosity of all involved.

2026 Senior Prom Committee -

Carrie Lee, Dawn Riordan, Melissa Wilk, Nadja Olson, Sacha Grippando

Please encourage your student to complete the pre-registration form for the May 18th Essay Workshop. It will start at 1:30pm and end at 4:30pm. This workshop will give rising seniors (current juniors) the opportunity to learn more about the Common App Essay and the Supplemental (Institutional) essays. There will be time for students to get started on these essays prior to the end of the school year. The workshop will be led by two RACC admission reps. Thank you in advance.

While this event is still scheduled for May 18th and provides a free-flow timeframe for families, I wanted encourage families to use this time to talk with the teachers and students about the learning that is happening. As such, this should not be a time to discuss individual topics (e.g. grades, attendance, classes, etc.). Please schedule an appointment with the teacher/counselor or follow the communication protocol below for these particular topics.

Parents of Rising Seniors,

Please check your email for a message about the UC ELC program and authorization form that was sent to all parents of Rising Seniors. Parent authorization is required in order for your child to be considered for the program. If you haven't already, the deadline to respond is Sunday, May 17th.

The UC Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program ensures that top-performing California students - drawn from the top 9% of each participating school - have the opportunity to attend a UC campus. ELC requires participating schools to submit student contact data and record information for the top 15% of rising seniors after final junior year grades are confirmed. We cannot release this information to UC without your permission.

For more information about the UC ELC program go to: UC ELC Program Information.

We have released the final master schedule to staff earlier this week. Departments are now reviewing course assignments for possible changes. Are are also hiring a few staff that will take their places within the master schedule. Counselors will also begin calling in students with critical gaps (e.g. missing biology in 9th grader) in their schedule. This does not affect many students, but it important in ensuring students requests are met.

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.

Attendance Reminders:

• The office will take care of attendance for students scheduled to test.
• Students are expected to be in class before or after exams, even if that means reporting late. Absences will not be excused if you are not scheeled for an exam.

This weekend 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
• 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)

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!

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.

Interested in helping at the event? Sign up to volunteer here!

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

This week's report was run from 3/23-4/24 (4 weeks). 116 students had perfect attendance during this period. This includes:

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

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

I will stop reporting daily attendance for the reminder of the year. We have AP Testing which skews the data and then just a matter of days left after that. We will continue to work on tardies and absences next year as well.

Thank you to everyone who has attended our meetings this year - it has been such a wonderful space to share ideas and feel supported. We look forward to our final meetings in May!

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

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

Facilitators: Sarah Puckett, Maggie Mittan

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

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

• Very proud of our students (Olivia B, Diego B, Mina H, and Andson) who presented to the Piedmont City Council on May 4 about the harm of tobacco on youth and proposing a ban on tobacco sales.