Parent Newsletter #34: 4/17/26

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,

Well, our seniors received their cap and gowns today so I'm sure it is starting to feel real. With prom next Saturday, the end is coming at us quickly. AP Testing is just around the corner and then all the year-end events begin. Wow!

In the meantime, the last day of state testing (science) will be on Monday so we'll be on a special schedule. We will also have our spring dance concert next Thursday and Friday. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend.

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

The photos below are from the spring break trip to China. Thanks to Ms. Xia (amazing Chinese teacher), Dr. Hawn, Ms. Van Kleeck, and all our amazing parent chaperones for making this experience memorable for our students.

April 20: State Testing (Special Schedule)

April 20: Boosters Meeting (7 pm, Library)

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

May 3: Maker Faire (11-3 pm, PHS) [Revised date]
May 18: Open House (6:45-8:15 pm, PHS)

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.

Thank you to all who attended our PHS Parents' Club meeting this morning. It was nice to be in a different venue. Dr. Hawn was a late addition to the agenda and kicked off the meeting by presenting a new communication protocol (more below) in response to our recent discussions about providing staff feedback. It was a good first step, and we appreciate Dr. Hawn creating the protocol, sharing it with us on a hectic day and receiving our initial input. We also heard from Dr. Alisa Crovetti, Wellness Center Clinical Supervisor, who provided a very informative overview of the free, confidential counseling services on campus. We are grateful for Dr. Crovetti's flexibility in allowing a couple of agenda changes.

In addition, we observed a moment of silence to honor Ms. LaTanya Lloyd, PHS Attendance Secretary, and to pay our respects to her grieving family. We also send our condolences to PHS staff who are mourning her passing.

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 great weekend,

Sally Baack and Dana Lung

Co-Presidents, PHS Parents' Club 2025-2026

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!

We are asking families to Save The Date for our inaugural Open House to be held on May 18th, from 6:45 to 8:15 pm. More info to follow, but families will have an opportunity to visit classrooms for a culminating experience. We anticipate everything from project presentation, to labs, to student performances.

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!

For all out Bird Calling enthusiasts, the video came out well. It is a large file (>5GB) so it may ask for you to download it. Otherwise, another huge thanks to Sally Baack for keeping this tradition alive. Onto next year's planning, I'm sure.

57th Annual Bird Calling Video: Recorded on 3/20/26

The Bridging the Bay club hosted the French exchange students during lunch on 3/20. Students sat in groups and compared life in France with life here in Piedmont. It was a great 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.

There’s still time to respond to our "Call for Makers" and exhibit at the School Maker Faire! 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

Need a spark? Our website has a bunch of project ideas to get you started. But honestly, the best projects are the ones you're already excited about.

This week's report was run from 3/2-4/3 (4 weeks). 118 students had perfect attendance during this period. This includes:

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

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

4/13: 18 tardies to period 1 (3/6/5/4)

4/14: 18 tardies to period 1 (4/4/4/6)

4/15: 18 tardies to period 2 (2/7/6/3)

4/16: 11 tardies to period 1 (5/2/1/3)

4/17: 14 tardies to period 2 (4/5/3/2)

Tardies this past week have hovered about 18 on most days. Each day, some grade levels got close, but no perfect days this past week.

Piedmont Parents Network (PPN) invites you to join us for an upcoming speaker event:

Tuesday, April 28: 7:00-8:30 pm: The Early Signs: Recognizing and Preventing Eating Disorders: Location: PHS Student Center: Eating disorders are rising at an alarming rate, and we are seeing these conditions in increasingly younger children. This talk explores the unique risks facing today's youth, including the significant growth in diagnoses among boys and the heightened risks for student athletes. Dr. Lauren Hartman will help us cut through the noise of conflicting health and diet messaging to help us gain confidence in identifying early warning signs; and to learn evidence-based strategies to foster healthy attitudes toward food and bodies. This event is open to all parents/caregivers in our community.

The author of Freeing Children and Young Adults from Shame, Scales and Stigma, Dr. Hartman is a double-board certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist with nearly 20 years of expertise in treating children, adolescents, and young adults. She maintains a private practice in Berkeley, California: Aspen Grove Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine where she specializes in eating disorders. Dr. Hartman will present for about an hour, and then will engage in discussion and Q&A with the group.

If you plan to attend, please fill out THIS FORM - the form is anonymous but will give us an idea of how many attendees to expect, and will allow us to collect questions for Dr. Hartman in advance.

12th Grade:

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 23: 7:30-9:00 pm

Facilitators: Sara Ironside, Jen Ferguson

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

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

11th Grade:

Last Meeting of the Year: Thursday, April 23: 7:00-8:30 pm

Please email if you are willing to host.

Facilitator: Kristen Brett

RSVP: kbrett@srvusd.net

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: 8-9:30 pm

9th Grade:

Next Meeting: Friday, April 24: 8:45-10:15 am

Facilitators: Judy Lin, Yoko Ichikawa, Anne Hawkins

RSVP: hawkins42@gmail.com for location information

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

I know we have many items left behind each day. For me, phones seem a bit more important. If this looks familiar and you want to claim it, please email the principal with a description of the screensaver. Thank you and I hope it finds its owner.

• Thank You to Rabia and Zafar for such an amazing introduction to your artwork. You are both amazing narrators and artists!