Parent Newsletter #21: 12/19/25

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

2025-26 School Profile | Student Handbook

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

Dear Highlander Families,

Finals are in the rearview mirror, 2026 is straight ahead, and a bright sunrise is not far behind (maybe after a few rainy days though). I hope everyone can find some time to relax, spend quality moments with those you care about, and rejuvenate.

The first semester has been very busy, and I venture semester two will be equally so. Just a reminder that course signups are due at midnight on January 12th so please review the information in the catalog and on the website before then. We have made some changes, implemented new courses, and aim to meet the expectations of as many families as possible for 2026-27.

Thanks to all our wonderful parent volunteers for the amazing staff luncheon last Tuesday (see photos below). See you all on the other side of the calendar!

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

December 19: End of Semester 1

December 22-January 6: Winter Holiday for Students

January 11: Build Like a Girl (1:30-3 pm, Student Center)

January 12: Course selections close for all students

January 12: Semester 1 grades available

January 12: Date of Eligibility

January 26: Student Health & Wellness Workshop (6-8pm, AHT)

February 7: Winter Ball

This past Tuesday, the PHS Parents' Club hosted a holiday luncheon for faculty and staff to wish them well before the break and thank them for all that they do. We are grateful to our wonderful Hospitality Committee of Cortney Allen, Cindy Hinman, Shilpa Patel, and Heidianne Pillsbury for organizing the event. Thanks also to all of the PHS families who generously contributed desserts, beverages, flowers, and monetary donations to enhance a lovely catered lunch. It was a fabulous demonstration of our gratitude to the PHS professionals who help educate our students every day.

Also this past week, the PHS Parents' Club awarded its annual grants to teachers for curriculum and program needs to enhance the student learning experience in the classroom. Kudos to our amazing Grants Committee of Claire Arno, Barbara Dickason, Katie Gudiksen, Amelie Kappes, Nairobi Kim, Judy Lin, Dennis Sidbury, and Sabrina Smith for diligently and thoughtfully reviewing the applications and deciding the grants. The teachers will receive their grant awards early next semester.

Our next Parents' Club meeting will be on Friday, January 16, at 9:00 am in the Alan Harvey Theater lobby. We hope you will join us for the first meeting of 2026 when our guest speaker will be Ruth Alahydoian, PUSD's Chief Business Officer, who will inform us about the District's financials and the PHS budget. We look forward to seeing you.

In the meantime, we wish you and your families a very wonderful holiday season and a restful and rejuvenating break.

Happy Holidays,

Sally Baack and Dana Lung

Co-Presidents, PHS Parents' Club 2025-2026

Have a daughter who is curious about robotics? Sign her up for our special Build Like a Girl event presented by Piedmont Makers. She’ll get to hear from and speak to a panel of girls in middle and high school involved in robotics plus we have a special guest - a woman roboticist who will talk about robotics as a career! Plus she’ll get a chance to try her hand at driving a real live robot. Don’t miss out on the fun!

January 11 - 1:30 to 3pm at PHS Student Center. Please RSVP at this Link here so we have enough refreshments.

Senior Launchpad Seminars - Sign up now!

Welcome to 2nd semester senior year! There is a lot to look forward to as you get ready for this next stage of life. Senior Launchpad provides practical life skills to prepare you for college and beyond. Two sessions are currently planned. Sessions are FREE, but space is limited to 50 students, so sign up now!

Session 1: Sexpectations with Natasha Singh

Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: PHS Library

Sign up HERE

Calling all artists and writers! The Piedmont Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee (PADC) invites K-12 students to submit their art or writing inspired by the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The art and writing will be showcased at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Monday, Jan. 19. (Check out last year’s amazing work!). All participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of 10 gift cards to Mulberry’s. The deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 14.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Choosing our Future: Chaos or Community.” Students are asked to create a piece of art or writing imagining what they’d like our future community to look like.

Art should be made on 8.5. X 11 paper; writing should be limited to one page. It can be dropped off at the front office of your school or uploaded to PADC’s website. Please include your name somewhere on your work. If you are dropping it off, please fill out and attach this form.

More info is available at www.padc.info/artandwriting. Questions? Please reach out to Ellen Lee at hiellenlee@gmail.com.

Thank you to all the families that were able to come out to the 10th-12th grade course information night. I am bummed that the video did not work properly. It seems to have the camera panned incorrectly. Nonetheless, I will share it for families who would like to follow along.

• Rising 10th-12th Grade Course Info Night Video Pt 1
• Rising 10th-12th Grade Course Info Night Video Pt 2
• Rising 10th-12th Grade Course Info Night Audio Pt 1
• Rising 10th-12th Grade Course Info Night Audio Pt 2
• Slide Deck

During winter break especially – and throughout the year – parents can manage their child’s time on a PUSD Chromebook using the GoGuardian Parent App.

Get Started Quickly

• Download the GoGuardian Parent App:
• Download via Apple Store
• Download via Google Play Store
• Open the app and enter the email address you use with the school.
• Check your email for the verification link and tap “Verify your email.”
• If using another device for email, select “Login with verification code” and paste the code from your email.

What Parents Can Do with the App

• View Chromebook browsing activity.
• Turn off internet access anytime after school hours.
• Block specific sites.
• Controls apply only to the school-issued Chromebook.
• More info: GoGuardian Parent for Guardians

PUSD is partnering with Inspirit AI to offer an in-person, 31.5-hour AI program hosted at Piedmont HS. The summer program will teach students in grades 6-12 fundamental AI concepts and guide them to build socially impactful projects such as safe ChatGPT bots, exoplanet search, self-driving car systems, and more! Stanford and MIT alumni and graduate students in AI will lead the program in-person from June 8-18, 2026. Separate middle and high school sections will be offered. Please read more information in the program brochure and apply here. Program contact: Jared Greene, jared@inspiritai.com.

Course selection is just around the corner. Our website has been updated and contains the most current information. Please check it out under the counseling tab. There are a few tabs that may be most relevant for this: Course Catalog, Course Selection Process, and AP & Honors Classes.

Please Note: Course selection is due on January 12 at 11:59 pm.

We will be offering the SAT on Monday, March 16th. The test can be ordered in IC and will be available through 2/13/26. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Marik.

This is a reminder that any volunteers completed during semester 1 must be submitted into Mobile Serve by January 10th, 2026. See the Student Handbook for more details on volunteering and the Piedmont Honors Society.

We are thankful for all the time parents put into volunteering, and so very thankful for the financial support that your families provide our schools. Together, our contributions make up nearly 7% of our school's budget. That might not seem like a large number, but believe us it makes all the difference. Imagine what our schools would be like without those funds. Larger class sizes, less qualified teachers, fewer counselors, and the list goes on.

So far this year, 49% of PUSD families have contributed to the Giving Campaign. It’s crunch time. Let’s not rely on only half of our families to carry our schools. If you haven’t made a gift, now is the time. Send a check to Piedmont Education Foundation at 401 Highland Ave, or give online at PiedmontEdFoundation.org/Donate.

As part of our ongoing efforts to minimize classroom disruptions and protect instructional time, snacks will be distributed only during brunch, lunch, and passing periods.

Please do not be tardy to class in your pursuit of snacks. Be healthy and be on time!

[This is just a repeat from last week. This was an unusual week so we'll pick this up during the first full week in January]

This week's report was run from 11/3-12/5 (4 weeks). 189 students had perfect attendance during this period. This includes:

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

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

12/8: 33 tardies to period 1 (1/11/6/15)

12/9: 23 tardies to period 1 (2/3/8/10)

12/10: 21 tardies to period 2 (4/8/8/1)

12/11: 21 tardies to period 1 (6/8/2/5)

12/12: 12 tardies to period 27 (3/6/11/7)

We had a couple close ones this week...for the freshmen they had only one tardy on Monday and two on Tuesday--so close! Seniors were very close on Wednesday with only one tardy as well. Let's see if we can pull a no-hitter next week for continued rewards if a class can pull it off.

What is PPN?

Piedmont Parents Network (PPN) is a parent-run organization that holds monthly meetings to provide parents with the opportunity to meet, connect and discuss issues affecting their child, the school, and our community All parents of students at PHS/PMS/MHS are welcome - there are no membership dues - RSVP and show up!

When are the next meetings?

12th Grade:

Next: Thursday, January 22: 7:30-9:00 pm

Facilitators: Sara Ironside, Jen Ferguson

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

Meetings for the remainder of the year:

• Tuesday, February 24: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Tuesday, March 24: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Thursday, April 23: 7:30-9:00 pm

• Tuesday, May 19: 7:30-9:00 pm

11th Grade:

Thursday, January 22: 7:00-8:30 pm

If you have thoughts, please fill out this form: Google Form for 11 Grade

Facilitator: Kristen Brett

RSVP: kbrett@srvusd.net

Meetings for the remainder of the year:

• Wednesday, February 25: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Thursday, March 26: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Thursday, April 23: 7:00-8:30 pm

9th Grade:

Thursday, January 29: 7:00-8:30 pm

Facilitators: Judy Lin, Yoko Ichikawa, Anne Hawkins

RSVP: hawkins42@gmail.com for location information

Upcoming Meetings:

• Friday, February 27: 8:45-10:15 am

• Thursday, March 19: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Friday, April 24: 8:45-10:15 am

• Thursday, May 21: 7:00-8:30 pm

• Thanks to our amazing parent community for bringing this year to a fantastic close. I am excited by what 2026 has in store!