Parent Newsletter #23: 1/24/25

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,

It is hard to believe that we are already in the last week of January. We invite all families to the PHS Musical this coming Thursday through Sunday in the AHT.

Spring sports is around the corner, and we invite our families to come out and enjoy some soccer or basketball before the season wraps up. We are 3 weeks from mid-winter break, and it'll be here before you know it.

Enjoy the weekend!

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

January 30-February 2: PHS Musical

February 7: Last day to drop a semester 2 class

February 8: Winter Ball (Upperclassmen only)

February 11: College & Career Open House (6:30-8:30pm in AHT)

Wednesday - Academic Support for all

Friday:

• 9th graders in Homeroom for SEL survey and Homeroom
• 10-12th academic support for 10th-12th Homeroom teachers

Students can tag their teacher for homework help, study support or assessment questions. Remind your child to tag a teacher in FlexiSched starting Tuesday morning at 8am.

Tuesday, February 11

6:30 to 8:30PM

Alan Harvey Theater

All PHS/MHS students and families are invited to the first Open House for our College & Career Center. Whether you're a freshman just beginning to explore possibilities or a junior planning for your applications this fall, this event will showcase all the different ways the district can help support and inspire your post-high school plans.

• Meet Stefanie Manalo-LeClair, the new College & Career Center Director
• Discover how PHS is preparing students for diverse future opportunities including gap years and career plans
• Learn about how the CCC partners with Academic Counselors, particularly during the college application process
• Get some college SWAG! We have free college posters, pennants, magnets, pens, etc. for over 100 schools!

Please RSVP HERE so we have an idea of attendance.

On Wednesday, I was able to watch our boys basketball take on Alameda High School. I was dismayed, not at the outcome the scores (our boys played well), but for our fan behavior. I know we can model excellent fan behavior. That was not on display Thursday night. Here are my collective thoughts:

• It is OKAY to cheer on our team (and be loud about it)
• It is okay to have friendly jeers re: ref calls (e.g. "you can't do that")
• It is okay to have friendly chants against the other team (e.g. "start the busses")
• It is not okay to call out specific players on the opposing team in any form
• It is not okay to refer to the familial (e.g. mother, grandmother, etc.)
• It is not okay to engage with the other team in anything other than a cordial manner

I will work on a message to all students by early next week. I hope we can continue to represent our best selves at all events, letting families (and athletes) know why PHS is a special, positive place. The NCS Spectator Code is attached, and I've highlighted the items this specific message tries to address.

Thank you to all our parents and students who attended the information night last Wednesday. We appreciate the great questions and hope you found it informative. We were able to get a recording and will share it below. Please direct any questions to your counselor or administration.

• 10-12th Grade Parent Info Night, Part 1 (Big file: 3.51 Gb)
• 10-12th Grade Parent Info Night, Part 2 (439 Mb)
• 10-12th Grade Parent Info Night Slide Deck

We are well underway with course selection for our students. One of the new offerings we are considering are Dual Enrollment Courses. This was approved by the Board back on December 11. There are five dual enrollment courses that are listed for students to consider:

1. Calculus III
2. Linear Algebra
3. Discrete Math
4. Differential Equations
5. Entrepreneurship

Because we are still articulating with the college district, we do not have more definitive information for families at this point, including which courses are being offered and the times we can offer them. Here are the recommendations and need-to-knows, however:

• If a student lists any of the math courses above as either their "main" or "alternate", we will reach back out to them once the math offerings are finalized to see if they are willing and able to take it.
• If a student lists Entrepreneurship as either their "main" or "alternative", we will reach back to them to discuss which course(s) in this pathway we will be able to offer.
• We plan to offer these courses on our high school campus.
• We plan to offer these courses either shortly after school or at the end of the school day (periods 6/7).
• We plan to offer at least one course in the fall and one in the spring (2026).
• We plan to allow any dual enrollment course onto the college transcript with the extra grade "bump", similar to AP course offerings.

More information will follow in coming newsletters. Please reach out to your counselor or administration if you have additional questions.

Help us show the PHS faculty and staff our LOVE for them with a Valentine's Day Brunch! Please drop off all donated items to the Teacher's Lounge by 9am on Friday, February 14, 2025. Also, please feel free to drop off donated items to 57 Bellevue Avenue by Thursday, February 13, 2025. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Shaya at 510-282-7899.

Sign up here.

Our nutrition services staff has been doing yeoman's work this year. They have made many new additions and been willing to try menu options based on student feedback. I have received many compliments from the student body about the food received.

Starting next Tuesday, students will have the option to purchase hash browns (comes with 2 for $2.50), in addition to the daily complimentary menu item. While this may not taste exactly like fast food or look like the picture, it should be a nice addition to the offerings our students have on a daily basis.

The concept of Academy has been in place at secondary schools for three years. As we look to the 2025-26 school year, we want to get some input regarding Academy for you/your child(ren). Thank you for taking a few minutes to help with this important work. We will also get students to do the survey during Academy time as well.

• Parent Survey re: Academy
• Student Survey re: Academy

Upcoming Grade Level Meetings:

• 11th Grade: Thursday, January 23 from 7:30-9:00 pm
  Contact sarabironside@gmail.com or jen.c.ferg@gmail.com for details
• 12th Grade: Tuesday, January 21 from 7:00-8:30 pm
  Topic: Final stretch of senior year and the transition to what’s next
  Contact katie.gudiksen@gmail.com for location

To support PPN and help bring in more speakers and community events that support our parents - join HERE.

We are in the midst of course selection for next year. As counselors begin to meet with students and staff provides informational nights, you can review the updated 2025-26 Course Catalog on our website or as a single document. Thank you for having your child(ren) at PHS.

Course changes: The last day to add a semester 2 course is January 22. The last day to drop a course without a "W" withdraw on the transcript is February 7.

Semester grades: Grades are posted in Infinite Campus. Counselors will be reviewing the grades and connecting with students if needed.

Seniors - Mid Year Reports: Counselors will be uploading semester grades to Common App mid year grade reports next week.

Seniors should continue to keep their grades up. We will send in a final transcript to their chosen college. Colleges expect you will keep up the rigor you represented in your application.

Course Registration

Counselors have gone into your students' classes to discuss entering their course requests for the 25-26 school year through their Infinite Campus account.

A signed printed copy of the course request from Infinite Campus is due to the counseling office by February 7th.

Things to know and use in this process:

In the counseling portion of the website, look for

a) course catalog where students can see course progression, prerequisites and recommendations.

b) course selection process documents- 4 year plan, AP/ Honors expectations, time management worksheet.

c) directions on how to enter course requests on the course selection process.

d) parent night presentations will be uploaded soon to the website

Please encourage your student to come by the counseling office to ask questions or email us.

This week's student is Toby Fleisher. We start off by having staff share some thoughts on Toby.

What quality(ies) best describes this student? Helpful

How long have you known the student? 1.5 years

What is the most memorable event you have of this student? When he played for the orchestra concert in December with barely any rehearsals at all and did such a fantastic job.

How does this student Achieve the Honorable? He goes above and beyond playing for ensembles that are outside of class (orchestra concerts and the musical)

If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Funny

And from Toby himself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience was spending time with my friends on a weekend-long ski trip.
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? PHS is a very competitive but friendly community. It seems a little intimidating, but set and focus on your own goals.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? Infinite supply of chocolate chip cookies.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? Thank you for working so hard and sacrificing so much of your lives to ensure I end up at my best.
   
5. What is your favorite word? Note sure
   
6. What is your favorite song? Lead the Way - Mariah Carey or Earth Song - Michael Jackson
7. What is your favorite food? Not sure
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This is a photo from when I went flying with my mom's family friends in Alaska. We took off from this lake and flew over glaciers.

• Kudos to our custodial crew: Marcos, Pilar, both Maria's, Alma, and Yudith. It is their high standards that allow us to have such a beautiful campus. Thanks for taking such pride in your work!

Thanks to all those that participated in the Highlander Trivia question in the last newsletter. We had strong participation. There were two parts to this last Trivia question.

The questions were: Our students do very well on standardized tests. For our CAASPP ELA/Literacy test, given last year to our juniors, what percent met or exceeded state standards? (to the nearest percent is fine). The correct answer to this was 93%

The second question was: For our CAASPP Mathematics test, given last year to our juniors, what percent met or exceeded state standards? (to the nearest percent is fine). The correct answer to this was 79%.

Congratulations to Tsukasa S. who got both answers correct. Perhaps you were able to find this information publicly and congratulations! Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize.