Parent Newsletter #22: 1/17/25

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,

We are on the eve of a three-day weekend. It was interesting in that I was having a conversation with my teens yesterday, and we were talking about having Monday off and noted it was in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. My son shared that, "wasn't he the guy that let us all use drinking fountains" and my daughter chimes in "and bathrooms?".

We didn't consult Siri or AI but had a genuine conversation around the important work Martin Luther King Jr. did. His accomplishments in Civil Rights is critical to where we are today. I am hopeful we can continue to build on those victories as we tackle tough issues around race and belonging in our schools.

On a different note, all 9th-11th grade students should be considering course selection for next year and semester 1 grades are currently available. We'll see everyone on Tuesday.

Warmly,

Dr. Yoshihara

January 20: Federal Holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

January 22: Last day to add a semester class

January 30-February 2: PHS Musical

Wednesday will be Academic Support. Remember to tag a teacher!

Friday will be special activities in students' homeroom Academies.

• 9th graders will participate in a Consent Workshop
• 10th, 11th and 12th graders will complete the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and California Healthy Kids surveys (9th graders will complete these surveys the following Friday)

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 Skylar Best. We start off by having staff share some thoughts on Skylar.

What quality(ies) best describes this student? She is conscientious, organized, persistent. She works really hard to meet deadlines and to go above and beyond with her work.

How long have you known the student? I've known her since August, but also a little bit before that as she used to come to the campus with her dad when she was a little girl. She was so cute and inquisitive and very strong minded.

What is the most memorable event you have of this student? Skylar enjoys a good joke and it is great to hear her laugh.

How does this student Achieve the Honorable? Skylar is an excellent student who is on top of everything and is so well-rounded. She is also an excellent athlete.

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

And from Skylar herself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience this year was winning the Clovis Invitational with my cross country team!
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? I would say to an interested student that wants to come to PHS that the classes challenge you to have a complex understanding of the material and show your knowledge in critical ways. My experience with the teachers here have been very positive and they truly take the time to help students gain a deeper knowledge on the subject and really care about the students' learning.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? If I was in charge of PHS I would push for more school dances for underclassmen and increase the number of elective classes available.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? If I could share one sentence with my parents it would be: I appreciate all your advice and guidance, you have enabled me to take on challenges and overcome obstacles I didn't think I could accomplish.
   
5. What is your favorite word? Currently my favorite word is introspective.
   
6. What is your favorite song? My favorite song at the moment is Right Down The Line by Gerry Rafferty.
7. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is dim sum.
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This is a photo of me in Boston on part of the Freedom Trail. Over the summer, my family and I traveled a lot. We visited the east coast to see family and explore the area.

• Thank you to Dennis for being among the most consistent parents in our brunch and lunch every day. I think he knows more of the students than I do 😀.
• Kudos to our counselors (Ms. Carlson, Ms. Hoang, and Mr. Hartford) for their efforts last Wednesday at the Parent Information Night for rising 10th-12th graders.
• Also much appreciation for to Ms. Taylor, Ms. Black, and Ms. Cota for sharing departmental information at the Parent Information Night.

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

The question was: You may have noticed many of those 8 foot beautiful teak benches around our campus. How much does one of those benches cost (our price, not including assembly and taxes)?

We had a span of answers, and the correct answer was $1600. We had two answers that were within on penny of each other ($1200 and $1999.99). As such, I'm happy to award them both as "winners".

Congratulations Trenton D. and Amelia O. Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize.