Dear Piedmont USD Families,

Congratulations to our students for a great first week! Having visited all of our schools on the first day, I can attest to the fantastic energy among our students, staff and families. As we head into week two, I feel sure that we are going to have a great year together!

Below you will find information on the following topics:

• Communications - Pulse Check

• Firearm Safety Letter

• Mathematics Framework

• Superintendent's Advisory Council

• Staffing Update

• Access to Campuses - Wildwood/Witter Field Reminder

• Future Communication Topics

You may have noticed that the title of our newsletter has changed from Piedmont Ahead to Piedmont Pulse. It's a new year, and my hope is to send out updates more frequently in order to keep our community informed. To that end, take a look at the communications topic below.

In Partnership,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

As we start the year, I have been thinking a lot about communication to our families. It would be helpful to me to know your preferences on how/when you wish to receive communication from the Superintendent. Please click on the link below for a quick "pulse check" survey on your communication preferences. Thank you! Communication Preferences Survey

The purpose of this memo is to inform and to remind parents and legal guardians of all students in the Piedmont Unified School District of their responsibilities for keeping firearms out of the hands of children as required by California law, including annual notification to families per SB 906 and AB 452. Thank you to the Piedmont Police Department and firearm safety partners, including the Brady organization and Everytown for Gun Safety who coordinate with our school district on effective firearm safety measures.

To help everyone understand their legal responsibilities, this memo spells out California law regarding the storage of firearms. Including the following:

• With very limited exceptions, California makes a person criminally liable for keeping any firearm, loaded or unloaded, within any premises that are under their custody and control where that person knows or reasonably should know that a child is likely to gain access to the firearm without the permission of the child’s parent or legal guardian, and the child obtains access to the firearm and thereby (1) causes death or injury to the child or any other person; (2) carries the firearm off the premises or to a public place, including to any preschool or school grades kindergarten through twelfth grade, or to any school-sponsored event, activity, or performance; or (3) unlawfully brandishes the firearm to others. Note: The criminal penalty may be significantly greater if someone dies or suffers great bodily injury as a result of the child gaining access to the firearm.

• With very limited exceptions, California also makes it a crime for a person to negligently store or leave any firearm, loaded or unloaded, on their premises in a location where the person knows or reasonably should know that a child is likely to gain access to it without the permission of the child’s parent or legal guardian, unless reasonable action is taken to secure the firearm against access by the child, even where a minor never actually accesses the firearm.

• In addition to potential fines and terms of imprisonment, as of January 1, 2020, a gun owner found criminally liable under these California laws faces prohibitions from possessing, controlling, owning, receiving, or purchasing a firearm for 10 years.

• Finally, a parent or guardian may also be civilly liable for damages resulting from the discharge of a firearm by that person’s child or ward. Note: The City and County may have additional restrictions regarding the safe storage of firearms.

Thank you for helping to keep our children and schools safe. Remember that the easiest and safest way to comply with the law is to keep firearms in a locked container or secured with a locking device that renders the firearm inoperable.

The PUSD Staff and Board have been following the progress of the math framework, including the recent adoption of the State framework. While we are pleased to see greater attention given to mathematics instruction, we have many questions about this new framework and have no plans or timeline for changes according to the new framework.

You may know that changes to curriculum is a local decision, approved by the Board of Education, typically following a lengthy analysis by teachers and administrators before a recommendation is proposed to the Board for approval. We are fortunate in the Piedmont Unified School District to have well-informed community members who often provide key input on educational matters, some as part of committees and others as individuals who simply reach out. We observed this expert input with our early literacy adoption of the DIBELS program, and I have no doubt we will similarly leverage our community for input on any changes proposed for our mathematics program.

So, at present, we are monitoring the State’s plans for rolling out more information, which typically includes teacher information sessions on instructional shifts. Curriculum adoptions are tentatively planned for 2025, and we can expect to see curriculum publishers provide state-approved curriculum materials in the next several years. We will be interested to learn how emerging curriculum materials accommodate accelerated learning in middle school and high school that takes students through Calculus AB and BC, essential pathway options for our PUSD students.

Ultimately, PUSD has local control over our math program, including curriculum adoptions, and this fact will be important in ensuring outstanding math instruction for our students, TK-12.

I am super-excited to re-start the Superintendent's Advisory Council. I launched a similar group in a previous district, and I know how valuable the input from students, parents, staff, Board & community can be in advising the Superintendent on key issues. Although I am still considering how to structure this important group, I do want to get us started with an overview of a process that will be coordinated out of the Superintendent's office. Here is a quick overview:

• 8/18: Information goes out from the Superintendent's office via email (Infinite Campus)
• 8/25: Applications due to the Superintendent's Office (1-2 pages: bio, reason for running, topics for discussion)
• 8/28: Bios of those running sent out to each school on which to vote
• 8/31: Google Voting Form due
• 9/5: Results communicated
• 9/6: First SAC meeting from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. (Future Meetings: 10/4 and 11/1. The group will determine the dates for the remaining meetings for the year).

More detailed information to follow on 8/18. Please consider being a part of this important group.

Unfortunately, we have not yet filled the vacant position in the high school science department, but we do have a few pending applicants. We are exploring all options and hope to have the position filled in the next two weeks (hopefully sooner). In the meantime, a special thanks to our amazing high school science teachers who have worked together to cover almost all Chemistry classes from within.

After my last update to families, we had several community members reach out to provide connections for finding teachers. Thank you! Also, a big thanks to our high school counselors who have reworked the master schedule to accommodate students' course requirements. If you have connections that you think might be helpful, please reach out to me at jhawn@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Please be reminded of safety measures/protocols regarding access to and around our campuses as work is completed on the Witter Field Renovation Project. These changes to the path of travel will be strictly enforced and adhered to by the Witter contractor:

1. All drop off and pick up activity will need to take place on Wildwood Ave via the front door entry, directly in front of the campus. The City has extended the white curb drop off area on Wildwood Ave to help accommodate a few more vehicles in the drop off/pick up queue. And, thanks to the gracious donations via the Wildwood parents/Dads club, students can now wait to be picked up on the newly installed benches located in the front of the school.

2. Drop off or pickup via the Winsor Ave driveway or rear stairs will not be permitted. All gates leading to the rear of the school and to the lower Wildwood playground will be locked. (refer to the site map/path of travel linked HERE showing the entry points on Wildwood Ave)

3. Parents and students who typically walk from the El Cerrito/Jerome Ave neighborhood will need to walk up the left side of PE Hill, past the yellow gate, past the softball field and walk up the stairs or wood ramp to Wildwood Ave. (refer to the path of travel linked HERE)

4. PHS/PMS students will not be able to travel through Witter Field from Winsor Ave. All students walking from the Palm Dr/Winsor neighborhood will need to walk to Magnolia Ave and then access PMS/PHS via El Cerrito Ave then walk up the left side of PE Hill. (refer to the path of travel linked HERE)

5. Via PPD, a crossing guard will be stationed at the front of the school for drop-off and pick-up every school day.

6. A double fenced traffic lane has been constructed on the Wildwood lower playground to allow a safe path of travel for all construction vehicles to and from the Witter Field construction site. The traffic lane will be staffed with a monitor during the school day.

7. Regarding the Witter Field Renovation Project, refer to the technical reports linked HERE, from the PUSD environmental consultants. We will closely monitor Bothman Construction, the Witter Field contractor, to ensure strict adherence to all of the guidelines and recommendations set forth in the technical reports. We will be holding regular Wildwood Elementary/Witter Field Renovation Project Committee meetings. The committee meeting schedule will be forthcoming.

Future topics include communication on the application process and configuration of the Superintendent's Advisory Council (8/18), a report on our Early Literacy program, and an update on our student Board members as an important part of amplifying student voice.

Witter Field Renovation Project Updates - For updates on the Witter Field Renovation Project, please go to our Facilities page on our PUSD website. The 8/11 update is available now.

Community Pool Construction Update - Safety measures around the Community Pool Project construction site on Magnolia Ave. across from PHS/MHS are currently in effect. Visit the City of Piedmont's website for details.

Work for PUSD - PUSD is seeking candidates for a variety of positions. Visit the District's Edjoin page for a complete list of jobs available and to apply online.

Substitutes Needed - Support students while earning up to $200/day. PUSD seeking substitute teachers for the 2023-24 school year. Visit the District's EdJoin page for more information and to apply.

Follow PUSD on Social Media - The District Facebook (@piedmontunified), Twitter (@piedmontunified), Instagram (@piedmontusd) and Threads (@piedmontusd@threads) pages are active.

Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600