Piedmont Pulse

January 27, 2025

Dear PUSD Families:

I have received several questions about the President's Executive Orders regarding immigration, including the challenges and uncertainties immigrant families may be facing. To support our community, I want to provide important information and resources below.

By law, every child in the United States, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, has the right to a free and appropriate public education (Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 [1982]). In California, every student also has the right to attend public school free from discrimination, harassment, violence, intimidation, and bullying (California Education Code [EC] 220, 234, et seq.).

Federal and state laws safeguard student education records and personal information. It is important to note that our district does not collect immigration or citizenship information. While there are many state and county resources available to support our community, a helpful starting point is the California Department of Justice website, linked [here].

At the heart of our work is a commitment to “cultivate a culture of caring, belonging, and trust.” Together, let’s continue to work together to create schools that are safe, welcoming spaces where every student is valued, feels secure, and can thrive.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting our students.

In Community,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Partnering Beyond the Classroom...in Spain & France

Toward the end of last year, French teacher Bryan Smith and Spanish teacher Deysi Sahagon proposed a student cultural exchange program allowing our students to travel to France and Spain, and students from those countries to visit PHS/MHS. Fast forward to next week, and we will host 21 exchange students and 2 adult chaperones visiting our community from 2/3-2/11. Thank you to Bryan Smith and Deysi Sahagon, along with Dr. Yoshihara, Mr. Marik, along with the PHS staff and students for supporting this cultural exchange program, which also aligns with our strategic priority, Partnering Beyond the Classroom.

Wildwood Spelling Bee Winners

Congratulations to Anya Giri and Parker Chu for their achievement in the Wildwood Spelling Bee competition. After 4 days and 16 rounds, Anya and Parker achieved the honor of being chosen from the 15 Fourth and Fifth Grade finalists to represent Wildwood School in the Regional Qualifier Test, with Anya as the winner and Parker as the runner-up. Students with the top 45 scores in the Regional Qualifier Test will be invited to compete in-person at the San Ramon Valley Regional Spelling Bee on February 23, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. The champion of that event will advance to the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., which begins on May 27th. Congratulations and good luck to Anya and Parker, and a special thanks to Martin Lewis who coordinates the Wildwood Spelling Bee.

National School Board Recognition Month

I shared at last week's Board Meeting that January is National School Board Recognition month. Thank you to our PUSD School Board, including Board President, Lindsay Thomasson; VP, Ruchi Medhekar; Board Member, Michael Malione; Board Member, Max Roman; and Board Member, Susy Struble. Thank you also to our student Board members, including Shakila Zuberi, Meher Bachher, Grace Rego, and Mira Sachs. Board positions are elected and voluntary, with no compensation. Thank you to our Board for your service!

In our effort to develop a framework for our use of Generative AI, we have created a Board Policy that centers our efforts. We have brought a draft to the Board for a first and second reading; however, we know we will benefit from additional input. Linked HERE is our draft Emerging Technologies Board policies. An additional policy we recommend you review before providing input on the Emerging Technologies policy is our Acceptable Use Policy, which includes a Board Policy, Administrative Regulation, and Exhibit related to student and staff technology use. The Acceptable Use policy is linked HERE.

We invite your input on our technology policies, particularly with AI in mind. You can share your thoughts HERE.

Here we are in January, which begins our resident priority enrollment period on January 15th. If your child will be 4 years old by 9/1/2025, enroll in TK starting Wednesday. If you child will be 5 years old by 9/1/2025, enroll in Kindergarten starting Wednesday. Enrollment takes place online linked HERE.

More information about resident enrollment can be found HERE, and please note that enrollment for those who live outside the district begins March 1, 2025. We look forward to seeing you this fall!

Please be on the lookout for Infinite Campus messages with sign-up links for the following community meetings:

DEIB Community Meeting: February 4, 2025 at 5:45PM at Havens Library

DEIB Director Jean Takazawa will present information on the District's current DEIB work.

Curriculum Community Meeting - February 6, 2025 at 4PM - Havens Library

Assistant Superintendent, Ariel Dolowich, will facilitate a session on elementary curriculum offerings.

Budget Study Session - February 7, 2025 at 1PM- District Office (in person)

The Board will engage in a study session to explore the current and future budget, including proposed programs and projects.

Special Education Advisory Committee - February 11, 2025 at 4PM - District Office

Director of Special Education, Jean Fagin, will present updates on the District's Special Education program.

Superintendent's Advisory Committee (SAC) - February 27, 2025 at 4:30PM - District Office

Director of Food Services, Gitara Spinks; CBO, Ruth Alahydoian, and I will be inviting input on a requirement for the district regarding having a Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP). This policy is required for all California school districts that participate in the school meal program. The policy is focused on school meal nutrition and focuses on student wellness as a prevention for childhood obesity. RSVP HERE.

• Session 1: June 10-20, (8 days, no program on June 19)

• Session 2: June 23-July 3

Program Options (More information coming soon):

• Welcome to TK/Kinder (am)

• 1st-5th (am)

• Welcome to 6th (am)

• Middle School Adventures (7th/8th)

• Sports

• Basketball Camp (pm)

• Junior Counselor training

For more information, contact Erin Rivera at erivera@piedmont.k12.ca.us

This year PUSD launched an Independent Study Program (ISP) for qualifying students in grades 9-12. Independent Study is a hybrid program that allows qualifying students to complete their high school requirements, with most of the work completed online and on-campus meetings at least once a week.

Key Features:

• Uses the Accelerate Education platform, with students completing ~5 hours of independent work daily.
• Weekly 1-hour individual meetings with an ISP teacher for mentoring, tutoring, and organization.
• Optional daily virtual synchronous sessions for core subjects.
• In-person attendance required for PSAT/SAT, state testing, and specific college/career events.

Application Process:

1. Submit the PUSD electronic application linked HERE, including a student-written letter.
2. Attend a Student Success Team (SST) meeting with stakeholders.
3. Receive acceptance and next steps upon qualifying.

Program Highlights:

• Students remain enrolled in their current high school (PHS or MHS).
• ISP provides a flexible, alternative instructional strategy aligned with district curriculum and graduation requirements.
• Access to A–G approved courses and equivalent standards-aligned content.

More information is linked HERE. For additional questions, please contact Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels at imunozdaniels@piedmont.k12.ca.us

We have two elementary Principal openings for this fall and have already begun the process of planning for posting the position, consulting with parents and staff, and preparing for interviews. We plan to post the position this week, and we will interview candidates at the end of the month. A special thanks to our staff and parents who are providing input and volunteering to participate on the interview panel. For more information about the process, please contact me at jhawn@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Parents, we have an unusual situation in which a need to provide a teacher for one morning Spanish class that meets three days/week is needed at PMS. The class is a first-year course, and it meets at 9:30AM on Mondays and at 8:30AM on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you can refer someone or have ideas about how to fill this position, please contact Suzanne Binder at sbinder@piedmont.k12.ca.us. I have not forgotten last year when we were in a similar situation, and our community came through with many great referrals and ideas. Thank you!

Black History Month - The California Department of Education and PUSD recognize February as Black History Month. To our Black/African American students, staff, and families, we celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

Lunar New Year Event - The Piedmont Asian American Club is hosting a Lunar New Year Celebration on January 31st at 5:30PM in the Ellen Driscoll Theater.

National School Counseling Week: February 2nd through 8th is recognized by the California Department of Education as School Counseling Week. We have amazing counselors in PUSD, and we celebrate you on this week and ALWAYS!

Support TPH - In order to continue to publish the Piedmont Highlander, we need your help. The Infinite Campus portal is now working to accept donations, which was previously not working. Students and families can subscribe to TPH through the Infinite Campus portal now. Interested community members can also support student journalism by making donations directly to the program by check or through the link PHS The Piedmont Highlander (TPH)

Piedmont Portal - For all of the latest school and community events, please visit the Piedmont Portal linked HERE

Millennium High School is open for enrollment. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels directly at (510) 594-2703 or imunozdaniels@piedmont.k12.ca.us, or see more information linked HERE

Piedmont Alumni Network: Last spring, we launched the Piedmont Alumni Network! Linked HERE is a page on our PUSD website to invite alumni of PHS and MHS to sign up. Whether you graduated many years ago, or recently, we would love to have you sign up HERE.

Community Pool Construction Update - Safety measures around the Community Pool Project construction site on Magnolia Avenue across from PHS/MHS are currently in effect. Magnolia Avenue is open to traffic during school hours; however, we recommend avoiding the area when possible due to heavy truck traffic due to construction. Visit the City of Piedmont's website for details.

Substitutes Needed - PUSD seeking substitute teachers for the 2024-25 school year. Visit the District's EdJoin page for more information and to apply.

Follow PUSD - Please read our school newsletters sent out weekly for update to date information. The District Facebook (@piedmontunified) and Instagram (@piedmontusd)

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