Parent Newsletter #32: 4/4/25

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 hope all our families has a fabulous spring break. Students will be off from April 7-11 and school will resume on April 14. After break, we have lots of learning still occurring with AP testing and CAASPP Science Testing. We encourage our students to stay focused and head into the final stretch strong.

We have the All-School Art Show on Thursday (4/17) and the 56th Annual Bird Calling Contest on Friday (4/18). We hope to see you at some of the spring events that are coming to PHS. The next newsletter will come out on April 18.

Best,

Dr. Yoshihara

April 7-11: Spring Break

April 17: All School Art Show (5:30-7:30 pm, AHT lobby)

April 18: Bird Calling Contest (7:30 pm, AHT)

April 21: CAASPP Testing (Science, juniors only)

April 24: Piedmont Adult School 50 yr Anniversary (6 pm, 801 Magnolia)

April 30: Cap & Gown Disbursement (10am-1pm, seniors only)

May 1: Phantasmagoria (PHS/MHS Talent Show)

Friday will be Academic Support for all. Remember to tag a teacher!

Link to FlexiSched: https://piedmont.flexisched.net/

Piedmont and Millennium High School are beginning their Food Drive for Alameda County Food Bank! This year, the food drive will begin April 14th and will have a website set up for cash donations. We have high hopes to reach our goal of $4000 in donations! One dollar donated is two meals for those in need. To spark a sense of friendly competition in our community, the highest donating 4th period will receive a pizza and donut party! Please do what you can for our county and help those in need. A link and access to donations will be released on April 14th.

This past Tuesday, we were fortunate to have a Holocaust survivor speak to our 9th and 10th grade students during Academy. This was a moving experience and our students were amazing listeners. If anyone would like to see a video of the event, you may do so via the links below.

• Video Part 1 (it does start a bit late) -- will ask you to download due to file size (approx 3.5 GB)
• Video Part 2 (it splits due to file size)

The PHS Art Show will be in the Theater Lobby from 4/17- 4/25. Everyone is invited to join us on Thursday, 4/17 for the Opening Reception from 5:30-7:30pm. The PHS Art Show features artwork from all of our Art 1-3, Ceramics 1-4, and Digital courses. Students will each choose 2-3 works to feature in the show.

We have had a number of people ask about general spirit wear for students, parents, and anyone who wants to support PHS. It took us some time to find a local vendor and mockups for the designs. We think we have some fun spirit wear for anyone who may be interested. Lots of purple and lots of school spirit. Please go to Infinite Campus (School Store) to pick out the items and sizes you want.

Sizes are available in children and adult. We will need to have 12 items total before we can place the order with the vendor. It will then take about 10 business days to receive. The first order may be a little slower as we learn how to make this work. Please email PHS admin if you have any questions.

And for all you Σ Hunters, we have the gear for you. Check it out in the IC School Store as well and wear your apparel proudly. Only you get to participate in the Hunt!

The 2025 yearbook has been sent to Jostens for printing! The editors and staff worked diligently and created a fantastic, inclusive yearbook - 98% of PHS/MHS students are in the yearbook three or more times! Thank you to all of the parents and students who shared photos with us this year and helped us tell the story of the 2024-2025 school year. There are limited copies of the yearbook left to order -- please don't delay in ordering a copy for your student(s). Please click on this link for purchasing information and other yearbook details as this year comes to a close: PHS Yearbook Bulletin.

If you have any questions, please reach out to PHS Yearbook Adviser Melanie McCauley mmccauley@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Hello, Juniors!

The sign-up lists for the AP English Entrance Exam are now posted on the wall outside the PHS Counseling Office.

You are required to take this exam to be eligible to take AP Literature next year. This exam is to make sure that the class is a good fit for you. Once you take the test, you alone decide whether you want to take AP Literature next year. Your score does not determine your eligibility, nor is it later reflected in your course grade. If you choose not to take the exam, you will automatically be moved into English 7-8.

There are 30 slots available per testing section. You must sign up for a test section with open slots. We cannot guarantee a testing slot for students who do not sign up.

There are FOUR opportunities to take this exam:

• Tuesday 4/1 @ 3:45-4:45 in room 30
• Thursday 4/3 @ 7:25-8:25 in room 32
• Friday 4/4 @ 7:25-8:25 in room 30
• Friday 4/4 @ 3:00-4:00 in room 30

Seating is limited for each testing time and location. Take note of the date and time of your exam. Remember: Students who do not take this AP English Entrance exam are not eligible to take the class.

If you have any questions, you can speak with Ms. Foster (Rm. 30), Ms. Black (Rm. 32), or Dr. Marks (Rm. 31).

Seniors, don't forget to buy your Prom tickets now! You don't want to miss out on this unforgettable night. Dinner, dancing, and entertainment. Transportation included. This year's theme is Masquerade Ball, so get ready for a night of mystery, glamour, and magic. Tickets on the Piedmont Store. Prom is Saturday, April 26th.

If your senior did not get their ticket at brunch this week, please contact Natalie Williamson - natalie.williamson@gmail.com.

Where There Be Dragons will be visiting Piedmont High School during lunchtime on Wednesday, April 2.

Dragons offers immersive Summer and Gap Year Programs for students aged 15-22 seeking an alternative to mainstream travel. Small group adventures are mentored by expert instructors and offer homestays, language learning, rugged travel, and more! Programs are offered in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and North America.

Feel free to reach out with any questions!

info@wheretherebedragons.com

www.wheretherebedragons.com

Note: We do not endorse any particular company but wanted to pass on information that may be useful to our students and families.

Gather your team to create one of the novelty holes for Piedmont's 2nd annual Pop-Up Putt-Putt Course!

The 18-hole course will be set up in the Piedmont Park Parking Lot and feature community entries from neighborhoods, families, schools and local organizations. After the course is installed on the morning of April 27th, it will be open for community play from 12:00–4:00 pm!

How to Enter

Those interested in designing a hole for the course should fill out an entry the form (click the button below or HERE). Deadline to enter is April 10th. Get creative, clever and have fun with your design!

There will be prizes for Best Overall Entry, Most Creative, Most Clever and Best Use of Recycled Materials!

Piedmont Pop-Up Putt-Putt & Picnic in the Park

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Course Open for Play: 12:00–4:00 pm

Piedmont Park Parking Lot

In case you need a few ideas to get the ball a rollin’…

AP tests are coming in May. This year parents will help proctor the exams and we need your help! We need volunteers from May 5 through May 16 and PHS is offering several AP exams beyond offered courses. Proctoring times are approximately 7:45 am to 12:00pm or 11:45 am to 4:00 pm. Please sign up here if you can help.

If your student is taking any AP exams (or plans to in the future), you are strongly encouraged to support this effort. If your student or other immediate family member is taking an exam, please sign up to proctor a different exam. Other restrictions are described in the Sign-up link. If you aren't ready to sign up for a particular time slot and are still willing to help, please add your name to this google sheet and we will contact you.

Please note: There will be a training session for all proctors before the AP exam weeks.

Questions, please contact Joe Marik (jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us), Katie Gudiksen (katie.gudiksen@gmail.com), Leslie Pfister (pfisterbusiness@gmail.com) or Nairobi Kim (robikim@gmail.com)

This week's student is Caitlin Boothby. Thank you for getting your responses to me. We start off by having Ms. Bailey share some thoughts on Caitlin.

1. What quality(ies) best describes this student? Definitely multi-talented: A great visual artist, instrumental musician, conductor, singer, actor (including comedy) and also an amazing knitter.
2. How long have you known the student? Almost 4 years
3. What is the most memorable event you have of this student? Seeing Caitlin perform in the school musicals- She was great in Cabaret last year as the Emcee role. The opening scene with her was fantastic!
4. How does this student Achieve the Honorable? One way is by showing great leadership as the President of the Art Jam Club. This takes time and effort but benefits club members as well as the overall school. She is always kind, courteous and friendly.
5. If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Amazing!

And from Livi herself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? Ultra Q and Just Friends’ show at Gilman on January 4th.
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? Piedmont has a very competitive atmosphere. I think the art’s department and programs hold a great collaborative and creative space at the school.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? Remind students to be kind to people.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? Thank you.
   
5. What is your favorite word? Gingham.
   
6. What is your favorite song? Engagement Party by Justin Hurwitz.
7. What is your favorite food? Asian Pears.
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This is my sister and I picking up one of our foster dogs “Chicken Little.” She was one of my favorite fosters, and was very sweet.

• Much appreciation to the ASB students to presented to the senior class this past Wednesday: Dahlia S, Hannah S, Lila, Luke, Friedie, and Ellis. You were amazing!

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

The question for last week was: We are in the middle of course programming for next year. This process involved collecting all the course requests made by students and then building a schedule for the school based on this. Given that, how many course requests do we have to consider in creating the schedule with the fewest conflicts for next year? (For example, if a student selects 7 classes next year, that would be 7 course requests.) The correct answer to this is 5256 course requests.

We had good participation, and we have a repeat winner. Congratulations to Trenton Downing (Σ Trivia Winner!) who got the closest with his answer of 5300. Very impressive! Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize!