Parent Newsletter #6: 9/6/24

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

Principal: Dr. Yoshihara

Assistant Principal: Mr. Marik

Dear Highlander Families,

Month one is down, BTSN is in the rear view mirror and homecoming is just around the corner. I wanted to express my gratitude to all the families that came to BTSN yesterday. We had a great crowd, and I had the opportunity to speak to many families. Overall, the experiences were overwhelmingly positive. Parents seemed appreciative of the education their child was getting and the opportunities available for a school our size. I also learned some areas to make us better and plan to work on this in the coming months.

I wanted to take pause for a sobering moment that some of us are old enough to remember. Next week, on Wednesday, we will fly our flags at half-staff in recognition of the tragedy that occurred on US soil 23 years ago. For me, 9/11 was one of those defining moments where you remember exactly what you were doing the moment you learned what happened. I'm told this was similar for those who witnessed the assassination of JFK or MLK. I hope for our students, their defining moment is positive--like the cure for cancer, the day we effectively reverse climate change, or something equally magnificent.

Looking ahead, we have makeup picture day on September 11 (details below). Homecoming is the following week and concludes with the homecoming game, homecoming dance (Saturday) as well as the semester one progress reports. I hope you enjoy all things Piedmont this weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Yoshihara

September 11: School Picture Makeup Day (9-3:30) in the AHT lobby. Students may drop by during free periods, lunch, or after school.

September 13: Last day to drop a semester class without a "W" [edited on 9/6]

September 13: Parent Club meeting (9-10:30) in the AHT

September 13: End of PR1 (Progress Report 1)

September 16-20: Homecoming Week!

September 20: Homecoming Rally during school day followed by homecoming game vs Encinal in the evening

(By)September 20: PR1 grades available online

September 21: Homecoming Dance (7-9 pm)

We are on a regular bell schedule for the week of September 9-13.

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

This is Academic Support Academy. Use FlexiSched to schedule time with a teacher for academic support. This could be to review for an upcoming assessment, ask questions about homework or to make up a recent class task or activity. [Updated on 9/9]

Friday, September 13, 2024

Same as Wednesday.

I am excited to introduce what hopefully is a new section of the Parent Newsletter--our Highlander of the Week. These are students chosen by teachers for characteristics they determine. I then speak to the students to learn what our teachers already know--how amazing they are. Our second student was also chosen on the basis of Positively Contributing to Classroom Culture. Please take a moment to learn a bit more about Grace Alonigreen.

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience has been in volleyball and winning our first two games of the season!
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? I would say that PHS is an amazing school for academics, and that the teachers are all so kind and supportive.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? If I was in charge at PHS, I might do more rallies and/or spirit days! It's fun to pull the school together as one, and it doesn't need to be for a special event :)
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? I would tell them thank you for consistently supporting me in everything I do- and to come to the volleyball games this week! :)
   
5. What is your favorite word? One do my favorite words would be intertwined.
   
6. What is your favorite song? A favorite song of mine is Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant.
7. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is sushi!
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This is a photo of me and my sister! The reason this is special to me is because she emits such an adorable light, and the bond we have is so strong despite her littleness :)

Towards the end of August, a student indicated he was very excited for the new school year but noticed a lack of spirit and excitement at our sporting events. He thought we should have a mascot and even volunteered. I jumped at the opportunity.

On September 3, I brought a late booster's grant proposal to Keri and the their board for consideration. They asked some great questions and subsequently approved the purchase of a mascot. We are looking at some possible customization (e.g. adding school colors and a logo). Once that is settled, we'll order and get this going as soon as possible.

The student is ambitious and wants to remain as anonymous (as possible) to keep the mystery of mascots "alive". We'll keep you posted on the debut, but wanted to let you know what is coming down the pike.

By now you should all have access to our Learning Management System, Schoology. If you had logged in to a parent account in Schoology prior to this year, you will be able to access Schoology the same way you have in the past. If you are a new parent to PUSD, or have not accessed Schoology in the past, this week you should have received an email from Schoology with information that includes your username and temporary password, as well as a link that will bring you where you need to go to access Schoology. If you have questions about accessing your account on Schoology, please reach out to Adam Saville (asaville@piedmont.k12.ca.us).

Once you have logged into Schoology, click on your name in the top right hand corner. You should get a drop-down menu that includes your child's name. When you click on their name, you'll then get access to their class information in Schoology, including updates, assignments, and grades. Our school uses Schoology to provide a central location for homework assignments (and digital submissions), grades, class activities, interactive discussions, announcements, and more. The flexible system provides one place for all students, teachers and parents to go for day-to-day classroom information. All homework, major tests, and grades will be posted to it throughout the school year. For more on what you can access when viewing your child's activity in Schoology, click HERE.

Feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of parenting? Piedmont Adult School is offering "Parenting with Positive Discipline," a six-week class for parents of children of all ages. Classes will be held on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., starting October 2 through November 6 (no class on October 16).

Led by experienced instructor Lisa Fuller, this course covers practical strategies for empowering children, alternatives to traditional timeouts, setting effective limits, and more.

Register now at piedmontadultschool.org or call 510-594-2655.

Read this week's C&CC newsletter

Visit the C&CC web pages to schedule an appointments with Ms. M-L, access college or career resources or view the college visits schedule.

The following colleges will be visiting next week:

Class of 2028! The counselors will be having a 15-minute introduction meeting with all 9th graders between Tuesday, Sept. 3 -Friday, Sept. 20. Students will be in person and parents/ guardians will join the meeting by google meet. During this meeting, we will introduce ourselves, explain our role, and begin to get to know your student. We will share with them school resources, extra curricular opportunities and provide information about aspects of high school life. Students may need to miss part of a class and will be responsible for any missed content. If students have any exams, they should schedule the appointment around this.

Step 1- Students sign up for a meeting using your counselor’s calendly link below between Tuesday 9/3/24 - Friday 9/20/24.

Ms. Carlson (Last Name first letter A - G) calendly.com/acarlson_phscounselor

Mr. Hartford (Last Name first letter H - O) calendly.com/hartfordcounselor

Ms. Hoang (Last Name first letter P - Z) calendly.com/mhoang-piedmont

Step 2 - Find the best time and students will enter their email to book the appointment time.

Step 3 - Your student's counselor will then provide a google meet link to the parent/ guardian before the meeting time.

Please watch your email to receive the invite. We look forward to meeting you and working with your freshman student!!

Registration for the PreACT and PSAT exams is now open!

• The PreACT will be held at PHS on Saturday, Oct 19, 2024
• The PSAT will be held at PHS on Saturday, Oct 26, 2024

It is easy to register. Log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and click on the "School Store". Then select and pay for the tests you would like to take. Once payment is received, your student will be registered for the exam(s). The cost per exam is $35.00 (which covers the cost of the exam and proctor fees). The registration deadline is Friday, September 6. Students will receive more detailed information about the exam administration as we approach the exam dates. There are no additional PreACT or PSAT exam dates planned for this school year. The PSAT is for 10th and 11th grade students. If you have any questions, please contact Darlene Low at dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

With some of the recent changes in posture with colleges, we realize there is an increased need for students to take the SAT and ACT tests. We also realize that some students are having to travel considerable distance to take this test, which can pose a hardship for our families. We are working closely with our Parent Club at finding solutions to ease this burden.

At this point, we are planning to host the SAT test on our campus, for our students, on a non-student weekday in the spring--likely in the month of March. The ordering process will be similar to the PSAT and done through the school store in Infinite Campus.

We will need parent support to assist with the proctoring since this will be a non-teaching day. The College Board provides an easier on ramp than ACT hence our desire to begin with offering this test to our families first. Again, our plan at this point is to offer the SAT, geared towards our juniors (although any student can take it) sometime in the spring. More information will follow as many details are still to be worked out. Thanks to our families for supporting the college-going culture and stay tuned.

The Piedmont Parent Network is inviting interested families to join. You may get more information by visiting this link.

This year’s Harvest Festival will be in Piedmont Park on Sunday, September 22nd from 11:00am - 3:00pm. The Harvest Festival is a long-standing tradition in Piedmont where families can gather to enjoy a cooking contest, art show, carnival, jazz festival, farmer’s market, scarecrows, and more! All proceeds from the scarecrow, silent auction, and carnival are directed by the Piedmont Education Foundation to the tri-schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood). Last year’s festivities raised $12K to help fund phonics, technology, and positive playground culture initiatives at all three elementary schools. Excited to see you there!

Volunteer for the Festival (Day of): The Piedmont Education Foundation can use lots of hands for set-up, running carnival games, clean-up, and more – middle and high schoolers are encouraged to join in. Sign up below:

• Adult Sign-up
• Student Sign-up (middle and high schoolers)

Teachers and staff at PHS would like to extend their very great thanks to senior Juliana De Young who put in many hours of hard and creative work this summer to give a makeover to our Teacher's Lounge. Juliana sourced updated furniture (including some beautiful, comfy armchairs!), brought in silverware and coffee machines and rugs, sanded and refinished the enormous old wood table, and painted and redecorated, creating a serene and comfortable space. It's very chic, and ecologically-friendly, too! Juliana and her mom Kim De Young also coordinated a huge donation of teacher desk chairs and filing cabinets from Kevin Lee, father of graduates Marcus and Julien Lee, and we're also incredibly grateful to him for this extremely generous kindness! Juliana, Kim, and Kevin all said they did it to make sure teachers feel appreciated and cared for, and they absolutely accomplished that! Thanks so much to all three!

Thank you all that participated in last weeks' Highlander Trivia.

The question was: What is the product of the ages of my children?

The correct answer was: 291,920. Yep, you read that right. My oldest Jerusha, is 32 and lives in Henderson (outside Las Vegas) with her husband Tyler, and two pets (Cocoa and Charlie). Joshua, 30, is now in Salem, Oregon with his wife Jessica and newborn Kaiden (yep, I'm a grandfather). Juniper is 18, refuses to want to drive, and strong in the areas of art and music but does not want to be a starving artist. Jackson is 14 and convinced he will become an MLG (Major League Gamer). So...32 x 30 x 18 x 14 = 291,920.

The closest answer was 156,009 provided by Amy Aubrecht. Congratulations. If Amy or her child would like to claim their prize, please report to the principal's office.