Piedmont Pulse

November 18, 2024

Dear PUSD Families:

We are deeply grateful for your support of Measure P, which has passed with over 80% approval. Your vote reflects the trust you've placed in our district to use this funding effectively. Measure P will generate double the revenue of the previous Measure H, enabling us to attract and retain highly qualified educators and sustain our exceptional educational programs.

We recognize that California provides significantly less funding per student than most other states, and Piedmont schools receive even less State funding than most California districts. Despite this, our schools have remained exceptional thanks to the Piedmont community’s support of local parcel taxes for over 35 years, contributing over 25% of our schools’ budget. This is our most vital source of locally controlled funding. The exceptional quality of Piedmont schools consistently enhances local property values, making support for Measure P a valuable investment in our community.

Thank you to our campaign co-chairs, Claire Arno and Dave Karol, and to our dedicated team of volunteers and community members, including current and former school board members, who supported Measure P. We are especially grateful to our APT members for organizing rallies and to our administrators for their campaign support. The success of Measure P has truly been a community effort, and we look forward to continuing to provide our students with outstanding educators and instructional programs.

In Partnership,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

New Board Members - Congratulations to Michael Malione, Max Roman, and Susy Struble on their new elected Board positions. We are looking forward to working with you!

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day - Thank you to Jean Chen Takazawa, our Affinity Mentors, and all of our staff and students who participated in the Ruby Bridges Walk to School event. It was a tribute to the importance of integration in our schools to see our community come together to honor our history.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - What a wonderful dramatic production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Thank you to Kim Taylor and our students who did an amazing job, including British accents that were spot on!

Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) - 12/5 at 4PM - District Office

Chief Business Official, Ruth Alahydoian will present information on the budget, including a preview of the 1st Interim Budget presentation to the Board on December 11th.

Superintendent's Advisory Committee (SAC) - 11/20 at 4:30PM - District Office

Superintendent, Jennifer Hawn will lead a session, along with Director of Facilities, Pete Palmer, and Chief Business Official, Ruth Alahydoian, on Green Space opportunities throughout our schools. We will also have landscape architect Amy Cupples join us to share her work with our staff and students regarding the high school Student Center outdoor area. If you are interested in engaging in opportunities to improve our campuses through more green spaces, please join this meeting. Let us know if you are joining online or in person HERE.

LCAP/Curriculum Community Meeting - 12/3 at 4PM - Havens Library

Assistant Superintendent, Ariel Dolowich, will lead a session on our progress toward meeting our goals according to our LCAP.

District Technology Advisory Committee - 12/9 at 3:45PM - Havens Library

Director of Instructional Technology, Stephanie Griffin will lead this meeting in the Haven's Library and virtually. This session will focus on how teachers are using AI and on our proposed policy regarding instructional uses of AI.

Special Education Community Meeting - 12/10 at 4PM (Location TBA)

Director of Special Education, Jean Fagin will lead a session on updates in Special Education.

Given Tuesday's "swatting" incident involving a false report of a threat to our high school campus, we are thinking about both safety protocols and how we support our students after an incident. Thank you to our staff for supporting our students during this incident, and to our parents who have provided helpful feedback to help us continually improve, including resources related to student mental health needs following an incident. Below are several useful resources:

National Association of School Psychologists - Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Families and Educators: A useful resource for families about how to discuss violence that may occur in schools.

Child Mind Institute: Helping Children Cope After A Traumatic Event: This resource provides guidance for all ages, including resources for teachers.

UCSF After A Crisis: How Young Children Heal: This resource provides useful guidance for parents of our youngest children.

UC Berkeley Center for Teaching & Learning - A Social Justice Approach to Teaching in Difficult Times: This resource provides useful guidance to our educators on how to help student process crisis following an event. I shared this resource with staff last Tuesday as well.

And, most of all, a special thank you to our mental health support staff, including our school psychologists and counselors at each school site. Our middle and high school Wellness Center, along with our team at every school offer outstanding support to help our students process trauma when needed.

From English and Journalism Teacher, Beth Black:

TPH is asking for community financial support.

The student newsmagazine, TPH, does not have resources this school year to publish any more print magazines for the community. Due to a glitch in Infinite Campus (our learning management system) at the start of the year, subscribers were not able to access the TPH account.

TPH has been a constant student run publication for Piedmont High School dating back to 1928 and is a strong part of the Piedmont High School culture. It has been supported by the Contra Costa ROP program for 18 years and is nationally known as a top publication through the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Many of the student journalists continue writing and designing for their colleges' news publications and choose to pursue journalism as a career.

In order to continue to publish the Piedmont Highlander, we need your help. The Infinite Campus portal is now 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)

We hope that you will support us so that we can continue to give you the news that you need to know about Piedmont High School and the Piedmont community in print, through instagram, TPHTV, and our website tphnews.com. We are committed to informing our community.

If you would like to make a donation by check, checks should be made out to Associated Students of PHS with the word- journalism TPH- in the memo.

Thank you for your support and if you have any questions, you can reach out to Beth Black, journalism adviser, at bblack@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

PHS The Piedmont Highlander (TPH)

Native American Heritage Month - The California Department of Education and PUSD recognize November as National Native American Heritage Month. To our Native American students, staff, and families, we honor you now and ALWAYS.

National School Psychology Week (November 4–8, 2024): The CDE recognizes November 4–8, 2024 as National School Psychology Week. To our amazing school psychologists, we celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

Thanksgiving Holiday - PUSD celebrates Thanksgiving on 11/28, with no school from 11/25-11/29.

East Bay Children's Book Project Book Drive 11/27:

Do you have gently used children's books to pass on? The East Bay Children's Book Project (EBCBP) helps build literacy by putting books into the hands of children who have little or no access to them. Books can be dropped off at the Turkey Trot bib pick up on Wed Nov 27 3-6pm at Veterans' Hall, in the EBCBP box at Piedmont Middle School library during school hours, and Tuesdays 3:30-5:30pm and Sat Dec 7 10am-1pm at EBCBP, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland (across from Whole Foods).

Piedmont Turkey Trot - November 27th - Sign up for the Annual Piedmont Turkey Trot HERE. Proceeds go to the PHS Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, along with Boosters.

The 2024 Giving Campaign launches on September 24. The theme, “Supporting Their Journey,” highlights the essential role that Piedmont parents and the broader community play in guiding students from transitional kindergarten through high school graduation. From daily activities to long-term planning, this support is essential to the success of each student. You can donate online HERE, by phone 510-653-1816, or by mail HERE.

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 imunoz@piedmont.k12.ca.us, or see more information linked HERE

Piedmont Pulse Updates - Please note that I will be sending out Piedmont Pulse newsletter every other week. Archived Piedmont Pulse Newsletters are 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