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
Principal: Dr. Yoshihara
Assistant Principal: Mr. Marik
With Halloween just a few weeks away, we wanted to provide some guidance on costumes. While we hope many of you may want to enjoy the spirit of the day, we also want people to feel safe and included. As such, the following is provided as guidance for Halloween at PHS this year:
- Costumes should not cover the face, beyond a typical face mask or hat
- No full face coverage
- Fake weapons of any type are not permitted
- Fake blood is not permitted
- Adult-oriented costumes and costumes that could be deemed offensive should be avoided
- Students showing up in these may be asked to change
- Inflatable costumes should be avoided
Come and support Measure P for our schools. APT, CSEA, APSA and other staff will be holding rallies to get the vote out in support of this important parcel tax for our community. We currently have two rallies scheduled.
- October 15 during drop off (8-8:30) in front of PHS
- October 24 from 3:45-5:30 around Exedra Plaza
Folks will be wearing purple and other Piedmont gear with signage in support of the Parcel Tax. Feel free to come join us.
Students learn best when they arrive at class on time and ready to learn. Mr. Bell monitors student tardy and class cut data very closely to ensure we are supporting students to be in class. Moving forward, we will start including parents in messages that are sent to students around Tardies and Cuts. We appreciate your collaboration in supporting all of our students to maximize time in class.
What is a Tardy?
- If a student arrives after the bell rings, they are considered Tardy.
- If a student is 15 min or more late to any given class period, they must check in at the attendance office. If they do not, their teachers will send them back to obtain a time stamped tardy slip. It is the responsibility of the students who are tardy to follow up with their teachers to ensure they were marked tardy and not absent.
- Tardies can only be excused when accompanied by a medical note, parent call or corroborated by a staff member
What is a Cut?
- If a student leaves campus during closed times (i.e. brunch) without permission or clearance from the office.
- If a student leaves class and is gone longer than the agreed upon time or does not return.
Based on responses received from the survey of Additional AP Tests Students Want, we have added the following exams:
- AP English Language & Composition (M3Y2A3)
- AP Statistics (M9N36N)
- AP Physics C: Mechanics (YRD6LE)
- AP Physics 1: Algebra Based (XREV6E)
If your child wants to sign up for any of the above, follow the instructions provided in the AP Exam Ordering Section in the newsletter and use the Join Codes provided in parenthesis above.
There is still time ...
Interested in taking an exam for a course we don't offer? - Please fill out the survey here. We may offer additional exams if enough students sign-up.
If you have any questions, contact Darlene Low at dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us or Joe Marik at jmarik@piedmont.k12.ca.us
At the school board meeting on September 25, 2024, the Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) proudly presented a giant check for $4,039,957 to the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD). This record-breaking grant represents a year of dedicated fundraising and highlights the incredible support from our community.
Funds were raised through the Giving Campaign, Spring Fling, Harvest Festival, Dress Best for Less, business sponsorships, and a bequest from former teacher Pamela Wells Rafanelli. The grant will fund classroom technology, phonics curriculum books, and playground initiatives.
94% of the funds will support the salaries of essential educators, while 6% is designated for curriculum development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives, professional development, and classroom supplies.
PEF thanks all donors, volunteers, and supporters and encourages everyone to participate in this year’s Giving Campaign at PiedmontEdFoundation.org/donate.
We strive to ensure your child's online safety while providing educational content. PUSD provides web filtering and monitoring on school-provided chromebooks that works at home and at school.
This year we have switched to Blocksi to filter content. With Blocksi parents can:
- Monitor your child’s activity on their district-issued device
- Pause the internet
- Set bedtime limits
- Create time controls at home for Youtube and block other additional websites
Set-up your account - register with the email you have on file with the district here: https://parent.blocksi.net/register_account
Get the mobile App - prefer to access via a mobile device? Click here for iOS and here for Google Play
Get the Parent Guide - detailed parent guide here
Need additional help? Contact Adam Saville, Secondary Technology Coordinator: asaville@piedmont.k12.ca.us
The PHS website is updated regularly to both serve our current community as well as our prospective one.
PHS website highlights:
1. This weekly Parents Newsletter is posted on the home page news section.
2. Highlights from life at PHS are also posted on the homepage news section.
3. The Fall Master Schedule page is now current.
4. Our Course Catalog is available as a single document as well as an interactive, searchable one.
5. Each department page also lists its courses and showcases images of what goes on in the classroom. Check out the Science Dept page.
6. Teacher emails are listed under their names in each department's page.
7. College and Career Center has a detailed College Prep Checklist.
8. Highlander Robotics, History of PHS and DEIB pages have been recently added or updated.
You can now also add the Athletics Calendar (all sports) to your Google Calendar. A link to the instructions is at the top of the Athletics Calendar web page.
The Piedmont Parents Network is excited to announce our first PPN Speaker Presentation for the year!
The intention of these presentations is to provide advice and guidance from local experts in adolescent development to parents and guardians so we have the tools we need to best support our children. Our second presentation will be in the spring. This session will focus on the high-school student experience, but everyone is welcome to attend this FREE event regardless of your child's age.
Please RSVP by accepting this Google calendar invite, or by responding to PPNPiedmont@gmail.com. Walk-ins are also welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!
Rethinking Success: Parenting Teens in a High Pressure World
Tuesday, November 12 from 7:00-8:30pm, at the PHS Student Center
Presented by: Sarah Campbell, LMFT, and Jen Valera, LCSW. Come listen to experienced therapists who have worked with Piedmont families, to discuss:
- How parents can help teens establish a solid foundation for adulthood
- Parenting adolescents: shifting from micromanager to guide
- How to address the toxic expectation problem some high school kids face
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session
Jen Valera, LCSW is a psychotherapist who has worked with Piedmont families for over twenty years. She specializes in helping teens and their parents re-find trust and common ground. Her favorite clinical work is debunking toxic social expectations and harmful assumptions, sorting through outdated patterns, and supporting her clients to define for themselves what works best for them - in adolescence, adulthood, work-life, partnering, parenting and aging. In addition to psychotherapy, Jen provides clinical supervision and facilitates clinical consultation groups. For more information go to Piedmontpsychotherapy.com.
Sarah Campbell, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Oakland. She has worked primarily with adolescents and families since her start as an Intern at the PHS Wellness Center in 2007-2008. Sarah is certified as a Yoga Instructor with a specialization in Restorative Yoga and completed the Bauman College Nutrition Consultant program in 2021. For more information go to www.sarahcampbellmft.com.
The Piedmont Parents Network (PPN) is excited to present the first event in our speaker series on Wednesday, October 23 from 7:00-8:30 pm at the Havens Library. All parents/caregivers of middle school students are invited to attend.
Mindy Szelap will share insights and knowledge about how parents can shift their behaviors to encourage resilience and independence in kids as a means to reduce anxiety. Question and Answer session to follow the talk. Mindy Szelap (https://www.bayareaspacetreatment.com/) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years of experience working with children, teens, and families in pediatrics.
Ms. Szelap specializes in the treatment of anxiety, OCD, depression, and pediatric chronic illness and pain, utilizing evidence based treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure/response prevention, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), strategic therapy, internal family systems (IFS), and clinical hypnosis. She works extensively with families of young children to interrupt anxious patterns before they take hold. Her background is strongly rooted in pediatrics, child and adolescent development, and behavioral therapies.
This event is free for our Piedmont parent community, and is an adults only event. Please register here: https://calendar.app.google/APHRyGQb2SM4DrVY6
- What quality(ies) best describes this student? Inquisitive, hard-working, helpful to other students
- How long have you known the student? Three years. Now he is in French 4 Honors.
- What is the most memorable event you have of this student?
Competing in the International Manie Musicale LyricsTraining Tournament* since its inception (two years strong, reigning Regional champs – maybe we will win the U.S. title this year?)
A positive memory of Noah is watching him prepare for the Tournament by practicing the Manie Musicale songs on his own, showing his determination!
*Manie Musicale is an annual competition where more than 690,000 French students from around the world vote for their favorite songs from a bracket of 16 songs by French-speaking artists, celebrate Francophone cultures and take part in festivities as part of a global community of French learners. LyricsTraining is an online music game for language learners that employs listening comprehension skills to earn points. - How does this student Achieve the Honorable? Noah often goes above and beyond. Notably, his commitment to only using French to communicate during class and encouraging others to do the same is resulting in improved interpersonal communication skills and contributes to a positive classroom learning environment.
- If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Formidable!
- So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? Homecoming week was memorable because everyone showed creativity and school spirit during the various activities. It was interesting seeing people outside of their normal school selves.
- If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? Piedmont High is a rigorous, but interconnected community, so you’re never on your own. There are plenty of resources, but success depends on your initiative and effort.
- If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? I would add more courses that focus on non-academic topics like managing a household, cooking, starting a small business, etc. These courses would help students for adulthood, through more than just academics.
- If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? Thank you both for inspiring, guiding, and supporting me through my teenage years.
- What is your favorite word? Serendipity
- What is your favorite song? "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee
- What is your favorite food? Chicken Alfredo pasta
- Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This photo shows me on a backpacking trip with my Scout troop. We spent two weeks in the New Mexico wilderness, completely disconnected from the outside world. It was a chance to strengthen friendships, take a break from the constant stimulation of daily life, and push ourselves in a challenging 80-mile trek with 50-pound packs.
Piedmont High School has earned a place on the AP School Honor Roll for 2023-24. The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success.
We know it takes a significant amount of effort from both students, parents, and staff to make AP access a priority. We thank all three groups by celebrating this achievement for our school community. In November, a list of schools that are recognized on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll will be posted to AP Central.
We are planning to offer a school-based SAT testing date on Monday, March 17th 2025. If your student is interested in taking the SAT at PHS, please complete the form here [link added late]. This information will help us with planning purposes. If you have more than one student who hopes to take the test, please complete the form one time for each student.
Please note, this is not an official order form and is meant solely for collecting an estimate of the number of interested students. More information to come on ordering in January. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Marik.
If your student is planning to take an AP exam this spring, please follow the two step ordering process below. The deadline for ordering exams is Friday, November 8th. Exams cost $130 which covers instructional materials, testing materials, proctors, and other costs. Orders placed after November 8th will incur a CollegeBoard imposed $40 late fee.
Step 1 - Log-in to the Infinite Campus School Store and place an order for all exams your student plans to take.
Step 2 - Your student should log-in to their College Board account and indicate which exams should be ordered. Instructions on how to do this can be found here. If you do not complete this step for each exam, an exam will not be ordered! All students should have access to their teacher's AP course page. If students have questions about this, they should contact their teacher.
If you have questions on payment or ordering, please contact our registrar Darlene Low (dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us)
Interested in taking an exam for a course we don't offer? - Please fill out the survey here. We may offer additional exams if enough students sign-up.
