Parent Newsletter #25: 2/7/25

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,

This first week of February did bring us some much-needed rain, but I'm also glad to see the sunshine. It was on full display Thursday during our Club Day at lunch.

PR 1 of Semester 2 ends today. Today is also the last day to drop a semester class. We are also wrapping up winter sports as a very busy spring sports season is just around the corner. Lastly, a reminder that all returning students need to submit their course requests today as we will begin course programming starting next week.

Whether this weekend has you going to Winter Ball, watching some football (or the commercials), or just enjoying the sunshine, we hope everyone has a wonderful time as we head into the final week before mid-winter break.

Best,

Dr. Yoshihara

February 7: Last day to drop a semester 2 class

February 8: Winter Ball (Upperclassmen only)

February 11: College & Career Open House (6:30-8:30pm in AHT)

February 17-21: Mid-winter break

February 27: PHS/MHS Young Alumni Career Panel (7-9 pm, AHT)

February 28: Career Day (Academy)

March 4: Case Studies Night (Save the Date, details forthcoming)

March 22: Underclassmen Dance (Save the Date, details forthcoming)

Wednesday will be special activities in students' homeroom Academies. 10th - 12th graders will complete the California Healthy Kids survey and many will also complete their missing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Survey.

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

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

PHS is considering offering a new course for the 2025-26 school year. The course under consideration is AP Seminar. AP Seminar was first introduced in 2014 and is the fastest growing AP course with over 3,000 institutions now offering it.

About the Course:

Ever thought about how social media impacts teen mental health? Do you think rules around college sports should be changed? In AP Seminar, you choose what real-world or academic topics to investigate. AP Seminar teaches you how to find and use evidence from experts, and how to present the case from your own perspective effectively, both through writing and multimedia presentations. (From https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-seminar)

The long-term goal is that this course would then serve as a prerequisite for AP Research which forms the backbone of the AP Capstone Diploma.

Target grade levels: 10th and 11th

Prerequisite: None

We ask that you please fill out the survey below so that we can gauge overall interested in this future option for our students. Thank you in advance.

All PHS and MHS students (and all PUSD staff) have access to NY Times subscription paid for by DBFL. Students, go to https://nytimes.com/passes and sign in with Google.

This is a gentle reminder that personal laptops are not allowed at school. We cannot monitor nor manage student activity on personal laptops. If students' Chromebooks need servicing, email help@piedmont.k12.ca.us for prompt support OR come to the PHS library during lunch Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Parents of students found with their personal device without prior approval from Ms. Branisa (jbranisa@piedmont.k12.ca.us) will be contacted.

Are you interested in science? Like really interested in science? Applications are now open for the 2025 National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) for high-achieving, science-oriented students.

This event will be held in West Virginia and DC from July 10 to August 2, 2025. This is open to junior and graduating seniors. You may get more information about this opportunity here.

The purpose of this survey is to obtain parent perceptions about the school. Your participation is voluntary. It is also very important. The information you provide will help guide district and school efforts to promote safety, enhance learning supports, and improve student achievement.

• This is an anonymous survey. It is designed so that no one can be identified from the data.
• You do not have to respond to any questions that you feel could be used to identify you. Simply skip any such questions
• All questions apply to this school only.
• The results are for the use of your district. The California Department of Education and WestEd will preserve data confidentiality and refer any data requests to the district.

If you have any questions about this survey, contact Stephanie Griffin, sgriffin@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

https://wested.ugam-apps.com/wested/ts/g7oe

Well, we are currently in our 32nd round of the Highlander Hunt, and we definitely have some next level Hunters. They analyze color, shadow, texture. They hunt in the morning, they hunt at night. They hunt at brunch, lunch, and open periods. They collaborate with friends, they plan in secret. They ask teachers, custodians, and front office staff for clues. They ask if the Hunt has been found. They ask when the next Hunt will start.

As such, we will expand the rules of engagement. Future hunts may exist on people--staff and students. They would of course be willing participants and items will be visible so one could simply ask and validate.

We are also thinking about establishing a Highlander Hunter of the Year or a Highlander Hunter Hall of Fame. We may even consider a year-end Highlander Hunter banquet for all our winners. Who knows, maybe we'll ask that select guests share their stories and hunting strategies. This is all for fun and feedback is always welcomed. Hunt on!

Please access this document: Yearbook Info 24-25 for all information and important dates for the PHS Yearbook.

Are you interested in politics, legislation and statewide leadership opportunities? The California Department of Education is now accepting applications for the Superintendent's Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The mission of this group is to "empower students to contribution to education policy development and amplify the voices of underrepresented youth in statewide decision-making." YAC members will also receive a $500 stipend upon completion of the program. The deadline for submission is 11:59 pm on February 17, 2025. You may get more information here.

The test is approximately 1 hour and will involve reading, writing, listening and speaking. Once we have the results, your student's counselor will follow up to discuss how this impacts scheduling for next year.

Please review the World Language Pathways Document prior to registering for this test to have a better understanding of the world language program in PUSD.

To register for the World Language Placement Test, please fill out the appropriate form below. Individual make-up tests will not be offered. Registration is due by February 10th.

• Spanish Placement Test Spring 2025
• Chinese Placement Test Spring 2025
• French Placement Test Spring 2025

Please note that the Spring test is for currently enrolled PUSD students only and it is primarily intended for either:

• Heritage speakers who have never taken a course in the language before or
• Students who previously took courses at private schools that are not equivalent to our course sequence (Language 1, Language 2, etc.) prior to enrolling in PUSD, and who have not yet taken a language in PUSD.

Did you know what have a science scholar amongst us? I would like to issue a special "shout out" to our very own Aliana Tang. She is a senior who is amongst one of only 300 students nationwide who was selected as part of the Regeneron Science Talent Search for 2025.

Aliana was chosen "based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations". Her topic was Network Method for Building a Sample-Specific Glycan Database for N-Linked Glycosylation From MS/MS Data.

She is interested in computational biology or bioengineering in college. Impressive work indeed Aliana! You can view the scholar book here.

The PHS men’s basketball teams are selling media guides as a fundraiser for $25 each. If you’re interested in purchasing one, please contact Rupa at rupa_basu@yahoo.com. Thanks for your support!

The Wellness Center has been struggling with donation consistency. Please consider donating any of the following snacks: oranges, apples, cheese sticks, or made-good bars. You can donate snacks directly here (link for sign-up genius) or to the Wellness Center snack fund here.

Please mark your calendar and save the date for the return of the 11th annual Piedmont School Maker Faire to the Piedmont High School campus on Sunday, May 18 11am - 3pm! Come celebrate K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (S.T.E.A.M.) education for the Piedmont community & beyond. Our Call for Makers is now OPEN where students & community can submit their projects to share at the Faire! Looking for ideas to get started over winter break? Check out our project ideas page. When ready, submit your project. Submissions are due by April 30th.

Do you know in advance that your child will need to miss school? If so, short-term independent study is an option for them. This can now be done for as short as one day (used to be 5-day minimum). To initiate this process, please check with your child's counselor in advance with the dates of when you plan to be out of school.

Short-term independent study allows your child to do work while away and the school can also claim the revenue, unlike any type of absence.

Tuesday, February 11

6:30 to 8:30PM

Alan Harvey Theater

All PHS/MHS students and families are invited to the first Open House for our College & Career Center. Whether you're a freshman just beginning to explore possibilities or a junior planning for your applications this fall, this event will showcase all the different ways the district can help support and inspire your post-high school plans.

• Meet Stefanie Manalo-LeClair, the new College & Career Center Director
• Discover how PHS is preparing students for diverse future opportunities including gap years and career plans
• Learn about how the CCC partners with Academic Counselors, particularly during the college application process
• Get some college SWAG! We have free college posters, pennants, magnets, pens, etc. for over 100 schools!

Please RSVP HERE so we have an idea of attendance.

Help us show the PHS faculty and staff our LOVE for them with a Valentine's Day Brunch! Please drop off all donated items to the Teacher's Lounge by 9am on Friday, February 14, 2025. Also, please feel free to drop off donated items to 57 Bellevue Avenue by Thursday, February 13, 2025. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Shaya at 510-282-7899.

Sign up here.

Well, our hash browns have been a smashing success, selling out each day even as the nutrition services staff makes over 100 servings each time. They will continue to produce as much as possible, monitoring how well they sell each day.

In our continued encouragement of healthy choices, and in order to qualify as a reimbursable meal, we will ask that students also take an entree (e.g. coffee cake, cereal, etc.) or a fruit with milk. It can even be chocolate milk. We know our lunch is served pretty late, so the extra food will do them well in carrying them over until that time.

Course Registration

Counselors have gone into your students' classes to discuss entering their course requests for the 25-26 school year through their Infinite Campus account.

A signed printed copy of the course request from Infinite Campus is due to the counseling office by February 7th.

Things to know and use in this process:

In the counseling portion of the website, look for

a) course catalog where students can see course progression, prerequisites and recommendations.

b) course selection process documents- 4 year plan, AP/ Honors expectations, time management worksheet.

c) directions on how to enter course requests on the course selection process.

d) parent night presentations will be uploaded soon to the website

Please encourage your student to come by the counseling office to ask questions or email us.

This week's student is Hunter Fasteau. We start off by having staff share some thoughts on Hunter.

What quality(ies) best describes this student? Hunter is courageous. He has causes he is passionate about and he speaks up for them, even when he feels like he's alone. He is a devoted member of the Affinity Mentorship group, trying to provide the supports for younger Piedmont students that he maybe didn't have at the time. He is a hard worker, persistent in doing the work to understand the content.

How long have you known the student? I first got to know him at the end of last year, and he's a student in my class this year.

What is the most memorable event you have of this student? On the micro level, Hunter reached out to me when I was subbing for another teacher: asking for help and making a connection that many students wouldn't bother making with a sub. On the macro level, he has spoken up multiple times at the School Board public comment sessions, most recently around the return of the pride flag in front of school.

How does this student Achieve the Honorable? In ways both personally and academically, Hunter is a deeply ethical human. He is dedicated to making positive necessary changes to the communities he is in.

If there was one word to describe this student, what would it be? Upstanding

And from Hunter himself:

1. So far this year, what has been your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience of 2025 so far has been speaking with Ericka Huggins, a former leading member of the Black Panther Party, on MLK Day. I also especially enjoyed meeting California Rep. Lateefah Simon backstage that day.
2. If you were to describe PHS to someone who is thinking about coming, what would you say to them? If I were to describe PHS to someone who is coming here, I would say that it is a school with a lot of passion and a high standard for academic excellence, but also a space for many students to be able to hone their interests with a diverse course selection and various engaging ECAs.
3. If you were in charge at PHS, what is one action you might take to make it better? If I were in charge of PHS, I would push for permanent student representation in PHS school administration and petition the school to see if we could opt for a 90-minute Academy once per week on Fridays so that we can get out at lunch.
4. If you could share one sentence with your parents/guardians, what would you say? I would say thank you for uplifting me and being there for me when I needed it most, and I am indebted to you for your commitment to me and for shaping me into the person I am today.
   
5. What is your favorite word? My favorite word at the moment is virtuoso.
   
6. What is your favorite song? My favorite song right now is I Hope to Be Around by Men I Trust.
7. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is arepas!
8. Can you share a photo of something from your summer and why it is special to you? This photo is special to me because it was taken the day of my grandmother's 80th birthday celebration at her home in Los Angeles. She is in the hospital right now recovering from various diagnoses, but we're hopeful that she'll get out soon. In the wake of the recent fires, my family has been sending her and my Nana some items to help them get by. I'm hoping that she and all human beings and firefighters in LA stay safe and healthy!

• Kudos to Laurel for her leadership at School Site Council and her 24/7 affable demeanor.
• A shout out to Lucian for Achieving the Honorable and encouraging his peers to do the right thing (e.g. not cut in the brunch/lunch line).
• Ms. Spinks for offering hash browns at brunch. They are definitely a hit!
• Thank you to Anton for his detailed description of his I-search paper. His passion about the topic is contagious. I can't wait to see the final product!

Thanks to all those that participated in the Highlander Trivia question in the last newsletter. We had great participation.

The questions was: This thread is similar to last week's, but more specific. What is the average weighted GPA of our senior class for semester 1? The correct answer to this is 3.945. That is almost a perfect 4.0 (weighted of course, but impressive, nonetheless).

Our participants actually all did quite well once again. Congratulations to Trenton D. who got the exact answer. Not exactly sure if that was just lucky or if he had inside information (smile), but congratulations. Please come to the main office at your convenience to claim your prize.