Piedmont Pulse

April 29, 2024

Dear PUSD Families:

It was great to see many of you at the Wildwood Centennial Celebration and Beach Revue. There is so much to celebrate this time of year. In this week’s edition of the Piedmont Pulse, I will be sharing information about the following topics:

1. Parcel Tax Survey
2. Celebrations
3. Alumni Network
4. Leadership Announcements
5. Reminders: PUSD Summer Adventures & MHS Open Enrollment

In partnership,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

The parcel tax survey has gone out to a sample of our residents, and we have received some questions and feedback. A few important points to note:

• Sample - The survey goes out to a sample of residents in Piedmont. Not every resident will receive the survey. Also, the survey goes out to a sample of resident parents in the district, and it goes out to a sample of residents with no kids in our schools.
• Survey Consultants - The survey is on behalf of the District; however, it was not designed by the District. We used the same survey consultants that we successfully used last time for Measures G and H. The consultants are experts in survey design, and the structure of the survey includes questions that are aimed to help us understand if and how much support there is for a parcel tax, if and how much opposition there is to a parcel tax, and how we might develop a parcel tax campaign with this information in mind.
• Check Junk/Spam Folder - We have heard from some residents that the survey initially went into their junk/spam folder. We encourage residents to check their junk/spam folder to see if they received the survey.
• Results - We hope to have the results in the next few weeks, which will go to the Board for review to determine if a parcel tax is likely to pass.

If you have additional questions, Board VP, Lindsay Thomasson (lthomasson@piedmont.k12.ca.us) and Board Member, Hilary Cooper (hcooper@piedmont.k12.ca.us) are the leads on the parcel tax and are happy to respond to questions, as am I. Many thanks to our residents, including parents and teachers, who have shared feedback about the survey. We will take your feedback back to the survey consultants.

Class of 2024 - If you have not yet checked out the Instagram page for the Class of 2024, you have to see it! Seniors are posting the colleges and universities they will attend next year along with a baby picture. It is absolutely adorable and a celebration of the hard work of our Seniors. Congratulations, Class of 2024!

Wildwood Centennial Celebration - Thank you to the staff and parents who held the Wildwood Centennial Celebration on Saturday afternoon. The event was held on the WW lower playground, and what a wonderful celebration to mark Wildwood’s 100th year. Thank you to our Parent Club and all of the parents who volunteered to celebrate this important milestone for Wildwood.

Beach Revue was also held this weekend at the Alan Harvey Theater, and what a fun celebration for our students and families. This year's theme, "Metamorphosis", was beautiful and comic in the student skits and performances. Congratulations to our students on their amazing transformations, and a huge thanks to our parents, volunteers and staff for making this production happen.

I am thrilled to launch the Piedmont Alumni Network! Linked HERE is a page on our PUSD website to invite alumni of PHS and MHS to sign up. Over the last year, I have connected with many alumni who have shared various Facebook pages and other social media sites with alumni grouped across sites and connected by individuals. The goal is to build and reinforce connections and community pride by connecting alumni in one place. We are in the early stages of exploring how we might connect our alumni, but for now, please share this link with any of our alumni. Whether you graduated many years ago, or recently, we would love to have you sign up HERE.

At last week’s Board meeting, we approved two new leadership hires: Jean Fagin: Director of Special Education and Dr. David Yoshihara: PHS Principal.

I am thrilled to announce Jean Fagin as our recommendation to be the next Director of Special Education. Jean’s special education career has spanned twenty-two years. She has shared that she has had the privilege of working in both rural and urban settings, from the Navajo reservation in Arizona to large cities, such as Oakland and Chicago. Fourteen of those years were spent in the classroom as a special education teacher as well as a mentor teacher. Jean’s initial training was focused on teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities, but she has also worked with students with a wide range of abilities, including as a Resource Teacher, Co-teacher, and Special Day Class teacher. And, for the past seven years, Jean has served as a special education administrator, including as the Director of Special Education for Leadership Public Schools and as the Regional Director of Special Education for Aspire Public Schools. Jean earned her undergraduate degree and certification from Illinois State University and her graduate degree from Loyola University Chicago.

David Yoshihara has been in public education for almost 30 years having worked in K-12, community colleges and universities. He has served in unified districts, elementary districts, high school districts, and county offices of education. Dr. Yoshihara has worked in all major areas of education from curriculum and instruction to business services and human resources. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley - Go Bears. His Master of Arts degree from Chapman University and his doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of La Verne.

Dr. Yoshihara has served in all types of schools and districts, including districts very similar in high achievement to PUSD. His current areas of focus have been improving instructional leadership in schools, addressing issues of inequity, and increasing student voice in K-12 education.

Some of his major accomplishments include the formation of a first-of-its kind music immersion program to close the academic achievement gap and the establishment of school-based wellness centers. Dr. Yoshihara has served on various boards and commissions including but not limited to First 5 of Sacramento, Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistant Team, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

For both positions, we conducted an extensive interview process, with three rounds of interviews, extensive reference checks, and a background check. Interview panels included teachers, parents, Board members, administrators, and students. For Dr. Yoshihara, we also took the additional step of conducting a site visit where I observed Dr. Yoshihara in action with staff and students. Throughout the interview processes, Jean Fagin and David Yoshihara shined as collaborative leaders who prioritize relationships and building teams in the best interest of students and staff.

Welcome to PUSD, Jean and David!

Get ready for an unforgettable summer as Summer Adventures makes its grand return for the first time since COVID! Join us as we embark on a journey filled with fun, laughter, and endless discoveries. Our dedicated team of teachers and staff have been hard at work planning an array of awesome classes and experiences, including Junior Journalist, Superhero Fitness, Marvelous Math, Spanish, Junior Naturalists, and arts and writing classes, ensuring there's something for every age level to enjoy! Plus, we're thrilled to bring back the programs designed to ease transitions, including Welcome to TK, Welcome to Kindergarten, and Welcome to 6th Grade.

Session Dates:

• Session 1: June 5-14 (8 days)

• Location: Havens Elementary
  

Grades: TK-8th grade

Registration Fees:

• Morning Only (9:00 am - 12:00 pm): $525.00

• Full Day (9:00 am - 3:00 pm): $1050.00

Registration is open on Infinite Campus. Visit our website and learn more about our exciting summer programs: https://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/summer-school

For more information, contact Erin Rivera, Summer Adventures Coordinator, at erivera@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Millennium High School is a free, small, public alternative high school and is part of the Piedmont Unified School District. Millennium is currently accepting applications for students who live outside of Piedmont and are entering grades 9th through 12th. No application is required for Piedmont residents.

ABOUT MILLENNIUM HIGH SCHOOL

• College Preparatory Courses
• Safe, Supportive, and Non-Competitive Environment Where Everyone is Welcome
• Small Learning Community with a Low Teacher to Student Ratio
• Diverse and Inclusive Student Body
• Student-Centered Environment focused on Wellness and Individual Success
• Students live in cities throughout the East Bay

APPLY TODAY!

Visit the Millennium website to apply: https://mhs.piedmont.k12.ca.us/about-mhs/application-process. The new school year starts on August 12, 2024. 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

Arab American Heritage Month - PUSD and the California Department of Education recognize April as Arab American Heritage Month. To our Arab American students, staff, and families, we celebrate you this month and ALWAYS!

Gun Safety & Storage Resolution - Last week our Board approved a gun safety and storage resolution to acknowledge the critical importance of gun safety and storage in homes. Thank you to PPD, the Brady Project, and Everytown for Gun Safety for their support of our community’s efforts to ensure safe storage of guns and the overall safety of our community. For more information about the power of asking the question about unlocked guns in the home: ASK Resources

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month - The California Department of Education and PUSD recognize May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To our Asian American students, staff, and families, we celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

Jewish American Heritage Month - The California Department of Education and PUSD recognize May as Jewish American Heritage Month. To our Jewish American students, staff, and families, we celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

School Principals Day (5/1/2024) - A big shout out this week to our Principals. May 1 is School Principals Day. Principals, we celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

School Lunch Hero Day (5/3/2024) - And, what would we do without our school lunch staff? Thank you to our staff and all of our parent volunteers who support our school lunch program. We celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6–10, 2024) - May 6–10th is National Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers, we are grateful for your service. We celebrate you during this official week and ALWAYS!

Joint Statement - APT & PUSD - If you did not get a chance to read the joint statement from APT & PUSD regarding negotiations, we have linked it 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

PEF - The Giving Campaign - The Giving Campaign officially ended in December; however, you can still give. We are grateful to our community for their support of our outstanding teachers and programs. If you are able to give, go HERE.

Piedmont Portal - For all of the latest school and community events, please visit the Piedmont Portal linked HERE

Donate for Absences - Parents, please remember that if your child needs to be out of school, you can submit payment HERE for the lost revenue. Each day that a student is out of school (for any reason, including illness) means a loss of revenue in the following amounts per day: TK-3rd Grade = $61.32; 4th-6th Grade = $56.39; 7th-8th Grade = $58.06; 9th-12th Grade = $61.20. This is invitational, of course.

Witter Field Renovation Project Updates - For updates on the Witter Field Renovation Project, please go to our Facilities page on our PUSD website.

Community Pool Construction Update - Safety measures around the Community Pool Project construction site on Magnolia Ave. across from PHS/MHS are currently in effect. Visit the City of Piedmont's website for details.

Work for PUSD - PUSD is seeking candidates for a variety of positions. Visit the District's Edjoin page for a complete list of jobs available and to apply online.

Substitutes Needed - Support students while earning up to $200/day. PUSD seeking substitute teachers for the 2023-24 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), Twitter (@piedmontunified), Instagram (@piedmontusd) and Threads (@piedmontusd@threads) pages are active.

Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600