Piedmont Pulse

March 24, 2025

Dear PUSD Staff & Families:

It was great to see so many of you at Open House for Beach, Havens, & Wildwood last week. It's hard to believe that March is almost over, and spring vacation is coming up. Below is this week's edition of the Piedmont Pulse. Enjoy~

In Community,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Our Highlander Robotics team crushed it at the San Francisco regionals this past weekend, and will later compete at the East Bay Regionals. I had a chance to visit the team at Ignatius High College Prep HS this weekend where they shared the latest in this year's competition theme: REEFSCAPE: an ocean-themed series of competitions that encourage teams to work "together to develop innovative technologies and impactful solutions that support aquatic life and advance undersea exploration."

If you are interested in visiting our team, the East Bay Regionals will be held April 5th to 6th at Berkeley High School. More information is linked HERE.

Thank you to our amazing students for sharing their expertise, our mentors for guiding our students, and our sponsors including the Piedmont Makers and so many others including parents who make this amazing experience for our students possible. Go team 8033!

Thank you to our teachers, administrators and staff for hosting a wonderful Tri School Open House last Thursday. To see our students show off their work to their parents was joyful. Amazingly, I made it to all three schools and was again impressed by the remarkable work our teachers engage our students in throughout the year.

Just a note of gratitude to the MHS team, including Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels, and teachers/WASC Co-Coordinators Emily Boyes and Ken Brown for their outstanding work on the WASC accreditation report. I had a chance to visit with the WASC visiting team, along with students, parents, staff, and Board members at a reception yesterday afternoon. MHS has done wonderful work for kids, and I have no doubt the WASC visiting committee will see the magic of MHS.

Parents, we have been working with staff on the design and implementation of new programs for next year and the years to follow. Below is an update on our progress:

Elementary: We are working with staff on the design and implementation of the current instrumental music program in grades 4 & 5. A re-design of performing arts in grades 4 and 5 will start this fall. Regarding world language, we will engage in a process throughout next year to review all programs in order to add world language in grade 5 in 2026-27.

Middle School: We will offer a full year of World Language (Mandarin, Spanish, and French) to 7th grade students to start this fall. We will also engage in a process throughout next year to review courses in order to add world language in grade 6 in 2026-27.

High Schools: Course additions include Honors levels for the following: Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, Jazz Band, Acting, and Dance. AP Seminar and AP Physics, vocal music/choir, and a dual enrollment agreement with Peralta colleges to add college-level courses (TBD). All courses to be offered this fall.

Following the work of the Cell Phone Task Force during the fall and early spring, a presentation was made to the Board on 3/12/25 on various options. The discussion resulted in the following plan and next steps:

2025-26 School Year: No cell phone use for grade TK-8 at any time during the school day. For grades 9-12, no cell phone use during the school day with the exception of lunch. A one-year Board policy will be brought to the Board at the May 14, 2025 Board meeting.

2026-27 School Year: The policy will be updated to restrict cell phone use TK-12 for the entire school day.

Throughout next year, staff will build a plan that includes the logistics of how to implement a policy that restricts cell phone use for the entire school day to start in 2026-27. There are many operational issues that need to be considered and resolved in order to fully restrict cell phone use. We will bring updates to the Board and community throughout next year on our progress to fully restrict cell phone use during the school day.

I want to thank the parents and staff who participated in the cell phone task force and who have engaged with us throughout this year. I recognize that there are strong feelings around cell phones, both for and against, and we believe this multi-year approach to implementation will allow our staff to implement the policy with fidelity, and it will give our students the space free from cell phone use that they need to thrive.

Please be on the lookout for Infinite Campus messages with sign-up links for the following community meetings:

Superintendent's Advisory Committee (SAC) Meeting - March 27, 2025 at 4:30PM - District Office

Assistant Superintendent, Ariel Dolowich, and I will host a discussion on the new programs we are offering this fall and the years to come. Information will include program changes in elementary, middle school, and high school. Sign up for in person or online HERE.

District Technology Advisory Committee (DTAC) - March 31st, 3:45-5:00PM Havens Library

Staff, students, and interested community members are invited to participate in a District Technology Advisory meeting on March 31st. The agenda will include discussions and activities related to AI literacy. We will meet from 3:45 PM to 5:00 PM in the Havens Library, and a remote participation option will be available. Please sign-up to let us know you are coming!

NEW Spring Break "April Adventures" for K-5th

April Adventures – A Few Spots Left!

April Adventures is a week of learning and fun for Kindergarten-5th graders, led by Claire Breen (3rd grade teacher at Havens) and Alaleh Ford (2nd grade teacher from Beach). They’ve created an exciting, spring-themed week filled with enrichment activities, creative projects, special performances, and even a Piedmont Park scavenger hunt — it’s the perfect spring break experience!

• Dates: April 7-11, 2025
• Hours: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
• Extended Care: 8:00-9:00 AM & 3:00-5:00 PM
• Lunch: Included for full-day students

Register now through Infinite Campus

April Adventures

Summer Adventures 2025

Summer Adventures returns for 2025! Get ready for an exciting summer of learning and laughter. This summer will feature enrichment opportunities and a new separate sports program. Check out all of the options linked HERE

Adventure questions? contact Erin Rivera at erivera@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Sports camp questions? contact Tyler Small at tsmall@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Enrollment

Feb 25, 2025 12:00 AM - Jun 20, 2025 12:00 AM

Season dates

Jun 10, 2025 - Jul 25, 2025

For more information contact Erin Rivera or visit our Spring/Summer Program website:

https://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/summer-school

Our resident priority enrollment period began on January 15th. If your child will be 4 years old by 9/1/2025, enroll in TK now. If you child will be 5 years old by 9/1/2025, enroll in Kindergarten now. Enrollment takes place online linked HERE. In order to place students at each school, it is important for residents to enroll immediately.

More information about resident enrollment can be found HERE, and we look forward to seeing you this fall!

Is your child a professional athlete? In the entertainment industry? Or, of need of an online independent study program?

This year PUSD launched an Independent Study Program (ISP) for qualifying students in grades 9-12. Independent Study is a hybrid program that allows qualifying students to complete their high school requirements, with most of the work completed online and on-campus meetings at least once a week.

Key Features:

• Uses the Accelerate Education platform, with students completing ~5 hours of independent work daily.
• Weekly 1-hour individual meetings with an ISP teacher for mentoring, tutoring, and organization.
• Optional daily virtual synchronous sessions for core subjects.
• In-person attendance required for PSAT/SAT, state testing, and specific college/career events.

Application Process:

1. Submit the PUSD electronic application linked HERE, including a student-written letter.
2. Attend a Student Success Team (SST) meeting with stakeholders.
3. Receive acceptance and next steps upon qualifying.

Program Highlights:

• Students remain enrolled in their current high school (PHS or MHS).
• ISP provides a flexible, alternative instructional strategy aligned with district curriculum and graduation requirements.
• Access to A–G approved courses and equivalent standards-aligned content.

More information is linked HERE. For additional questions, please contact Principal Irma Muñoz Daniels at imunozdaniels@piedmont.k12.ca.us

March Mingle: "PMS Kickin’ It Old Skool" - March 27th - 7-10PM Piedmont Community Hall. Tickets are available HERE.

Spring Fling - April 25th. Get ready for Spring Fling, the only annual fundraiser for Piedmont’s elementary schools. This year's theme is Piedmont Palm Royale, with fun for all. Tickets available HERE.

Women's History Month - The California Department of Education and PUSD recognize March as Women's History Month. To our students, staff, and families who are women, we celebrate you now and ALWAYS!

Support TPH - In order to continue to publish the Piedmont Highlander, we need your help. The Infinite Campus portal is now working to accept donations, which was previously not 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)

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 imunozdaniels@piedmont.k12.ca.us, or see more information 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.

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