Piedmont Pulse

May 20, 2024

Dear PUSD Families:

It was great seeing so many of you at this weekend's Maker Faire. As we close in on the final days of school, I hope our staff and students enjoy the many end-of-year events. In this week’s edition of the Piedmont Pulse, I will be sharing information about the following topics:

1. Recognizing our Retirees
2. Celebrations
3. Strategic Plan: 2024-2029
4. Alumni Network - Class of '24, please sign up!
   
5. Reminders: PUSD Summer Adventures, MHS Open Enrollment, & PIP: Piedmont Inclusive Preschool

In partnership,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

It is bittersweet to recognize our PUSD retirees, many of whom have served our district for over 25 years. Below is a list of retiring staff, whom we will also celebrate at our 5/22 Board Meeting:

• Daniel Bonnin, Adult School teacher
• Kathleen Campbell, 3rd grade teacher at Havens
• Mary Carter, Paraeducator at Wildwood
• Tony Dunn, Head Custodian at PMS
• Ted Greenebaum, Science teacher at PMS
• Debora Hill, English teacher, TOSA, and Technology Coach/Coordinator
• Sarah Keith, Library Assistant at Beach
• Kathryn Levenson, Librarian at PHS/MHS
• Pedro Maravilla, Head Custodian at Beach

Thank you to these amazing retirees! We honor you now and ALWAYS!

African American Student Achievement and Excellence Awards - Congratulations to our middle and high school students who have earned this achievement Award. The African American Regional Educational Alliances (AAREA) sponsors this award, "celebrating Black student excellence and uplifting the outstanding achievements of exceptional students." This year's recipients include the following students: Lucas Bekele (PMS), Aiden Bell (PMS), Lucia Dorsey (PMS), Bryce Spears (PMS), and Andre Bowers (MHS).

Thank you, Teachers… for wonderful events that I happened on while at your campuses. Last week, I attended Ms. Nielsen’s Three Nanny Goats Gruff musical with our Kindergarten students at Beach, and they were fabulous! I also got a chance to drop in to Ms. Forbes’s “Cuddles & Coffee” event at Havens, which was a wonderful celebration of our students’ reading progress.

Day on the Green - Thank you Hayley Adams, ASB, and our administrative team for last Friday’s Day on the Green. What a wonderful event to close out the school year for our PHS/MHS students.

Maker Faire - Thank you to our Maker team, including staff and students, for yesterday’s Maker Faire. It was a wonderful event, showcasing a wide range of STEAM events for all ages.

Athletics: Thank you to Bradley Smet, Director of Athletics for serving our district’s athletics program for the last 4 years. Bradley has provided the summary below of our Spring season teams. Congratulations to all of our athletes on an outstanding year, including our student athletes who will go on to play in college!

Beach Volleyball:

The beach volleyball team went 0-8 this season playing in tournaments and dual matches. The participation doubled in the sports second season as a PHS Sport.

Baseball:

Baseball was 15-8 and qualified for NCS Division 4 Championships. They finished first in WACC during regular season play but lost in the first round of the WACC playoffs. Baseball won their quarterfinal game and will be hosting McKinleyville on 5/22.

Swim

Swim had a very strong season finishing in second place in WACC for both the boys and girls team. In the League finals the boys team won 7 out of 11 events and the girls team won 4 out of 11 events. Our single diver finished 4th in NCS and 9th in the state championships.

Track and Field

Track and Field had another fantastic season even while being displaced at Laney college for their whole season. The boys finished 4th in League and the Girls finished 4th in league. They finished 8th overall at the NCS Bayshore meet. Overall the team had 40 athletes qualify for the NCS post season meet, by far the most in recent times.

Boys Volleyball

Boys volleyball team finished the season 7-12, not qualifying for the NCS playoffs for the first time in program history. The program this year did not have enough players to hold a JV team.

Boys Tennis

The boys tennis team finished the season going 12-9 qualifying for the NCS postseason. The team lost in their second round game. The program this year did not have enough players to hold a JV team.

Girls Lacrosse

Girls Lacrosse went 14-4 on the season including an undefeated WACC schedule and named WACC Champions. They qualified for the NCS Division 2 Championships where they lost in the first round in a close game.

Boys Lacrosse

Under first year head coach, the boys lacrosse program went 8-6 overall and came in third place in league. They qualified for the NCS Division 1 championships and lost in the first round. The team was young after graduating many players last year.

Badminton

Like Boys Lacrosse, the badminton team was very young this year. The team finished 8-7 during the regular season. They qualified for the NCS Division 2 playoffs where they finished 5th as a team.

Softball

The softball team finished the year going 10-7 during the regular season. The team had 11 players, 4 of which had never played softball before. The team was still able to qualify for the NCS Division 4 playoffs as a 5 seed and earned a first round bye. Unfortunately, our team lost in the quarterfinal match-up.

Boys Golf

The boys golf team finished the year going 8-4 on regular season games. The team also placed 4th at the WACC League championship. The golf team had one player qualified for the NCS Division 2 championships where he shot a 67.

As we close out the school year, I have invited our administrative team to work with their site staff and departments to gather input on how we might implement our new strategic plan, including the graduate profile. Because the Strategic Plan was created through almost two years of engagement workshops with staff, parents, students and community, we invite our school community to offer input on what implementation looks like in the years to come. At our administrative meetings, we have discussed a phased-in approach, including creating awareness through posters, brochures, website presence and connecting the work we are already doing to our Strategic Plan. For example, our next LCAP and School Plans (SPSAs) will highlight our four Strategic Priorities: Creating an Environment to Thrive, Investing in Outstanding Academics, Partnering Beyond the Classroom, and Building for Operational Excellence. Ensuring alignment of our District priorities will allow our team to build and reinforce instructional coherence and a vision for learning that reflects excellence for our students. More to come on this important works, and we invite your input HERE.

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

PUSD is thrilled to be expanding its esteemed Early Intervention Preschool Program at Havens by offering children who reside in Piedmont, who do not meet TK-age eligibility, an opportunity to attend PUSD as a preschooler. The PUSD Early Intervention Preschool program has supported the community’s youngest learners with disabilities since 2014 and is now enrolling a limited number of general education preschool-age students to create an inclusive preschool.

More information about the program is linked HERE.

PIP is a nurturing, play-based, sensory-enriched preschool that fosters inclusivity and promotes the holistic development of all children. First and foremost, our classroom is play-based. We structure each week’s art, music, and circle-time activities around a theme (e.g., “dinosaurs”, “outer space,” “rainbows”).

Our program is designed to build:

• Language and vocabulary

• Social-emotional development

• Social and play skills

• Self-care and school readiness skills

• Motor skills

• Pre-academic skills

• Self-regulation skills

Curriculum that are built into each week include Zones of Regulation, Handwriting Without Tears, and Kimochis.

[SUBMIT INTEREST HERE]

Class of 2024 and all PHS/MHS alumni, sign up for the Piedmont Alumni Network linked HERE. 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 you are graduating this year, sign up HERE.

If you're still seeking a dynamic summer program, look no further! We're excited to bring back Summer Adventures, featuring a small and special program. Join us for an enriching start to summer at PUSD Summer Adventures Session One from June 5th to June 14th, running from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (or 3:00 PM for extended hours). Mornings will be filled with a blend of math, science, language arts, and art, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience. In the afternoons, children will enjoy a camp-like atmosphere with games, park play, and crafts. Additionally, we have a few openings in our "Welcome to TK/Kinders" and "Welcome to 6th Grade" programs. These programs are designed to aid in the transition and provide children with a preview of the exciting school year ahead. Visit our website to register today - it's a great way to support our district! Limited spots are available, so don't wait to sign up.

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.

Classified School Employee Week (May 19–25, 2024)
According to the California Department of Education, May 19–25, 2024 is Classified School Employee Week. To all of our Classified team, we celebrate you this week and ALWAYS!

Memorial Day (5/27/2024) - No School. According to the California Department of Education May 27th is a public school holiday to honor those who served and died for our country. Thank you to those who served.

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!

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