Week 3 Update
Dear Piedmont USD Families,
Here we are in week three of the school year, and it feels more normal atour schools than it has in years. What a joy to have our students back in the full swing of things.
Below you will find information on the following topics:
- Communications - Survey Update
- Class Size at PHS
- Belonging in PUSD
- Superintendent's Advisory Council
- Staffing Update
- Future Communication Topics
In Partnership,
In Partnership,
Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Communications - Pulse Check Results
Parents, thank you for your input regarding effective communication from the Superintendent. As you can see, the results varied, but the trend appears to be a request for more frequent communication, either via email or newsletter. My goal is to communicate more regularly via the Piedmont Pulse, and if something more pressing emerges, additional email communication. Social media updates were not highly ranked, and so you will probably see a leaner social media presence for now.
Class Size at PHS
If you have a child/children at PHS, you may have noticed that we have some large classes this year. Last week, I began reviewing the high school master schedule for enrollment and class size. Having served as a high school principal in a similar sized district, I know the challenges of building a master schedule of classes that meets the needs of all students. In my review of the master schedule, what I can see is that the combination of our small size (about 800 students), the large number of specialty courses, along with our effort to accommodate the courses students request can result in a lot of classes that have higher than usual enrollment. However, you may also want to ask why so many classes are so low in enrollment. We currently have 21 classes that are enrolled with over 30 students, and we have 40 classes with 21 or fewer students (excluding PE, ELD, Special Education and combined courses). I suspect most of us would agree that small class sizes are a benefit; however, there are several factors to consider.
Here are some factors that impact class size:
Numerous Specialty Courses: We have a very large number of speciality courses, including electives and AP courses, which can skew very large or very small, depending on student interest. For example, if your child is taking AP Music Theory, that class currently has 16 students enrolled. However, if your child is taking Journalism, there are 32 students enrolled. Both of these courses are only offered one period. PHS has a range of fabulous courses, but we are unable to offer all courses every period. You can view the high school master schedule of classes, linked HERE.
Limited Sections of Specialty Courses: Because we have so many specialty courses, with only one or a few sections offered each period, students can get locked into a schedule. For example, if I want to take AP Music Theory (only one section offered), Guitar Engineering (only one section offered) and AP Calculus AB (only two sections offered, but one is the same period as Guitar Engineering), I now have three classes that are locked into specific periods. This happens to many students, which skews class size, sometimes high or low.
Small School: You may be wondering why we cannot offer more sections of each course. There are several reasons, but most significant is that we are a small high school with a limited number of teachers and facilities. And so, we offer one or several sections of specialty courses and sometimes even combine courses into a single period when it makes sense to do so (e.g., Applied and Visual Arts courses).
And so how do we solve for this dilemma? Solving for classes that are large could mean adding sections. However, this means additional costs not currently in our budget, and it also requires teachers to pick up a section (or we try to hire a teacher for 1-2 periods), which may be challenging or not viable. Another way to balance course loads is by reducing the number of specialty courses we offer; however, we would need to involve students, teachers, families and staff in a discussion of our course offerings to see if we should reduce offerings. Part of what is special about PHS is the robust number of course offerings.
In the end, building a master schedule that meets the needs of all students and does not result in large or very small classes can be challenging. A special thanks to our PHS counselors for their tireless efforts to schedule students into the classes they need. As we contemplate the addition of new classes in the future, we will need to consider the possible impact on class size.
Belonging in PUSD
Families, one of my priorities for our work together this year is to create a sense of belonging for our school community: students, staff, families and our larger Piedmont community. Part of my approach is through a reading of Geoffrey Cohen's book, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides. Cohen is based out of Stanford, and his work is research-based, with much of it drawing from communications research.
Our Board of Education is reading this book, as is our leadership team as part of our working DEIB. You may also have seen the purple posters at all of our campus with the statement, " Everyone Belongs in PUSD." Creating a sense of belonging for everyone in PUSD is a priority, and I look forward to working with our staff, students and community in our work together to create a feeling of belonging for all.
Superintendent's Advisory Council
Dear PUSD Families,
I sent out the letter below on Friday, 8/18. Here it is again, in case you missed it:
The Piedmont Unified School District is inviting parents/guardians to participate on the Superintendent Advisory Council in order to advise the Superintendent on key issues in the District. An additional goal of the SAC includes reinforcing productive relationships among our school and community members in order to better serve our students.
The SAC will be composed of the following members:
2 Student Board Members - 2 per semester
6 Parents - 1 per school site
2 Certificated Staff (APT: one elementary, one secondary)
2 Classified (CSEA: one elementary, one secondary)
2 Board Members
PEF Executive Director
2 Administrators (APSA: one elementary, one secondary)
Superintendent
Our timeline for the process is as follows:
8/18: Information goes out from the Superintendent's office via email (Infinite Campus)
8/25: Applications due to the Superintendent's Office (1-2 pages: bio, reason for running, topics for discussion) - see Google Form below
8/28: Bios of those running sent out to each school for a vote via Google form
8/31: Google Voting Form due
9/5: Results communicated
9/6: First SAC meeting from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. (Future Meetings: 10/4 and 11/1. The group will determine the dates for the remaining meetings for the year).
To select the six Parent/Guardian members (one per school), PUSD invites Parents and Guardians of current students to apply by filling out the linked questionnaire:
Superintendent's Advisory Council Questionnaire - Due 8/25
Parents/Guardians with students at multiple PUSD schools are asked to choose only one school. Candidate applications will be presented to each school community for consideration and a vote. The District will facilitate the voting process through the Superintendent’s office.
Candidates receiving the most votes from their respective school communities will be placed on the council. Selected members are encouraged to attend their respective school’s Parent Club Meetings to report-out on the council’s discussions.
I look forward to bringing this council together in the service of our students. Thank you for your interest in participating in this important group.
Piedmont Unified School District
Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600