Weekly News & Announcements

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

SUMMER JAPAN TRIP
Acalanes staff are taking students on a trip to Japan this summer. Students from any grade and any of the four high schools can attend! The only requirement is an interest in travel! This trip has a little bit of everything -- ancient/historical sites, awe-inspiring locations, amazing food, and a once-in-a-lifetime bonding experience with your Lamorinda peers. Send your student on the trip of a lifetime where they become a global citizen who values travel and exploration.
 
For anyone interested in going on the trip to Japan this summer, please follow this link to preview the trip and to register:  June 2025 - Japan.
And check out our Instagram page to see photos from the last two summers! acalanes_travels

If you have any questions please reach out to Erin Barth or Tina Gullberg. This is not a school-sponsored trip.

College & Career

Seniors: Please come by the College and Career Center during 6th, 7th, academy, lunch and/or brunch to work on your Cal State, Common, and UC applications. Tips and strategies provided during all sessions. MaiaLearning tutorials are also provided at each visit. Great tips here!
 
Senior Scholarships: Pixel Plex for STEM & business students application is due on Thursday, Dec 5 and Stand up to Distracted Driving Scholarship application is due Wednesday, Nov 13.

LPIE

Did you know that LPIE is made up of over 50 dedicated volunteer board and committee members?
We’re excited to highlight these incredible individuals who give their time and talents to support our schools and students. Last week you heard from Lori Macleod. Our second Acalanes co-representative is Jocelyn Werner:
 
I'm excited to serve alongside Lori MacLeod as an LPIE co-chair this year. Like my partner Lori, I too have been a parent in the Lafayette school district for over a decade. My oldest graduated from Acalanes last year and is now off at college, and my second son is a sophomore here. Like many of you, my husband and I moved to Lafayette for the green hills and great public schools. We were surprised to learn that Lafayette receives the LOWEST per pupil funding of any district in the state and that our public schools would not be what they are today without the ongoing financial support of LPIE. When my sons were at Springhill Elementary and Stanley, I, along with many other parents, volunteered in the classrooms and at LPIE sponsored events, chairing the Springhill Science Fair and later the districtwide Read-a-Thon. As we tacked LPIE art projects on the wall, listened to trumpet practice, and watched our kids grow crystals for the Science Fair, we had near constant reminders of how LPIE funding was enriching the lives of our young students. The transition to high school brings a welcome independence for our kids but also less visibility into exactly how and where LPIE impacts their education. A quick check of Canvas doesn't tell you that LPIE has purchased one microscope for every student in your student's Living Earth class (just down the road,1 microscope is shared by 3 students!). When you sign a field trip permission slip, you may not be aware that LPIE has funded the transportation to San Francisco and back. When your student is weighing whether to take Physics or AP African American History, you can thank LPIE that such a diverse selection of classes exists at Acalanes. As Lori so aptly put it, there is virtually no space at Acalanes that LPIE has not touched. I'm proud of the hours and dollars I have given to this Lafayette institution. It's simply the best investment I could have made for my child's education and for this community I love.
 
Join Us for LPIE's First Ever Community Crawl!
On Saturday, Nov 9, enjoy a day of family fun with a petting zoo, face painting, arts and crafts, a bubble performer, games, and more! Over 40 local businesses have donated to support our schools. Shop and dine with them throughout Veterans Day weekend and participate in our Scavenger Hunt! Find the LPIE teddy bear at 10 locations and enter to win a gift card to Five Little Monkeys or two tickets to the LPIE Gala!

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Important October Dates

• LGBTQ History Month
• Filipino American History Month
• Oct 21 6pm APC DEIB Committee meeting
• Oct 31 Diwali

Please join us for our third general DEIB Committee meeting!We will meet in the Collaboration Center on Monday, Oct 21 at 6pm to support the students and administration in bringing an even greater sense of belonging to our school. Discussions will be based on current issues on our campus and upcoming cultural celebrations which may need additional parent support. There will be snacks and drinks and an opportunity to meet others who want everyone to feel welcome. Remember, “ALL ARE WELCOME HERE”.
 
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with what the students are doing to celebrate all of these wonderful cultures and special dates.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with what the students are doing to celebrate all of these wonderful cultures and special dates.

Wellness Center

While teens are no longer smoking cigarettes, vaping nicotine is at an all time high. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that can affect healthy brain development in adolescents. Did you know that some of the most popular vape brands have as much nicotine as 27 packs of cigarettes? In order to be informed of the most up to date information about teens and vaping, please take the time to watch Danger of Vaping: What Parents Should Know in 2024.

Teens are being targeted with videos, ads and social media posts, especially with new products such as Zyn Nicotine pouches. The more parents know about these products the better they can talk with their teens about them. 

Student Activities

The annual Acalanes Fall Blood Drive is Oct 30. You can make appointments through the Red Cross website (link to page). You must create an account and find the Acalanes Blood Drive on the Find a Drive page. Our goal is to have 46 donors. If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Walton or marshall.stirling27@auhsdschools.org.
 
Breaking Down the Walls From Oct 22 - 24, all 10th and 11th grade students will participate in Breaking Down The Walls. The Breaking Down the Walls program is a unique opportunity for students and staff to connect, share their stories, and realize…"It's hard to hate someone whose story you know."

Thanks to APC funding, this program creates a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding through a "play, trust, learn" model. By first helping students laugh together, they start to trust one another and eventually want to learn from those outside their regular friend group. The assembly, training, and workshops leave everyone with the realization that we are truly BETTER TOGETHER! 

Breaking Down the Walls strengthens social and emotional learning (SEL), specifically building social awareness and relationship skills vital to student growth and success. 

• Meaningful connections and positive relationships
  • Bring students together and provide dedicated time for them to connect and build relationships. 
• Empathy and Understanding
  • Allow students to share their stories, hear their peers' stories, and learn they are better together. 
• Thriving Campus Culture
  • Create an inclusive culture where students say, "I belong here; I am safe here; I can learn and grow here." 

Here is a 4-minute video from the organization with testimonials from students. Students will be participating during one of the three days, assigned by last name. Look for more specific information next week. 

Starting to think about holiday cards and gifts? Shop at Minted. Not only do you get 20% off, Acalanes gets 15% of all sales when you use the code FUNDRAISEACALANES.

Don’t miss the Fall Play this week. It runs from Wednesday-Saturday and is a not to miss show! 

Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Activities Director

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by student last name:
A-F Anne Schonauer  
G-Ka Erika Vasquez
Ke-Re Marissa Meadows 
Rh-Z Susan Martin

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION October is the month we spend writing letters for Early Decision/Action deadlines - each counselor has over 40 letters to write during October! Please have your student see us right away if they need a letter of rec!
 
GRADES AND ELIGIBILITY The first quarter of the year ended Friday, Oct 11. Continued athletic eligibility will be determined from these grades this week for all fall sports - students must have a 2.0 GPA and be passing five classes. Quarter grades should be available in Aeries on Friday, Oct 18 or Monday, Oct 21.
 
JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT Please come to the Library on Wednesday, Nov 13 from 6:30-7:30pm to hear from Debbie Levy, College and Career Center Advisor, and Susan Martin, Counselor, about all things juniors should be thinking about as they research and prepare to apply to college next fall! 

School Nurse

I was really glad to get some feedback on last week’s update regarding breast self examinations (BSE) for Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention month. I heard back that the ACS (American Cancer Society) does not recommend BSE anymore because it has not been shown to decrease breast cancer deaths (here’s a link to last week’s newsletter if you’d like to review).
With that said, I just wanted to highlight that self-monitoring for any health issue has so many benefits - just having awareness of the issue means you prioritize your health. Although the ACS has stated that BSE has not led to a decrease in deaths, there are still some positives and BSE continues to be advocated by many breast cancer prevention organizations:

• “A breast self-exam is an early detection tool that uses a combination of physical and visual examinations of the breasts to check for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. The purpose of a breast self-exam is to become familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel.” – National Breast Cancer Foundation.
• “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.”  - Lillie D. Shockney, Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer

I hope you all understand how establishing a regular routine for this free, portable self-care practice can be helpful. Let me know if you have questions or need support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Performing & Visual Arts

Sports

*The game schedule below reflects dates and times as of last Friday. Games may change for several reasons, including weather. If you have questions or comments, please contact Acalanes Sports Boosters.

This week’s can’t miss events:

Girls golf
Monday, Oct 21 DAL Championship at Blue Rock East GC 9:30am.
 
Girls volleyball
Tuesday, Oct 22 at Miramonte HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm, Varsity at 6:30pm.
Thursday, Oct 24 DAL Semifinal.
Saturday, Oct 26 DAL Championship.
 
Girls tennis
Tuesday, Oct 22 College Park HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Saturday, Oct 26 Freedom JV Tournament.
 
Girls water polo
Tuesday, Oct 22 host Tamalpais HS. Varsity at 6pm and JV at 7pm.
Wednesday, Oct 23 host Monte Vista HS. Varsity at 6pm and JV at 7pm.
Friday, Oct 25 and Saturday Oct 26 NorCal Varsity Championship at Sacred Heart Prep HS.
 
Boys water polo
Wednesday, Oct 23 host College Park HS. JV at 4pm and Varsity at 5pm.
Thursday, Oct 24 JV at Liberty HS at 5pm.
 
Flag football
Wednesday, Oct 23 host Northgate HS at 5:30pm and Clayton Valley Charter HS at 8pm.
 
Cross country
Wednesday, Oct 23 Mid-Season Mania at Campolindo HS at 5pm.
 
Football
Thursday, Oct 24 Frosh at Granada HS at 6pm.

You may view the full 2024-2025 Athletic Schedule by clicking HERE.

General Administration Announcements

STUDENT SAFETY EXPECTATIONS
ICYMI, please take time to read Principal Shawn's email from Friday, Oct 11 regarding student safety. Principal Shawn provides an overview of the expectations that were shared with all our students on Friday during Academy. The guidelines are designed to ensure a secure and supportive learning environment for everyone.

Click here to review the full email on Parent Square.
Click here to review Acalanes Student Safety Expectations. 

APC in Action

DONS DIALOGUE - FRIDAY AT 8:45AM
Please join us on Friday, Oct 18 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center for our October Dons Dialogue. Discussion topics for October include; Peer Tutoring, Breaking Down the Walls program, student safety expectations, College & Career Center update and a student activities report. APC will provide coffee and treats. All parents/caregivers welcome.
 

FRIDAY, OCT 11 WAS A SNACK ATTACK DAY FOR THE ACALANES STAFF!
Thank you to our Staff Appreciation team, Dominique Mickelson and Stacey Hastings, for creating this yummy snack bar for all our Acalanes Staff. Your generous donations to APC allow us to make sure the staff know how much we appreciate all they do to support our students.


Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Contact APC here with any questions.