Weekly News & Announcements

APC in Action

ACALANES COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS
 
Welcome back Dons! The 2023-24 volunteer program year is in full swing for the Acalanes and President’s Service Awards so please make sure your students are logging those hours! It’s a great opportunity for students to give back AND be recognized for their service. THREE IMPORTANT CHANGES to note this year: 

• We’ve transitioned to an app-based system, called Helper Helper, for reporting and validating hours. (That means no more paper forms and no more waiting until the end of the year to submit your hours. Yay!) 
• The Acalanes Service Award now requires a minimum of 30 hours to qualify (back to the pre-COVID original hours requirement).
• We have NEW instruction guidelines on what hours qualify as community service hours, which hopefully resolves a lot of past questions. 

Please check out https://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/Page/2652 for instructions on how to get started in the app and to view the new instructions and guidelines. All applications are due by Friday, Apr 19, 2024 so please make sure your students are logging those hours in the Helper Helper app now!  Email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions.

And if your child hasn’t picked up their AHS or Presidential Service Award from last year, please have them do so at the Counseling Office as soon as possible.

Follow the Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram to keep up to date on what's  happening at Acalanes, plus get timely reminders for important dates.

Parent Education

Navigating Teen Behaviors
Hosted by SEED High School
Monday, Sep 11 at 7pm
Acalanes Library

This workshop is designed for parents of teens with learning differences and/or disabilities, from your ADHD teen to your ASD teen and everything in between.

If you’d like to receive SEED High School invites, sign up at seedlagayette.org and select High School.

Student Activities

Friday, Sep 8 is a BIG DAY at Acalanes! Three great opportunities to get involved and SHOW UP!

• Fall Club Day is this Friday, Sep 8 during academy in the front quad. It is a great opportunity to connect with the 60+ clubs, join their communication system and get involved at Acalanes. Check out the daily bulletin for the spreadsheet of all 23-24 approved clubs.
• Girls water polo plays this Friday at lunch to kick off their tournament. Encourage your student to show up on the pool deck and root our ladies to victory.
• Football plays at home this Friday. It is a great community event so come out in your very best Red, White & Blue & let’s celebrate together as we root our football team and cheerleaders on.

The Acalanes Community Outreach Board is hosting a fundraiser through Sep 8 to support citizens of Maui in the wake of the recent fires that occurred. Cash can be donated in the morning by the flagpole and in jars in classes; those donations will go towards supplies for first responders and displaced families through the Maui Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation. Donate online to the Maui Food Bank using this link. We’ve raised over $2000 so far - thank you for your support!
 
Encourage your student to come to the Enviro Council on Wednesday, Sep 6 during academy in room 314. We will be discussing the carbon footprint and the importance of reducing and reversing it! There will be donuts!
 
Celebrate LatinX Heritage Month!
Sign up to bring food to the potluck on Sep 20 before the girls volleyball team takes on Campolindo. We will do a potluck from 5-6:15pm in front of the big gym and celebrate community together. Looking forward to it!  Link to Sign-Up Genius.
 
Homecoming 2023: Acalanes celebrates music genres!
Homecoming week is Oct 9-14 and is one of the best weeks on campus with so many different ways for students to get involved. Please encourage your student to opt in!
Juniors have their informational meeting Wednesday @ lunch in room 314.
Sophomores have their informational meeting Thursday @ lunch in room 314.
 
ASB Stickers: Thank you to all who have purchased the ASB Sticker via the webstore! There is still time to purchase. This money drives student activities at Acalanes. ASB costs $100 and the sticker gets printed on the ID Card.
Perks include:

• Free spirit shirt
• Discounts at local businesses
• Free admission to home athletic events
• Discounts to on campus dances

 Spirit Wear/Class Shirt Update:

• If you ordered spirit wear via the Gryco webstore, it will be here mid September and you will receive an email from me with pick-up information.
• If you ordered a class shirt, we will hand them out on Wednesday, Sep 13 at lunch.
• If you purchased ASB and your student didn’t receive a white spirit shirt, please send your student to room 314.

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

College & Career

Seniors

• College Visits This Week in the CCC: Please encourage your senior or junior to sign up on Naviance if they are interested in learning more about these colleges. Must come to get a pass in the morning from Debbie Levy in the CCC:
  • Tuesday: Washington State, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Univ. of Chicago, Elon Univ.
  • Wed: Northeastern, Loyola Chicago, Macalester, St. John’s, De Paul
  • Thurs: Miami Univ., Boston Univ., Baylor, TCU, Univ. British Col., Indian Univ., High Point Univ.
  • Friday: Berklee Music, Dartmouth, US Air Force Acad, Univ. of Utah, Auburn Univ.
• Senior Parent Night: Thursday, Sep 7 in the Library from 6-7pm. Learn about the upcoming year and college & career planning.
• College Application Academy Support: Remind your student to come to academy sessions in the CCC. You can also schedule an appointment here.
  • Wednesday, Sep 6: Common App - Everything you need to know!
  • Wednesday, Sep 13 & Friday, Sep 15: Essay Workshops
  • Wednesday, Sep 20 - UC App 101
• New FAFSA Changes and How They Impact Your Family:  This is a very informative video on the new changes to FAFSA, which opens in December.

Juniors

• International University College Fair: Acalanes is hosting an International College Fair in the library on Thursday, Sep 27 from 6:30-8:00pm. 15+ universities will share information on applying to schools abroad.
• Digital Practice for PSAT and ACT Exams: Click here to register your student for free online practice tests on Saturday, Sep 9, Sep 16, and Sep 23 from 9am-1pm with Revolution Prep.

Sophomores/Frosh

• Have your student explore their personality traits with this free assessment.

Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support. 

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer  
En-Kr Erika Vasquez
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
Roh-Z Susan Martin
 
Dropping Classes: Students may still drop a class until the end of the first quarter, Friday, Oct 13. If the class is in the middle of the day, a student may add a TA period. TA is the only class a student can still add to their schedule.  
 
Class Visits: Counselors will visit frosh and sophomore classes to talk about 4-year planning, credits, how to get involved, and other things they should be thinking about. 
 
Senior Appointments: Counselors will begin individual appointments with seniors beginning the second week of September, during which we will discuss the student’s plans for after high school. We will go through necessary steps to apply to college, arrange for relevant documents, and review deadlines. 
 
The CSF application period is open!  CSF (California Scholarship Federation) is an honor society. Current 11th and 12th graders are encouraged to apply. A complete CSF application has 2 parts - an application form  and a payment on the webstore. Turn forms in to the Counseling Office. The deadline is Sep 30 for both the form and the payment! Students who are members for at least 4 semesters, including during senior year, will get special stole to wear at graduation. Read the FAQ on the application form and contact Ms. Schonauer for any clarification. 

School Nurse

Hot Weather Warning: Please remember to encourage students' hydration. Our late summer days can be very hot and dry, and it’s not unusual for us to see students with symptoms of heat illness. If air quality declines and your student needs an inhaler, please make sure they carry that with them and use it properly, and submit this medical documentation (each school year).   Does your student need medication at school? Do you need to communicate with me about your student’s health/medical issue? Please use the QR code to access the appropriate medical form you may need. Help your child manage stress: Provide breakfast. Even if they say they’re not hungry, ask them what they would be WILLING to eat and have that readily available to eat before school or to take with them. Make sure they have access to healthy food and snacks throughout the day. Make sure they stay hydrated - have them bring a water bottle that they can refill throughout the day. Those are also available in the cafeteria. Food can be hydrating too - especially fresh vegetables and fruit! Try this GRATITUDE PRACTICE.   NOTE NEW SCHOOL NURSE HOURS: Tuesdays & some Thursdays:  8:00 am - 3:50 pm Wednesdays:  7:30 am - 3:20 pm Always Your School Nurse, Dvora Citron, RN, MS dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128 IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Wellness Center

We hope that you are enjoying the three-day weekend with your students! New support counselors have officially arrived. In the upcoming week, the Wellness team will be visiting frosh PE classes to introduce ourselves, give a tour of our spaces and let students know about the Wellness services that we offer right here on campus. We will also be visiting classes with academic counselors for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Please encourage your students to stop by if they need mental health support or just to say hi and grab a snack.

Performing & Visual Arts

Instrumental Music: Hello music and baseball fans! What better way to combine two fun activities than to support our Acalanes Instrumental Music students, led by our new Band Director Edwin Cordoba, as they play the national anthem at the A’s Game on Sept 3rd! Come cheer both our talented students during their performance as well as the Oakland A’s as they play against the Los Angeles Angels.

Event: Acalanes Instrumental Music plays the National Anthem

 
Date: Sunday, Sept 3rd
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland CA
Ticket prices: $25 (discounted)
 
Details on how to purchase and pick up discount tickets are on the instrumental music website.

LPIE

Join us at the 26th Annual Lafayette Art & Wine Festival!
Sep 23, 10am-7pm & Sep 24, 10am-6pm
Did you know that the Art & Wine Festival is a fundraiser for the City of Lafayette and that LPIE is the largest beneficiary? Did you know that the people who work the ticket booth are volunteers? Come have some fun and help LPIE at the same time by staffing the Festival Ticket Booth and/or the LPIE Booth at this year's festival! Children 12 and up are welcome to volunteer at the LPIE Booth, adults only for the ticket booth. Click HERE to show your support for our schools!
 

New Families Mixers
Calling all new families! If you are new to one of our Lafayette public schools this year, or joined during the pandemic, please join us for coffee or a cocktail on Thursday, Sep 7. Please RSVP here by Tuesday, Sep 5. We can’t wait to meet you!

www.lpie.org, Follow us on Instagram 

Sports

This week’s can’t miss events:

Girls golf
Tuesday, Sep 5 Miramonte HS at Orinda CC at 3:30pm.
Thursday, Sep 7 Las Lomas HS at Boundary Oak GC at 3:30pm.

Boys water polo
Wednesday, Sep 6 at Foothill HS. Varsity at 6pm and JV at 7pm.
Friday, Sep 8 host El Cerrito HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 6pm.

Girls water polo
Friday, Sep 8 and Saturday, Sep 9 host the Acalanes Invitational.

Girls volleyball
Thursday, Sep 7 at Benicia HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Saturday, Sep 9 Sonoma Valley JV Tournament.

Girls tennis
Friday, Sep 8 and Saturday, Sep 9 James Logan Invitational.

Football
Thursday, Sep 7 at Amador Valley HS at 5:50pm.
Friday, Sep 8 host Amador Valley HS. JV at 4:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.

Cross country
Saturday, Sep 9 Ed Sias Invitational at Hidden Valley Park.

You may view the 2023-2024 Athletic Update by clicking HERE.

General Administration Announcements

Acalanes Back to School Night (BTSN) is this Thursday, Aug 31 from 5:15-8pm!

Please plan to join at 5:15pm in the front quad for a Parent and Staff Reception hosted by the Acalanes Parents Club (APC).  Principal Shawn will share some remarks around 5:30 and classroom visits start at 6pm.

As mentioned above, this evening is for us, the parents/caregivers, to experience what our students experience each and every school day - you don’t want to miss it!

Important Reminder: be sure to print the BTSN Program here and write down your student’s schedule and room numbers so you know where to go!

APC in Action

August APC Dons Dialogue - View the Slides!
Thank you to all who attended our first Dons Dialogue of the school year on Friday, Aug 25. We had a packed room. This month's topics included attendance reminders, academy review, counseling and wellness updates, athletic PE and a student activities report. If you were not able to attend, here are the slides from the discussion. 

Thank you to our APC Hospitality Co-Chairs, Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi, for providing the welcoming coffee and treats!

Peer Tutoring is Now Open!

 
The program is located in Room 107 under the supervision of Co-Directors, Kristen Labrosse and Angela Ketcham. Students are welcome to drop-in to receive help from junior and senior student tutors in almost any AHS academic subject, or just come in to do homework, read or study.
 
Hours this week: Lunch, 7th period, and every day 1 hour after the last school bell rings.
Academy sessions start this Friday, Sep 1. For Academy only, students need to sign-up in advance using TeachMore. Space is limited.