News & Announcements

APC in Action

APC Grants Have Been Awarded – Fall ‘25
A heartfelt thank you to all the teachers, students, and staff who submitted proposals for an APC Fall Grant. These grants are made possible through the generous donations of our Acalanes parents—we are truly grateful for your continued support! We are pleased to announce the following grants have been awarded this fall:

  • Acalanes Leadership – Tri-Valley Leadership Conference (TVLC):
    Leadership students will once again represent Acalanes at the annual Tri-Valley Leadership Conference, where student leaders from fifteen Bay Area high schools come together to learn, exchange ideas, and celebrate their shared commitment to leadership and community.
  • World Language – Peña Pachamama Cultural Experience:
    An evening field trip to Peña Pachamama in San Francisco offers Spanish students a vibrant cultural experience featuring South American food, live music, and dance, providing a meaningful cultural enrichment opportunity during Hispanic Heritage Month.
  • STEM-inist Club:
    The Acalanes STEM-inist Club is working to expand its efforts to inspire and empower young women in science, technology, engineering, and math. APC will help fund a speaker series featuring women in underrepresented industries, volunteering at the AAUW Girls in STEM Conference, and field trips to explore college and career pathways in STEM.
  • Writing Support Pilot Program:
    A new pilot program in our Social Studies classes will introduce Class Companion, an AI-based writing feedback tool designed to help freshmen and sophomores strengthen their writing skills.

Congratulations to all of our Fall 2025 APC Grant recipients for their creativity, innovation, and dedication to enriching the Acalanes student experience!

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Campus Culture Committee

As we continue the 2025–2026 school year, the Campus Culture Committee (CCC) is focused on building a stronger parent support system for all student groups on campus. We’re also working closely with staff on issues that impact our students.

We recognize that supporting our students starts with supporting parents, which is why part of our mission is to ensure parents feel cared for through mental health and wellness support. This year, we launched a 3-Part Wellness Workshop Series, which began in September and continues with Part 2 during our November in-person meeting.

During our Oct 20 meeting, we planned for our next Parent Wellness Session (to be held on Nov 17) and shared that a third session will take place in Spring 2026. Katherine Walton provided an update on student clubs and activities, the group noted that many clubs do not have the same support as ASB. The group discussed creating a leadership skills checklist to help student club leaders grow and succeed.
A school board member also joined us to review the new district trustee map, summarizing the district vote and explaining the goal of providing greater voice to minority communities while maintaining cohesive elementary school areas. We appreciate her willingness to clarify and answer questions about this process.

Our Wellness Coordinator, Patrick Turner (pturner@auhsdschools.org), provided an update on the Acalanes Wellness Center and the services available to our students.
The Wellness Center is off to a strong start this year, wrapping up the first quarter with 550 student visits—for mental health support, a cool-down break, or use of the space for activities or study hall during Academy. If you’re ever concerned about your student or their peers, please don’t hesitate to submit a Wellness ReferralThe AHS Wellness team follows up with each referred student within a week, and all services are completely voluntary.

On Wednesday, Oct 29, Wellness will host an Academy presentation on organizational skills. If your student could benefit, encourage them to sign up for “Wellness Center” Academy in Teach More.

 Campus Culture Committee – October Highlights & Upcoming MeetingsOctober & November Days to Remember

Join Us Monthly! (In-Person & Virtual Meetings)
Meeting Schedule | 6:00–7:30pm

  • Nov 17 – In-Person: Part 2 of the Wellness Workshop Series
  • Dec – No Meeting
  • Jan 12 – Virtual
  • Feb 9 – In-Person
  • Mar 16 – Virtual
  • Apr 20 – In-Person (Final Meeting)
  • May – No Meeting

If you’d like to get involved, please email us at diversityandinclusion@acalanesparentsclub.com. All are welcome!

Reminder: Acalanes is a No Hate Zone

If your student experiences hate or bias, please encourage them to use the Bias Incident Reporting Tool (BIRT) available on the AHS website.
Submit a BIRT Report Here »

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Student Activities

Unified Soccer – Monday @ lunch
Please encourage your student to go to the stadium at lunch on Monday to watch Unified Soccer. We want to pack the stadium as we cheer on & support our Unified Soccer team in the same way that we show up to Friday Night Lights.

BIG 10 this week: Flag Football & Girls Water Polo

Flag football begins their playoff run Tuesday evening & we are inviting you out to watch! Bring a blanket, bring your spirit, & let’s root on our team.
Did you know that our girls waterpolo team is ranked #3 in the COUNTRY? They begin their playoff run on Thursday at 5:00pm at home. Come watch this INCREDIBLE team!

Blood Drive – Oct 29
Acalanes is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross and we have appointment times from 8:00am-1:45pm. Give blood and treat yourself! In addition to donating (and there is a critical need right now), donors will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. Sign up here!
 
Friday is Halloween! We’ll kick off the day with our last morning rally followed by Trunk-or-Treat at lunch! Thanks to Zoonies for their donation of 5,000 pieces of candy!
 
In the evening, we have Friday Night Lights. Come out dressed in black or a costume for Senior Night, followed by the football game vs. Clayton Valley.
 
Class Cup Volleyball
Come out and support your classmates on Nov 3, 5, and 7 for this year’s Class Cup Volleyball Tournament! Games will take place in the Big Gym at lunch and will feature a single set of 6v6 indoor volleyball. Show out to cheer your grade on and watch the action!
 
If you want to sign up to help your grade take home the dub- fill out this form!

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College & Career


 

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Counseling

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


LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: Counselors are finishing up writing letters of recommendation for all of the Early Decision and Early Action deadlines for Seniors!  Please make sure your student has completed the student survey, parents have completed the parent survey, and the student has sent their counselor a resume if they want a letter of recommendation from their counselor for a Nov 1 deadline. Students need to request teacher letters on Maia Learning, and match their Maia account with their Common App account.
 
COLLEGE NIGHT FOR JUNIOR PARENTS: Junior Parents, we will host a college night just for you on Thursday, Nov 13 at 6:30pm in the Acalanes Library. Come hear College and Career Advisor Debbie Levy and Counselor Susan Martin talk about all things college and what you can do to support your junior as they prepare and plan for this next important step in their lives! 

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Wellness Center

The Acalanes Wellness Center is off to a great start as we wrapped up the first quarter. We have already had 550 visits to the Center this year including students seeking mental health support, stopping by for a cool down, and taking advantage of our space for activities or study hall during academy. We love providing a safe space for your students to get the support they need while they are here at school. If you are ever concerned about your child or their peers, please do not hesitate to submit a referral for Wellness services using this link. We will follow up with each student that gets referred within one week of the submission. Please do keep in mind that all services provided through the Wellness Center are completely voluntary.

Next Wednesday, Oct 29, we will be hosting an academy presentation about organizational skills. If this is something you think your student might benefit from, encourage them to sign up for “Wellness Center” academy in Teach More.

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LPIE

What a night! LPIE Poker Party 2025 is a wrap!
LPIE Poker was a huge success and such a blast from start to finish! Thank you to everyone who joined us for a fun evening in support of our schools. Congratulations to Happy Valley dad Zach Worthington for taking home the big win!

 
Save the Date! The LPIE Community Crawl is Saturday, Nov 15!
Join us in celebrating the local businesses that support Lafayette’s public schools on Saturday, Nov 15 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. There will be face painting, bracelet making, arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt, and so much more. See you there!

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Sports

*The game schedule 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.

Girls golf
Monday, Oct 27 NCS Championship at Baywood CC Arcata.
 
Flag football
Tuesday, Oct 28 NCS Playoff First Round.
Thursday, Oct 30 NCS Quarterfinal.
 
Girls volleyball
Tuesday, Oct 28 NCS Playoff First Round.
Saturday, Nov 1 NCS Playoff First Round.
 
Girls tennis
Tuesday, Oct 28 DAL Championship at Northgate HS at 9:30am.
Wednesday, Oct 29 DAL Championship at Acalanes HS at 2:00pm.
 
Cross country
Wednesday, Oct 29 DAL Center Meet at Newhall Park at 3:30pm.
 
Girls water polo
Wednesday, Oct 29 host Campolindo HS.  Varsity at 6:00pm and JV at 7:00pm.
Thursday, Oct 30 host DAL Semifinal.
Friday, Oct 31 and Saturday, Nov 1 DAL JV Tournament.
Saturday, Nov 1 host DAL Championship at 3:00pm.
 
Boys water polo
Wednesday, Oct 29 host Campolindo HS.  JV at 4:00pm and Varsity at 5:00pm.
Friday, Oct 31 and Saturday, Nov 1 DAL JV Tournament.
 
Tackle football
Thursday, Oct 30 Freshman at Clayton Valley Charter HS at 5:00pm.
Friday, Oct 31 hosts Clayton Valley Charter HS.  JV at 4:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
 
You may view the full 2025-2026 Athletic Schedule by clicking HERE.

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General Announcements

Lost and Found is Overflowing
 Our lost and found bin is located in the glass hallway, to the left of the attendance office. Please remind your student to look for clothing, water bottles, shoes, etc. It is overflowing with valuable items at the moment. These items will be donated to a charity

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APC in Action

October APC Dons Dialogue
Thank you to all who attended our Dons Dialogue on Friday, Oct 17. This month’s topics included AI @ Acalanes, Student Activities Report and Q&A w/ Acalanes Admin & AP. If you were not able to attend, slides from the discussion are available here.

Thank you to our APC Hospitality Co-Chairs, Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi, for providing the welcoming coffee and treats! The next Dons Dialogue will be on Friday, Nov 21.  Click here for the full schedule of upcoming Dons Dialogues.

Staff Appreciation Luncheon – Nov 3
The Acalanes Parents Club is celebrating our amazing teachers and staff with our Annual Staff Holiday Lunch on Monday, Nov 3!  We would love your help and are looking for volunteers to help make this lunch extra special.  Please sign up HERE to bring a lunch item if you are able to contribute.  We are so grateful for your support!

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