When it comes to mental health and overall wellness, locus of control is a key factor in how your student relates to the world. In psychology, locus of control is related to the extent to which an individual believes that they are in control of facets that impact their lives. To have an external locus of control, an individual believes that life happens to them. In other words, there are external influences driving the events that occur in one’s life. Opposite to this is an internal locus of control, when an individual believes that they have control over what happens in their life. An example of this would be a student understanding the fact that they do have the choice of whether or not they will attend a class.
While we are well aware that there are plenty of things that happen in life that are entirely out of our control (a pandemic for example), locus of control becomes relevant when considering what to do in the face of said thing. Research has proven time and again that people with a higher internal locus of control are happier and more mentally healthy. When interacting with your student, consider the role you play in fostering an internal locus of control. As a caregiver it is easy to want to rescue your student in a time of need, however, what might be more beneficial is teaching them the value in advocating for themselves. With that being said, it is equally important to be a soft place for them to land if things don’t work out how they would have hoped.
Kiara Thomas- Wellness Intake Specialist
Wellness Center
Performing Arts
Our Acalanes instrumental bands have a fabulous opportunity to play the national anthem at the Oakland A’s game this coming Tuesday, Sept 20! If you wish to come out to support the students and watch their once-in-a-lifetime performance, there are a few tickets still available.
Details:
Event: Oakland A’s vs Seattle Mariners
Place: RingCentral Stadium, Oakland CA
Date: Sept 20, 2022
Time: National Anthem starts 6:30pm; Game starts 6:40pm
Ticket Information:
- Price: $20.60 each – $5 of which goes directly back to support our instrumental program; includes $0.60 PayPal transaction fee
- Fill out the GOOGLE FORM to purchase your tickets
- Pay through Instrumental Music PayPal Account: apab–treasurer@ahsperformingarts.org **Please add a note in the message field indicating “A’s Game”**
- After you purchase your tickets, your email will be used to send you the tickets electronically.
Looking forward to seeing you at this amazing fundraising event!
LPIE
It’s hard to believe, but we are over one month into the school year. In just one month, Acalanes’ LPIE contributions are already at 47% participation. Help us get to our goal of 100% participation, at any amount meaningful to your family. What better time to contribute than during our September Sweepstakes where all contributions made by September 23rd, 2022, as generous as possible, will automatically be entered for a chance to win amazing prizes. DONATE here, to help us meet our participation goal, and help LPIE continue to support a well rounded educational experience for our students.
Questions? Please contact Andrea Hilsabeck or Michele Colaco
www.lpie.org, Follow us on Instagram
Sports
This week’s can’t miss events!
Girls Volleyball
Tuesday, Sept 20 at Benicia HS. Frosh at 4pm, JV at 5pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Thursday, Sept 22 host Campolindo HS. Frosh at 4pm, JV at 5pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Saturday, Sept 24 Sonoma Valley Invitational
Girls Tennis
Tuesday, Sept 20 Northgate HS at 4pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.
Thursday, Sept 22 Las Lomas HS at 4pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Girls Water Polo
Wednesday, Sept 21 at Las Lomas HS. JV at 4pm and Varsity at 5pm.
Friday, Sept 23 and Saturday, Sept 24 Amanda McDonald Invitational at Menlo School
Boys Water Polo
Wednesday, Sept 21 at Las Lomas HS. Varsity at 6pm and JV at 7pm.
Friday, Sept 16 and Saturday Sept 17 St. Francis Invitational.
Girls Golf
Thursday, Sept 22 Campolindo HS at Moraga CC at 3:30pm.
Special Event
Monday, Sept 26 Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) presentation in the PAC at 7pm. NCSA provides recruiting services for high school athletes. Included in their package is searching for colleges, contacting college coaches and assisting in the application process. There is no charge for this event.
The fall sport schedules will be found on the Acalanes High School website by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please contact Randy Takahashi at rtakahashi@auhsdschools.org or Haley Walsh at hwalsh@auhsdschools.org.
General Administration Announcements
AUHSD is hiring Instructional Assistants for the classrooms. The District is looking to parents for help in filling these important positions. Please review the Sept 8 email fromAmy McNamara, Assistant Superintendent, for more information on open positions, qualifications and the competitive pay and benefits.
APC in Action
Please join us this Friday, Sept 16 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center for our monthly Dons Dialogue. You will hear all about whats happening on campus directly from Principal Shawn, plus valuable open Q&A time. APC will provide coffee and treats. All parents/caregivers welcome.
APC Fall Grant Application Window is Now Open! We invite all AHS teachers, staff, students, and parents to submit a grant application for programming, materials or projects that enhance the educational experience for our school community; all ideas are welcome. Click here for criteria and application. Completed proposals and questions can be submitted by Friday, Sept 16 to Nicole Sanders, APC Grants Coordinator, or delivered to the APC Box in the front office.
Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Contact APC here with any questions.
APC Membership & Fundraising
A big thank you to those who have joined the Acalanes Parents Club (APC) – your contributions make a big difference!
There are still copies of printed directories in the Acalanes Main Office. Any APC member can stop by Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm to pick up a printed directory with addendum.
If you have questions about your APC Membership please contact our VP Fundraising, Lori MacLeod.
Parent’s Club Pro-Tip
Did you know . . . you can customize your preferences for how you want to receive communications from the Acalanes Administration and AUHSD?
Parents can now set preferences in ParentSquare to receive emails instantly or via email digest at the end of the day. You can also elect to turn off the new text alert option if you prefer.
Follow these ParentSquare Instructions to customize your notifications.
Bonus tip, there is a mobile app too! Download the ParentSquare App (iOS App – AppleStore or Android App – Google Play Store).
All LafSD schools also use ParentSquare so you will see messages for all your students in one place.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
AUHSD has the privilege of hosting Arshay Cooper on Monday, Sept 19. Cooper’s memoir, “A Most Beautiful Thing”, describes growing up with the stresses of gang violence, drugs and poverty, but how an unexpected encounter with a rowing coach turned out to be a life changing experience. Mr. Cooper will dive into his life story, what it took to be part of the first all black high school rowing crew in a historically privileged white male sport and how he developed into the person he is today. The event will be student moderated.
Don’t just take our word for it, parent Dan Meade has this to say about Arshay’s appearance in 2020:
“I really enjoyed Arshay’s book and presentation to the Acalanes community. His experience growing up as a young man, and his perspective on overcoming adversity, were inspiring to students and parents alike. Arshay is a great communicator and a worthy role model!”
Also coming up are events and activities celebrating Latine Heritage month. Mark your calendars for a community potluck the evening of Thursday, Oct 6 and a special guest on Wednesday, Oct 12.
Please see the Student Activities section below for more details on all of these events.
Stay current: Add us to your Instagram at @acalanesdei
Questions, comments or thoughts to share? Contact us
Student Activities
A Community Night with Arshay Cooper: Monday, Sept 19 at 6:30pm in the Acalanes PAC. Join us for this can’t miss event: An Interactive Chat with Arshay Cooper. His book, “A Most Beautiful Thing,” is a true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago’s West side who transform their lives when they form the first all-black high-school rowing team in the nation. The film adaptation of the book is star-studded and streaming now on Peacock and Amazon Prime. It is narrated by Rapper Common; and executive produced by Common and NBA stars Grant Hill and Dwayne Wade, along with Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder.
During the chat, Mr. Cooper will share about his life, trauma, experience as a rower, film career, and more. The evening will be conversational in nature, facilitated by a panel of district student leaders in a Q&A format. Please join us!
Homecoming 2022: U.S. Cities Begins in 14 Days!
Homecoming is always one of the most talked about weeks at Acalanes. The camaraderie amongst classes, the friendly competition, the hallways, STUDENT DODGEBALL, class skits and the culminating NIGHT OUT! I can feel the excitement building on campus! Dates to note:
- Sunday, Sept 25 from 10am-3pm: Hallway Decorating (students can drop in anytime to help-there is a job for everyone!)
- Wednesday, Sept 28 at 7:30pm: A student favorite: Student Dodgeball (students can come to play or just watch)
- Saturday, Oct 1 from 7-10pm: HOCO: A Night Out in our stadium. It is an event for your student not to miss with so many different activities! We do need parent chaperones for the evening so please consider signing up. Tickets are on sale via Go Fan. If students want to bring a guest, they must fill out a guest contract and return by Sept 25. Contracts are on the door of room 314.
As part of Homecoming, we also host a community canned food drive. It begins Monday, Sept 19 and donation bins will be by the flagpole each morning. Please consider donating cans or money. All donations go directly to the Contra Costa Food Bank. The record is 22,000 cans in 2019- as a community, can we beat it?
For an up-to-date look at all the plans with detailed information, check out the 2022 HOCOOverview!
Clubs
Our clubs are up and running! We have 60 recognized clubs this year and all will hold their first meetings this week or next. Encourage your young person to check one or two out. If I can be of support or assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Equity Events
Latine Heritage Month kicks off Sept 15 through Oct 15. We have several events planned throughout the month to celebrate and educate and two are open to our community:
- Thursday, Oct 6: Community Potluck-sign up to bring a dish!
- Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom: Doris Anahi Munoz
Class Shirts
If your student did not get their pre-ordered class shirt, please have them stop by room 314 to pick it up.
ASB Stickers/Shirts
Thank you to the 900 families who purchased ASB stickers this year. We really appreciate your support! Three reminders:
- The sticker should be on the top of the ID card. If it is not, the student can take their ID card to the main attendance office to have it punched.
- The sticker provides discounts to local businesses for students so don’t forget to take advantage!
- If your student didn’t get the black spirit shirt at Dons Day, please have them go to room 314 to pick up one.
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to connect students with activities and interests.
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher
