Welcome home Acalanes. Welcome back to YOUR school. It feels incredibly fitting that we will kick off the year together as a community at Dons Day followed by the first day of school and grade level meetings. We want every single student to feel that this is their school and their community and are here to support in making that happen. As we move through the year, please feel free to reach out. We are here to support!
Calendar of events:
Today at 1 pm: Senior Car Painting
Monday:
7:30-11:30am Dons Day
11:30am Transfer orientation (incoming 10/11/12 graders)
12pm Frosh orientation-meet at the football stadium
Tuesday:
8:30-9am Grade level meetings
ALL day in 9th grade PE: ID card & yearbook photos for Class of 2025
Wednesday:
ALL DAY for 10th & 11th graders: ID card & yearbook photos
ASB Cards Thank you to those who have already purchased an ASB card! If you have yet to purchase a card, there is still time! ASB cards fund all student activities at Acalanes. Money collected from ASB Card sales directly funds student body programs including new student orientation, spirit events, home athletic games, talent show, rallies, equity programming including speakers, student social & emotional health programming, tailgates, support for athletic senior nights, clubs and social media presence including necessary technology & more.
By purchasing an ASB card, students receive: a spirit shirt at Dons Day, free or discounted tickets to on campus dances, entrance to home athletic games (non-playoff) and
gifts with purchase and/or discounts to local Lafayette restaurants and businesses. See the discounts here (more are added everyday!)
Deadline to order August 10 Acalanes Spirit Wear Looking to purchase spiritwear? There are a few days left! The deadline to order spirit wear is August 10th and it will be available for pick-up beginning August 31. All proceeds benefit the classes.
Deadline to order August 15 Class Shirts It is not too late to purchase your class shirt! Class shirts are a fundraiser for your class and a great memento for your student. Students wear them to athletic events, all school rallies and in & around campus. Shirts cost $20 and can be purchased on the webstore.
Wednesday, Aug 18 at Lunch Informational Meeting for 2021-2022 Clubs The club process for new or renewing clubs will begin August 16. Any student can start a club! There will be an informational meeting at lunch on August 18 in room 314. Please encourage your student to attend.
As always, I am here to support you and your student. If there is anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to reach out via e-mail.
Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director
From the Activities Director
College & Career
All
Grades: Wednesday, Sept 1 at 7pm Financial Aid Night with Tim Lenahan, the College Finance Guy Mark your calendars for an informative evening. The cost of college is the 2nd largest purchase a family makes. Learn options available to make good financial decisions with regard to college choices.
Seniors
- Welcome Back Class of 2022! Have your students drop by the CCC before/after school, at lunch, during Academy, or any free period to create college lists, work on essays, brainstorm about careers, create resumes, reflect on majors, or just decompress. Look out for essay workshops and Common App/UC App sessions. Email dlevy@auhsdschools.org for appointments too!
- Senior Parent Presentation– September 8 will be a night to learn about activities and support for the upcoming year!
- 8 dates to join Virtual College Visits! Check this out!
Juniors
- Naviance Training- Your students will learn how to log onto Naviance and explore other college/career tips in classroom visits on September 7 and 8.
Sophomores/Freshmen
Counseling
Welcome Back Dons! Counselors have new letters! Counselor assignments are by last name.
A – Dr Anne Schonauer
Du-Kr Christine Todd
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows
Roh-Z Susan Martin
Counselor Appointments – We love talking to our students and we are so excited to be able to see students in person again! Please stop by the Counseling office to see if we are available, leave a note if we aren’t, or send us an email! We will start individual appointments with seniors in September.
Thursday, Aug 12 Schedule Change Requests begin The link to request a change will be posted on the Counseling Page of the AHS website on Thursday. Counselors will accept change requests through Monday, August 23. We will prioritize errors first, then we will look at requests in order received. No guarantees can be made with changes, but we will try to accommodate everyone. Classes can be added as late as Monday, August 23, and dropped as late as October 8.
Class Visits – We can’t wait to meet/reconnect with our students! We will be visiting classrooms in late August/early September to present grade-specific information about academic planning, ways to get involved, and post-high school planning.
School Nurse
Welcome DONS! I’m the Acalanes School Nurse, Dvora Citron. I’m in my office (in the Main Attendance Office) from 7:30 am – 3:20 pm on most days. Please come by to meet me. I’ll also be at Dons Day.
GOT MEDS??? Health Conditions and Medications If your student has a medical condition and/or needs medication available at school, please go to this link on my webpage to get the appropriate forms. All forms need to be filled out completely AND signed by BOTH parent and physician. You can email me the completed forms, or you can bring them to me at school. Please bring any medication directly to me so that I can review the required medical documentation at that time. I will be at Dons Day tomorrow, and you can drop medical forms and medications with me at that time.
GOT SHOTS??? Immunizations If there are any updates to your student’s vaccination record, please send me a copy so I can update. If your student is missing any requiredimmunizations, they cannot start school until those are complete. Please get in touch with me as soon as possible. If your student has had COVID vaccinations and you would like to submit that documentation to me, I will include it on their record.
Want the COVID vaccine? For every FIVE people that want to get the COVID vaccines, CCCH Mobile Vaccination Team will come here on site to administer. Please get in touch with me to let me know.
GOT ILLNESS??? STAY HOME!!!
COVID Protocols: (DON’T Get It!): Everyone wears a mask indoors. Keep staying healthy and practice hand hygiene.
AUHSD Health and Safety Policy
Stay healthy and be well,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
925-280-2970 x7128
Acalanes School Nurse Google Site
IG: acalanesschoolnurse
APC in Action
ICYMI: Dons Dialogue with Principal Bell
Access the replay here. Topics include: an introduction to our new Principal Eric Shawn; course updates from Leadership, Ethnic Studies, and Human & Social Development; news about summer school and the bridge program, and updates on campus events and activities.
Acalanes Community Always (ACA)
A BIG ACA THANK YOU!!
Acalanes Community Always is a partnership between all facets of Acalanes and the greater Lafayette community. ACA’s success is dependent on a wide array of AHS students, teachers and admin, class liaisons, and parent volunteers. From Acalanes Leadership students to ACA Support Partners (APC, APAB, Acalanes Boosters, and LPIE), the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the City of Lafayette, and our wonderful restaurants and businesses, thanks to all of YOU for embracing ACA!!! Can’t wait for what comes out of this partnership in the next school year. !
ACA Celebrates the Last 25 Days of the 2020-21 School Year
Encourage your students to check out all the ways they can connect each day before the school year comes to a close. Here’s the link to the 25 Days of ACA. Let’s finish the year ACA Strong!
Tuesday, June 22 from 5-8pm – Taste of Lafayette
It’s time to reconnect at Lafayette’s favorite dinner party, “Taste of Lafayette.” Enjoy food and drink from Acalanes favorites like Batch & Brine, Papillon, Sideboard, Tutu’s Food & Drink, Vitality Bowls, Zoonies, and many, many more. This is a not-to-miss event!! More details and the link to purchase tickets can be found here.
Questions, comments, or feedback, email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com.
General Announcements
AHS has issued the following Finals Guidelines. Discuss with your student for more details.
AHS Volunteer Service Awards!
If your student was unable to pick up their Acalanes certificate last week, they can stop by the College & Career Center to retrieve it. The President’s Volunteer Service Awards will be mailed home. Congrats award winners!
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion means to value, care for, lift up and include all.
Thank you to all who have read our section and may have participated in DEI events this school year. For many of us who are white and cis gender it took a lot of courage to admit we had been blind to the suffering, often inadvertently, afflicted on others in our human family. To those of you who are curious but were not able to join us, we invite you to join an event next year. We are constantly working on ideas for book clubs, special guest appearances, workshops and more. Have some great ideas? Consider joining one of our meetings, or email us. We are always looking for people to join us in the highly relevant work of DEI. Several positions are open. Please get in touch if you are interested.
This month we continue to recognize our AAPI friends and in June we celebrate LGBTQ+ pride. Have a happy and restful summer!
Be sure to follow us on Instagram @acalanesdei!
Membership & Fundraising
Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy
Honor a graduating Senior or favorite teacher, or write a special memory on a brick on the Dons Legacy Wall! On sale now on the Acalanes webstore, or print a mail-in form. Mail-in forms may also be picked up in the AHS Main Office.
Acalanes Flags
The perfect gift for incoming students, graduating students and students in between, who are enjoying their highschool journey — Acalanes Flags! Flags are available in two sizes on the Acalanes webstore. They can be enjoyed indoors (think bedroom wall!) as well as outside. Get yours today and share your school spirit. Go Dons!
