News & Announcements

The slate for the incoming members of the 2021-22 Acalanes Parents Club Board was approved by this year’s board. The next step is for APC General Membership to approve it on Friday, May 21, prior to the final Dons Dialogue of the school year. Contract APC Parliamentarians Dawn Brightbill & Sarah Cusumano at parliamentarian@acalanesparentsclub.com for more information. 

*proposed

ICYMI: Dons Dialogue Replay with Principal Bell
Click here to view the replay. Hear updates on the following topics: end of year events, AHS Athletics, Math and Sciences departments. 

This Tuesday, April 20 at 7pm “Angst” Film Screening & Discussion
Learn more about this event and pre-register in the Parent Ed section below. 

Applications Due Saturday, May 1! Acalanes Volunteer Service Awards Program
Submit your applications NOW! After applications have been reviewed and qualified, all students will be notified, via email, of their award level (Acalanes or President’s).

• Completed and signed Applications (along with any supporting materials from your organizations) should be scanned and emailed here.
• Download application forms here.
• If you have any questions, please email us! 

**EVENT FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN & THEIR FAMILIES** Tuesday, May 4 from 5:30-6:30pm Acalanes Athletics & Activities Night, Acalanes Main Quad
This is a “not to miss” event geared towards new Freshmen and their families highlighting ways to get involved at Acalanes. Please share this information with new ACA families! Questions? Email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com.

Thursday, April 22 from 3:30-5pm “Dog Days are Over” Celebrate the Last 25 Days of ACA
Our last ACA Day drive-through will be all about our ACA dogs! Get your students ready to dress up your family dog (or cat) in their best Don’s blue. There will be a series of awards and treats given out to dogs who join the drive-through and we’ll be posting pictures on our social channels. Start thinking of costumes for your pooch. More details to come regarding the 25 Days of ACA celebrating each day until the end of the school year. Let’s finish the year ACA Strong! 

Questions, comments, or feedback, email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com.

As we continue Celebrating Diversity throughout the month of April, we dig a bit deeper into Autism Awareness, Arab-American heritage month, and fresh new Asian-American writers.

• Recommended read for Autism Awareness Month: “I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust”, a memoir co-authored by Valerie Gilpeer and Emily Grodin. Emily was born with autism and her mother, Valerie, has written a gripping memoir about their experience. Read an NPR book review about this novel here.
• Ramadan has begun. Read more here about the the ninth and most sacred month in the Muslim calendar, a time of reflection, piety and charity for Muslims. Find out how to make a typical Lebanese chicken “Fatteh” and “Tharid,” an Arabian meat and vegetable stew. 
  
  
• Enjoy “Natour’s Grocery” and other short films in this selection of Arab-American heritage short films on PBS. 
  
  
• What do Sanjena Sathian, Kevin Nguyen and Simon Han have in common? They are three of many interesting Asian writers to watch. Read more here. 

April 22 is Earth Day! East Bay Regional Park District is offering virtual events as part of their Virtual Earth Day Celebration. Registration for neighborhood cleanup events begins on April 17.

Volunteer opportunities for Acalanes DEI – get involved!
We are looking for new people to join our efforts and get in on the highly relevant work of DEI. Email us! If you believe in the need for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and enjoy writing, are a social media wizard or interested in web content creation, come join us! 

This Tuesday, April 20 at 7pm “Angst” Film Screening & Discussion
INDIEFLIX Education has sparked a global conversation about anxiety through screenings of its documentary, “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety.” Join us on April 20 as Acalanes Parents Club and Campolindo Parents Club co-host a special screening of the 56-minute documentary followed by an informative panel discussion led by the Wellness Center Teams from both schools. Pre-register for this event here.

Here we go! Let’s make the most of April and May together – we are ACA Strong!

One week away! April 25-30 Homecoming Week 2021 Let’s enter the DECADES together! 

• Class of 2021-The 1980’s
• Class of 2022-The 1990’s
• Class of 2023- The 1970’s
• Class of 2024- The 2000’s

There will be many ways for students to get involved in Homecoming Week, both virtually and on campus. Here is the calendar of events! Mark your calendars! 

• Sunday, April 25 from 10am-4pm – Hallway Decorating

Please encourage your student to sign up! Students will sign up to work shifts to decorate their class hallway. It is transformational, and our students have fun and do a wonderful job.

• Thursday, April 29 at 6pm – Live-Streamed Virtual Rally

An event for the whole family! Complete with class skits, live performances by incredible students, and more. 

Encourage your student to participate! Let’s do the decades, Acalanes! 

Thursday, April 22 from 3:30-5pm “Dog Days are Over” Celebrate the last 25 Days of ACA
Our last ACA Day drive-through will be all about our ACA dogs! Get your students ready to dress up your family dog in their best Don’s blue. There will be a series of awards and treats given out to dogs who join the drive-through and we’ll be posting pictures on our social channels. Start thinking of costumes for your pooch. More details to come regarding the 25 Days of ACA celebrating each day until the end of the school year. Let’s finish the year ACA Strong!

April 12 through April 23 Earth Week Events
The students have planned a robust Earth Week (two weeks actually!). There will be events that feature student clubs, local organizations and nonprofits, dialogues, and education. Please encourage your student to opt in! 

Deadline TOMORROW! Monday, April 19 Acalanes Leadership Applications Due
Is your 8th grader interested in joining student government at Acalanes? Applications are available and due April 19. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to Katherine Walton.

Deadline TODAY! Sunday, April 18 Order Frosh Spirit Packs
Know an 8th grader? Frosh spirit packs are a great promotion gift and kick off to a career at Acalanes! Each pack is $53 and features a hooded sweatshirt, car magnet & cinch backpack. Proceeds go to the Class of 2025. Order deadline is Sunday, April 18 and packs will be delivered to your house beginning May 7. Order here.

Monday, April 26 (morning) District Diversity Summit
Know a student who is interested in equity work or already engaged in it? On April 26, the District will host the District Diversity Summit, which is a chance to hear a keynote speaker and connect with other student leaders. Students should email Katherine Walton if they are interested in attending.

Join the fun and buy an ACA Parent/Sibling Strong Shirt. This is a grey version of the student/staff ACA Strong shirt.  You can purchase now via the Acalanes webstore for $10 and pick up from Acalanes after you receive your confirmation email. 

2020-2021 Clubs Club meetings continue. Check out our 49 clubs! Clubs continue to be one of the best ways for students to connect as we enter the fourth quarter. 

If I can ever do anything to help you or your student, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director

We hope you’ll join us this Tuesday, April 20 at 7pm for our “Angst” Film Screening and Discussion generously sponsored by Parents Club! INDIEFLIX Education has sparked a global conversation about anxiety through screenings of its documentary, “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety.” Acalanes and Campolindo High Schools will co-host this special screening of the 56-minute documentary followed by an informative panel discussion led by the Wellness Center Teams from both schools. Pre-register for this event here. 

Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

For updates, tips and advice, follow Wellness on Social Media: Instagram @acalaneswellness

Seniors

• Update Naviance with College Decisions/Exit Survey Congratulations to all seniors!  Please 1) log into Naviance 2) Click on About Me 3) Choose Surveys from Your School 4) Click Senior Exit Survey to update the decisions. This is how your students’ final transcripts will be sent!
• Thursday, May 20 at 6pm Senior Awards Night – All Seniors will be invited to the Large Gym to celebrate as fellow students receive awards and scholarships. This will be live-streamed, as space will be limited to students only this year.

Juniors

• Applications due Friday, April 23 Healthcare Internship Opportunity – Junior Achievement is offering a 4 week internship for students interested in medical careers. 
• Stay in the loop – Please follow the CCC instagram to keep up-to-date with college timeline details. Share this with your students too. @ahs_college_career
• SAT Testing Reminder – Although many schools are test-optional, there are 2 upcoming SAT dates for students who may have prepared for these exams already.  Locations are limited, but do check the College Board website to register for the May 8 or June 5 SAT administrations. Deadlines are soon.  
• Wednesday, April 28 from 5-7:45pm Virtual College Visits – Join a Virtual College Visit with your student. Students can interact and ask questions of a large group of college admissions officers. This is a great way to connect and show a college your child is interested! Sessions included on topics such as finding a college that fits, paying for college, and writing a college essay presented by college admission counselors.
• Job Opportunities – Encourage your child to check out Indeed.com for jobs this summer. Enter Lafayette Teen in the search box and see the possibilities!
• Resume Support – Please let your student know that Mrs. Levy enjoys helping students build their resumes. Naviance is also a great spot to work on resumes. 

Sophomores

• Healthcare Internship Opportunity – Junior Achievement is offering a 4 week internship for students interested in medical careers. Application Due 4/23

All Students
Zoom Nights every Monday and Tuesday during the month of April with your new advisor, Debbie Levy, to learn more and ask questions! Both students and parents are invited. We can set more in depth follow-up appointments too! CLICK ON THE LINK on Monday or Tuesday

Freshmen & Parents – 7-7:30pm Monday  April 19
Sophomores & Parents – 7-7:30pm Tuesday April 20
Juniors & Parents – 7:35-8:05pm Monday April 19
Seniors & Parents – 7:35-8:05pm Tuesday April 20

Please follow the CCC instagram to keep up-to-date. Share this with your students too. @ahs_college_career

Resources:

• CCC Website 
• How to request a transcript
• College 101
• Internships and Volunteering Ideas
• Scholarships

June 7 through July 15 – AUHSD Summer School
Summer school is for students who need to repeat a required course after earning a D or F grade. Email your counselor for an application.   

Counselor Appointments
We love talking to our students! Email is the best way to reach us. Counselors have appointment slots for students and will email them a link for signing up.  

A- Ed  Anne Schonauer
Ee-Kr  Christine Todd
Ku-Ros  Marissa Meadows
Rot-Z  Susan Martin

April 29 and 30 – Advocacy Day
This not-to-miss annual event is taking place online over two days this year, so it’s easy to attend and you can pick and choose the parts which interest you. (It’s also free!) Sign up here.

Advocacy Day for Education 2021: Moving Forward with Resiliency  
As always at Advocacy Day, we will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of our school superintendents and state legislators. In addition, a panel of highly respected frontline medical and mental health experts will share the most current information and recommendations. Finally, the equity issues at play will be addressed by both educators and corporate professionals. For the full agenda and speaker bios, see here: AD21. 

One of the legislators who will speak at Advocacy Day is State Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, who has introduced a groundbreaking bill which would provide free breakfast and lunch for all California school children. Don’t miss the chance to hear about this and other efforts to bring positive change to our education system. 

Questions? Email our APC Legislative Representative.

Students ages 16 and up can now be vaccinated!!! CLICK HERE for an appointment request.

QUARANTINE – What does it mean?
Quarantine means you need to stay home for 10 days because of two possible reasons:

1.  Your student is exhibiting symptoms that fall within possible signs and symptoms of COVID (which is almost everything!).  
   • Without COVID testing, your student can return to school after 10 days and after the symptoms have been resolved for at least 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication).
   • With a negative COVID test result, your student can return to school after the symptoms have been resolved for at least 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication).
2. Your student has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID.  In this case, your student must stay home for 10 days, even if without symptoms or even with a negative test result.

Please see AUHSD Covid Decision Tree for more details.*

*Information will soon be updated for students who have been fully immunized.

Positive for COVID?
Please contact me as soon as possible.

COVID Resources and Protocols
Available on the District website and on my site.

Dvora Citron, RN, MS
Acalanes School Nurse Google Site
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
IG:  acalanesschoolnurse