News & Announcements

Week TEN in the Challenge to Build Habits Supporting Racial Equity:
What is implicit bias and how does it work? Watch here. (8-minute YouTube video)

Support Lamorinda Community for Racial Equity
Buy a great T-shirt created by local residents. Proceeds will be donated to the Tides Foundation for Black Lives Matter. Sale ends this Wednesday, Oct 28. Purchase here!

Lafayette School District Equity Committee
Be sure to watch this inspiring video produced by this grassroots parent movement that collaborates with Lamorinda school districts and across all sectors of our community. 

Subscribe to the New LPIE Podcast Series!
The latest episode features Acalanes Ethnic Studies and Leadership teacher Katherine Walton. In this episode, Ms. Walton talks about equity, campus climate, inclusion, and the support that she receives from LPIE and the school administration for her DEI efforts.

Tuesday, Nov 10 from 7-8:30pm – AUHSD DEI Book Club
There is still time to read and join the book club discussion! The book selection is “Across that Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change” by late Congressman John Lewis. Sign up here. Please consider purchasing the book from Orinda Books.

Monday, Nov 16 from 7-8:30pm – Racial Equity Workshop #2 with Dr. Watson
This session will further explore language around race and identity. There are just a few spots available! (After the second session, registration will close, so be sure to sign up soon.) To secure your spot, register here. 

We are social! Come join us @acalanesdei on Facebook and be sure to follow us @acalanesdei on Instagram too!

ACA Spirit Week: Wicked Week October 26-30
Students have a very fun spirit week planned and there are multiple ways to get involved and engaged. The week will be a competition in cohorts. Cohorts will compete in daily challenges including GooseChase (scavenger hunt), dress up days, and two lunchtime activities. In addition, we have four evening activities planned throughout the week. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 

• Cohort GooseChase Competition Begins – Encourage your student to opt in to the scavenger hunt via GooseChase. Students & their cohort teacher will compete against other cohorts for points to crown the winner at the end of the week. It is a great opportunity to connect with students & staff and have a little bit of fun. Every day new challenges are released through the goosechase app.
  
  
• Acalanes Walk Through Haunted House 6-8pm – Students MUST sign-up ahead of time via the sign-up genius. 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

• Cohort GooseChase Continues (check your app for details)

• Lunch – Staff-student Shark Tank. Students will compete along with staff members to pitch their best invention to the judges (aka admin team). Encourage your student to opt in.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 

• Cohort GooseChase Continues (check your app for details)

• All day – Our first dress-up day of the week is Wacky Wednesday. Consider making it a household dress-up day!
  
  
• Lunch Live with Keith Hawkins. Our last lunch to dialogue with Keith and the last 2 have been so powerful, real & uplifting. Please encourage your student to attend. 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 

• Cohort GooseChase Continues (check your app for details)
  
  
• ACA Night at the Drive-In 6:50pm – Don’t miss out on watching Monster House as a community at the Concord drive-in.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 

• Last day – Cohort GooseChase (check your app for details)

• All day Dress up Day: Recreate a childhood costume. 

• Lunch – Join the zoom as we watch students compete in bathtub boat races. Boats are made out of cardboard and duct tape and we will see which boat can hold the most dried beans. Should be fun!
  
  
• Virtual Rally 7 pm
  
  

Oct 16-30 – Canned Food Drive for the Contra Costa Food Bank
Bins are at the Acalanes flag pole. For a quick look at the need for our support, check out the Food Bank’s August report.

Friday, Oct 30 during Academy
Is your student interested in issues of equity or wanting a place to dialogue more about it? Encourage them to attend the Acalanes student equity council. Club Presidents and equity student leaders meet monthly to engage, hear updates and more. This month our admin team will be sharing more about the Bias Incident reporting system and reports for the months of August and September.

The tech board within leadership is creating an equity documentary series to highlight equity clubs and current issues in our nation, in our community, and on our campus. The first video features our Black Student Union and students from the club. Please take 10 minutes to listen and reflect on the students’ powerful narratives. Find the video here.

Take a minute to read the October equity newsletter. 

2020-2021 Clubs
Club meetings continue this week. Encourage your student to attend even if they missed the first meeting last week. Check out our 45 clubs!

Save the Date: Equity Week Nov 16-20

• Wednesday, Nov 18 at 7pm – “ Be an upstander, not a bystander” Equity speaker Lori Hayes will join us to dialogue about how we can address issues of equity on our campus and in our community. Register here!
• Everyday, our equity clubs will be holding lunchtime events that will allow students to engage in education and dialogue about various issues of equity. Stay tuned for the calendar of events!

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

We wanted to provide some details on our process and plan for in-person services which will be rolled out gradually over the coming weeks. Having taken into account student needs, health regulations, and availability of Wellness staff given already existing services being provided in the distance model, we will be offering targeted one-on-ones and groups to be delivered outdoors, masked, and physically distanced. We are targeting the highest needs students (including but not limited to self-harm/suicidal ideation/prior hospitalization, severely depressed, limited or no outside support, students in danger of failing, and others deemed necessary on a case-by-case basis). As with all Wellness services, we emphasize student self-determination, and we will neither require nor pressure students to meet with us in-person. Invitations to groups and clubs that support the broader student community (like BC2M and leadership) which have established relationships with Wellness will be offered group opportunities. Logistics will be developed based on student interest and needs as we gain learning and we will share as it all evolves.

Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

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

One-on-one Appointments
Students can book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here. Please encourage your student to take advantage regardless of where they are in the process.

Tomorrow, Oct 26 Admissions Virtual Reps Visits for Junior and Senior students via Naviance. Have your student sign up! Here are some of the schools this week: UC San Diego, UCLA, UToronto, UMontana, Ohio State, Hamilton, Davidson and more!

Tuesday, Oct 27 at 7pm Financial Aid Night (rescheduled)
Join us for an online presentation about college costs. The meeting link is here, and you can review this helpful handout for details. Tuesday, Nov 17 at 7pm Parent Naviance Workshop for Juniors. Zoom ID: 651 363 0875 Password: DONS2021.  Log in using your students AUHSD Zoom account.

Helpful Links:

• Career Exploration
• Alternatives after High School
• Fall CCC Newsletter for updates!

Freshman College Planning
Sophomore College Planning
Junior College Planning
Senior Checklist

• CCC Website 
• Follow us on Instagram: @acalanesccc
• Facebook Page for Students Have your senior or junior join the College and Career Student FB page 

Keep up the good work! 
Wendy Reicher/College and Career Advisor: wreicher@auhsdschools.org

Seniors
Many seniors have still not ordered official transcripts for college apps or updated their Naviance accounts. Students pay the $5 fee for official transcripts on the webstore. Mrs. Finn, the registrar, will process requests. Documents will be sent electronically through Naviance whenever possible. Please contact Mrs. Finn with questions. Students can review unofficial transcripts in Aeries.

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. We are trying to reserve the limited slots outside of class time for students. Parents can schedule a time when students are in class.

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

(Fore)HEADS-UP!
Part of our “new normal” needs to be checking our temperature each morning, especially if you are leaving your house to be in any public/social environment. That means if you don’t already have a thermometer, this is a good time to get one!

Be Covid Proactive!
See update on my google site. Stay healthy by keeping this symptom checklist in mind.

Flu Vaccine is available NOW!
Reduced illness from flu will also ease the burden of illness from Covid in our hospital facilities. Flu vaccines are available at most medical practices and pharmacies. Free CC County Flu Shot Clinics begin next week.

Parents: Feeling Overwhelmed? Who isn’t???
I found this TedTalk with Elizabeth Gilbert validating and nourishing.

Here’s a great one-pager on SLEEP to remind you why it’s so good for us.

Is your student interested in joining the Acalanes Health & Medicine Student Club? They meet at lunch on the 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays. Check it out here.

Please get in touch with me with any questions, concerns, and/or requests. I look forward to being in touch and connected!

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

Thanks to your LPIE donations, Acalanes students have A Soft Place To Land

Our students have been receiving critical support services from the Acalanes Wellness Center for the past three years, funded by LPIE donations from our community. Learn more about the history and benefits the Wellness Center provides in this interview with Wellness Coordinator Allen Choi and Intake Specialist Casey Sasner.

Laura–Kate Rurka & Jennifer Palmer
Acalanes LPIE School Chairs

www.lpie.org

ACA 101 How To Stay Connected During Distance Learning
This guide provides a wealth of Dons resources for students and families. 

2020-21 Acalanes & President’s Volunteer Service Awards Program
The 2020-21 program year continues to be challenging for identifying volunteer opportunities. It is very important that students looking for opportunities to volunteer in our local community follow safety guidelines in order to keep yourself, families and neighbors safe. This year we are reducing the volunteer service hour minimum to 20 hours and adding in flexibility to volunteer requirements. This reduction applies only to the Acalanes Volunteer Service Award. The President’s Volunteer Service award is a federal program and we cannot modify their program requirements. We encourage students to be creative with ideas that can turn into volunteer opportunities. Ideas to consider (verification of hours is still necessary):

• Grocery shopping or running errands for senior, disabled or at-risk neighbors
• AHS Stege Elementary pen-pal program
• AHS Clubs focused on service such as Key Club, Children’s Hospital, Equip for Equality, Environmental, Asian Student Union, SAGE, Protect Animals Worldwide

If you have a great idea about a way to be of service in your community and want to see if it qualifies under the AHS program, email us!

Wednesday, Oct 28 at 7pm – ACA Night at the Drive-In Movies, Solano Drive In
Mark your calendars for the final celebration of ACAtober! Join your friends & family (socially distanced) for a fun movie night under the stars! The theater will announce which movie will be played on Wednesday, October 21. Stay tuned for more details!

ACA E-Thanks to Acalanes Teachers & Staff
The first quarter is over and November will focus on gratitude and giving back. Let’s let our awesome teachers and staff know NOW how much we all appreciate what they do for our students. This week, please email at least one – if not all! – of your student’s teachers with a brief note of thanks. Not sure what to write? It can be as simple as: “Thank you for all you’re doing to help support my student during Distance Learning. Your efforts are thoroughly appreciated.” Emails to Acalanes administrators and staff are encouraged too!

Did you know the ASB Spirit Card Just Got Even Better?
Four more local businesses have joined the program! ASB Spirit Card Holders can receive a special discount at 360 Burrito, Pancoast Pizza, R&R Barber Salon and Zoonies. Here’s the link to participating businesses.

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