News & Announcements

New! All grade levels: Please take the time to fill out this questionnaire.

New! Follow me on my new Facebook Page.  This is a community resource for our parents to get the most updated information on college related topics.

New! Boys State applications available for Juniors who demonstrate leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty, and service in their school and community. Please have your student inquire for more information.

Junior Families 

• New! Practice ACT and SAT tests available for students – proctored under live test conditions on 2/13 and 2/17; cost: $20ea.  Sign up link.
• Parents: One-on-One Appointments – All juniors should book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here.  Parents can absolutely join. Let’s make sure we are creating a solid timeline for post Acalanes planning. Day/Eve times available!
• Juniors College Planning Update – Important information this week, be sure to read as it shares lots of details!
• Wednesday, Jan 27 during Academy “Building Your College List” – Encourage your students to sign up and use Ms. Reicher’s Zoom link to attend. 

Sophomore Parents: One-on-One Appointments
All sophomores and their families should book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here to discuss timelines, summer options and any college/career related planning.

Seniors:
It’s crucial to update college application results in Naviance.  Look for the required senior exit survey coming in March on Naviance.

For those of you who missed our Challenge Success presentation on January 12, “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions”, check out the Parent Ed section below for the recording.  Relevant information for all grade levels!

Scholarships:

• Matt Lynn Scholarship – $1500-2000 awarded to college bound students intending to play varsity sports. Students check Naviance for application.
• Rossmoor Scholarship – $3000 award. Min. GPA 3.0 and max expected family contribution of $20k.
• Assistance League of Diablo Valley Scholarships – Philanthropic program aids students with college expenses based on need, school/community activities, and GPA. Applicants must be residents of Contra Costa County.
• AAUW Scholarship – $2000 awarded to a Senior woman who demonstrates a sustained commitment to community service as well as a grade point average of at least 3.0. Apply now!
• TZU Chi USA Scholars – $1500 awarded on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, and community involvement. Min GPA 3.0, Due 4/22.

Keep connected:

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

Thank you for all your support!

Wendy Reicher, College and Career Advisor: wreicher@auhsdschools.org

End of First Semester Transcripts – Transcripts are now updated with first semester grades and are visible in Aeries. Mid-year reports were sent to colleges last week.

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

Governor Newsom recently released the proposed state budget for next year. The budget, which is typically revised and presented again in May, increases total funding for K-12 and community colleges to $89.2 billion. Gov. Newsom proposes $4.6 billion for summer school, more learning time in 2021-22 budget. It also includes a reduction of 2 percentage points in the districts’ share of pension payments, provides a cost-of-living adjustment, and pays off two-thirds of the deferrals (money owed by the state to the districts) which were used to balance last year’s budget. 

Parents! Please report any COVID-related absences to the Attendance Recorder as soon as possible so I can do appropriate follow-up.

Team Vaccine! Interested in Volunteering with Contra Costa Health Services Covid Vaccine Administration? Here are the requirements to volunteer:   

• Current license: RN, LVN, EMT, or DDS, PharmD or MD. 
• Completed background check and TB Test (provided by Contra Costa County)
• Completed online mandatory trainings Covid-19 Vaccine Training (ca.gov)
• Ability to volunteer 24 hours a week from Sunday through Saturday. Hours vary depending on assignment.
• Candidates must be able to work at all Contra Costa sites and have reliable transportation. 
• If you can meet the minimum requirements, please complete the Volunteer Information Form and send to: COVID19Volunteers@cchealth.org.  

Medical Documentation for Students – We still need updated medical documentation for your student, especially if they will be participating in the Hybrid Model. Does your student need medication available at school? Does your student have updated medical issues/health issues? Do they have a new immunization record? Parents, please make sure you turn in any pertinent medical forms for your students for this school year, especially if your students will be in the Hybrid Model. See this page on my website and let me know if you have any questions.

COVID District Protocol – Available on AUHSD site and on my site.

Be COVID Proactive! See update on my google site. Stay healthy by keeping this symptom checklist in mind. “Bubbles” and “Pods” – consider the “stealth health” of yours.  We need to keep this up even with the vaccine rollout!

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

The CIF North Coast Section (NCS) met last week and approved a sports framework to allow local leagues to create a sports schedule in accordance with guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Read the statement here.

Diablo Athletic League (DAL), the local league for AHS sports, also met last week to establish a preliminary schedule for “purple tier” sports beginning February 1. (If the current, regional Stay at Home Order extends beyond February 1, the season would be postponed.) Read more from the DAL here. 

Cancelled: Tuesday, Jan 26 PSAT for Sophomores
The AUHSD District has cancelled the PSAT for Sophomores at Acalanes High School on January 26 due to the extension of the California Stay at Home Order. The school day schedule has been adjusted accordingly, with Tuesday, January 26 returning to a regular class schedule. 

Registrants may either defer their exam payment/registration to be applied to the Fall 2021 PSAT exam (date TBD), or receive a full refund of the $30 exam cost. To choose the refund option, please email Hannah Welling at hwelling@auhsdschools.org by January 31. If you do not email your refund request by January 31, your student will automatically be registered for/paid for the Fall 2021 PSAT. Please contact Hannah Welling with any questions.

Dons Dialogue Replay
If you missed Friday’s Dons Dialogue with Principal Bell, click here for a replay. (approx. 90 minutes)

ICYMI: A Healthy Approach to College Admissions presented by Challenge Success
Visit the Parent Education section below for a replay link to last week’s presentation.

2020-21 Acalanes & President’s Volunteer Service Awards Program
Spring is the time for students to submit their volunteer service applications and now is the time to start getting organized! Given the limited volunteer opportunities, we reduced the service hour minimum to 20 hours to help more students qualify for the Acalanes Award. The President’s Volunteer Service award is a federal program and we cannot modify their minimum number of hours/program requirements. 

We encourage students to be creative with ideas that can turn into volunteer opportunities while following guidelines to keep yourself, families and neighbors safe.  Ideas to consider (verification of hours is still necessary):

• Grocery shopping or running errands for senior, disabled or at-risk neighbors
• Tutoring or Homework help (unpaid) for younger students in your neighborhood (non-family members)
• 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!  In the meantime, download the service award application forms here. Then submit completed, scanned applications between March 25 and April 10, 2021 to communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com.

Tuesday, Jan 26 at 10am ACA Chat Live with Andrea Powers & Katherine Walton
Join the first ACA Chat Live of 2021. If you haven’t joined before, these are “not to miss” events. Topics and Zoom details will be shared next week.

Thursday, Jan 28 ACA “We’ve Got Heart” DAY Campus Drive-Thru
ACA Strong spirit has kicked into high gear for 2021. Encourage your students to participate in the first ACA DAY of the new year. 

• • ALL students who attend will receive a new! ACA Strong blue t-shirt
  • Monument Crisis Center’s Food Drive – Donations of peanut butter and boxes of cereal would be greatly appreciated. The crisis center is servicing twice as many families during COVID-19 so all donations are welcome!

• ACA DAY Schedule
  • 2:30-3:00pm SENIORS (Celebrating “College Apps are Done!”)
  • 3:00-3:30pm Juniors
  • 3:30-4:00pm Sophomores
  • 4:00-4:30pm Freshman

ACA Strong T-Shirts for Sale at ACA DAY
For AHS parents (and siblings) who also want the new ACA Strong t-shirt, we will have extras available for purchase at the ACA DAY Campus Drive-Thru on 1/28. $10, cash only please. 

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

Thank you for the outpouring of support given to students through your donations last month. 

• Our $60,000 Matching Gift Opportunity from two generous families resulted in donations of over $216K!
• Our #40for40 Community Campaign raised more than $7K and this number continues to grow! 

As we turn to 2021, let’s keep this momentum going into the Spring so that we can preserve the resources that support our students every day. Our goal is $4.3M and we are halfway there.