August APC Dons Dialogue – View the Slides!
Thank you to all who attended our first Dons Dialogue of the school year on Friday, Aug 23. We had a packed room. This month’s topics included an overview of new staff, Challenge Success results, technology, athletic PE and a student activities report. If you were not able to attend, here are the slides from the discussion.
*ATHLETIC PE: Please click here to download the Contract and Weekly Timecard discussed by Coach Ivankovich for Athletic PE.
Thank you to our APC Hospitality Co-Chairs, Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi, for providing the welcoming coffee and treats! The next Dons Dialogue will be on Friday, Sept 20. Click here for the full schedule of upcoming Dons Dialogues.
Peer Tutoring is Now Open!
We welcome Bill Powers as our new Co-Director, who joins Angela Ketcham, along with another outstanding Peer Tutoring staff!
Peer Tutoring aims to better the educational, social and emotional well-being of all Acalanes High School students and support them in developing the skills necessary to succeed in academics and life post high school.
We are open and ready to welcome students in Room 107. Students can drop-in to receive help from junior and senior student tutors in any AHS academic subject, or just come in to do homework, read or study.
We are thankful to the Acalanes Parents Club for continuing to fully fund and support this program.
Hours of operation: Everyday @ lunch, Monday & Wednesday @ academy, 7th period, and every day after school for 1 hour after the last school bell rings.
Please Consider Volunteering!
If you are looking for fun, easy ways to support our Dons, APC has a wide variety of events throughout the calendar year. The snack shack during football games, community support at the Lafayette Food & Wine Fest and ResRun, passing out snacks during finals weeks, and new volunteer events geared for Dons Dads only are just a few APC volunteer opportunities. Please check out our full list and sign up today – and don’t forget to invite your friends to join you!
Thank you APC Volunteers!
APC welcomed AHS staff back to school with coffee and bagels to kick off the school year. A big shout out to Stacey Hastings and Dominique Mickelson, our Staff Appreciation Coordinators, for organizing such a fun event for our staff! Your donations to APC help make these staff appreciation events possible. Thank you!!!
APC in Action
Acalanes Community Always (ACA)
What is ACA You Ask?
Not only is “ACA” short for “Acalanes,” it is also the overarching, unifying theme that we at Acalanes High School represent on and off campus. Simply put, ACA (Acalanes Community Always) represents:
- Connectivity between Acalanes students, teachers, staff members, alumni and the greater Lafayette community
- Spirit and unity
These are characteristics that we all share as part of the Acalanes family, both during our time at Acalanes, and beyond as alumni. Our ACA spirit is on display daily in and outside of the classroom, and within our athletics, performing arts, student government, clubs, and Acalanes support organizations. We look forward to supporting ongoing programming that continues to build school spirit and supports our community and each other!
ACA Student Discounts!
As part of your student’s ASB card purchase, your student can get discounts or freebies at some favorite local business, such as
- Diablo Foods
- Johnny’s Donuts
- Local Kitchens
- Sideboard
- And more!
Your student just needs to show their ASB card at checkout. See the full list of discounts here! There is still time to purchase the ASB card in the Acalanes Webstore, this money drives student activities at Acalanes.
Lamorinda Back-2-School Promotion
Eat and shop locally this back-to-school season! In addition to the above Acalanes ASB program, the Lafayette Chamber has curated a list of fan-favorite spots all around Lamorinda offering discounts to students in the months of August and September. All your student has to do is show their student ID at checkout (or call for appointments) to receive the discounts. Click here to see all participating businesses.
*This is a separate program from our beloved ASB program above.
AHS Garden Update
The AHS garden is coming along! We met weekly over the summer to harvest tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers – all that we planted last spring. We continue to harvest during our weekly garden club meetings and will soon start to plan our winter garden.
Thank you to our Lafayette Community Garden partners Janet Thomas, Jeannie Hill, and Pam Winther who made a special trip to weed and tidy up the meditation garden so it would be ready when students returned. Also thank you to APC for weeding during their clean up day. It really does take a village!
We have our first work day of the school year TODAY, Sunday Aug 25, until 2pm.
Thanks for all of your support! If you have any questions, please reach out.
Lori (Ms. Tewksbury)
LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
Important Dates This Month:
Aug 26: First General DEIB Committee meeting
Aug 26: Women’s Equality Day
It’s Here!! Our first general DEIB Committee meeting! Please join us in the Collaboration Center on Monday, Aug 26 at 6pm to learn about this committee and support the students and administration in bringing an even greater sense of belonging to our school. There will be snacks and drinks and an opportunity to meet others who want everyone to feel welcome. Remember, “ALL ARE WELCOME HERE”.
Did you say hi to someone new yet? Did your student? How did it go? Please let us know at diversityandinclusion@acalanes
Student Activities
This week on campus:
Tuesday @ lunch in room 314: Any frosh who did not attend Stanley are invited to a lunch to meet other frosh and have fun!
Thursday @ lunch in room 314: Any student who transferred to Acalanes is invited to a lunch to meet other transfers and current 10th, 11th and 12th graders.
Friday @ lunch in room 314: ACA Buddies 1st event with our ESC students!
Friday @ 6pm: 1st tailgate of the year! USA theme!
Club Applications If your student wants to start a club this semester, they need to fill out this form (re-upped clubs from spring don’t need to reapply)! It’s a super easy process, but the form needs to be filled out by this THURSDAY, Aug 29. Students need to be sure to find club officers, a club advisor (teacher), and to create a constitution before filling out the club application. If they have any questions, they can email Miles Blackhart, ASB Vice–President.
ASB News
If you purchased an ASB sticker and it is not printed on your student’s ID, please have Studio One reprint their card when they return for picture make-up day on Oct 7.
If you did not purchase ASB, you can still do so on the webstore.
If you have purchased ASB and your student memorizes their ID number, they will use that when they go onto Go Fan to get athletic tickets and it will be free.
The Bookshelf Foundation club is launching a 2-week school supplies drive for children learning in Ukraine starting this week. The drive will last from Aug 19 to Sep 2. Students can bring new or gently used school supplies to the library meeting room. Notebooks, writing supplies, backpacks, water bottles, and more are all welcome! Any and all support means the world to children who are struggling to learn in the midst of war. Thank you!
Spiritwear
Did you order a class shirt on the webstore? We will be handing them out to students during lunch on Wednesday, Sep 4.
Did you order spiritwear through our online spiritwear vendor Gryco? It will arrive in mid Sep and you will receive an email with pick-up instructions.
Did you purchase ASB but have yet to receive your free blue shirt? Your student can come to room 314 to get it.
A few additional important dates:
Sep 15-21 Homecoming 2024 (HOCO Night Out tickets on sale starting this week via Go Fan!)
Apr 19: Junior & Senior Prom
My goal is that every student at Acalanes is connected to one activity outside of class. I am always happy to meet with students and/or parents about on campus programming and opportunities. If I can help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
Katherine Walton, Activities Director
College & Career
Career Quiz: Share this link with your students. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and provides insight into career opportunities.
Seniors: Please come by the College and Career Center during 6th, 7th, Academy, lunch and/or brunch to work on your common application and UC application. Tips and strategies provided during all sessions. MaiaLearning tutorials are also provided at each visit. Great tips here!
Sports Recruiting Presentation: Acalanes is hosting a presentation for families of student athletes. This will be held on Sept 9 at 7pm in the PAC. Students and parents of all grades and sports are welcome to attend. For more information, click here.
Counseling
Counselor assignments are by student last name:
A-F Anne Schonauer
G-Ka Erika Vasquez
Ke-Re Marissa Meadows
Rh-Z Susan Martin
NEW COUNSELOR ALPHA With the recent decision by the Board to cut counselor staffing at Acalanes, we have had to redistribute our students to accommodate this change. Ms. Schonauer, Ms. Meadows and Ms. Martin have taken on extra students, while Ms. Vasquez will have a reduced caseload. Ms. Vasquez is now working a split position between Acalanes and Miramonte. She will be on campus M/W/Th, and will be at Miramonte Tu/F. She is always available by email or phone M-F. If your student needs something urgently on a day she is not at Acalanes, they can always ask another counselor for help.
CLASS SCHEDULES Changes to schedules will end tomorrow, Monday, Aug 26, the 10th day of school. After this, classes can only be dropped. The deadline to drop a class is the end of the first quarter, Friday, Oct 11. After this date, any class dropped will receive an automatic F grade.
CLASS VISITS Counselors will be making grade level presentations to classes starting this week. We will visit senior and junior classes to distribute updated transcripts and to talk about college applications for seniors and things to think about for juniors. After Labor Day, we will be visiting sophomore and frosh classes.
School Nurse
What’s new with COVID? Parents, we still want you to call the attendance office to report Covid, as we are still required to report cases. However, we are now considering Covid as any other respiratory illness: students and staff can come back if, for 24 hours, their symptoms are getting better overall and they have not had a fever (without taking fever-reducing medication). You can read these CDPH Guidelines: Considerations when a Child has Symptoms of Illness in Child Care or School.
Just a reminder to make sure your student has healthy food/snacks and water with them to nourish and fuel them during the school day.
You can access the medical forms page HERE or use the QR code below.
My office hours are:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and some* Thursdays
Tuesdays & Thursdays: 8am – 3:50pm
Wednesdays: 7:30am – 3:20pm
See my website for more information.
Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, School Nurse Website
Wellness Center
The Wellness Center is available for drop ins starting tomorrow, Monday Aug 26. This year, we will be located in the glass hallway next to the main office in room 8. The space is bigger which will allow us to accommodate more students looking for wellness services. Please encourage your students to drop by to check out the new space! Cheers to the best school year yet!
LPIE
Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! Our Annual Giving Campaign is underway, and we hope every family will support our students, teachers, and schools by making a donation to LPIE. Many people ask why their donation is needed—watch this brief video to understand the funding challenges facing Lafayette public schools and how your contribution can make a difference. Every gift is appreciated and helps ensure that nearly 4,410 students in our six public schools receive the exceptional education we all want for our children. LPIE’s suggested donation is $1,850 per student, but we are grateful for contributions at all levels. Please click here to donate and support our schools today!
Join us for LPIE’s first-ever Bowling Tournament—a night of strikes, spares, and serious fun! Grab a friend, rock your best bowling outfit, and bring your A-game to help us raise money for our schools! Tickets go on sale Monday, Aug 19 at 9am Click here to snag yours and let the good times roll!
Join us at one of our come-and-go mixers for families new to the Lafayette public schools on Tuesday, Aug 27.
Sports
*The game schedule below reflects dates and times as of last Friday. Games may change for several reasons, including weather. If you have questions or comments, please contact Acalanes Sports Boosters.
This week’s can’t miss events:
Girls golf
Monday, Aug 26 v. Alameda HS and Northgate HS at Contra Costa CC at 3:30pm.
Wednesday, Aug 28 v. Northgate HS at Boundary Oak GC at 3:30pm.
Girls volleyball
Tuesday, Aug 27 at Archie Williams HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Friday, Aug 30 and Saturday, Aug 31 Varsity in High Sierra Invitational in Reno.
Girls water polo
Tuesday, Aug 27 host Piedmont HS. Varsity at 6:15pm and JV at 7:15pm.
Boys water polo
Wednesday, Aug 28 JV host Clayton Valley Charter HS at 6:30pm.
Friday, Aug 30 JV host Dougherty Valley HS at 4:3 pm.
Friday, Aug 30 and Saturday, Aug 31 Varsity host Labor Day Bash.
Football
Wednesday, Aug 28 Frosh at San Marin HS at 5pm.
Friday, Aug 30 host Lowell HS. JV at 4:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
You may view the full 2024-2025 Athletic Schedule by clicking HERE.
