The Acalanes Class of 2024 Car Rally is here – this Friday, May 24 at 5pm! Come out for a spirited Dons send off for our annual, community-wide celebration to cheer on our Acalanes seniors and their families. Join spectators along Mt. Diablo Blvd (from Oakwood to Golden Gate Way and back) and bring your signs, noisemakers and blue pompoms! It’s also a great night to stay out and dine in Lafayette!

Dons love Lafayette! There are so many ways to support downtown Lafayette businesses this spring and summer. Consider purchasing gifts and dining out at our local Lafayette favorites.
Mark your calendars for some fantastic upcoming Lafayette events:

• Monday, May 15: Auditions begin for Lamorinda Idol
• Tuesday, May 16: Taste of Lafayette restaurant stroll
• Friday, May 19: Senior Car Rally – dine out afterwards at a Lafayette restaurant
• First four Fridays in June: Rock the Plaza – free concerts at the Lafayette Plaza
• Saturday, June 3: Lafayette Community Day – support local nonprofits
• Friday, June 30: Early bird registration for Lafayette Res Run (Oct 22)
• Sept 23 and 24: Mark your calendars now for the annual Lafayette Art Wine Festival

ACALANES GARDEN – MAY UPDATE
We had a small group of kids and adults show up on Sunday, April 21 (Earth Day) to plant, weed, and set up irrigation. All of our summer crops are planted and thanks to Yuri and his son Alexey we have drip irrigation installed in all the beds! We have a small layer of straw to help with water conservation and weed suppression. The weeds are pretty fierce so we will spend the last two garden club lunch meetings weeding in the farm.
 
We have our summer schedule and mulch date set up. Unfortunately it is too close to the end of year to have another Sunday work party so we are planning our mulching work day on Sunday, Aug 25 when we return, and will go 9-11am to avoid the hot midday heat. We are fortunate that Ecomulch will donate the mulch that we need and only charge us a small delivery fee.
 
Our summer work evenings will be Tuesdays 5:30-7:30pm.  We will weed, harvest, and start our “community veggie boxes” if we have a big harvest. We will meet every Tuesday except the first two weeks of July.  The dates are: 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6.  Either Mrs. Challacombe or myself (or both) will be there. If you think you can/want to come to any of these evenings, please sign up HERE.
 
Finally,  we are in desperate need of cardboard and could also use new gardening tools and gloves. Please feel free to drop items off at room 201 before the year is done.  If you are binging bardboard, it would be great if you could remove any tape and labels before you drop it off.
 
Thanks so much for all of your support.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Tewksbury (LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org)

LIGHT THE NIGHT
The Acalanes Community Outreach and Improvement Program is hosting a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Light the Night) from Apr 8-26. Please donate, as any and every donation makes a difference (you can also check with your company to see if there might be a matching gift to potentially double your impact!).
 
The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, as well as improve the quality of life of patients and their families. They also fund research to advance lifesaving treatments, provide patients, survivors, caregivers, families, and healthcare professionals with hope, guidance, education and support, and drive advocacy for policies that protect patient access to lifesaving treatment.
 
Feel free to check out our website for more information! And please plan to come to the Acalanes Talent Show on Apr 18 at 7pm – there will be a bake sale and proceeds will benefit Light the Night (bring cash)!

SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE
Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers
Upcoming regular meeting dates:

• Thursday, Apr 18: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, May 16: 5-6:30pm

Volunteers and participants should RSVP here (volunteers get 2-hour community service validation per session).
To receive SEED High School updates, sign up to the High School newsletter here.

ACALANES COMMUNITY OUTREACH & IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUNDRAISER
The Acalanes Community Outreach and Improvement Program is hosting a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Light the Night) from Apr 8-26.

Please donate as any and every donation makes a difference! Please check and see if your company does matching gifts when donating to double your impact! Feel free to check out our website for more information. Thank you!

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma, as well as improve the quality of life of patients and their families. They also fund research to advance lifesaving treatments, provide patients, survivors, caregivers, families, and healthcare professionals with hope, guidance, education and support, and drive advocacy for policies that protect patient access to lifesaving treatment.


ACA GARDEN SPRING UPDATE
We are getting ready to plant our summer crops!! The garden club started tomato and pepper seeds in January and we are currently starting to harden them off in anticipation of planting them in April. The Moraga Garden Farms also donated zucchini, Swiss chard, lettuce and kale starts with promises of herbs, tomatoes and peppers when we get back from spring break. 
 
Read our full Acalanes Garden Spring Update here!

Next Garden Workday: Sunday, Apr 21 from 10am-2pm – we will finish our planting and weed the farm (weeds grow so fast….).
 
Updated Wish List:  It’s not long, but has some items we could definitely use – please click here if you’re interested in donating.
 
Please reach out to Ms. Tewksbury’s (LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org) in room 201, if you have any questions.
 

SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE: Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.
Upcoming regular meeting dates:

• Thursday, Apr 18: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, May 16: 5-6:30pm

Volunteers and participants should RSVP here (volunteers get 2-hour community service validation per session).
To receive SEED High School updates, sign up to the High School newsletter here.

ACABOTS IS LOOKING FOR SPONSORS!
Acabots, the Acalanes High School Robotics team, engages students in engineering and robotics, aiming for victory in FRC California competitions. We rely on sponsorships to fund new parts, equipment, registration fee, and create wonderful experiences. Our club welcomes all students, covering diverse tasks from design to programming. We’re seeking business and personal sponsors to support our endeavors. If you are interested in supporting us, please contact lucas.ulbrich25@auhsdschools.org or dongjoo.ahn24@auhsdschools.org. Visit our website to learn more and share our sponsorship infographic!!
Go Dons!
 
SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE: Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.
Upcoming regular meeting dates:

• Thursday, Apr 18: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, May 16: 5-6:30pm

Volunteers and participants should RSVP here (volunteers get 2-hour community service validation per session).
To receive SEED High School updates, sign up to the High School newsletter here.

ACABOTS IS LOOKING FOR SPONSORS!
Acabots, the Acalanes High School Robotics team, engages students in engineering and robotics, aiming for victory in FRC California competitions. We rely on sponsorships to fund new parts, equipment, registration fee, and create wonderful experiences. Our club welcomes all students, covering diverse tasks from design to programming. We’re seeking business and personal sponsors to support our endeavors. If you are interested in supporting us, please contact lucas.ulbrich25@auhsdschools.org or dongjoo.ahn24@auhsdschools.org. Visit our website to learn more and share our sponsorship infographic!! Go Dons!
 
SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE: Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.
Upcoming regular meeting dates:

• Thursday, Mar 21: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, Apr 18: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, May 16: 5-6:30pm

Volunteers and participants should RSVP here (volunteers get 2-hour community service validation per session). To receive SEED High School updates, sign up to the High School newsletter here.

DONS SHOWED UP FOR THE PRINCESS PROJECT DRESS DRIVE!
We collected 183 very nice prom dresses which will go to very deserving young ladies. The Huskins family is delivering them on Saturday on behalf of Acalanes, with a lot of pride and appreciation for our awesome ACA community!  Thank you ACA for always SHOWING UP!
 
BOOK DRIVE FOR THE LAFAYETTE LIBRARY
The Community Outreach and Improvement Program is hosting a drive for the Friends of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center from Mar 4-15!

Please donate gently used books, DVDs, puzzles, and games to the bins outside the Acalanes front office!

Donations help fund programs and other parts of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center! Please check out our website for more information and donation options. Thank you in advance!

SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE: Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.
Upcoming regular meeting dates:

• Thursday, Mar 21: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, Apr 18: 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, May 16: 5-6:30pm

Volunteers and participants should RSVP here (volunteers get 2-hour community service validation per session).

To receive SEED High School updates, sign up to the High School newsletter here.