DEI

On Sep 6, the AUHSD school board passed Resolution No. 23-24-05: Recognizing and Honoring National Latine and Hispanic Heritage Month from Sep 15 – Oct 13, 2023 (you can read more about it here). One way to support this resolution is to attend the upcoming potluck celebrating Latine and Hispanic Heritage month. Encourage your student to signup to bring food to the potluck on Wednesday, Sep 20 before the girls volleyball team takes on Campolindo. The potluck will be from 5-6pm in front of the big gym and all families are invited to join in on the fun!
 
Additional important dates for September:

• Sep 15-17 Rosh Hashanah
• Sep 15-Oct 15 National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Sep 22 National Native American Day
• Sep 24-25 Yom Kippur

LatinX Heritage Month runs from Sept 15-Oct 15 and is a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American LatinX community. You can learn more about it here for discussion with your students.

One way Acalanes will celebrate is through a community get-together. Encourage your student to sign up to bring food to a potluck on Wednesday, Sep 20 before the girls volleyball team takes on Campolindo. The potluck will be from 5-6pm in front of the big gym and all families are invited to join in on the fun!.

If you are interested in joining the DEI committee, or just learning about what we do in our school and the district, please email us to be added to our mailing list. There are many ways to get involved!

Look for an upcoming DEI parent gathering in a future newsletter. In the meantime, check out a wonderful event supporting students in our district.

Miramonte students Jarret Zundel and Nicole Guo founded a nonprofit organization called Stories from Our Roots that strives to promote Lamorinda Asian-owned businesses and their stories through filmmaking and community organization. They will showcase three of their award-winning films featuring the Asian-owned businesses Kibi’s Cafe, Hodo Foods, and Joan’s Chinese painting studio at Orinda Theater on Thursday, Sept 7 at 7:30pm. There will be a panel discussion with youth filmmakers and business owners who can provide insight into their journeys and experiences in order to promote intergenerational and intercultural dialogue. 

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!
 
APC is looking for a DEI coordinator this year, which supports the many clubs at Acalanes focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. This individual also works with other schools in our district to help foster community DEI. This role can be divided, so anyone interested can also grab a friend and share in the work of supporting ongoing inclusion and equity at our school.
 
Please reach out if you might be interested or have any questions!
 
In community,
APC DEI

Thank you to the committee volunteers who contributed wonderful energy to our work: Pam D., Natasha, Anji, Melissa, Pam O., and the dance volunteers. Apologies if we forgot anyone.
 
Congrats to all of the students for finishing up another school year! A special shout out to the clubs and student liaisons we worked with this year: JSA, QSA, BSU, Latinos Unidos, the Equity Board and the leadership class. 
 
Drawing inspiration from the blooming wildflowers all around us, the collective beauty we see across our majestic hills is formed by each flower being exactly what it is. To quote Ola Joseph, “Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.” Like the hillsides giving space to every wildflower, DEIB work is centered around creating capacity. If there is something in your landscape that gives you pause, try to explore it. See you next year!
 
In community,
APC DEI

May is Jewish Heritage Month, along with AAPI and Mental Health Awareness Month (as we highlighted last week). The White House issued a proclamation that begins with, “This month, we celebrate the enduring heritage of Jewish Americans, whose values, culture, and contributions have shaped our character as a Nation. For generations, the story of the Jewish people — one of resilience, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, prejudice and persecution — has been woven into the fabric of our Nation’s story.” Read the entire Presidential proclamation here.

May is a great time to explore the Jewish experience. You might start with achievements and contributions, but as one reader suggested, it is critically important to also examine the more painful aspects of antisemitism faced by Jewish people throughout history. The Anti-Defamation League found that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased by more than 35% in 2022. Even more reason to attend the upcoming seminar on Standing Up to Hate Crimes. See details below.

Upcoming Community Event: Standing up to Hate Crimes, Thursday, May 18 4-5:30pm, online via Zoom
Hate crimes are exponentially increasing in California. How do we, as a community, support victims of hate crimes? The State of California Civil Rights Department has developed tools for victims to report hate crimes and receive support. Co-sponsored by the Contra Costa County Libraries. Click here for registration information.
 
Summer Program for Teens: QLIT at The Athenian School, June 20-30
The vision of  this program is for Queer Leaders in Training (QLIT) (rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders) to find their people, feel safe, proud and affirmed, and realize their power to make a difference in their community and beyond. And of course, have so much fun. The QLIT program will be free of charge or “pay-what-you-can.” Learn more about the camp here.
 
DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. Out of the box thinking is welcome. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. Lots of ways to be involved without a huge time commitment.

May is both Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage and Mental Health Awareness Month. The Lafayette Library’s CelebrateDiversity page contains information to help celebrate the month. Library staff have curated booklists for all ages that feature AAPI voices and stories. As well, the county library system posted a quick read titled, HowAreYou? HowAreYouReallyDoing? to their adult blog page.

Upcoming Community Event: Standing up to Hate Crimes, Thursday, May 18 4-5:30pm, online via Zoom
Hate crimes are exponentially increasing in California. How do we, as a community, support victims of hate crimes? The State of California Civil Rights Department has developed tools for victims to report hate crimes and receive support. Co-sponsored by the Contra Costa County Libraries. Click here for registrationinformation.

DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. Out-of-the-box thinking is welcome. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. Lots of ways to be involved without a huge time commitment.

DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. We are also looking for parents to help out with events and communications next year. Specifically, we would like to find people interested in re-posting items to our social media, maintaining an announcements calendar, and supporting a few annual events. Not a lot of hours involved, but definitely rewarding work. If you are interested or have an out of the box idea on how you can be involved, please reach out.

April is Autism Awareness Month honoring and recognizing our fellow community members on the autism spectrum. Have you heard people talk about neurodiversity? Harvard Health explains the origin of the term and application here.
 
DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process; we encourage participation. It is important that a plethora of voices and ideas are heard. We are also looking for parents to help out with events and communications next year. We have several active members aging out or retiring. Specifically, we would like to find people interested in re-posting items to our social media, maintaining an announcements calendar, and supporting a few annual events. Not a lot of hours involved, but definitely rewarding work. If you are interested, please reachout.