The APC Nominating Committee is in full swing and planning for the 2022-2023 school year! Below is a list of positions we need to fill. Being a part of the Acalanes Parents Club is very rewarding. It is an opportunity to work with an amazing, thoughtfully run organization as well as a chance to help the school, teachers, staff, and students in a variety of ways! Come join the team! If you have any questions, please contact Angela Ketcham, Nominating Committee Lead or anyone from our 2022 Nominating Committee: Sherry Quinn, Kristen Labrosse, Maria Nicolacakis, Jennifer Palmer, Katharine Wallace, Danielle Upp, and Catherine Habas.
Open positions:
President Elect
VP Fundraising
Assistant Treasurer
Secretary
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Liaison
Co-Hospitality Chairs
Grants Coordinator
Volunteer Coordinator
Legislative Representative
Co-Parent Ed. Coordinator
Student Awards Coordinator
Stanley Liaison
APC Spring Grants: Submissions are Open! Applications due Friday, Mar 4. All ideas are welcome. Acalanes Parents Club is pleased to invite all AHS teachers, staff, students, and parents to submit a grant application for programming, materials or projects that enhance the educational experience for our school community. Click here for criteria and application. Completed proposals and questions can be submitted by emailing APC GrantsCoordinator Catherine Habas. Proposals can also be delivered to the APC box in the front office.
AHS Volunteer Service Awards Reminder: Encourage your student to participate!
It’s not too late for students to give back to their community now and be recognized for their efforts by applying for the AHS Volunteer Service Award this spring. Details regarding the program and related forms can be accessed here. Students should log their hours on the application forms as they volunteer. To learn more about the program or where they can volunteer, students can drop by the College & Career Center or contact APC program liaison Amy Norstad with questions or for more information.
APC in Action
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Wednesday, Feb 9 at 6pm in the Library. Join us to celebrate Black History Month! Jason Gant will be speaking on Empowering Ourselves to be in Community.
Did you know Oakland native Daveed Diggs, who won a Grammy and a Tony for his role in Hamilton is also the co-creator of Blindspotting? The series, which takes place in the Bay Area, was picked up for a second season.
Up for an inspiring and heart-warming story (and who isn’t these days)? Check out the McBride Sisters, who discovered each other along with their love of wine-making. Their affordable wines have turned their business into the largest Black–owned wine company in the U.S.
Facts corner- Why February? The Association for the Study of African American Life and History sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week ofFebruary to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In the 1960’s its name was updated, and every American president since 1976 has designated February as Black History Month.
Parent Education
Me: (uses “yeet” in a sentence)
14-yr old: “Mom, no one says yeet.”
Me: “yeet is cringe?”
14-yr old: ”MOM NOONE SAYS CRINGE”
Me: “cringe has been yeeted?”
(The glare was EPIC) -Amy L. Blair
Putting one foot in front of the other: If this is a challenge for you lately, you’re not alone. This article from the Greater Good describes a happiness journalist’s struggle with languishing during the pandemic.
If you want to learn more about the culture of addiction and how it impacts your teens, here is a recording from Jessica Lahey’s talk with MVLA-The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence.
Finally, if your teen is struggling with academics or feeling down or frustrated about school, don’t forget to connect with our Counselors, our Nurse, and our Wellness Center. Feel free to reach out and connect with us with ideas for future topics, shareable resources, or thoughts at parented@acalanesparentsclub.com.
APC in Action
Are you free for lunch?
If so, please join us on either Monday, Wednesday and/or Friday as we continue to support our cafeteria and administrative staff who need our help to safely serve free lunch to our students. Please sign up here if you are able to lend a hand- parent support is greatly appreciated!
AHS Volunteer Service Awards Reminder: Encourage your student to participate!
It’s not too late for students to give back to their community now and be recognized for their efforts by applying for the AHS Volunteer Service Award this spring. Details regarding the program and related forms can be accessed here. Students should log their hours on the application forms as they volunteer. To learn more about the program or where they can volunteer, students can drop by the College & Career Center or contact APC program liaison Amy Norstad with questions or for more information.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Congratulations to Amy Schneider! An Oakland resident, Amy is breaking barriers for women and trans people by becoming the first woman- and one of only four people ever- to win over a million dollars on Jeopardy!
Facts corner: Did you know that more than 1.5 billion people around the world celebrate Chinese New Year (a.k.a. Lunar New Year) on February 1? To wish someone a happy new year in Cantonese, you can say “Gong hei fat choy.” In Mandarin, the same greeting is “gong xi fa cai”(pronounced gong she fa tsai). Try it!
Parent Education
You’re not always going to be the best parent because you can’t train for this. There are no top scores to beat. For each of us, one day’s “best” is different from another day’s. Today’s best might be a home-cooked meal and tomorrow’s could be fast food in the car on the way to dance lessons. “Best” is a moving target. It’s a fast ball whizzing toward you ten times a day. All that matters is that you keep swinging. -Parents Magazine
ICYMI- Here is a recording from our presentation The Well-Balanced Student Presentation with Laura Easley and Drew Schrader from Challenge Success, hosted by the APC Parent Education committee. It will be available for 60 days for your review.
Tuesday, Feb 1 from 7 to 9pm online MVLA Parent Speaker Series will be hosting Rosetta Lee who will present Implicit and Unconscious Bias: Bridging the Distance Between Professed Values and Daily Behaviors. Rosetta Lee says that in over a decade of conducting training she mostly encounters people with a desire to do good. They want to be inclusive, kind, and fair. The problem comes when they have to evaluate how perceptive and fair-minded they actually are. She explains that the human mind takes in millions of pieces of information at any moment, but cannot actively process all of it, so it ends up taking mental shortcuts. The brain also makes assumptions based on certain associations, which can lead to biases. Rosetta illustrates and explains twenty different cognitive biases that mess with our decision making and behavior. Register for this free event here.
Finally, if your teen is struggling with academics or feeling down or frustrated about school, don’t forget to connect with our Counselors, our Nurse, and our Wellness Center. Feel free to reach out and connect with us with ideas for future topics, shareable resources, or thoughts at parented@acalanesparentsclub.com.
Parent Education
Tuesday, April 20 at 7pm “Angst” Film Screening
Save the date for our next Parent Ed event when we will be co-hosting an interactive screening of the film “Angst,” an exploration of teen mental health.
Parent Education
Replay: Challenge Success presents “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions” Did you miss the chance to join this informative and engaging session? Watch the replay here. Additionally, here are several follow-up resources suggested by Challenge Success:
- Essential criteria ranking document
- Challenge Success website, College Information Resources
- Book recommendations:
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni
What Matters the Most by Paul Tough
The Truth About College Admissions by Brennan Bernard
Who Gets In and Why by Jeff Selingo
Parent Education
Replay: Challenge Success presents “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions”
Did you miss the chance to join this informative and engaging session? Watch the replay here. Additionally, here are several follow-up resources suggested by Challenge Success:
- Essential criteria ranking document
- Challenge Success website, College Information Resources
- Book recommendations
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni
What Matters the Most by Paul Tough
The Truth About College Admissions by Brennan Bernard
Who Gets In and Why by Jeff Selingo
Parent Education
Tuesday, Jan 12 from 7-8:30pm Challenge Success presents “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions”
The college admissions process can be a source of stress and anxiety for students and parents alike. This research-based workshop addresses many of the important questions we hear from families. What do college rankings really measure? Are students who attend more selective colleges better off later in life? What is “fit” and why does it matter? Participants will learn practical strategies to help reduce unnecessary pressure around the college admissions process and ways to support their student’s overall well-being and readiness for life in college and beyond. No advance registration is required. Click this link to attend: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
