APC

We hope all Acalanes families enjoyed the 4-day weekend! February is shaping up to be a busy month for Dons’ parents. We hope you will mark your calendar for the following upcoming events:

• Dons Dialogue: February 21
• APC Sponsored Just Mercy Screening for Black History Month: February 24
• APC Parent Education Event with Parent Expert Dr. Dan Peters: February 27

We are in the early stages of filling APC Exec Board and volunteer positions for the 2020-2021 school year. There are numerous ways to get involved and put your talents to good use! Take a look at all of the possibilities on the APC Job Descriptions page. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact APC Parliamentarian Meg Fellner who is heading up the Nominating Committee.
 
Dawn Brightbill and Sarah Cusumano

The month of January was a busy one at the home of the Dons with the second semester kicking off with a flurry of activity. One of the highlights was our annual Open House Course Preview night last week. The Dons community showed up in droves for an excellent event with a kick off address by Principal Bell and followed by three breakout sessions, where students and parents could self-select into offerings of individual interest. Teachers and staff organized and facilitated sessions about course pathways, class curriculum overviews and expectations, and assorted other informational offerings.

Continuing the class selection theme, counselors have spent this week, and will continue next, meeting with all 9th, 10th and 11th graders for individual sessions based around students selecting their classes for next year. With graduation requirements, a huge array of exciting electives and an intriguing peppering of new classes, there are choices aplenty at every level. Our counselors’ expertise, and recommendations from current teachers, is of great value and these individual 5-10 minute meetings have been a great way to clarify those challenging decisions.

Our final mention for this month is to reference the current #QuitLying campaign, orchestrated by our Leadership class in partnership with a nation-wide campaign. The purpose of this initiative is to spark curiosity amongst our youngsters to unearth some of the unethical and morally corrupt lies that big vape and tobacco companies are using to market vaping as a low-risk endeavor. Placards around campus exposing some of the myths, misconceptions and falsehoods, along with a slogan-adorned T-shirt and factual videos distributed by Ms Walton and the Leadership class are all parts of the campaign. This educational, factual approach, along with recent campus-wide policy changes designed to limit opportunities for our students to make bad choices, is all part of our school community;s response to combat the plague of vaping that is an issue on high-school campuses nation-wide.

As always, we want to state what a pleasure it is to work at Acalanes on a daily basis. Our exceptional staff and faculty, our engaging and kind students and our wonderful, supportive community all serve to make us proud and happy Dons.

All the best,
Andrea Powers and Mike Plant

 It was wonderful to see so many students and parents at the 2020-21 Course Preview & Open House last week. Special thanks to our APC Hospitality Team led by Marlene Peacock and Kim Siegal for their creative “Love Lafayette” themed reception and our APC board members who were on hand to welcome incoming freshman families. 

All freshmen, sophomores and juniors will have a brief meeting with the counselors this week to confirm their fall schedules. It’s a great chance for your student ask any final questions they may have about which classes to take before finalizing their schedule. 

Finally, we’d like to call your attention to the Wellness section of the website. If you haven’t yet stumbled upon it, the Wellness staff shares insightful information each week regarding how to support your student as they deal with the pressures of high school. This week, they highlight the value of sleep. While we all know how important sleep is for our kids, the message is a good reminder of how much they actually need to succeed.

Dawn Brightbill and Sarah Cusumano