DONS SHOW UP! Encourage your student to show up and participate in all the fun planned for homecoming week. There are so many different ways to get involved and it’s a great opportunity to make new friends or spend time with old friends. Go Dons!
Parent Education
Thriving, Engaged and Well-Balanced Students
Acalanes Adult Education provides comprehensive educational opportunities for adults aged eighteen and above. Situated at the Del Valle Education Center, adult learners have the privilege of enrolling in diverse courses, including Apple classes, Microsoft Excel, Creative Writing, English Language Learning (ESL), CPR Certification, Yoga, Money Management, History, Dreams and Nightmares, Estate Planning, Art, Crafting, Sewing, Fabric Collage, Crochet, World Languages (French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish) and many more. For further information, please visit auhsd.org/adulted. Additionally, you may access the Fall 2024 Course Catalog. To register online, visit https://tinyurl.com/
SEED High School Presents: Understanding and Supporting Teen Behavior with Peter J. Alter: A Guide for Parents. Tuesday, Sep 24 at 7pm in the Acalanes High School Library. This workshop provides an in-depth exploration of behavioral challenges faced by teenagers with disabilities, utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Tailored for parents, and caregivers, the session focuses on practical strategies for understanding, assessing, and addressing various behavioral issues within this demographic. Click here to register!
Parents Club Pro-Tip
ACADEMY WITH A PURPOSE
Our students attend academy on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10:10-11:05am. Students use TeachMore (an online platform) to select where they would like to go for academy or teachers can also tag a student to attend their academy for test make-ups or targeted support.
Ask your student(s) where they are going for academy each week and encourage them to make a good selection. These periods are a great time to get homework completed, work on group projects or participate in enrichment activities. Peer Tutoring is always a valuable option during the academy periods as well.
Parent Education
Thriving, Engaged and Well-Balanced Students
Acalanes Adult Education provides comprehensive educational opportunities for adults aged eighteen and above. Situated at the Del Valle Education Center, adult learners have the privilege of enrolling in diverse courses, including Apple classes, Microsoft Excel, Creative Writing, English Language Learning (ESL), CPR Certification, Yoga, Money Management, History, Dreams and Nightmares, Estate Planning, Art, Crafting, Sewing, Fabric Collage, Crochet, World Languages (French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish) and many more. For further information, please visit auhsd.org/adulted. Additionally, you may access the Fall 2024 Course Catalog. To register online, visit https://tinyurl.com/
Parent Education
Acalanes Adult Education provides comprehensive educational opportunities for adults aged eighteen and above. Situated at the Del Valle Education Center, adult learners have the privilege of enrolling in diverse courses, including Apple classes, Microsoft Excel, Creative Writing, English Language Learning (ESL), CPR Certification, Yoga, Money Management, History, Dreams and Nightmares, Estate Planning, Art, Crafting, Sewing, Fabric Collage, Crochet, World Languages (French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish) and many more. For further information, please visit auhsd.org/adulted. Additionally, you may access the Fall 2024 Course Catalog. To register online, visit https://tinyurl.com/
Thriving, Engaged and Well-Balanced Students
Creating a positive “school experience” for our students has been a top District priority for over a decade. One of the instruments we have used to measure our students’ experience is the Challenge Success-Stanford Survey of School Experiences. 83% of our students participated in the survey in April. The survey gathers student insights pertaining to academic engagement, support and belonging at school, homework load and habits, stress, sleep, academic integrity, extracurricular participation, and parent expectations. We have made some progress, but have much work to do to better support our students. This presentation includes district-wide data.
Dr. Denise Pope, founder of Challenge Success and an expert in student well-being, will visit our community on Wednesday, Sep 18 to share her insights and current research regarding supporting our students to thrive in our high-stakes and high-pressure culture. Increasing demands on students can lead to unhealthy stress, disengagement, or debilitating physical and mental health symptoms. Dr. Pope will address how to reduce academic stress and disengagement without sacrificing achievement and examine how to increase student resilience, creativity, competence and general well being. The presentation will be focused on supporting high school students and will include insights for navigating the pressures of college admissions.
The Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church will host the event from 6:30-8pm. Seats are limited and we expect high parent interest so please register and reserve your spot here. We hope to see you there!
Parent Education
INSIDE THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Thank you to everyone that came out to the library last Wednesday (and over 100 of you online) to hear directly from John Duarante about some behind the scenes information in the college admissions process. Debbie Levy, our head of the college and career counseling center, was a fantastic host!
In case you missed it, you can watch the zoom HERE (Passcode: dg93mEF*)
His biggest message was for students to make a really great “marketing packet” about themselves and their time in high school. He also made it clear that there are things students can control and things they cannot…and everyone should be looking to find the best fit for themselves and not their parents or friends.
Several parents have also asked for the A-Z list of his podcasts:
SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS AND ESTATE PLANNING FOR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS
Please join us for a workshop presented by special needs planning attorney, Jonathan Thompson*, on estate planning for children with special needs.
Special needs planning is a specialized area of the law that focuses on protecting public benefits for people with special needs, while at the same time facilitating a higher quality of life. Jonathan Thompson will provide information on special needs plans that can provide a framework for proper medical care and management of assets, as well as protect assets from creditors and predators. He will discuss the essential characteristics of special needs trusts, how they work and how to set one up.
To receive SEED High School updates, sign up for the high school newsletter here.
* Jonathan is an attorney with the Thompson Law Offices in Walnut Creek.
Parent Education
INSIDE THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Parents (and students!) of all grade levels are welcome to join an evening with Dr. John Durante, an educator who has interviewed over 200 college admissions representatives for his acclaimed “The College Admissions Process Podcast”. This event will take place on Wednesday, Apr 17 at 6pm* in the Acalanes library.
(*arrive early as we plan to start at 6pm sharp, as Dr. Durante will be joining us from New York City)
This event will be moderated by Debbie Levy, Acalanes College & Career Counseling Advisor. The podcast and other resources are available at www.collegeadmissionstalk.com.
SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS AND ESTATE PLANNING FOR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS
Please join us for a workshop presented by special needs planning attorney, Jonathan Thompson*, on estate planning for children with special needs.
Special needs planning is a specialized area of the law that focuses on protecting public benefits for people with special needs, while at the same time facilitating a higher quality of life. Jonathan Thompson will provide information on special needs plans that can provide a framework for proper medical care and management of assets, as well as protect assets from creditors and predators. He will discuss the essential characteristics of special needs trusts, how they work and how to set one up.
To receive SEED High School updates, sign up for the high school newsletter here.
* Jonathan is an attorney with the Thompson Law Offices in Walnut Creek.
Parent Education
INSIDE THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Parents (and students!) of all grade levels are welcome to join an evening with Dr. John Durante, an educator who has interviewed over 200 college admissions representatives for his acclaimed “The College Admissions Process Podcast”. This event will take place on Tuesday, Apr 17 at 6pm* in the Acalanes library.
(*arrive early as we plan to start at 6pm sharp, as Dr. Durante will be joining us from New York City)
This event will be moderated by Debbie Levy, Acalanes College & Career Counseling Advisor. The podcast and other resources are available at www.collegeadmissionstalk.com.
Parent Education
TRANSITION IEPs, PLANS AND GOALS — HOW TO BUILD THEM
Please join us on Wednesday, Mar 27 at 7pm for an informative workshop presented by Sarah Fairchild of the Tollner Law Firm on transition IEPs, plans and goals and how to build them. We will look at students’ legal rights and entitlements as well as practical strategies for creating effective transition plans and evidence-based best practices in transition planning. This event will take place in the Acalanes library.
Parent Education
POWERFUL COMMUNITY EDUCATION EVENT TUESDAY, MAR 19
Students, parents and community members are encouraged to attend “Paralyzed to Powerful” with Robert Paylor on Tuesday, Mar 19 at 7pm. This event will take place in the Acalanes Performing Arts Center (PAC) and while the event is free, we ask that you RSVP so we can plan accordingly.
