Archived Posts

Black History Month Kicks Off Tomorrow
There is a lot to celebrate, and a lot of dialogue in which to engage. We kick off Black History Month in cohort tomorrow and events continue throughout the month. Our challenge to the Acalanes community is to engage in at least one event. Check out the calendar of events here. Two community events to register for ahead of time:

• Wednesday, Feb 17 at 5pm Women in Leadership Series with Elizabeth Brown – Elizabeth Brown is a resident of Georgia and is a Director at the Housing Authority.  Prior to that, she was a Social Worker at The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in the Department of Psychiatry & Health Behavior. Link to register in advance.
• Tuesday, Feb 23 at 6:30pm Arshay Cooper Dialogue – Join us in conversation with author Arshay Cooper. The dialogue will be facilitated by an influential community member and 3 students: Ava Freeman, Franny Daughters, and Miles Burger. Arshay will share more about his life, trauma, police brutality, film career, experience as a rower, and more. The novel and film chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in this country (made up of young men, many of whom were in rival gangs from the West Side of Chicago, coming together to row in the same boat). Order your copy from Orinda Books and a percentage of the proceeds will go to a BSU selected charity. Please register in advance here. 

ACA STRONG Light Display
This school year has looked different and felt different AND YET we are here, together. We want each student & family to know that our community is strong and we stand together. Please join us as we display thousands of lights on our campus. We will “turn the lights on” at 5pm  on January 29, and every subsequent Thurs-Sun until Valentine’s Day. Drive through, admire the light display, and remember that we are ACA STRONG. It is an additional, fun way to connect to our campus and we encourage you to participate! 

ACA STRONG
We’ve got heart. Show your ACA Spirit by showing how much “heart” you have for Acalanes and our Lafayette community. Beginning tomorrow, chalk your driveway with a BIG BLUE heart, hang hearts in your windows and look out for blue hearts and ACA Strong posters throughout Lafayette. Check out @ahs_dons on Instagram to see pictures and submit yours!

Monday, February 1st at 5pm – Virtual Rally
Tune in to watch the first ever virtual rally with pre-recorded material and our rallies board live from the Frosh quad. It will be live streamed on the Acalanes YouTube page.

Jan 28-Feb 14 – Donate to Monument Crisis Center
During the ACA DAY drive-through, consider dropping off some of the most needed items for Monument Crisis Center – peanut butter & cereal. Donation boxes will remain at Acalanes through February 14th. 

Admin Tells All
At lunch on Thursday our administration will host a lunch dialogue to discuss any and all things with students. Does your student have questions about our return to hybrid, sports, course selection or something else? Encourage them to attend Admin Tells All!

Friday, Feb 5 During Academy COVID Cabaret Spring 2021 Musical Information Meeting
Is there a role in a show you’ve always wanted to play? Do you have a favorite Broadway song that you’ve always wanted to perform? Well we’re doing the Spring Musical a little differently this year due to the circumstances. Please join us for our first informational meeting in Academy on Friday, February 5th. While we are devastated we cannot perform together onstage, we are very excited about our upcoming Cabaret! You will have an opportunity to direct and star in your own 3-4 minute piece! Please join Gibson’s Academy link “Spring Musical” offering in TeachMore on Friday, February 5th for more information!

2020-2021 Clubs
Club meetings continue. Check out our 49 clubs! Clubs continue to be one of the best ways for students to connect. We will be pushing out more information on clubs at the end of the week. Please encourage your student to check canvas.

Student Government 2020-2021
We will begin the process of elected student government positions & committees within leadership next week. Look out for information sessions and application deadlines. Student government operates best when it has a variety of voices and experiences!

Save the Date! Wednesday, Feb 10 from 5:30-6:30pm Class of 2025 Drive Through Welcome
If you have or know of students coming to Acalanes next year, pass along this date! We want to welcome them to Acalanes with goodies, staff hellos, and a connection to campus!

If I can ever do anything to help you or your student, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director

The following is a message from our Bring Change to Mind student leadership board:

“We are asking parents to help us spread the word about the BC2M club and a special opportunity. We will be co-hosting a district-wide meeting with all four BC2M clubs to have an open conversation about students’ mental health. There will be various topics to choose from and a guest speaker. This district-wide meeting will be hosted on February 8th from 11-1 pm on zoom. To attend, students must RSVP: Bring Change 2 Mind District Summit (AUHSD) (google.com)

The deadline to RSVP is on Thursday, February 4th at 10 pm. This meeting is very important in sparking conversation amongst students and building a sense of community and understanding throughout the district. Invite a friend and help us spread the word on Instagram @bringchangetomindacalanes. 

We are especially interested in getting freshmen and sophomores who want to be involved in the effort to de-stigmatize mental illness! This is a great opportunity for them to connect with others, especially students in upper grades. Thank you!” 

Emily Ingram, Alara Rose, Kael Osborne, Anna Toldi, Zoë Weinstein, Rachel Zhang, and Taja Maycock. 

Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

For updates, tips and advice, follow Wellness on Social Media: Instagram @acalaneswellness

New! Feb 7 and Feb 9 at 7pm – Naviance Workshops for AHS families and students. Sign up here! Be sure to have your name displayed on your Zoom log in.

New! Job Opportunity – Local Food Group recently opened a kitchen in Lafayette and is looking for greeters/hosts. Tons of hours available! $14-$16/hr. Check job posting for application details.

New! All grade levels: Please take the time to fill out this questionnaire. Assist the CCC in developing new presentations.

Follow me on Instagram @acalanesccc and my new Facebook Page – community resources for our parents to get the most updated information on college related topics in the news.

Junior Families

• New! Feb 13 and Feb 17 Practice ACT and SAT Tests available for students – proctored under live test conditions; cost: $20ea. Sign up link.
• Parents: One-on-One Appointments – All juniors should book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here. Parents can absolutely join. Let’s make sure we are creating a solid timeline for post Acalanes planning. Day/Eve times available!
• No CC&C academy the week of Feb 1-7 as I’ll join our counselors in the course selection presentations to students.  Please encourage them to attend!

Sophomore Families: One-on-One Appointments
All sophomores and their families should book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here to discuss timelines, summer options and any college/career related planning.

Seniors: 

• NEW!  DVC enrollment presentation, please pre-register to attend here.
• Update college application results in Naviance.  
• Look for the required senior exit survey coming in March on Naviance.

Scholarships:

• Matt Lynn Scholarship – $1500-2000 awarded to college bound students intending to play varsity sports. Students check Naviance for application.
• Rossmoor Scholarship – $3000 award. Min. GPA 3.0 and max expected family contribution of $20k.
• Assistance League of Diablo Valley Scholarships – Philanthropic program aids students with college expenses based on need, school/community activities, and GPA. Applicants must be residents of Contra Costa County.
• AAUW Scholarship – $2000 awarded to a Senior woman who demonstrates a sustained commitment to community service as well as a grade point average of at least 3.0. Apply now!
• TZU Chi USA Scholars – $1500 awarded on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, and community involvement. Min GPA 3.0, Due 4/22.

Keep connected:

• CCC Website 
• Facebook Page for Students – Have your senior or junior join the College and Career Student FB page.

Thank you for all your support!
Wendy Reicher, College and Career Advisor: wreicher@auhsdschools.org

Congratulations!
Counselors and all of Acalanes send congratulations to the students who were named National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists:  Kai Feinberg, Jamie Lattin, Morgan Mason, Isaiah Orlando, Madison Payne and Jackson Steele. These students were identified as National Merit Scholars based on their high scores on the PSAT and have submitted applications to continue to be considered for the Merit Scholarship competition. 

Course Selection
It’s that time of year again…as mentioned above, counselors will be hosting webinars during academy next week for current students to go over course selection. Students will need to make their selections online by Feb 19. Students should check Canvas and their school Gmail accounts for more information and instructions.

CSF Application Period Begins Feb 1
California Scholarship Federation’s spring application period begins on February 1. Current students in grades 10-12 should apply to this honor society. Students must apply every semester. Be on the lookout for an online application form and how to pay required dues on the webstore starting next week. 

Counselor Appointments
We love talking to our students! Email is the best way to reach us. Counselors have appointment slots for students and will email them a link for signing up. We are trying to reserve the limited slots outside of class time for students. Parents can schedule a time when students are in class. 

A- Ed  Anne Schonauer
Ee-Kr  Christine Todd
Ku-Ros  Marissa Meadows
Rot-Z  Susan Martin

Now that the Regional Stay-At-Home order has been lifted, there is hope that we will move into the red tier and then shift to a hybrid model for our schools. Governor Newsom’s efforts to encourage districts to reopen through incentives seem to be stalling, but some legislators who are critical of his plan think maybe there is room for compromise with Assembly Bill 10, which would mandate that schools reopen when they enter the red tier. With Gov. Newsom’s back-to-school plan all but doomed, what might it take to salvage it?  Either way, parents across the state are growing increasingly frustrated with the situation and some are advocating for change. Newly formed California-wide parent group turns up the pressure to reopen schools

Parents!
Please report any COVID-related absences to the Attendance Recorder as soon as possible so I can do appropriate follow-up.

Is  your student coming back to school in Hybrid? Medical Documentation for Students
We still need updated medical documentation for your student, especially if they will be participating in the Hybrid Model. Does your student need medication available at school? Does your student have updated medical issues/health issues? Do they have a new immunization record? Parents, please make sure you turn in any pertinent medical forms for your students for this school year, especially if your students will be in the Hybrid Model. See this page on my website and let me know if you have any questions.

Team Vaccine! Interested in Volunteering with Contra Costa Health Services Covid Vaccine Administration?

Here are the requirements to volunteer:   

• Current license: RN, LVN, EMT, or DDS, PharmD or MD. 
• Completed background check and TB Test (provided by Contra Costa County)
• Completed online mandatory trainings Covid-19 Vaccine Training (ca.gov)
• Ability to volunteer 24 hours a week from Sunday through Saturday. Hours vary depending on assignment.
• Candidates must be able to work at all Contra Costa sites and have reliable transportation. 
• If you can meet the minimum requirements, please complete the Volunteer Information Form and send to: COVID19Volunteers@cchealth.org.  

COVID District Protocol
Available on AUHSD site and on my site.

Be COVID Proactive!
See update on my google site. Stay healthy by keeping this symptom checklist in mind. “Bubbles” and “Pods” – consider the “stealth health” of yours.  We need to keep this up even with the vaccine rollout!

Dvora Citron, RN, MS
Acalanes School Nurse Google Site
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
IG:  acalanesschoolnurse

Friday, Feb 5 During Academy COVID Cabaret Spring 2021 Musical Information Meeting
Is there a role in a show you’ve always wanted to play? Do you have a favorite Broadway song that you’ve always wanted to perform? Well we’re doing the Spring Musical a little differently this year due to the circumstances. Please join us for our first informational meeting during Academy on Friday, February 5. While we are devastated we cannot perform together onstage, we are very excited about our upcoming Cabaret! You will have an opportunity to direct and star in your own 3-4 minute piece! Please join Gibson’s Academy link “Spring Musical” offering in TeachMore on Friday, February 5th for more information!

The CIF North Coast Section (NCS) approved a sports framework to allow local leagues to create a sports schedule in accordance with guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Read the statement here.

Diablo Athletic League (DAL), the local league for AHS sports, established a preliminary schedule for “purple tier” sports beginning February 1. Read more from the DAL here. 

Cancelled: Tuesday, Jan 26 PSAT for Sophomores
The AUHSD District has cancelled the PSAT for Sophomores at Acalanes High School on January 26 due to the extension of the California Stay at Home Order. The school day schedule has been adjusted accordingly, with Tuesday, January 26 returning to a regular class schedule. 

Registrants may either defer their exam payment/registration to be applied to the Fall 2021 PSAT exam (date TBD), or receive a full refund of the $30 exam cost. To choose the refund option, please email Hannah Welling at hwelling@auhsdschools.org by January 31. If you do not email your refund request by January 31, your student will automatically be registered for/paid for the Fall 2021 PSAT. Please contact Hannah Welling with any questions.

2020-21 Acalanes & President’s Volunteer Service Awards Program
Spring is the time for students to submit their volunteer service applications and now is the time to start getting organized! Given the limited volunteer opportunities, we reduced the service hour minimum to 20 hours to help more students qualify for the Acalanes Award. The President’s Volunteer Service award is a federal program and we cannot modify their minimum number of hours/program requirements. 

We encourage students to be creative with ideas that can turn into volunteer opportunities while following guidelines to keep yourself, families and neighbors safe.  Ideas to consider (verification of hours is still necessary):

• Grocery shopping or running errands for senior, disabled or at-risk neighbors
• Tutoring or Homework help (unpaid) for younger students in your neighborhood (non-family members)
• AHS Clubs focused on service such as Key Club, Children’s Hospital, Equip for Equality, Environmental, Asian Student Union, SAGE, Protect Animals Worldwide

If you have a great idea about a way to be of service in your community and want to see if it qualifies under the AHS program, email us!  In the meantime, download the service award application forms here. Then submit completed, scanned applications between March 25 and April 10, 2021 to communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com.