Archived Posts

It’s official: the Holidays are here! Need a Christmas tree or wreath? Shop Honey Bear Trees across from Acalanes for your Christmas tree and holiday decor! Choose a Noble Fir, Grand Fir, Fraser Fir, or Douglas Fir. Phone orders and a drive-through or delivery option are available this year. Bring this flyer, and Honey Bear will donate 20% of your purchase price back to LPIE.

LPIE recognizes the sacrifices families are facing, and knows that the ask to donate is a big one. Therefore, we are excited to launch our Matching Gift Opportunity on December 1!  Thanks to the generosity of two anonymous families, there is a dollar-for-dollar $60,000 match for all donations made between December 1-31. 

Please join LPIE in helping us preserve an excellent education for our students, even during the most difficult times. Donate in any amount here. 

Laura–Kate Rurka & Jennifer Palmer
Acalanes LPIE School Chairs

www.lpie.org

Week FOURTEEN in the Challenge to Build Habits Supporting Racial Equity: 

November is Native American Heritage Month
As we give thanks for our many blessings this Thanksgiving, let’s remember to reflect on historic events from the vantage point of the Native population. We have added a number of different articles/videos covering various issues for you. Pick and choose, or watch them all over the next week! 

• Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?
• Learn why Native Americans observe a Day of Mourning on November 27.
• We further encourage you to watch this Teen Vogue video with Native American teenagers reflecting on what the Thanksgiving holiday means for them. 
• Six Native Americans were elected into Congress this month. Read more about them here. 
• Award-winning Oakland-born Native American author Tommy Orange on his book “There, There” about the Native American experience in a modern, urban setting. Enjoy this PBS Newshour interview with Tommy Orange: (6-minute YouTube video)
• Missing and Murdered:  America’s Forgotten Native American Girls – BBC’s The Documentary Podcast (28-minute listen)
• In honor of trans awareness week last week, we’d also like to share an article about educator and activist Kumu Hina, a Native Hawaiian transgender person. 

Nov 29 Ordering Deadline for Acalanes DEI Yard Signs
Available at shop.acalanes.com.

More information or questions?
Email us! Stay current and follow us on our webpage, Facebook and Instagram.

Nov 29 Deadline To Order Spirit Wear
There is just one more week to order spirit wear! We have added some new items to the webstore. This is a perfect opportunity for holiday gifts or winter gear. Items will be available for pick-up on December 17. 

Adopt-a-Family
Acalanes Community Outreach in partnership with Concord-based Families First, encourages you to participate in this year’s program. Sign up to adopt an individual, shop for them based on their wishlist items and then drop the wrapped presents off at Acalanes on December 11. This is an amazing opportunity for the Acalanes community and an exciting philanthropic partnership. Sign up here.

Mental Health Newsletter
Take a minute & read some narratives, reminders about gratitude & resources to support our mental health.

The week we return from break has multiple opportunities for students to engage. Here is an overview:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2

• Lunch with Alumni Raea Gragg – Talk with her about her journey writing a graphic novel, producing a film, resiliency, identity and how to talk about hard things. Event not to miss!
• Frosh Finals Prep During Lunch – Encourage your frosh student to attend this finals prep dialogue with a teacher from each content area. Teachers will share wisdom about how to prep specifically for their class as we enter the end of Semester 1. 
• Women in Leadership #2 at 7pm – Hear from Contra Costa County Deputy Attorney Colleen Gleason

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3

• Lunchtime Roundtable – Dialogue with Colleen Gleason on consent and more.
• Class of 2023 Bonding at 5pm – Join us for Quiplash 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4

• Equity Council at Lunch
• Also at Lunch: Environmental dialogue

2020-2021 Clubs
Club meetings continue. Check out our 45 clubs!

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

Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director

We hear about gratitude every Thanksgiving because that’s what the holiday is all about. But we don’t always deliver on our intentions. With the holiday occurring at a particularly challenging point in the pandemic, it’s a good time to think about gratitude in a new way. Or better yet, we can think of it in three ways! Gratitude is a skill, a strength, and a medicine.

Gratitude is a skill in that you get better at it with practice. In fact, it can become a habit. As we begin to look for reasons to be grateful, they become more apparent. Being appreciative is also a strength. Did you know that people who are grateful are more resilient, sleep better, feel better, and are kinder to other people and themselves? 

Finally, gratitude can be thought of as natural medicine in that it has a beneficial, healing effect on the body. When we feel grateful, it’s accompanied by sensations in the body. It might feel like warmth or a pleasant swelling in the heart area. Wherever we feel it, the sensation is caused by the release of serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. When we cultivate gratitude (deeply versus as a passing thought) the parts of our brains involved with language and recall are activated and we drop into presence. You can cultivate a grateful mood by listing things you’re grateful for– people, things, places, experiences. Ask your family or friends to join you. As with most things, gratitude is even more effective when you’re doing it while connecting with others.

Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

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

AAUW Scholarship Application Opportunity
$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!

One-on-one Appointments
Students can book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here. Please encourage your student to take advantage regardless of where they are in the process.

Helpful Links:

• Career Exploration
• Alternatives after High School
• Fall CCC Newsletter for updates!

Freshman College Planning
Sophomore College Planning
Junior College Planning
Senior Checklist

• CCC Website 
• Follow us on Instagram: @acalanesccc
• Facebook Page for Students Have your senior or junior join the College and Career Student FB page 

Keep up the good work! 
Wendy Reicher/College and Career Advisor: wreicher@auhsdschools.org

Seniors
Many seniors have still not ordered official transcripts for college apps or updated their Naviance accounts. Students pay the $5 fee for official transcripts on the webstore. Mrs. Finn, the registrar, will process requests. Documents will be sent electronically through Naviance whenever possible. Please contact Mrs. Finn with questions. Students can review unofficial transcripts in Aeries.

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

Staying Safe During The Holidays

Be Covid Proactive!
See update on my google site. Stay healthy by keeping this symptom checklist in mind.

Improve Mental Health
Cook meals together as a family! It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be as easy as arranging a fruit platter or putting a salad together.

This is a perfect opportunity with the upcoming holidays and our plans to STAY HOME. There are so many benefits – more to come!

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

New Date! Thursday, Dec 17 at 7pm AHS Instrumental Virtual Winter Concert
Enjoy the amazing musical talents of the Acalanes Instrumental Bands. Instrumental Music Director Ms. Lauren Gibson will be showcasing performances by each ensemble (Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Orchestra) as well as chamber music. Best of all, you can hear all this beautiful music safely from the comfort of your home via Zoom video conference. Look for the Zoom link at http://acalanesinstrumentalmusic.com or http://ahsperformingarts.org.

Monday, Nov 16 from 10:30am-1:30pm Make-up School Photos
If your student still needs their school photo taken, or if they would like to re-take their picture, send them to the Performing Arts Center (PAC) along the outside hallway. Please remember masks are required while on campus, along with social distancing.

Monday, Nov 16 from 12n-3:30pm AND Thursday, Nov 19 from 3:30-5pm PE Locker Clean Out
If your student didn’t clear out their PE locker last spring (or since then), now is the time! If PE items are not picked up this week, the school cannot guarantee access to these items until the end of the school year. Again, masks and social distancing are required on campus.

Friday, Nov 20 from 10-11:30am – Dons Dialogue with Principal Bell
Join Principal Bell online and find out what’s happening on campus. Friday’s focus will include the proposed hybrid schedule for the second semester, along with a preview of the finals testing schedule, and our monthly BIRT Report. Watch your email for a link to register and mark your calendar to attend.

APC 2020-2021 Fall Grants
As a result of your generous donations this school year, the Acalanes Parents Club is pleased to fund the following grants, totaling $10,000:

• Air purifiers and filters to complement district’s upgrade of campus-wide HVAC; additional small purifiers to be used in more confined, high-use areas
• Outdoor game and social equipment to encourage on-campus student engagement during Fall 2020; long-term use opportunities by AHS Leadership
• Community-themed T-shirts for staff to welcome students back to campus, designed by Acalanes Diversity Board 
• Virtual screening of DEI themed documentary “A Most Beautiful Thing” and live conversation following the screening with lead documentary producer, Arshay Cooper 
• New nurse’s office equipment to safely secure medications and student files; replacement of cloth chairs