From the Activities Director

November has a lot of wonderful programming for students – please encourage yours to opt in!
 
Addressing the Problem: Sustainability and Trash on Campus Week
Is your family looking to learn more about how to live sustainably? Maybe your student just wants to eat snacks? (Pocky!?) If so, the sustainability jeopardy tomorrow, Nov 7 at lunch in room 314 is just right for your student.
 
Custodial Appreciation
Do you feel the custodians are underappreciated? Then please encourage your student to come to the custodial appreciation poster signing!! It is taking place on Tuesday, Nov 8 in the front quad during lunch. Students can say thanks to all of our wonderful custodians who put so much time and effort into keeping Acalanes clean!!
 
Support the Environment
Be part of the solution, not the pollution. Encourage your student to join  the enviro council meeting on Wednesday, Nov 9 during academy room 314 to learn and discuss how they can help improve the trash issue at our school. There will be cupcakes and Izze’s. BE THERE!
 
Be clean, be green, be a recycling machine! In the 10-minute passing period on Thursday, Nov 10 after lunch, students are encouraged to clean up trash in their quad before heading to class. Let’s do our part to keep our campus clean.
 
Please Donate to the Coat and Sock Drive!
Students can bring new or gently used coats and new socks to the front office from Oct 31 through Nov 10. Everything collected will be donated to a homeless encampment in Martinez.
 
Garden Clean Up – Come Help!
You and/or your student can sign up here to help clean up our garden. Our work day is Nov 13 and hours can count toward volunteer awards.
 
Adopt-a-Family this Holiday Season!
With the holiday season approaching, it’s time for Acalanes’ annual Adopt-a-Family event!! Adopt-a-Family’s mission is to give to those in need during the holiday season. If you have the desire to make a difference in the community, we encourage you to sign up to help! We will connect you with families or individuals, along with their wish lists of gifts. All gifts need to be dropped off on Dec 9 and then brought to Uplift Family Services and Pacific Clinics in Concord, an organization Acalanes has been working with for the past 10+ years to support local families during the holidays. If you would like to adopt a family, please fill out our Google Form. If you are interested in adopting one person, sign up on our Sign–Up Genius. We would love for you to participate!
 
SAVE THE DATE – Chris Huber Memorial Gymnasium Dedication
The Chris Huber Memorial Gymnasium dedication will be held on
Saturday, Dec 10 at 6:30pm at Acalanes High School. Chris Huber was a beloved educator and basketball coach at our school and our gym will be named for him. There will be a reception to follow and we hope you’ll join us!
 
Buy Gratitude Grams now! These are a great way for students to appreciate classmates, friends, staff members and teachers by sending them a little goodie bag filled with love and appreciation. Each gram is $5 and they are available for purchase on the webstore.
 
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you and go Dons!

Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

November has a lot of wonderful programming for students – please encourage yours to opt in!
 
Halloween is tomorrow – let’s celebrate together! We will have a carnival in the frosh quad and in between the gyms, as well as pumpkin carving on the senior deck and trick-or-treating around campus for those who dress up. Let’s have a spooky time!
 
Please donate to the Coat and Sock Drive!! Bring your new or gently used coats and new socks to the front office from Monday, Oct 31 through Friday, Nov 10. Everything collected will be donated to a homeless shelter in Martinez.
 
CARE (Compassion Acceptance Respect Equity) Week begins tomorrow through Friday. CARE Week is student created/led and has a lunchtime dialogue everyday, along with an academy equity lesson facilitated by juniors and seniors.

• Monday QSA Kahoot and discussion about reclaiming homophobic/transphobic language in room 303.
• Tuesday Latinos Unidos having a Kahoot on the intersectionality between Latinos and LGBTQ in room 507.
• Wednesday JSU and Middle Eastern Student Union having a discussion on Israel and UC Berkeley in room 314.
• Thursday Feminism Club discussion on eurocentric/patriarchal beauty standards between genders in room 209.
• Friday BSU presentation on blackness and sexuality in room 507.

Garden Clean Up – Come Help!
You can sign up here to help clean up our garden. Work days are Sunday, Nov 6 and Sunday, Nov 13 and hours can count toward volunteer awards.
 
Buy your Gratitude Grams now! These are a great way for students to appreciate classmates, friends, staff members and teachers by sending them a little goodie bag filled with love and appreciation. Each gram is $5 and they are available for purchase on the webstore.
 
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you and go Dons!
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

Buy your Gratitude Grams now! These are a great way for students to appreciate classmates, friends, staff members and teachers by sending them a little goodie bag filled with love and appreciation. Each is $5 and they are available for purchase on the webstore.
 
Acalanes Blood Drive Tuesday, Oct 25
Acalanes is hosting a blood drive in conjunction with the Red Cross this Tuesday, Oct 25! High school students 16 years and older and any community member over 18 can donate. We encourage our Acalanes families to donate as well. Use the QR code around campus to connect to the app or text BLOODAPP to 90999 to sign up for an appointment. Thank you for your support!
 
Halloween
As we approach Halloween, let’s celebrate together! We will have lunchtime carnivals, lunchtime trick or treating and a pumpkin carving contest this week.
 
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you and go Dons!
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher, Leadership Teacher

THANK YOU – Breaking Down the Walls
Just a brief thank you to the Parents Club for helping to bring this important program to our campus this past week. We believe that our campus is better today than it was one week ago and look forward to continuing to watch students build relationships and belonging across social groups and grade levels.
 
CARE Leaders – Applications Now Available
Acalanes is continuing our education around issues of equity. One of the ways we will do this is through CARE Week & CARE Workshops. They are all student led.

We are looking for 50 leaders to lead a workshop during an academy period either on Wednesday, Nov 2 or Friday, Nov 4. We are looking for students who care about furthering equity education on campus and can be comfortable leading uncomfortable conversations.

Applications are now available and due no later than Tuesday, Oct 18. This opportunity is for current Juniors and Seniors.

Volunteer Opportunities & Awards Informational Meeting Wednesday, Oct 19 during Lunch
The 2022-23 volunteer program year has kicked off for the Acalanes and President’s Service Awards so please make sure your student is logging those hours! It’s a great opportunity for students to give back AND to be recognized for their service. Visit the Service Award page on the College & Career site or email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions.
 
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

An Acalanes Community Night with Doris Anahi Munoz
Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom
We invite parents, students, staff and our community to an interactive dialogue with Latina musician, record executive and activist, Doris Munoz. Doris is a musician and arts advocate from Los Angeles, California. She released her critically acclaimed debut EP “Aprendiendo por las Malas” during summer 2022, and is the subject of Mija, a Disney original documentary focused on Doris’ years as an artist manager supporting her family’s immigration journey. It is due to be released on the Disney+ platform soon. Please join us for this important conversation with Doris! Register here.
 
Breaking Down the Walls
This week, we are very excited to be hosting Breaking Down the Walls for our 10th and 11th graders.  The Breaking Down the Walls program is a unique opportunity for students and staff to connect, share their stories, and realize…“it’s hard to hate someone whose story you know.” This program creates a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding through a “play, trust, learn” model. By first helping students laugh together, they start to trust one another and eventually want to learn from those outside their regular friend group. The assembly, training, and workshops leave everyone with the realization we are truly BETTER TOGETHER!
 
Students will be participating during one of the three days, assigned by last name:

 
The program will begin at 8:30 am in the Big Gym and run until the end of the school day. Lunch will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact your associate principal.
 
CARE Leaders-Applications now available
Acalanes is continuing our education around issues of equity. One of the ways we will do this is through CARE Week & CARE Workshops. They are all student led. We are looking for 50 leaders to lead a workshop during an academy period either on Wednesday, Nov 2 or Friday, November 4. We are looking for students who care about furthering equity education on campus and can be comfortable leading uncomfortable conversations.
Applications are now available and due no later than Friday, Oct 14. Opportunity is for current 11th and 12th graders.

Unified Soccer
Wednesday, Oct 12 @ lunch
Encourage your student to show up to the stadium & cheer on our essential skills students in their unified soccer match!
 
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

What a week we had on campus! Homecoming 2022 was incredible and we are so appreciative of all of the support that you provided to our community, whether it was our 16 incredible parent liaisons, the food donations, the encouragement and support, or the RECORD breaking donations to the Contra Costa Food Bank. THANK YOU!
Just a few highlights from the week:

• Our amazingly well decorated hallways led by the incredible team of class officers and parent liaisons plus all the volunteers. Check out images on @ahs_dons.
• The Homecoming Rally was one for the record books – 348 students were involved in class skits this year! Videos of class skits will be available soon along with a HOCO highlight reel.
• Our community rallying together to support the Food Bank and breaking the 2019 record of 22,000 cans. I am so proud of our community helping to feed others in our county.
• 900+ students celebrating all together at the HOCO Night Out event – a great way to end the week!

Latine Heritage Month
Latine Heritage Month kicked off Sept 15 and lasts through Oct 15. We have two community events planned and we encourage you to opt in to one!

• Thursday, Oct 6 at 5:30pm: Community Potluck in the front quad- sign up to bring a dish, or just show up! There will be great food, an open mic night of singing and poetry, and time together as a community.
• Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom: Doris Anahi Munoz We invite parents, students, staff and our community to an interactive dialogue with Latina musician, record executive and activist, Doris Munoz. Doris Anahi Muñoz is a musician and arts advocate from Los Angeles, California. She released her critically acclaimeddebut EP “Aprendiendo por las Malas” during summer 2022, and is the subject of Mija, a Disney original documentary focused on Doris’ years as an artist manager supporting her family’s immigration journey. It is due to be released on the Disney+ platform soon. Register here.

As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

Homecoming 2022 U.S. Cities Begins TODAY!
Homecoming is always one of the most talked about and favorite weeks at Acalanes – the camaraderie amongst classes, the friendly competition, the hallways, STUDENT DODGEBALL, class skits and the culminating NIGHT OUT! Students are excited- please encourage your student to opt in and participate in some aspect of the week. Here is an overview:

• Today 10am-3pm Hallway Decorating Students can drop in anytime to help- there is a job for everyone so please encourage your student to come by! Seniors decorate the 200 wing, Juniors decorate the 100 wing, Sophomores decorate the 300 wing and Frosh decorate the 400 wing. Come for an hour or the whole day! Parents are also invited to see the finished hallways- stop by Acalanes today anytime after 3pm to see the magic that gets created!
• Monday
  • Dress-up: Anything but a backpack
  • Lunchtime activity: obstacle course on the field
• Tuesday
  • Dress-up: Wall Street (fancy attire)
  • Lunchtime activity: card games in the front quad
• Wednesday
  • Dress-up: Beach Day
  • Lunchtime activity: Innertube water polo
  • 7:30pm:  A student favorite- Student Dodgeball (students can come to play or just watch). Must bring Student ID to play.
• Thursday
  • Dress-up: Neon
  • Lunchtime activity: Capture the flag on the field
  • FAB Night Out: Girls Water Polo at 5pm; Girls Volleyball at 6:30pm
• Friday
  • Dress-up: Class shirt or color (9: white, 10: blue, 11: grey, 12: black)
  • Academy: Homecoming Rally with class skits
  • Lunchtime activity: Staff vs. student dodgeball
  • 5:30pm: Homecoming tailgate
  • 7pm: Football game + halftime show (wear white); each class will do one dance from their skit and the winner will be announced. There will also be a powder toss in the student section.
• Saturday, Oct 1 from 7-10pm HOCO: A Night Out in our stadium. The night has a full arcade, full casino, silent disco, food vendors, tattoo artist, henna, 2 photo experiences and a pretty incredible dance floor and DJ. Tickets are on sale via GoFan and if you have ASB, the promo code is your Student ID number. If students want to bring a guest, they must fill out a guest contract and return it by TOMORROW. Contracts are on the door of room 314. Looking forward to our community celebrating Homecoming all together!
• We still need parent chaperones for the evening so please consider signing up.

As part of Homecoming, we also host a community canned food drive. It has begun and we are making progress towards our goal of 22,000 cans! It ends this Friday, Sept 30. Please bring cans or money to the flag pole before school or at lunch in the various quads. $1= 3 cans. We also added virtual drives through the food bank if you would like to donate directly:
Class of 2023
Class of 2024
Class of 2025
Class of 2026
The class competition is worth 600 points to the winner and as a community, we are feeding families in our county. Please donate!
 
For an up-to-date look at all the plans with detailed information, check out the 2022 HOCOOverview!
 
Equity Events
Latine Heritage Month kicked off Sept 15 and lasts through Oct 15. We have several events planned throughout the month to celebrate and educate and two are open to our community:

• Thursday, Oct 6: Community Potluck- sign up to bring a dish!
• Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom: Doris Anahi Munoz

As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to connect students with activities and interests.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

TOMORROW NIGHT AT 6:30pm: A Community Night with Arshay Cooper in the Acalanes PAC
Join us for this can’t miss event: An Interactive Chat with Arshay Cooper. His book, “AMost Beautiful Thing” is a true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago’s West side who transform their lives when they form the first all-black high-school rowing team in the nation. The film adaptation of the book is star-studded and streaming on Peacock and Amazon Prime. It is narrated by Rapper Common; and executive produced by Common and NBA stars Grant Hill and Dwayne Wade, along with Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder.
 
During the chat, Mr. Cooper will share about his life, trauma, experience as a rower, film career, and more. The evening will be conversational in nature, facilitated by a panel of 4 district student leaders in a Q&A format including Acalanes students Aca Freeman & Ellis Burger. Please join us!
 
Homecoming 2022 U.S. Cities Begins in 7 Days!
Homecoming is always one of the most talked about weeks at Acalanes – the camaraderie amongst classes, the friendly competition, the hallways, STUDENT DODGEBALL, class skits and the culminating NIGHT OUT! I can feel the excitement building on campus! Dates to note:

• Sunday, Sept 25 from 10am-3pm Hallway decorating (students can drop in anytime to help-there is a job for everyone!) Please encourage your student to attend.
• Wednesday, Sept 28 at 7:30pm A student favorite: Student Dodgeball (students can come to play or just watch)
• Saturday, Oct 1 from 7-10pm HOCO: A Night Out in our stadium. It is an event for your student not to miss with so many different activities! We do need parent chaperones for the evening so please consider signing up. Tickets are on sale via Go Fan. If students want to bring a guest, they must fill out a guest contract and return it by Sept 26. Contracts are on the door of room 314.

As part of Homecoming, we also host a community canned food drive. It begins TOMORROW, Sept 19 and donation bins will be by the flagpole each morning. Please consider donating cans or money. All donations go directly to the Contra Costa Food Bank. The record is 22,000 cans in 2019- as a community, can we beat it?
 
For an up-to-date look at all the plans with detailed information, check out the 2022 HOCOOverview!
 
Unified Soccer
Our Unified Soccer team debuts this Wednesday, Sept 21 at lunch. Please encourage your student to come out and root the team on in their 1st match.
 
Clubs
Our clubs are up and running! We have 60 recognized clubs this year and all will hold their first meetings this week or next. Encourage your young person to check one or two out.
 
Equity Events
Latine Heritage Month kicked off Sept 15 and lasts through Oct 15. We have several events planned throughout the month to celebrate and educate and two are open to our community:

• Thursday, Oct 6: Community Potluck- sign up to bring a dish!
• Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom: Doris Anahi Munoz

As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to connect students with activities and interests.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

A Community Night with Arshay Cooper: Monday, Sept 19 at 6:30pm in the Acalanes PAC. Join us for this can’t miss event: An Interactive Chat with Arshay Cooper. His book, “A Most Beautiful Thing,” is a true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago’s West side who transform their lives when they form the first all-black high-school rowing team in the nation. The film adaptation of the book is star-studded and streaming now on Peacock and Amazon Prime. It is narrated by Rapper Common; and executive produced by Common and NBA stars Grant Hill and Dwayne Wade, along with Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder.
 
During the chat, Mr. Cooper will share about his life, trauma, experience as a rower, film career, and more. The evening will be conversational in nature, facilitated by a panel of district student leaders in a Q&A format. Please join us!
 
Homecoming 2022: U.S. Cities Begins in 14 Days!
Homecoming is always one of the most talked about weeks at Acalanes. The camaraderie amongst classes, the friendly competition, the hallways, STUDENT DODGEBALL, class skits and the culminating NIGHT OUT! I can feel the excitement building on campus! Dates to note:

• Sunday, Sept 25 from 10am-3pm: Hallway Decorating (students can drop in anytime to help-there is a job for everyone!)
• Wednesday, Sept 28 at 7:30pm: A student favorite: Student Dodgeball (students can come to play or just watch)
• Saturday, Oct 1 from 7-10pm: HOCO: A Night Out in our stadium. It is an event for your student not to miss with so many different activities! We do need parent chaperones for the evening so please consider signing up. Tickets are on sale via Go Fan. If students want to bring a guest, they must fill out a guest contract and return by Sept 25. Contracts are on the door of room 314.

 
As part of Homecoming, we also host a community canned food drive. It begins Monday, Sept 19 and donation bins will be by the flagpole each morning. Please consider donating cans or money. All donations go directly to the Contra Costa Food Bank. The record is 22,000 cans in 2019- as a community, can we beat it?
 
For an up-to-date look at all the plans with detailed information, check out the 2022 HOCOOverview!
 
Clubs
Our clubs are up and running! We have 60 recognized clubs this year and all will hold their first meetings this week or next. Encourage your young person to check one or two out. If I can be of support or assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
 
Equity Events
Latine Heritage Month kicks off Sept 15 through Oct 15. We have several events planned throughout the month to celebrate and educate and two are open to our community:

• Thursday, Oct 6: Community Potluck-sign up to bring a dish!
• Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom: Doris Anahi Munoz 

Class Shirts
If your student did not get their pre-ordered class shirt, please have them stop by room 314 to pick it up.
 
ASB Stickers/Shirts
Thank you to the 900 families who purchased ASB stickers this year. We really appreciate your support! Three reminders:

1. The sticker should be on the top of the ID card. If it is not, the student can take their ID card to the main attendance office to have it punched.
2. The sticker provides discounts to local businesses for students so don’t forget to take advantage!
3. If your student didn’t get the black spirit shirt at Dons Day, please have them go to room 314 to pick up one.

As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to connect students with activities and interests.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

Homecoming 2022
The 2022 Homecoming theme is U.S. Cities! Homecoming runs from Sept 25 to Oct 1 and there are so many ways for students to get involved! For an up-to-date look at all the plans, check out the 2022 HOCO Overview! This document will be updated as plans get solidified. Class sub-themes are:

• 12th: Los Angeles
• 11th: New York
• 10th: Las Vegas
• 9th: Miami

We will host HOCO 2022: A Night Out on Saturday, Oct 1 from 7-10 PM inside the football stadium. It is an event for your student not to miss with so many different activities! Tickets will go on sale this week via Go Fan. We do need parent chaperones for the evening; please consider signing up.
 
Clubs
Our clubs are up and running! We have 60 recognized clubs this year and all will hold their first meetings this week or next. Encourage your young person to check one or two out. If I can be of support or assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
 
Equity Events
Latine Heritage Month kicks off Sept 15 through Oct 15. We have several events planned throughout the month to celebrate and educate and two are open to our community:

• Thursday, Oct 6: Community Potluck (sign-up genius coming soon)
• Wednesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm via zoom: Doris Anahi Munoz

AUHSD Night with Arshay Cooper
Monday, Sept 19 at 6:30 PM in the Acalanes PAC
Join us for this can’t miss event: An Interactive Chat with Arshay Cooper. His book, “AMost Beautiful Thing,” is a true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago’s West side who transform their lives when they form the first all-black high-school rowing team in the nation. The film adaptation of the book is star-studded and streaming now on Peacock and Amazon Prime. It is narrated by Rapper Common; and executive produced by Common and NBA stars Grant Hill and Dwayne Wade, along with Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder.
 
During the chat, Mr. Cooper will share about his life, trauma, experience as a rower, film career, and more. The evening will be conversational in nature, facilitated by a panel of district student leaders in a Q&A format.
 
Class Shirts
If your student did not get their pre-ordered class shirt, please have them stop by room 314 to pick it up.
 
Spiritwear Orders
Thanks to everyone who purchased spirit wear! Those who ordered received an email with instructions for pick-up. Thanks for your support of Acalanes and the classes of ‘23-’26!
 
ASB Stickers/Shirts
Thank you to the 900 families who purchased ASB stickers this year. We really appreciate your support! Three reminders:

1. The sticker should be on the top of the ID card. If it is not, the student can take their ID card to the main attendance office to have it punched.
2. The sticker provides discounts to local businesses for students so don’t forget to take advantage!
3. If your student didn’t get the black spirit shirt at Dons Day, please have them go to room 314 to pick up one.

Order School Photos
Students took school photos for their ID cards and yearbooks that you can purchase herethrough Studio One.
 
As always, if there is anything we can do for you or your student, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to connect students with activities and interests.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher