From the Activities Director

Welcome back to the beginning of semester 2! We are excited to welcome students back to campus on Wednesday!
 
It is a slow week, however, here is a peek at some of the January activities:

• Monday, Jan 9: District Equity Summit at Del Valle
• Wednesday, Jan 11 @ lunch: Student Wellness Council
• Thursday, Jan 12 @ lunch: Class of 2026 trivia in room 314
• Friday, Jan 13 @ lunch: Spring Club Day

Next week, look for information about ‘23-’24 student government, the CLASS CUP, intramurals, and more!
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

Does your student want to start a club but didn’t get the chance to in the fall? They can create one now! The work done within a club is so important and we want to support that. Please fill out this google form in its entirety by this Friday, Dec 16. Spring Club Day is Friday, Jan 13 at lunch.
 
Need a way to destress? Come to stress busters tomorrow at lunch in the front quad. There will be therapy dogs, snacks, stress ball making and resources provided by the wellness center. It will be a great way to take a break and recenter before finals!
 
Adopt-a-Family this Holiday Season!
Thank you for all of your support with adopt-a-family this year. We were able to support 62 families and dropped off the gifts this past Friday. Our community is incredible – thank you for all of the support!.
 
We wish you a restful, healthy and happy holiday break! See you back on Jan 4 for the new semester!
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

Winter Week begins tomorrow! Our schedule of events:

• Monday’s dress up is BYOB (bring your own blanket) and the lunch activity is cookie decorating in all quads, along with a winter carnival in the big gym!
• Tuesday’s dress up is candy cane day (wear red and white) and there will be mini candy canes passed out in all quads during break.
• Wednesday’s dress up is winter weather (ski gear) and there will be a snowball fight (dodgeball) at lunch in the big gym.
• Thursday’s dress up is lumberjack (flannels) and there will be a hot cocoa bar in the morning before school!
• Friday’s dress up is jam jam day (pajamas) and we are making smores at lunch!

Finals Preparation Opportunities
As we approach final exams, there are a few opportunities for students:

• Frosh: On Tuesday, Dec 6 at lunch in the library, join new crew leaders and teachers to discuss best study practices by subject area AND hear more about finals in English, World History, Living Earth, World Language & Math.
• ALL: On Wednesday, Dec 7 from 3-5pm in the library, kick start studying at Exam Jam. Teachers from every department, along with peer tutors, will be there to support, answer questions and provide delicious snacks 🙂

 
Does your student want to start a club but didn’t get the chance to in the fall? They can create one now! The work done within a club is so important and we want to support that. Please fill out this google form in its entirety by Friday, Dec 16. Spring Club day is Friday, Jan 13 at lunch.
 
Adopt-a-Family this Holiday Season!
Thank you for all of your support with adopt-a-family. We were able to support 60 families this year. If you adopted an individual or family, please check your email and plan to drop gifts off at Acalanes on Friday, Dec 9 either between 7:30-8:30am or 10-11am in front of the small gym. Questions? Email Katherine Walton.
 
This Saturday, Dec 10 – Chris Huber Memorial Gymnasium Dedication
This will be held at 6:30pm at the school. Chris Huber was a beloved educator and basketball coach at Acalanes 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

Adopt-a-Family this Holiday Season!
Thank you for all of your support with adopt–a-family. We were able to support 45 families this year. If you adopted an individual or family, please check your email and plan to drop gifts off at Acalanes on Friday, Dec 9 either from 7:30-8:30am or 10-11am in front of the small gym. Questions? Email Katherine Walton.
 
SAVE THE DATE – Chris Huber Memorial Gymnasium Dedication
This will be held on Saturday, Dec 10 at 6:30pm at the school. Chris Huber was a beloved educator and basketball coach at Acalanes and our gym will be named for him. There will be a reception to follow and we hope you’ll join us!
 
The Week of Dec 5
Students have a full week planned from Dec 5-9 with winter week, finals preparation meetings/exam cram and two winter concerts. Full details will be available in next week’s newsletter along with the daily bulletin.
 
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

As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to wish you a happy holiday week with family and friends. We are really grateful for all of your support thus far this school year!
 
Thank you, also, for all of your coat and sock donations! They will be dropped off this week thanks to a local community member.
 
Adopt-a-Family this Holiday Season!
With the holiday season approaching, it’s time for Acalanes’ annual Adopt-a-Familyevent!! 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 Friday, Dec 9 and then will be 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
This 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!
 
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