General Announcements

FINALS FUEL –  A much loved Acalanes APC Tradition!
This is a wonderful way to get on campus and make a difference! Help our students finish strong by providing snacks in between their finals.You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:

• Purchase snacks prior to finals week and deliver to a residence near AHS
• Purchase snacks from our Amazon wish list and items will be sent directly to a residence for transport to AHS
• Donate money and we’ll shop for you: Venmo @Stephanie-Asadorian (any amount is welcome and appreciated)
• Volunteer to hand out snacks on campus Tuesday, Dec 19 – Friday, Dec 22

We need more help, please sign up!

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

We have your students covered as they prepare to finish the semester strong! Please be sure to visit our APC website for even more information on all events planned to support our students through finals.

EXAM JAM
Wednesday, Dec 13 from 3-5pm in the Library
Kick start your finals studying and preparation during Exam Jam. We will have teachers from each department along with peer tutors on hand to support and answer questions. It is a great opportunity to finish up study guides, begin to study while enjoying delicious snacks and a quiet environment. Exam Jam is open to all students. See you there!

FROSH FINALS INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Thursday, Dec 14 during lunch in the Library
Come hear from teachers in English, Math, World History, Living Earth & World Language about best practices to prepare for finals. They will not only share information on finals but best ways to study as well. Finals goodie bags will be given to the first 200 Frosh thanks to APC!

WELLNESS WINTER WORKSHOP
Friday, Dec 15 during Academy
Our Wellness in the Winter session is a space to gather together and practice coping skills to thrive during finals and a long break with family. Sign up for this academy.

CANINE STRESS BUSTERS
Friday, Dec 15 during lunch in the Front Quad
Come hug it out with your favorite four-legged friends. Therapy dogs will be on campus to provide smiles and tail wags to help reduce stress and provide a general sense of connection to our students. In addition, there will be tables with various stress free activities!
 
And don’t forget to encourage your student to take advantage of these additional resources:

• Peer Tutoring during every academy, lunch, 7th period, and every day for 1 hour after the final school bell.
• Wellness Center is open for students to drop in Monday through Friday from 8am – 4pm (with teacher approval during class hours).
• Acalanes Library is open from 7:30am to 5pm daily.

Check out our Finals Prep Webpage for more information and resources!

We have two great opportunities to treat our well deserving teachers, staff and students!
 
APC Staff Appreciation Holiday Cookie Exchange – We need lots of volunteers to pull this off and give our teachers and staff a much deserved treat on Friday, Dec 8. Please sign up here if you are able to bake and/or purchase holiday goodies.

Finals Fuel –  This is a wonderful way to get on campus and make a difference! Help our students finish strong by providing snacks in between their finals. You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:

• Purchase snacks prior to finals week and deliver to a residence near AHS
• Purchase snacks from our Amazon wish list and items will be sent directly to a residence for transport to AHS
• Donate money and we’ll shop for you: Venmo @Stephanie-Asadorian (any amount is welcome and appreciated)
• Volunteer to hand out snacks on campus Tuesday, Dec 19 – Friday, Dec 22

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

STAFF APPRECIATION OPPORTUNITY!
Calling all bakers for one of our favorite Acalanes traditions! The APC Staff Appreciation Holiday Cookie Exchange is on Friday, Dec 8. Sign up here to contribute to this fun event for our staff!
 
Contact Stacey Hastings or Dominique Mickelson with any questions.

FINALS FUEL for EXAM WEEK – Get Involved
Finals are just around the corner…..and that means FINALS FUEL is back! During finals week, we provide snacks for the students during brunch period. You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:

• Purchase snacks prior to finals week and deliver to a residence near AHS
• Purchase snacks from our Amazon wish list and items will be sent directly to a residence for transport to AHS
• Donate money and we’ll shop for you: Venmo @Stephanie-Asadorian (any amount is welcome and appreciated)
• Volunteer to hand out snacks on campus Tuesday, Dec 19 – Friday, Dec 22

Please click on the SignUpGenius and/or Amazon Wish List to help.

Contact Regan Scovic and Stephanie Asadorian with any questions. Thank you in advance for your support!
 
DONS DIALOGUE – Listen to Recording!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our November Dons Dialogue on Friday, Nov 17. The discussion this month covered what’s happening on campus with our student leadership team, Finals Fuel and the support offered on campus for our students during exams, a Wellness Center overview, plus an update from our Blueprint advisor and the Design and Fabrication Lab teacher.
 
If you were not able to attend, you can view the slideshow or watch the video recording. Save the date for our next  Dons Dialogue on Friday, Jan 19 at 8:45am.

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Junior Parent Night is this week on Tuesday, Nov 14 from 6:30-7:30pm in the library. This is an opportunity for junior parents to hear from counselor Susan Martin and College and Career Center advisor, Debbie Levy on post-high school plans. 

NOVEMBER DONS DIALOGUE – Friday at 8:45am
We hope to see you for our November Dons Dialogue this Friday in the Collaboration Center.  Join us to learn more about whats happening on campus, hear about the Finals Prep resources available for all students, meet our Blueprint advisor, and get updates from our student leadership team. Coffee and treats will be served!

If you’ve missed the past events, please click here for slides and recordings. 

MEET & GREET for TRANSFER PARENTS/GUARDIANS
We would like to invite all transfer parents and caregivers for a casual Meet and Greet on Friday, Nov 18 immediately following our November Dons Dialogue. 

A handful of experienced Acalanes parents will be on hand to help answer your questions. This will be your opportunity to connect with other transfer families, get answers to questions and hopefully meet some new friends. So please plan to bring your questions and appetite for a little nibble and some coffee!

When:  Friday, Nov 18 after Dons Dialogue (DD starts at 8:45am)
Where:  Collaboration Center in the front quad (next to the Main Office)

We hope to see you there!

STAFF APPRECIATION OPPORTUNITY!
Calling all bakers for one of our favorite Acalanes traditions! The APC Staff Appreciation Holiday Cookie Exchange is on Friday, Dec 8. Sign up here to contribute to this fun event for our staff! Contact Stacey Hastings or Dominique Mickelson with any questions.

FINALS FUEL for EXAM WEEK
Finals are just around the corner…..and that means FINALS FUEL is back! During finals week, we provide snacks for the students during brunch period. You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:

• Purchase snacks prior to finals week and deliver to a residence near AHS
• Purchase snacks from our Amazon wish list and items will be sent directly to a residence for transport to AHS
• Donate money and we’ll shop for you: Venmo @Stephanie-Asadorian (any amount is welcome and appreciated)
• Volunteer to hand out snacks on campus Tuesday, Dec 19 – Friday, Dec 22

Please click on the SignUpGenius and/or Amazon Wish List to help. Contact Regan Scovicand Stephanie Asadorian with any questions. Thank you in advance for your support!
 

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Take note, there is NO SCHOOL on Friday, Nov 10 in honor of Veterans Day. As a result, Acalanes will follow a Friday “block schedule” on Monday, Nov 6.

APC GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED – Fall 2023
Thank you to the parents, teachers, students and staff who submitted proposals for an APC Grant this fall. We had a large number of requests, representing many different interests! APC Grants are funded through parents annual donations – so THANK YOU parents! We are pleased to announce five grants have been awarded this fall:

• All aides supporting Special Education students will have access to Motorola portable radios to communicate with AHS administration and other staff to ensure the safety of their students.
• AHS Meditation Garden will receive funds for additional landscaping materials.
• The Learning Skills classroom will receive funds to build a graphic novel collection for students to use to foster a culture of reading.
• A Grant that supports Visual and Performing Arts was awarded to allow students to print and showcase the projects of VAPA.
• The Math, CompSci and VAPA departments will receive funds for poster frames and printing ink for students to make Public Service Announcements (PSA’s). about smartphone addiction and post them around campus.
• AHS campus beautification will continue with an “A” decal on the outside of the counseling office to match the front office.

STAFF APPRECIATION GRATEFUL LUNCH
Our Acalanes Teachers and Staff were treated to a “Grateful Lunch” hosted by APC! APC is grateful to all the families that contributed to our Fall Staff Appreciation Lunch and to our fabulous Staff Appreciation Co-Chairs, Stacey Hastings and Dominique Mickelson for organizing a great spread!

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Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES NEEDED – Great Part-Time Job for Parents!
The district is currently seeking applicants for classroom Instructional Aides.  Instructional Aides need no previous training, just a willingness to learn new skills and help students succeed. It is the perfect job for a parent of school-aged children.  Applications should be submitted on Edjoin.com.

AHS GARDEN UPDATE
We have a garden club this year and have been meeting Monday’s at lunch. The club spends time harvesting and weeding (though we are not keeping up) and last week we saved seeds from our harvest and other vegetables that were brought in to use for our spring crops this year. Now that homecoming is over, we have our first work day to weed and pull out the old harvest plants. If you can join us anytime between 10am and 2pm Sunday, Nov 5 we could use your help!! 

We are grateful for the APC grant funding we received in the fall and spring last school year. We hope to secure an additional grant this year to help us replace all the gopher ridden raised beds in the farm and to get a grow stand so we can use our saved seeds for crop plants.  We also need to add gravel to the meditation garden and replace the plants that died over the summer due to an irrigation problem (that is now fixed). We’ve updated our wish list and appreciate any donations! It is linked here!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me:  LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org.