General Announcements

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.

DONS DIALOGUE – Listen to the Recording!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our October Dons Dialogue on Friday, Oct 20. Principal Shawn led the discussion with an overview of Acalanes Academic Success sharing key metrics. Debbie Levy joined to discus the incredible resources available to our students from College and Career Services. We heard an overview of emergency preparedness plus Powers shared key takeaways from the Internet Safety program. And finally the program closed with Q&A. 

If you were not able to attend, you can view the slideshow or watch the video recording. Save the date for our November Dons Dialogue on Friday, Nov 17 at 8:45am.

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

INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES NEEDED – Great Parent Job!
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.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR KATHERINE WALTON!



Thank you to Katherine Walton and her Leadership students for organizing an incredible Homecoming week! Did you hear, all together we donated 6,200 cans to the Contra Costa Food Bank, wow!

Walton works hard all year long to build an enthusiastic and inclusive Acalanes community. Her passion, dedication and school spirit set the tone on campus. Acalanes is such a special place thanks to Katherine Walton!

DONS DIALOGUE  – FRIDAY AT 8:45AM
Please join us on Friday, Oct 20 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center for our October Dons Dialogue. These monthly forums provide parents with the opportunity to hear directly from Principal Eric Shawn and other AHS faculty regarding academics, student activities, department information, hot topics on campus, plus open Q&A. APC will provide coffee and treats. All parents/caregivers welcome.
 
Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

HOMECOMING WEEK IS HERE!



 








For more details on how your student can join the activities listed above, see Student Activities section below. Let’s Go Dons!!

THANK YOUR APC CLASS LIAISONS!
Do you know your Class Liaisons? If not, get to know this dedicated team of parent volunteers.

The Liaisons serve as the primary link between parents, the Associated Student Body (ASB) Class Officers and the AHS Leadership class. They work closely with the elected class officers to raise money and plan events from Freshman through Senior years.  These hard working teams can be seen staffing the snack shack, planning the parent parties, and assisting with HOCO, Prom, Grad Night and so much more. They share weekly class updates in our APC newsletter (see APC Class Updates below). Please read their sections carefully and sign up help!

Next time you see your Class Liaison, please thank them for all they do for our students and the Acalanes community.

 














Co-Head Liaisons: Sarah Cusumano and Heidi Keely
Class of 2024: Claire Gallacher, Beth Goldberg, Becki Hanson, Joy Martin, Amy Parlett
Class of 2025:  Alison Cocotis, Samantha Duff, Jen Fish, Holly McShane, Sherry Quinn 
Class of 2026:  Andrea Hilsabeck, Stefania Kaplanes, Heidi Keely, Gretchen La Rotonda
Class of 2027:  Hazel Blackhart, Stephanie Hamilton, Erica Mason, Jeannine Palmer
 
APC FALL GRANT APPLICATIONS – Deadline Extended till Friday, Oct 13!
There is still time to submit an APC grant request, as the deadline has been extended until Friday, Oct 13. If you have an activity or project idea, we want to know more! The application is open to any AHS student, staff, teacher or parent. Any grant requests for programming, materials or projects that enhance the educational experience for our school community are welcome.
 
Click here for criteria and application. Completed applications and questions can be submitted to Nicole Sanders or delivered to the APC Box in the front office.

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

APC FALL GRANT APPLICATIONS – Last Chance to Submit!
We invite all AHS teachers, staff, students, and parents to submit a grant application for programming, materials or projects that enhance the educational experience for our school community; all ideas are welcome. Click here for the criteria and application.  The deadline is Friday, Oct 6! Completed proposals and questions can be submitted to Nicole Sanders or delivered to the APC Box in the front office.

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

Acalanes is hosting two important events on campus this week. Please see below for detailed information and RSVP links.

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FAIR 

Acalanes College and Career Services is hosting an International College Fair in the library on Thursday, Sep 27 from 6:30-8pm. 15+ universities will share information on applying to schools abroad. Please sign up here.

*Did you know that APC helps fund College and Career Services at Acalanes? Thanks to your generous support of the Acalanes Parents Club, we are able to support valuable College Counseling services and events like this.

PARENT ED: SONG FOR CHARLIE FENTANYL DISCUSSION

AHS Hosts A Community Parent Education Night THIS Thursday, Sep 28: What Everyone Needs to Know About the Drug Landscape Today in the Acalanes Performing Arts Center (PAC). This will be presented by Song For Charlie, local law enforcement agencies, and the Acalanes administration.

This is an opportunity for our parent community to come together to learn the facts about fentanyl and take empowered action to protect yourself and your loved ones. 

• 5:30-6:30pm: Community Programming with Wellness, Counselors, AHS Admin and Lafayette Community Responders
• 6:30-8pm: Fentanyl Presentation by Song for Charlie
• RSVP here

We will host a student presentation from this content for our juniors and seniors on Friday, Sep 29 during Academy.

PEER TUTORING: Off to a Great Start this year!
Our first seminar, Note-Taking 101, was at full capacity on Wednesday. The presentation, given by one of our highly organized and exceptional Peer Tutors, offered insights into the different methods of note-taking, how and why those methods work for different learning styles, and how to use those notes to study. Stay tuned for future great programming offered by Peer Tutoring!

With 25 talented tutors staffing shifts at lunch, Academy, 7th Period, and after school, academic help is always available to Acalanes students. Peer Tutoring is open on a drop-in basis and always completely free. Acalanes is uniquely able to offer Peer Tutoring at such a high level solely because of funding from the Acalanes Parents Club. Your donations to APC allow us to offer more programming and services to your students. Thank you!

Kristen Labrosse & Angela Ketcham, Co-Directors, AHS Peer Tutoring

 
APC FALL GRANT APPLICATION WINDOW IS NOW OPEN!
We invite all AHS teachers, staff, students, and parents to submit a grant application for programming, materials or projects that enhance the educational experience for our school community; all ideas are welcome. Click here for criteria and application.  The deadline is Friday, Oct 6! Completed proposals and questions can be submitted to Nicole Sanders or delivered to the APC Box in the front office.

Follow the Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram to keep up to date on what’s happening at Acalanes and reminders for important dates.
 

SEPTEMBER DONS DIALOGUE – Listen to the Recording!
Thank you to all who attended our APC General Meeting and September  Dons Dialogue on Friday, Sep 22. If you were not able to attend, here are the recording or slides from the discussion.
This month’s topics included;

• End of Grading Period Tips
• Peer Tutoring Update – A Growing Program
• Song for Charlie (Fentanyl education) Community Education Events
• Student Activities Report
• Open Q&A w/ APC Board

Thanks as always to Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi for providing the welcoming coffee and treats at every Dons Dialogue!

If you were not able to attend the APC General meeting and would like to view the APC budget, please email APC President, Kelly Daggs to request access.

Please reach out to APC here with any questions.