Campus Culture Committee
💙 Acalanes Parent Club – Campus Culture Committee (CCC)-November 2026 Update
🍂 Building Community, Giving Thanks & Moving Into Action!
Happy November, DONS Families!
November is here, and with the observance of Veterans Day and the Thanksgiving holiday break, we have a shorter school month ahead! As we enter this season of gratitude, we want to take a moment to thank our wonderful Acalanes families, students, and staff for all they do to make our school community a welcoming and supportive place for everyone.
One of our goals this year is to move beyond meetings and put our ideas into action! We want to provide meaningful opportunities for parents and caregivers to support our students and staff through volunteering, donating supplies, and helping with special campus events.
🤝 We Need You! CCC SignUpGenius Is Open!
Our CCC Signup Genius is now live, but we have only received a few sign-ups so far, and we would love to see more of our Acalanes families get involved!
We know everyone has busy schedules, and we appreciate that families have different amounts of time and resources available. Whether you can volunteer for an event, contribute supplies, support a student club, or help with a special campus activity, every contribution makes a difference!
Even a small act of support can have a meaningful impact on our students and help create a school community where everyone feels connected and valued.
👉 Click Here to Sign Up and Support Our Acalanes Community!
You don't have to attend CCC meetings to participate. All parents and caregivers are welcome to sign up and support our school!
As we head into Thanksgiving, we are especially grateful for the many ways our families show up for one another. We hope you will consider joining us in making a difference this school year.
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📅 2026–2027 CCC Meeting & Event Schedule |
- November 19–Friendsgiving with Principal Colin Malcom The Campus Culture Committee invites you to join us on November 19th from 6-8pm for our first FRIENDSGIVING WITH MR. COLIN MALCOLM. The event will take place at: Western Flyer, 3660 Mt. Diablo Blvd Lafayette, CA
- December 14 – Wellness Workshop with Patrick Turner | In Person
- January 11 – CCC Meeting | Virtual
- May – Date TBD – CCC Year-End Retreat | In Person
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đź“… November Dates & Observances
November – Native American History Month
Native American Heritage Month is observed in the United States every November to honor the history, culture, and contributions of Native Americans. It is a time for educational events, ceremonies, and public awareness campaigns aimed at promoting a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples and their impact on the nation.
November 11– Veterans Day
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. It began, and now coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are commemorated in other countries, marking the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954
November 13-19 Transgender Awareness Week and November 20-Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Awareness Week, observed November 13 to November 19, is a one-week celebration leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TransgenderDay of Remembrance has been observed annually as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. The day was founded to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people. The day was originally started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.
November 25-International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was developed by the UN Secretary-General and UN Women in 2000. The event aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions.
November 26-Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is based on the colonial Pilgrims' 1621 harvest meal in Plymouth. History claims and what had been learned that a Thanksgiving meal was shared between English colonists and the Wampanoag people; however, that is a false narrative and can be very harmful to the Wampanoag communities since the settlers forcibly and violently took control over their land and communities.
November 27- Native American Heritage Day
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đź’š Wellness Center Reminder
As we move further into the school year, we want to remind families that the Acalanes Wellness Center is here to support our students.
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đź’™ Stay Connected & Get Involved
Our CCC continues to work alongside students, staff, families, and school leadership to help create an Acalanes community where all students and families feel seen, heard, valued, supported, and that they belong.
Reminder: Acalanes is a No Hate Zone
Acalanes is committed to maintaining a campus where every student feels safe, respected, welcomed, and valued.
If your student experiences or witnesses bias or hate, please encourage them to report it using the  Bias Incident Reporting Tool (BIRT) available on the AHS website.
   Submit a BIRT Report Here »
Reporting incidents helps our school respond to concerns and continue working together to create a culture of safety and belonging for everyone.
You Are Influential to Your Children and Your Community – Stand Up to Hate
In addition to producing events that help us connect, learn and grow, the DEI committee is also here to support parents. As we head into United Against Hate Week across Lamorinda, it feels like a good time to take a pause from our regular style of communication and acknowledge that the work is heavy and sometimes slow to yield results. We encourage you to keep going and to reach out if you need support. Try to approach equity work in a way that brings results, such as opening up a discussion with your kid(s). Our parent community is making a difference and our work is valuable.
Hate crimes occur right out in the open. Over the last few years, violent Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise here and nationwide. Last month, Ye issued strong anti-seminitic statements that were intended to be divisive and harmful. These are just a few examples of hate speech and hate crimes taking place in our nation. In order to effectively fight structural racism and discrimination we have to have purposeful conversations with our communities and with our children. Did your family talk about what Ye said or discuss increased assaults on Asian Americans in our area? Perhaps your family talked about how those behaviors circulated on social media and maybe even how it showed up in your daily lives?
While often difficult to corral your kid for another “important” discussion (yep, we get the teen eye rolls, too) we feel it is vital that you make time to talk about discrimination and acts of hate this week. An easy way to open up a conversation might be to simply ask if your student knows that the City of Lafayette observes a United Against Hate Week. You don’t need to supply all the content – it isn’t a lecture, just start the discussion. Our kids are intelligent and thoughtful. You can be honest that you find these conversations challenging, deep, difficult, confusing, frustrating and fill in the blank. It is tough but ok to be in discomfort for a few minutes. Those sticky, tricky moments are where people may find the most growth.
We encourage you to keep building community and celebrating our individuality. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
About Campus Cultural Committee
The APC is committed to working with our Acalanes parent and student community as well as our staff and our school and district administration to promote a positive school climate at Acalanes that encourages a culture of inclusivity and belonging for all. It is not enough to denounce acts of racism, we must also work to challenge ourselves and our students to be anti-racist every day. The scope of this committee will encompass the full spectrum of diversity including gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and mental and physical ability.
OUR VISION
Our vision is a positive school climate in which all members of our school community feel welcome regardless of their differences and in which students feel empowered to enter the world as engaged and active global citizens.
OUR MISSION
We are dedicated to identifying, implementing, and supporting a strategic approach to building an empowered school community that celebrates diversity and actively opposes discrimination of race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of one’s identity.
OUR GOALS
- Create a safe and healing space for our school community to communicate with one another within the scope of DEI (social issues, identity, current events, school culture)
- Facilitate parent educational opportunities for DEI
- Support and promote cultural events organized by Acalanes and its students
- Partner with Acalanes and District Administration to support and advance school and district efforts
