Campus Culture Committee
🍂 Building Community & Moving into Action
We had our first Campus Culture Committee meeting of the year last week, and it was wonderful to come together with parents and caregivers to begin thinking about how we can support our students and school community this year!
During our meeting, we generated several ideas for providing volunteer time, resources, and supply/material support to student clubs and special school events. We are excited to move these ideas into action, so be on the lookout for a Signup Genius with opportunities to get involved. Whether you have a little time to volunteer, can contribute supplies, or simply want to stay connected, there will be different ways to participate.
We also had an opportunity to meet and talk with our Leadership teacher and Principal about student activities, campus culture, and ways parents can partner with the school to support our students.
🤝 Coming in November: Connect with Our Principal!
One of the ideas we're especially excited about is creating an opportunity for our parents and caregivers to come together with our Principal in November.
We are planning a relaxed opportunity to gather, connect, partner, and get to know our new Principal while continuing conversations about how families can support a positive and welcoming school community.
Â
📅 2026–2027 CCC Meeting & Event Schedule | 6:30–7:30 PM
- November – Date TBD – Gather, Partner & Get to Know Our New Principal
- December 14 – Wellness Workshop with Patrick Turner | In Person
- January 11 – CCC Meeting | Virtual
- May – Date TBD – CCC Year-End Retreat | In Person
Â
đź“… October Dates & Observances
🌎 September 15–October 15 – National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, achievements, and contributions of Americans whose heritage traces to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observance begins on September 15, which coincides with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries.
October – LGBTQ+ History Month
LGBTQ+ History Month is observed throughout October and provides an opportunity to learn about and recognize the history, achievements, experiences, and civil rights movements of LGBTQ+ people.
October – Filipino American History Month
Filipino American History Month is celebrated throughout October and recognizes the history, culture, experiences, and contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
The 2026 national theme established by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) is “Beyond the Margins: Centering Intersectional Filipino American Histories.”
October 10 – World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is recognized each year on October 10 to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and encourage efforts to improve mental health support and care.
It is also an important reminder for our school community that asking for help is okay and support is available.
October 12 – Indigenous Peoples' Day
Â
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.
Â
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.
📧 diversityandinclusion@acalanesparentsclub.com
And remember to keep an eye out for our upcoming Signup Genius and details about our November gathering with our Principal!
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
