Weekly News & Announcements

Student Activities

Junior and Senior Prom Saturday, May 13 at SF City Hall! This is the last week to purchase a ticket and get a bus assignment. Tickets are on sale via the Acalanes webstore and prices are $95 for Acalanes juniors/seniors and $135 for outside guests or 9th or 10th graders. All students must turn in a filled out permission form when getting a bus assignment. Bus assignments run at lunch Monday through Friday in front of the attendance office. Questions? Email Katherine Walton.
 
Don’t miss our 2 Spring Concerts this week on Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm along with the Pops Concert on Friday at 7pm!
 
On Friday at lunch there is a Spring Carnival! Encourage your student to attend!
 
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

College & Career

The Health Career Academy was a great success! Thank you to our volunteer panel for their insights in the healthcare industry and sharing their individual career pathways. Career Academies will continue next year.

SENIORS 
 
Senior Exit Survey:  Important! If your student knows their post high school plan, please update Naviance. In order for final transcripts to be sent, students MUST go to “About Me” and “Surveys from Your School” and fill out “2023 Senior Exit Survey.” This is the only way transcripts are sent to colleges.
 
Decision Day is May 1. Don’t forget to check your portals for any updates.
 
JUNIORS
 
Looking for college resources over the summer, please see links below.
 
College Essay Guy
Free College Essay Resources for Students-
Registration required for live summer courses
How to Write the College Application + Supplemental Essays Course
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/how-to-apply-for-college
 
How to Write a Personal Statement Online Course for Students
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/how-to-write-a-personal-statement
 
Additional College Resources
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/webinars-live-events
 
SOPHOMORES/FROSH
 
What is your Sophomore doing this summer? This is the time to think about a meaningful summer experience- volunteer, work, community class or summer program. Please have your student stop by if they need help with summer ideas.
 
Volunteer Ideas: Have your student come by the CCC so I can learn about their interests. Check out this website for ideas too! It’s best to set a search filter for teens.
 
Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support.

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer  
En-Kr Christine Todd / Christina Castillo-Gallardo during Spring 2023
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
Roh-Z Susan Martin
 
Summer School Information: The summer school website is up and running! Please use the link to get information about summer school offerings/dates. It will be at AHS this year! Please have your student see their counselor to sign up, get forms, and figure out which classes to take.
 
Geometry for Advancement: AUHSD does offer one course for advancement in summer - Geometry. This is an accelerated class designed for strong Algebra students (who have an A test average) to accelerate in math. Students may be placed in Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 Advanced upon completion of this class. Please have your student see their counselor for more information. This class also requires a teacher recommendation.
 
Course Selection Changes: If your student wants to make any changes to their class requests for next year, please have them see their counselor to discuss. 

School Nurse

ALCOHOL: Please take a look at this site. There is so much that is “normalized” about alcohol use, but I encourage you to send a strong message discouraging our underage students from using. Parents, please discuss with other parents how you can support creating opportunities for your kids to have fun without the dangers of alcohol use.

Visiting college campuses? Check out their Student Health & Wellness Centers. It’s a great idea to know where it is BEFORE your student may need it. These health centers are specialized in care for the college age population and have many expanded programs to support students and are especially helpful when being away from home and parents for the first time. I always recommend that students go there in the fall to get their flu shots. Can’t visit physically? Check out their websites!

A new nutrition infographic on my website: 5 Ways to Use Chickpeas

Berries are back in season! This week’s nutrition hack: Slow-Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal. Place 4 cups of water and 1 cup of steel cut oatmeal in a slow-cooker at night. Add 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Enjoy hot oatmeal in the morning - top with fresh berries! Hack: Make enough for several days-reheat as needed.

Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse

Wellness Center

May is mental health awareness month! We celebrate this month to destigmatize mental health issues, provide support and generate awareness of what mental health means for all of us.

Destigmatizing mental health issues has played a huge role in making mental health care more widely accessible to those who need it. The implementation of Wellness Centers in AUHSD is largely in part to widespread efforts to normalize mental health and provide support at school, where students spend a huge portion of their time.
Mental health comes in all shapes and sizes. Many people assume that mental health struggles are a matter of pathology but, in reality, someone may have mental health challenges without ever receiving a diagnosis. When thinking about mental health in broad terms, a perfect analogy for understanding is a car. Cars need regular maintenance to make sure that things run smoothly for as long as possible and when things come up, a car needs to be checked out to get things back to baseline. Mental health is extremely similar in the sense that if we are not taking care of our mental health, it is more likely that things will come up. If these things are not addressed appropriately, they have the potential to impact our lives in ways that are less than ideal. The Acalanes Wellness Center is here to support your students no matter what their mental health looks like. Mental health is a journey, not a destination. Check in with your student for a better understanding of where they might be on their journey.

Performing & Visual Arts

ACALANES SPRING CONCERTS
Come celebrate the last month of the school year with Director Lauren Gibson and her talented groups of musicians as they perform two magical nights of music!
 
Dates:  Tuesday, May 2 and Thursday, May 4
Time:  7pm
Location:  AHS Performing Arts Center
Music Groups:

• Tuesday - Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble
• Thursday - Jazz Band, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble

Admission Price:  Free
 
 
AHS CHOIR POPS CONCERT
Date: Friday, May 5
Time: 7pm
Location: AHS Performing Arts Center 
Featuring: Harmonix, Innuendos, Octet
Admission Price:  Fre

JAZZ CAFE
The much-anticipated annual Jazz Café returns to Stanley Middle School on Friday, May 12th at 6:00pm.  Lamorinda residents have long flocked to the popular “Jazz Café” event for a fun (and free) evening of jazz, coffee and dessert. There will also be a taco truck on hand.  This year’s Café marks the debut of Stanley Middle School’s new music director Todd Minson.  Performers include Stanley Jazz Crusaders, Stanley Jazz Messengers, Stanley Chorus, Campo Jazz Ensemble and Acalanes Jazz Ensemble. For more information, contact dalianishimori@gmail.com.

LPIE

On Apr 21, we held a festive awards ceremony to announce the winners for Project LPIE. We received 155 entries this year! Congratulations to all our talented Acalanes students who participated in Project LPIE 2023. It's not too early to start thinking about projects for 2024!
 
Click here to view the complete list of all Project LPIE 2023 Winners!
 
Michele Colaco and Andrea Hilsabeck, Acalanes LPIE School Chairs
www.lpie.org, Follow us on Instagram

Sports

This week’s can’t miss events:
 
Boys golf
 
Monday, May 1 DAL Championships at Diablo Creek GC
 
Baseball
 
Tuesday, May 2 Campolindo HS at 4pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.
Thursday, May 4 Campolindo HS at 4pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
 
Softball
 
Tuesday, May 2 at Clayton Valley Charter HS at 4:30pm
Thursday, May 4 host Las Lomas HS at 4:30pm
 
Boys volleyball
 
Tuesday, May 2 NCS First Round at 7pm
Thursday, May 4 NCS Quarterfinal at 7pm
 
Boys lacrosse
 
Tuesday, May 2 NCS First Round
Thursday, May 4 NCS Quarterfinal
 
Girls lacrosse
 
Tuesday, May 2 NCS First Round
Thursday, May 4 NCS Quarterfinal
 
Swimming
 
Friday, May 5 NCS Trials at Concord Community Pool at 10:30am
Saturday, May 6 NCS Finals at Concord Community Pool at 10:30am
 
Boys tennis
 
Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6 NCS Singles & Doubles Championships at James Logan HS
 
Track & field
 
Saturday, May 6 DAL Finals at Campolindo HS 9am
 
The spring sports schedules will be found on the AHS website by clicking here.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Randy Takahashi at rtakahashi@auhsdschools.org or Haley Walsh at hwalsh@auhsdschools.org.

General Administration Announcements

Health and Trade Career Academies this Week
The Acalanes College & Career Center is hosting two additional Career Academies this week. Career Academies are quick and interesting ways to learn about future career options and opportunities.  All students are invited and encouraged to attend.
Wednesday, Apr 26: Health Careers
Friday, Apr 28: Trade Careers (roofing, electrical, plumbing, automotive and more)
Additional topics will be offered next fall.
 
Acalanes Alumni Forum
On Tuesday, Apr 25, at 6pm, the Acalanes High School administration and Associate Student Body officers would like to invite our alumni to join in an open Zoom forum to share perspectives, personal experiences, and memories of what it means to be a Don.
Over the past several years, our school community has engaged in a discussion regarding our school’s history and our mascot, “The Don.” This topic is vital to our community and sparks strong feelings and diverse perspectives. The student body originally selected the Don Mascot in 1941, and it is within the ASB constitution, determined by our students, that the mascot is named. Our ASB leaders want to create a dialogue with our current student body and alumni to understand the differing perspectives. Our goal is to come to a common understanding of our values and what our mascot stands for to be inclusive of our Acalanes community.
Please click here to register.
We look forward to seeing you and hearing you share what it means to be a Don!