Weekly News & Announcements

Sports

The CIF North Coast Section (NCS) approved a sports framework to allow local leagues to create a sports schedule in accordance with guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Read the statement here.

Diablo Athletic League (DAL), the local league for AHS sports, established a preliminary schedule for “purple tier” sports beginning February 1. Read more from the DAL here. 

General Announcements

Cancelled: Tuesday, Jan 26 PSAT for Sophomores
The AUHSD District has cancelled the PSAT for Sophomores at Acalanes High School on January 26 due to the extension of the California Stay at Home Order. The school day schedule has been adjusted accordingly, with Tuesday, January 26 returning to a regular class schedule. 

Registrants may either defer their exam payment/registration to be applied to the Fall 2021 PSAT exam (date TBD), or receive a full refund of the $30 exam cost. To choose the refund option, please email Hannah Welling at hwelling@auhsdschools.org by January 31. If you do not email your refund request by January 31, your student will automatically be registered for/paid for the Fall 2021 PSAT. Please contact Hannah Welling with any questions.

APC in Action

2020-21 Acalanes & President's Volunteer Service Awards Program
Spring is the time for students to submit their volunteer service applications and now is the time to start getting organized! Given the limited volunteer opportunities, we reduced the service hour minimum to 20 hours to help more students qualify for the Acalanes Award. The President's Volunteer Service award is a federal program and we cannot modify their minimum number of hours/program requirements. 

We encourage students to be creative with ideas that can turn into volunteer opportunities while following guidelines to keep yourself, families and neighbors safe.  Ideas to consider (verification of hours is still necessary):

• Grocery shopping or running errands for senior, disabled or at-risk neighbors
• Tutoring or Homework help (unpaid) for younger students in your neighborhood (non-family members)
• AHS Clubs focused on service such as Key Club, Children's Hospital, Equip for Equality, Environmental, Asian Student Union, SAGE, Protect Animals Worldwide

If you have a great idea about a way to be of service in your community and want to see if it qualifies under the AHS program, email us!  In the meantime, download the service award application forms here. Then submit completed, scanned applications between March 25 and April 10, 2021 to communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com. 

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

Tuesday, Jan 26 at 10am - ACA Chat Live with Andrea Powers & Katherine Walton
Join the first ACA Chat Live of 2021. If you haven’t joined before, check out this always-popular, high spirited online parent chat. Register here. 

Friday, Jan 29 - ACA “We’ve Got Heart” DAY Campus Drive-Thru Honoring Mr. Huber: 

• 3:00-3:30pm Seniors
• 3:30-4:00pm Juniors
• 4:00-4:30pm Sophomores
• 4:30-5:00pm Freshmen

Reminders!
• ALL students who attend will receive a new! ACA STRONG t-shirt
• Drop a note or letter of remembrance for Mr. Huber’s family
• Monument Crisis Center’s Food Drive Donations of peanut butter and boxes of cereal will be collected to support families in need
• Class officers & leadership will distribute fun goodie bags
• Seniors won’t want to miss a special “College Apps are Done!” treat
• Wave to AHS teachers & staff

ACA STRONG T-Shirts for Sale at ACA DAY (1/28)
For AHS parents (and siblings) who also want the new ACA STRONG t-shirt, we will have extras available for purchase at the ACA DAY Campus Drive-Thru on 1/28. $10 per t-shirt. Cash only please. 

Friday, Jan 29 from 5-8pm - ACA STRONG Light Display Kick-Off 
Mark your calendar! Students, parents, siblings & community members are invited to drive through campus to enjoy the ACA STRONG light display, which will include a coordinated radio broadcast complete with an Acalanes DJ! More details to come this week. THIS IS A NOT TO BE MISSED EVENT and is a great opportunity to be a part of some community spirit! 

Questions, comments, or feedback, email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com.

LPIE

Join the LPIE Board!
LPIE is actively recruiting interested parents and community members to serve on the 2021-2022 Board, commencing on July 1. For 40 years, serving on the LPIE board has been an excellent way to gain knowledge about what is going on in the TK-12 schools and to help preserve LPIE's mission to support and enrich the education of every child in the Lafayette public schools. While many board members have children currently attending Lafayette schools, we also welcome community at large members. All board members provide an integral perspective by infusing LPIE’s board with fresh ideas and viewpoints. We encourage anyone interested to apply. 

If you are interested in applying, we invite you to complete this brief Google form. You many also call the LPIE office at 925-299-1644 to request that an application be mailed to you.  

Please contact LPIE's Vice President Danielle Gallagher at danielle.gallagher@gmail.com with any questions about the board.

Laura-Kate Rurka & Jennifer Palmer
Acalanes LPIE School Chairs

www.lpie.org

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

Too good to not hear again, or read for the first time: Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration Poem “The Hill We Climb.”

Wednesday Jan 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On this day 76 years ago the prisoners of Auschwitz-Birkenau were liberated by the Soviet Army. Explore these virtual events to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism. 

Wednesday Jan 27 from 6-8pm - Equity & Social Responsibility Workshop featuring Dr. Ammar Saheli. This workshop focuses on parenting teenagers in ways that increase understanding of equity and social responsibility in the 2020’s. Dr. Saheli brings knowledge and years of experience educating and learning from adolescent students from diverse backgrounds. Register here to join. 

Thursday Feb 4 from 6:30-8pm - District Book Club Event
Dive into the novel “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Learn more and register here. Invite a friend! Event is open to all. 

Tuesday Feb 9, from 7-8:30pm - Racial Equity Series, Session 4
Join Dr Lori Watson for a discussion on “Whiteness.” Zoom link will be sent out to all those registered prior to the meeting. We implore you to stick to your commitment to attend this empowering seminar.

Tuesday Feb 23 from 6:30-7:30pm - Private Virtual Speaker Event with Arshay Cooper, author of the novel “A Most Beautiful Thing” and co-star of the movie with the same name. Space is limited! Sign up here before Feb. 1; after this date, the event will be open to all AUHSD high schools. Purchase the book here, and watch the movie on Amazon Prime or Xfinity.

To join us, or if you have ideas or questions or you want more information, email us! Stay current by visiting our webpage, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

From the Activities Director

ACA STRONG. We’ve got heart. 

We have a BIG Week ahead with so many wonderful opportunities to connect with one another and our community. Here is a calendar of events with details below:

• Tuesday at 7pm - Women in Leadership Series
• Wednesday at 5pm - Virtual Rally
• Thursday
  • 2:30-4:30pm - ACA DAY 
  • 5pm - Channel Kindness Book Club with Born this Way staff & authors
• Friday
  • 5-9pm - ACA STRONG Light Display
  • Communications Video released
• All Week - Staff/Student Trivia at lunch & Senior Portraits & Monument Crisis Center Food Drive

Tuesday, Jan 26 at 7pm - Women in Leadership Series
Please join us for our upcoming Women in Leadership series with Abby VanMuijen, an artist, local business owner, entrepreneur, and activist. Abby grew up in Danville, CA where she was heavily involved in her school and community. After high school, Abby headed to UC Berkeley to study City & Regional Planning and eventually founded her business, Rogue Mark Studios. Over the last few years, Abby's role as an activist has been to use her privilege, platform, and unique skills to contribute to the larger movement for social justice in the United States. Abby sees activism as something she chooses to do in everyday relationships, work projects, purchases, and decisions. Abby enjoys spending time with her wife and their dog Riley. During COVID, she has learned how to do ceramics and spends weekends on the pottery wheel! To add one more fun fact about Abby, she holds a gold medal in Ultimate Frisbee and is on San Francisco's first women's professional frisbee team. Join us to hear more about her amazing story! 

Wednesday, Jan 27 at 5pm - Virtual Rally
Tune in to watch the first ever virtual rally with pre-recorded material and our rallies board live from the Frosh quad. It will be live streamed on the Acalanes YouTube page.

Thursday, Jan 28 - ACA DAY
Please mark your calendars and drive through Acalanes for a fun few minutes to connect to campus & staff! We will have goodies on hand to pass out, and you can wave to Acalanes staff! All students will receive a FREE limited edition ACA STRONG t-shirt  (it is amazing!) along with other goodies. Schedule is as follows:

• 2:30-3pm - Seniors
• 3-3:30pm - Juniors
• 3:30-4pm - Sophomores
• 4-4:30pm - Freshmen

Jan 28-Feb 14 - Donate to Monument Crisis Center
During the ACA DAY drive-through, consider dropping off some of the most needed items for Monument Crisis Center - peanut butter & cereal. Donation boxes will remain at Acalanes through February 14th. 

Thursday, Jan 28 at 5pm - Channel Kindness Book Club.
We have partnered with Born this Way and authors of “Channel Kindness” to host this event. “Channel Kindness” is a collection of inspirational stories written by young people as well as personal notes of empowerment from Born This Way Foundation co-founder Lady Gaga. Within these pages, you’ll meet young changemakers who found their inner strength, prevailed in the face of bullies, started their own social movements, and decided to break through the mental health stigma. Anyone can join the evening talk. Zoom link will be sent out via Canvas.

Starting Friday, Jan 29 from 5-9pm - ACA STRONG Light Display
This school year has looked different and felt different AND YET we are here, together. We want each student & family to know that our community is strong and we stand together. Please join us as we display thousands of lights on our campus. We will “turn the lights on” at 5 PM on January 29th, and every subsequent Thurs-Sun until Valentine’s Day. Drive through, admire the light display, and remember that we are ACA STRONG. Bonus for this Friday night: as you drive through the light display, you will be encouraged to turn to a specific radio station (TBD) and listen as Acalanes students DJ and provide commentary. It is an additional, fun way to connect to our campus and we encourage you to participate! 

Due Friday, Jan 29 - Senior Quotes/Activities
Please encourage your senior to fill out the Senior quotes and activities. We want to hear from everybody!

Support for the Oliphant Family
In honor of Lucas Oliphant, a Las Lomas student who recently passed away, the Acalanes community is collecting cards to deliver to his family. Whether you’re a student, parent, teacher, or a member of the community, please consider writing a card showing your love and support for his family. There will be a box with a blue paper covering on it in front of the attendance office from 8am-4pm every day where you can drop the cards off. If you cannot get to Acalanes for any reason, feel free to email Franny Daughters at fdaughters@icloud.com to figure something out. Thank you for your participation and community support.

Mark Your Calendar! February is Black History Month
There is a lot to celebrate, and a lot of dialogue in which to engage. Look for more information coming in the next couple of weeks and for the evening events, please consider attending, and encourage your student to attend as well. 

2020-2021 Clubs
Club meetings continue. Check out our 45 clubs! If your student wants to start a club for spring semester, they can! Have them email me and we can get the club up and running.

If I can ever do anything to help you or your student, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director

Wellness Center

We thought we’d use the opportunity to report out on the various lunchtime programs we held this past week. We started a weekly poetry group for connecting our own experience and emotions to the written word. Students and staff came together to engage in “civil discourse”. Since we looked up the definition before shaping the offer, we’ll share that it means “conversation designed to increase understanding”. We were so blown away by how gratifying it was for us to hear how much students appreciated being heard and listening to others! In the isolated conditions created by the shelter-in-place restrictions, we really need to name our experiences and to have it normalized by others. We are NOT alone even if it can sometimes feel that way. Encourage your students to power through the reluctance and inertia that keeps them from doing “one more zoom”-- the optional programming put on by the various groups at school is so valuable for connection to each other and to purpose and meaning. We’re energized to continue to develop these programs because we know they matter. And your students honestly fill our cups! (CS 1/21 3:24)

Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

For updates, tips and advice, follow Wellness on Social Media: Instagram @acalaneswellness

College & Career

New! All grade levels: Please take the time to fill out this questionnaire.

New! Follow me on my new Facebook Page.  This is a community resource for our parents to get the most updated information on college related topics.

New! Boys State applications available for Juniors who demonstrate leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty, and service in their school and community. Please have your student inquire for more information.

Junior Families 

• New! Practice ACT and SAT tests available for students - proctored under live test conditions on 2/13 and 2/17; cost: $20ea.  Sign up link.
• Parents: One-on-One Appointments - All juniors should book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here.  Parents can absolutely join. Let’s make sure we are creating a solid timeline for post Acalanes planning. Day/Eve times available!
• Juniors College Planning Update - Important information this week, be sure to read as it shares lots of details!
• Wednesday, Jan 27 during Academy “Building Your College List” - Encourage your students to sign up and use Ms. Reicher’s Zoom link to attend. 

Sophomore Parents: One-on-One Appointments
All sophomores and their families should book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here to discuss timelines, summer options and any college/career related planning.

Seniors:
It's crucial to update college application results in Naviance.  Look for the required senior exit survey coming in March on Naviance.

For those of you who missed our Challenge Success presentation on January 12, "A Healthy Approach to College Admissions", check out the Parent Ed section below for the recording.  Relevant information for all grade levels!

Scholarships:

• Matt Lynn Scholarship - $1500-2000 awarded to college bound students intending to play varsity sports. Students check Naviance for application.
• Rossmoor Scholarship - $3000 award. Min. GPA 3.0 and max expected family contribution of $20k.
• Assistance League of Diablo Valley Scholarships - Philanthropic program aids students with college expenses based on need, school/community activities, and GPA. Applicants must be residents of Contra Costa County.
• AAUW Scholarship - $2000 awarded to a Senior woman who demonstrates a sustained commitment to community service as well as a grade point average of at least 3.0. Apply now!
• TZU Chi USA Scholars - $1500 awarded on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, and community involvement. Min GPA 3.0, Due 4/22.

Keep connected:

• CCC Website 
• Follow us on Instagram: @acalanesccc
• Facebook Page for Students Have your senior or junior join the College and Career Student FB page 

Thank you for all your support!

Wendy Reicher, College and Career Advisor: wreicher@auhsdschools.org

Counseling

End of First Semester Transcripts - Transcripts are now updated with first semester grades and are visible in Aeries. Mid-year reports were sent to colleges last week.

Counselor Appointments - We love talking to our students! Email is the best way to reach us. Counselors have appointment slots for students and will email them a link for signing up. We are trying to reserve the limited slots outside of class time for students. Parents can schedule a time when students are in class.

A- Ed  Anne Schonauer
Ee-Kr  Christine Todd
Ku-Ros  Marissa Meadows
Rot-Z  Susan Martin

Legislative News

Governor Newsom recently released the proposed state budget for next year. The budget, which is typically revised and presented again in May, increases total funding for K-12 and community colleges to $89.2 billion. Gov. Newsom proposes $4.6 billion for summer school, more learning time in 2021-22 budget. It also includes a reduction of 2 percentage points in the districts’ share of pension payments, provides a cost-of-living adjustment, and pays off two-thirds of the deferrals (money owed by the state to the districts) which were used to balance last year’s budget. 

Parent Education

Replay: Challenge Success presents “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions” Did you miss the chance to join this informative and engaging session? Watch the replay here. Additionally, here are several follow-up resources suggested by Challenge Success:

• Essential criteria ranking document 
• Challenge Success website, College Information Resources 
• Book recommendations:

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni
What Matters the Most by Paul Tough
The Truth About College Admissions by Brennan Bernard
Who Gets In and Why by Jeff Selingo

School Nurse

• Current license: RN, LVN, EMT, or DDS, PharmD or MD. 
• Completed background check and TB Test (provided by Contra Costa County)
• Completed online mandatory trainings Covid-19 Vaccine Training (ca.gov)
• Ability to volunteer 24 hours a week from Sunday through Saturday. Hours vary depending on assignment.
• Candidates must be able to work at all Contra Costa sites and have reliable transportation. 
• If you can meet the minimum requirements, please complete the Volunteer Information Form and send to: COVID19Volunteers@cchealth.org.