• Sports

    January 15, 2021

    A physical education and athletics update was shared in detail at Friday’s Dons Dialogue. Please refer to the APC in Action section to access the replay. 

  • General Announcements

    January 8, 2021

    School Calendar Update
    The District recently announced that February 12 and March 12, two dates previously noted as days off for students, are now regular instructional school days. Please update your family calendar and refer to the district website for further details.

    ICYMI:
    Here's a copy of Principal Bell's email to families on Friday, Jan 8. Topics include semester grades, in-person hybrid schedule group information, and details for this Friday's Dons Dialogue event.

  • APC in Action

    January 8, 2021

    Tuesday, Jan 12 from 7-8:30pm - “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions”
    Visit the Parent Ed section for details on next week’s event from Challenge Success. Hope to see you online. 

    Friday, Jan 15 from 10-11:30am - Dons Dialogue with Principal Bell
    Save the date and join us for the latest campus news. Watch your email next week for an event agenda and registration link.

  • Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

    January 8, 2021

    Thanks for the Blue and White Light Donations!
    Team ACA was thrilled that so many families donated extra blue & white lights for an upcoming campus project (more details to follow). Thank you for reaching out and setting out your lights for pick up or dropping them in the donation box outside the AHS front office. Drop-offs can continue until Friday, January 15.   

    ACA Strong in 2021!
    While students may not yet be back on campus, efforts are still actively underway to show our ACA Strong spirit in various ways. Be on the lookout for more information regarding how to get Acalanes students, families, alumni, and community members reengaged. Welcome back!

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

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

    January 8, 2021

    Thank you for your attention. Please join us in this really good work, and look forward to special events celebrating Black History Month in February. 

    Tuesday Jan 19 from 7-8:30 pm - Dr. Lori Watson’s Racial Equity Series
    If you haven’t already, sign up here. The next session will cover “Biases, Beliefs and Consciousness”. Remaining dates for this series: 

    • Tuesday, Feb 9 “Whiteness”
    • Wednesday, March 3 “Children and Race”
    • Thursday, May 6 “Disrupting Racism/Co-Conspiratorship”

    Thursday Feb 4, 6:30-8 pm - District Book Club
    Join us as we dive into the novel Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Watch this powerful reading of the book if you don’t have time to read.  Book copies are available at Orinda Books and sign up here for the next discussion. 

    Tuesday Feb 23 - Speaker Event with Arshay Cooper
    Sign ups coming soon for a very special speaker event with Arshay Cooper, the author of the powerful memoir “A Most Beautiful Thing”. The book can be purchased from Orinda Books and the film is available on Amazon Prime or on Xfinity. The Acalanes community will also have the opportunity to watch the film adaptation in an exclusive Acalanes screening event. More details to come soon! 

    What reflects culture more than food does? Email us your recipes and ideas. We want to honor everyone’s culture and share with this group!  

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

  • From the Activities Director

    January 8, 2021

    2021! In cohort tomorrow, students will see a quote that really resonated with me as I begin to plan and dream for 2nd semester. I wanted to share it with the parent community as well:

    “Your school’s culture is the sum of its parts, yet one person, just one spark, one believer, armed with a relentless passion, can ignite a cultural revolution. Be that person. Be that spark. Be that believer.” -Dr. Phil Campbell

    Let’s do this together ACA. Let’s stay in it together as a community. 

    Senior Quotes/Activities
    Please encourage your senior to fill out the S    enior quotes and activities before January 29th. 

    District-wide Student Equity Meeting
    If your student would like to get involved in equity programming, please encourage them to attend a district-wide equity meeting on Friday, January 15 during Academy. 

    Spirit wear
    The webstore for Acalanes spiritwear will open again at the end of January. Thanks for your support.

    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

    January 8, 2021

    We hope the new year brings you and those you love opportunities to flourish! Wellness is launching two programs featuring short term one-on-one counseling and designed to help students kick-start the new year. The first focuses on addiction and will help students learn strategies for gaining control over addictive behaviors of any type. A school-wide invitation to “Kick Your Addiction” went out via Canvas this week and we are currently scheduling students who have opted in. The second offering uses a coaching model to help interested students explore goals and interests. At a time of uncertainty when no one knows the future, it’s still important to dream and make plans. The “Prioritize You” offering also went out by Canvas. If either of these sound like they would benefit your student, please encourage them to think about it but know that student self-determination is essential for this to be effective.

    Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
    Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

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

  • College & Career

    January 8, 2021

    How to Order Transcripts
    If you are applying for anything that requires a transcript, or simply want to have a copy, use this link for instructions.

    How to Log On to Naviance
    Investigate Naviance and all the tools this incredible service offers.

    Seniors:
    Please update your college application results in Naviance.

    Soph/Junior Parents:
    Wednesday, Jan 13 (rescheduled from Jan. 12) at 7pm - Naviance Workshop Meeting ID: 651-363-0875 password DONS2021 or LOG IN HERE.      

    Juniors: College Planning Academy Sessions
    Encourage your students to sign up and use Ms. Reicher’s Zoom link to attend. 

    • Wednesday, Jan 13: Things to Do
    • Wednesday, Jan 20: About Me/Personal Assessments
    • Wednesday, Jan 27: Building Your List

    Scholarships:

    • Rossmoor Scholarship - $3000 award. Min. GPA 3.0 and max expected family contribution of $20k.
    • Taco Bell Foundation - Students who are passionate changemakers.  Submission is a two min video on how they plan to use their passion to change the world. Juniors can apply too and defer funds! Due by Jan 20, 2021.
    • Assistance League of Diablo Valley Scholarships - This philanthropic program of Assistance League Diablo Valley aids students with college expenses based upon their need, school/community activities, and grade point average. Applicants must be residents of Contra Costa County, California.
    • 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.

    One-on-One Appointments
    Students can book an individual meeting with Ms. Reicher here. Please encourage your student to take advantage regardless of where they are in the process.

    Helpful Links:

    Keep connected:

    Welcome Back!

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

  • Counseling

    January 8, 2021

    End of First Semester Transcripts
    Mid-year reports with first semester grades will be available the second week of January. The registrar and counselors will send mid-year reports next week. Students do not need to request another transcript if they have already ordered an initial transcript to be sent to the college.

    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

    January 8, 2021

    Governor Newsom is providing a significant financial incentive to school districts to return to in-person instruction.  The plan applies only to grades K through 6, plus transitional kindergarten, and would provide $450 in funding per student to the school districts. However school districts must submit a detailed plan for rigorous Covid-19 testing, infection rates must fall to a lower level than currently exists in most districts, and teachers and employee unions must agree to the plan. Newsom offers $2 billion plan to bring back in-person instruction in elementary grades. Not surprisingly, there has been pushback from the larger school districts, and the outcome of the plan is not clear. Large urban districts object to Gov. Newsom’s school reopening plan.

  • Parent Education

    January 8, 2021

    Tuesday, Jan 12 from 7-8:30pm Challenge Success presents “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions”
    The college admissions process can be a source of stress and anxiety for students and parents alike. This research-based workshop addresses many of the important questions we hear from families. What do college rankings really measure? Are students who attend more selective colleges better off later in life? What is “fit” and why does it matter? Participants will learn practical strategies to help reduce unnecessary pressure around the college admissions process and ways to support their student’s overall well-being and readiness for life in college and beyond. No advance registration is required. Click this link to attend: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

  • School Nurse

    January 8, 2021
    Medical Documentation for Students We still need updated medical documentation for your student, especially if they will be participating in the Hybrid Model. Does your student need medication available at school? Does  your student have updated medical issues/health issues? Do they have a new immunization record? Parents, please make sure you turn in any pertinent medical forms for your students for this school year, especially if your students will be in the Hybrid Model. See this page on my website and let me know if you have any questions. PTG (Posttraumatic Growth): Using Challenge To Cultivate Resilience During this pandemic, we are ALL experiencing trauma, grief, and loss, individually and collectively, and that cannot and should not be minimized in any way. I want to encourage everyone to look for opportunities for growth and resilience. We can set an intention to practice anchoring ourselves in core values that support health and wellness, including gratitude, self-care, and generosity (to name a few). Try visualizing those values as “eyeglasses” that you put on (ex: now I am putting on my gratitude glasses. What does my perspective look like from here?). I implore you and your families to be vigilant about staying healthy and taking whatever precautions you can to prevent the spread of COVID in your households and families, and in our community. Our school district is working hard to create a protocol to promote safety and health on our school sites and in our school community. We need to be cohesive partners in working together to promote health and safety in our community. Thank you for your commitment! Be COVID Proactive! See update on my google site. Stay healthy by keeping this symptom checklist in mind. “Bubbles” and “Pods” - consider the “stealth health” of yours. Dvora Citron, RN, MS Acalanes School Nurse Google Site dcitron@auhsdschools.org IG:  acalanesschoolnurse

  • General Announcements

    January 3, 2021

    Tuesday, Jan 5 - School Resumes
    Happy New Year! A friendly reminder that school resumes on Tuesday, January 5. 

    School Calendar Update
    The District recently announced that February 12 and March 12, two dates previously noted as days off for students, are now regular instructional school days. Please update your family calendar and refer to the district website for further details.