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LPIE
Be prepared to be inspired after listening to Episode 5 of the LPIE Podcast!
Our host Adam speaks with members of the team who publish the student-run newspaper Blueprint, which is proudly supported by your LPIE dollars. Harnessing the words and artwork of over 60 Acalanes journalists, this award-winning newspaper provides stories and information pertinent to the Lafayette community.
The podcast also provides one more illustration of how Lafayette schools are developing young minds and equipping them with the skills and tools needed to succeed throughout their education, careers, and lives, thanks to the dedication and support of our teachers, community, and LPIE. This is a “must listen” for every parent at Acalanes - Click here to listen.Laura-Kate Rurka & Jennifer Palmer
Acalanes LPIE School Chairs -
From the Activities Director
This week: Equity Week is fully programmed and put on by our students. It provides multiple entry points for dialogue around various issues of equity and is a wonderful opportunity for students to educate themselves, engage in important conversations and show up for their peers. Please encourage your student to attend! All event Zoom links will be sent via Canvas on Monday morning.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
- Cohort: Equity workshop on identity and intersectionality & practice of mindful inquiry
- Lunch: Queer Straight Alliance Kahoot Event
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17
- Lunch: Black Student Union Event
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
- Lunch: Girl Up!
- 7pm: Lori Hayes “How to be an Upstander, not a Bystander” She is not to be missed-she is real, brilliant, dynamic & engaging Register here!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19
- Lunch: Jewish Club
- 6pm: Latinos Unidos Movie Night
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20
- Academy: Asian American Club
- Lunch: Erasure Dialogue
New spiritwear available now!
We have added some new spiritwear to the webstore. Perfect opportunity for holiday gifts or winter gear. Last day to place your order is November 29. Items will be available for pick-up on December 17.Don’t Miss Out! Encourage your senior student to attend Tuesday’s Senior “Friendsgiving”
Senior students can sign up hereAdopt-a-Family
Acalanes Community Outreach is pleased to announce that we will be commencing our annual Adopt-a-Family program in partnership with Families First, a Concord-based organization. All are invited to sign up to adopt individuals and provide wishlist items to make their holiday’s special. You sign up to adopt an individual, shop for them based on their wishlist items and then drop the wrapped presents off at Acalanes on December 11. This is an amazing opportunity for the Acalanes community and an exciting philanthropic partnership. Sign up here2020-2021 Clubs
Club meetings continue. Check out our 45 clubs!Save the Date: Wednesday, Dec 2 at 7pm - Women in Leadership #2 with Contra Costa County Deputy Attorney
Mark your calendar!If I can ever do anything to help you or your student, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director
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Wellness Center
With the end of the semester on the horizon, we want to share a treasure of a worksheet you can use in supporting your student with “decatastrophizing.” This is one of the many types of cognitive distortions adolescents can have that can create overwhelm and inertia. An example of this would be, “I’m so far behind, I’m going to fail all of my classes!” While understandable, this is not a supportive or motivating statement. This worksheet helps enlist logic, reasoning and perspective-taking so that students can move out of their emotional brain and into problem-solving mode. You can print this out, or better yet, incorporate it into a script that you use in navigating the conversation with your student. And remember that oftentimes, these types of, albeit irrational, thoughts sometimes need to be voiced. What’s not helpful is when we as parents meet these comments with our own negative emotions. We hope you find this helpful!
Don’t forget: Thursday, Nov 19 at 5:30p “Caring for Oneself & Others”
Brought to you by the Contra Costa Crisis Center, and CourAge Youth Health Coalition. Register here to attend online.
Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake SpecialistFor updates, tips and advice, follow Wellness on Social Media: Instagram @acalaneswellness
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College & Career
Monday, Nov 16 at 5:50p - US Air Force Info Night
Learn about scholarships, career and internship opportunities, admission requirements and the application process. Register here and check out this flyer for more details.Tuesday, Nov 17 from 7-8pm - Junior Parent Naviance Workshop
Please log in to Wendy Reicher’s Zoom account using your student’s AUHSD Zoom account. Learn about the tools we use to guide your student through the college application process. CODE: 651 363 0875; Password: DONS2021.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:
Freshman College Planning
Sophomore College Planning
Junior College Planning
Senior Checklist- CCC Website
- Follow us on Instagram: @acalanesccc
- Facebook Page for Students Have your senior or junior join the College and Career Student FB page
Keep up the good work!
Wendy Reicher/College and Career Advisor: wreicher@auhsdschools.org -
Counseling
Seniors
Many seniors have still not ordered official transcripts for college apps or updated their Naviance accounts. Students pay the $5 fee for official transcripts on the webstore. Mrs. Finn, the registrar, will process requests. Documents will be sent electronically through Naviance whenever possible. Please contact Mrs. Finn with questions. Students can review unofficial transcripts in Aeries.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
In case you missed it in the flood of election news, here are the latest results on the three propositions which had a connection to education issues: Live election results for Propositions 15, 16 and 18.
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School Nurse
Is your student interested in a health science career? Tell them to come to the Acalanes Health & Medicine Student Club meeting next week at lunch on Tuesday, when they’ll hear from a Bay Area Doctor in Residency.
(Fore)HEADS-UP! Part of our “new normal” needs to be checking our temperature each morning, especially if you are leaving your house to be in any public/social environment. That means if you don’t already have a thermometer, this is a good time to get one!
Be Covid Proactive! See update on my google site. Stay healthy by keeping this symptom checklist in mind.
Here’s a great one-pager on SLEEP to remind you why it’s so good for us.
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
Acalanes School Nurse Google Site
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
IG: acalanesschoolnurse -
Performing Arts
Tuesday, Dec 8 at 7pm - AHS Instrumental Virtual Winter Concert
Enjoy the amazing musical talents of the Acalanes Instrumental Bands. Instrumental Music Director Ms. Lauren Gibson will be showcasing performances by each ensemble (Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Orchestra) as well as chamber music. Best of all, you can hear all this beautiful music safely from the comfort of your home via Zoom video conference. Look for the Zoom link at http://acalanesinstrumentalmusic.com or http://ahsperformingarts.org. -
General Announcements
Reminder: School Schedule Changes
Since Wednesday is a school holiday (Veteran’s Day), student schedules will shift accordingly:- Monday: Wednesday block schedule starting with Academy at 9am, ending with 6th period at 1:30pm (with zero period at 2:55pm); no cohort on Monday.
- Tuesday: Regular Tuesday block schedule
- Wednesday (no school)
- Thursday/Friday: Regular Distance Learning schedule
Sound of Music On Campus
Hear from AHS alum and ABC Reporter Matt Boone as he covers a group of Acalanes Choir students returning to campus to make music together, safely and socially distanced. Enjoy! -
APC in Action
Friday, Nov 20 from 10-11:30am Dons Dialogue with Principal Bell
Join Principal Bell online and find out what’s happening on campus. Hear from select speakers and get your questions answered. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details!APC 2020-2021 Fall Grants
As a result of your generous donations this school year, the Acalanes Parents Club is pleased to fund the following grants, totaling $10,000:- Air purifiers and filters to complement district’s upgrade of campus-wide HVAC; additional small purifiers to be used in more confined, high-use areas
- Outdoor game and social equipment to encourage on-campus student engagement during Fall 2020; long-term use opportunities by AHS Leadership
- Community-themed T-shirts for staff to welcome students back to campus, designed by Acalanes Diversity Board
- Virtual screening of DEI themed documentary “A Most Beautiful Thing” and live conversation following the screening with lead documentary participant, Arshay Cooper
- New nurse’s office equipment to safely secure medications and student files; replacement of cloth chairs
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Acalanes Community Always (ACA)
Tuesday, Nov 17 at 10am ACA Chat Live with Andrea Powers & Katherine Walton (& Coffee Social @ Sideboard)
The first interactive chat was a hit! Parents won’t want to miss the next one. There will be a socially distanced “coffee social” at Sideboard at 9am for any parents who would like to join prior to ACA Chat Live. More details to come.ACA E-Thanks to Acalanes Teachers, Admin & Staff
There continues to be heart-warming positive feedback from the emails and thank you notes sent already. The goal is for each AHS staff member to receive an email of thanks. It’s not too late to sign up here to express gratitude. These emails make a difference!2nd Annual ACA Day has been postponed from November to December
The previously scheduled ACA Days (Nov 16-18) will now be held in December.AHS + Lafayette: Better Together
Check out the signs in the city marquees in front of Safeway and Lafayette Park Hotel. It’s a great reminder of the growing partnership between our Dons community, the City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.Questions, comments or feedback, email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com.
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Legislative News
In case you missed it in the flood of election news, here are the latest results on the three propositions which had a connection to education issues: Live election results for Propositions 15, 16 and 18.
As always, Edsource.org remains a good source for education-related news. For a look at the issue of school reopenings around the state (including a map, in case you haven’t had enough of those!), see:
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Week TWELVE in the Challenge to Build Habits Supporting Racial Equity
Who was the woman behind the famous quote “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired”? Learn more here about voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.November is Native American Heritage Month, and this Wednesday, November 11, is Veteran’s Day.
Enjoy this selection of PBS films documenting often untold stories about Native Americans serving in the U.S. Military.Saturday, Nov 14 is the day Indian Americans celebrate Diwali.
Diwali is the five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions of people across the world. It is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness.Pronouns in Zoom and Canvas
Please encourage your student to add their pronouns into Zoom and Canvas. It allows our community to be more inclusive, less alienating to trans & non-binary people, and to lessen the binary nature of society.Deadline Nov 29 to Order Acalanes DEI Yard Signs
Now available at shop.acalanesdons.com. Order yours today! Signs will be available for pick-up Dec 17 and 18.Is Your Student Passionate About Equity Issues?
Sign up for these newsletters:- Acalanes Diversity Board: “Diversity and Equity”. Encourage your student to get involved by sending a DM to @acalanes.diversity.
- Campolindo DEI: “Diversity Dispatch”. This is an inspiring student DEI effort at Campolindo. They are looking for student collaborators from across the district. Opinion pieces can be submitted using their website.
Upcoming Dates:
- Tuesday, Nov 10 from 7-8:30pm AUHSD DEI Book Club - Sign up here to join the book club discussion
- Monday, Nov 16 from 7-8:30pm - Sign up here to join the racial equity seminar series.
- Wednesday, Nov 18, 7pm “Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander” with Lori Hayes -Parents are invited to join their students to listen to this conversation. Register here.
More information or questions? Email us or visit our webpage.
We are social! Come join us @acalanesdei on Facebook and be sure to follow us @acalanesdei on Instagram too!
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