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#QuitLying
By now you may have seen #QuitLying emails sent via SchoolLoop or your student perhaps has talked about the campaign at Acalanes. #QuitLying aims to educate our community about the dangers of vaping and the fallacy about the highly harmful and addictive nature of vaping products as well as the companies behind them. Acalanes Parent Club is proud to support #QuitLying on our campus by providing the funding for campaign signage. For more information about the campaign, please go to QuitLying.org.
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APC Spring Grant Program Applications due soon!
Acalanes is pleased to continue its Acalanes Parents Club (APC) Grant Program this semester with a focus on ideas that will enhance the educational and campus experience of AHS students in new and innovative ways. Teachers, students and parents are welcome to submit a grant proposal, utilizing the application form. Guidelines for grant submissions are also available. Email completed applications to Laura White or deliver to the APC box in the office. Grant applications are due by noon on Friday, Feb 21
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Visitors on Campus
In our continuing effort to tighten up our campus security, all visitors arriving to Acalanes need to come directly to the attendance office to sign into our visitor's log and pick up a white visitors sticker. This includes all frequent visitors as well as parents with or without an appointment. If you are visiting any of the following offices: counseling office, principal's office, college and career center, classrooms, and parents who are attending IEP or 504 meetings, our staff will be looking for your white badges to indicate you've checked in.
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Wellness Center
This week’s blurb brought to you by the leadership of the BC2M (Bring Change To Mind) club: We are a nationally-affiliated club focused on building awareness of and de-stigmatizing mental illness.Our goal is to create a stronger support system that recognizes that all ranges of mental health are normal! We would appreciate your help in promoting our club and our projects. We are currently working on securing a well-known suicide survivor public speaker (Kevin Hines) to talk to students and the greater community about mental health. We meet Wednesdays at lunch in the Wellness Center. It’s a positive and welcoming environment and most meetings include fun activities and projects. Follow us on Instagram: bringchange2mindacalanes
~Alara, Anna, Claudia, Emily, Kael, Katya and Sadie (CS)
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General Announcements
Mark your calendar and get to Chipotle on Tuesday, Feb 4 between 4-8pm. You’ll be supporting sophomore Dons and making dinner plans a snap!
Feb 10-12 Gotta Getta Gram! Encourage your Don to show a fellow classmate or faculty member they care by purchasing a Grateful Gram on campus between Feb 10-12. Visit the Freshman Class section below for details.
Don’t forget to look at AHS’s February’s Dons Show Up calendar!
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Wellness Center
We were planning to focus on the Eight Sources of a Meaningful Life but are postponing in light of the need to talk about sleep-- officially a public health crisis per the Centers for Disease Control. No aspect of wellbeing can be achieved without adequate sleep. We’ve all heard the requirement for adolescent sleep (not “time spent in bed”) is 9-10 hours. We have yet to meet a student who reflects they are achieving the low end of that range. For more information on this subject, search Cal professor and sleep expert, Dr. Matthew Walker. He provides immediately actionable steps for reducing “time spent trying to fall asleep.” We’re already implementing some of these with our own families. And when you notice your student is dis-regulated, flip the script: before trying to problem-solve, ask how much sleep they got and encourage curiosity about how they feel physically, emotionally and cognitively when they don’t get enough sleep.
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Week of 2/3 Update
Wednesday, Feb 5 at 8am, and Friday, Feb 7 at 8:30am: Parent Naviance Workshops for Juniors
Sign up today using the links below. There is a 20 person limit for each event.- Feb. 5 sign up (location: Collaboration Center)
- Feb. 7 sign up (location: College and Career Counseling Office (CCC))
Sunday, Feb 23 Gap Year Fair from 1-4p at Athenian High School Register here.
Thursday, Feb 27 Out of State College Fair at 6:30p, Miramonte HS No sign up needed.
Saturday, Feb 29 SAT Mock Exam at 9am in CCC Cost is $35.00. Sign up here.
Scholarship Opportunity Scholarships are posted on the board in the CCC so stop by and check for new information. Students with a minimum of a 3.3 GPA and maximum EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) of $20,000 can apply for the Rossmoor Scholarship, a $3,000 award. Applications due by Feb 4. Info available on the Rossmoor Scholarship Foundation Home Page.
Seniors Please update Naviance as you continue to hear results from your college applications. Stop by the CCC to share your successes and add a marble to the jar for each accepted application. When you have committed to your school, you can also make a flag for our board!
Juniors Sign up for academy to learn how to research colleges and start personal assessments. You must attend one academy before setting up a 1:1 appointment. Please stop by the CCC with any questions.
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College & Career
The spring application period for CSF started yesterday, Feb 1. Students in grades 10-12 should apply. Seniors who have been members in the past need to apply this time! CSF rules state that one of the qualifying semesters has to be grades earned in senior year. More info here.
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School Nurse
February is American Heart Month.
Wednesday, Feb 5 at 3:15pm
Please join Dvora Citron, RN MS, Acalanes School Nurse in the Acalanes Collaboration Center for A Dialogue on Moving Towards Plant-Based Eating for Heart Health. This is appropriate for anyone with a heart – students, staff and parents! Please respond here to attend. -
Two New VAPA Courses
There are two new options in the course catalogue for the 2020-2021 school year:
- Voice Experimental Lab For those that want to discover their voices. Students learn healthy vocal technique, then choose the songs they want to learn in a masterclass format.
- Survey of Popular Music Students learn about the roots of American popular music and how it evolved from the late 19th century to today. It covers how Pop music influenced and responded to society and the ever changing aesthetics of our culture.
Both classes are open to grades 9 through 12. FAQ’s sheets are available in the Counseling office or you can email Mr. Lengacher.
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Co-Presidents’ Message
It was wonderful to see so many students and parents at the 2020-21 Course Preview & Open House last week. Special thanks to our APC Hospitality Team led by Marlene Peacock and Kim Siegal for their creative “Love Lafayette” themed reception and our APC board members who were on hand to welcome incoming freshman families.
All freshmen, sophomores and juniors will have a brief meeting with the counselors this week to confirm their fall schedules. It’s a great chance for your student ask any final questions they may have about which classes to take before finalizing their schedule.
Finally, we’d like to call your attention to the Wellness section of the website. If you haven’t yet stumbled upon it, the Wellness staff shares insightful information each week regarding how to support your student as they deal with the pressures of high school. This week, they highlight the value of sleep. While we all know how important sleep is for our kids, the message is a good reminder of how much they actually need to succeed.
Dawn Brightbill and Sarah Cusumano
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Visitors on Campus
In our continuing effort to tighten up our campus security, all visitors arriving to Acalanes need to come directly to the attendance office to sign into our visitor's log and pick up a white visitors sticker. This includes all frequent visitors as well as parents with or without an appointment. If you are visiting any of the following offices: counseling office, principal's office, college and career center, classrooms, and parents who are attending IEP or 504 meetings, our staff will be looking for your white badges to indicate you've checked in.
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Co-Presidents Message
If you have a Sophomore or Junior, we hope that they came home and told you all about the exciting Breaking Down the Walls Program they participated in last week. It is consistently one of the most talked about programs on campus by students, teachers, counselors and AHS administrators. Here’s just one takeaway from a student:
"Breaking Down the Walls makes our school more of a community and I was able to connect with people I normally couldn't of otherwise and today, I realized that I am never alone.”
Ask your sophomore or junior for input if they have yet to share their thoughts about the day. Thanks to your contributions, APC funds this valuable program.
We look forward to seeing lots of students and parents at the Acalanes Course Preview & Open House this Thursday! This is a worthwhile event for any current 8th graders, freshmen, sophomores and juniors to help guide students with their 2020-21 course selections. You can find more information in our General Announcements below. If you’re able to make it, please stop by the APC Reception in front of the Main Gym starting at 5:30 to grab a hot cocoa on your way to learn more about the various course pathways and course offerings. We hope to see you on Thursday evening!
Dawn Brightbill and Sarah Cusumano
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