Weekly News & Announcements

College & Career

Seniors: Please come by the College and Career Center during 6th, 7th, academy, lunch and/or brunch to work on your common application and UC application. Tips and strategies provided during all sessions. MaiaLearning tutorials are also provided at each visit. Great tips here!
 
Sports Recruiting Presentation: Acalanes is hosting a presentation for families of student athletes. This will be held on Monday, Sep 9 at 7pm in the PAC. Students and parents of all grades and sports are welcome to attend. For more information, click here.
 
Frosh, Sophomores, Juniors Out-of-State College Fair:
When: Thursday, Sep 5, 6-8pm
Where: Las Lomas Library
Join the Las Lomas College & Career Center for an out-of-state college fair on Sep 5 at 6pm. This is an excellent opportunity to meet public and private out-of-state college admissions officers. The program will include short presentations, including one on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) scholarship program.
Please sign up for the fair HERE.

PRACTICE SAT/PSAT/ACT: Our testing partner, Revolution Prep, is offering a free PSAT practice test on Sep 7, SAT practice test on Sep 21 and ACT practice test on Sep 14. Click here to learn more and register.

Frosh students can join a free webinar led by Revolution Prep on 3 Essential Skills Your Student Needs to Kickstart their School Year on Sep 24 at 5pm.

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by student last name:
A-F Anne Schonauer  
G-Ka Erika Vasquez
Ke-Re Marissa Meadows 
Rh-Z Susan Martin

CLASS SCHEDULES Students can now only drop a class, they can’t add any new classes. Students can drop a 1st or last class of the day for an Off Campus, or they can drop a class and add a TA that period. The deadline to drop a class is the end of the first quarter, Friday, Oct 11. After this date, any class dropped will receive an automatic F grade. 
 
CLASS VISITS Counselors will be visiting Chemistry classes this week to present to sophomores. We will provide them with a transcript, and walk them through some things they should be aware of as they start 10th grade!
 
INDIVIDUAL SENIOR APPOINTMENTS Counselors will start seeing seniors individually starting the week of Sep 9. During these appointments, we will look at Maia, talk about schools and deadlines, discuss documents needed, and come up with a to-do list for you/your student, if they need one.
 
SENIOR PARENT NIGHT
Thursday, Sep 5, from 6:30-7:30pm in the Acalanes Library.
Join us for important information about post high school planning with Counselor, Anne Schonauer and College & Career Center Advisor, Debbie Levy.

School Nurse

What’s new with COVID? Parents, we still want you to call the attendance office to report Covid, as we are still required to report cases. However, we are now considering Covid as any other respiratory illness: students and staff can come back if, for 24 hours, their symptoms are getting better overall and they have not had a fever (without taking fever-reducing medication). You can read these CDPH Guidelines: Considerations when a Child has Symptoms of Illness in Child Care or School.

Just a reminder to make sure your student has healthy food/snacks and water with them to nourish and fuel them during the school day.

You can access the medical forms page HERE or use the QR code below.

My office hours are:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and some* Thursdays
Tuesdays & Thursdays:  8am - 3:50pm
Wednesdays:  7:30am - 3:20pm

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.
 
Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Performing & Visual Arts

Concert Wear Donations Needed
Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of our talented Acalanes musicians? We're seeking donations of gently-used concert attire to ensure that every student can look their best for upcoming performances.
Our current inventory of loaner attire is running low, so if you have any of the following items that your student has outgrown or no longer wears, please consider donating them to our Instrumental Music Concert Attire Closet (website):

• Black concert dress (from the past 4-5 years)
• Black tuxedos/suits
• Black jackets
• Black dress pants, black skirts (below knee)
• White, black, french blue button-down dress shirts
• White, black, french blue sleeved blouses
• Black ties (bow or regular)
• Black dress shoes

Your generosity helps to ensure that every musician has the opportunity to shine on stage!
Please bring the clothes to the AHS music/band room. If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Christie or info@ahsperformingarts.org.
 
Acalanes Performing Arts Boosters Update
We hope you enjoyed the phenomenal Acalanes Jazz Ensemble and Acalanes Choir at the Back to School Night reception on Thursday. This was the kick-off for this year’s performances of our talented musicians, actors and choralists. The general performance calendar is here and the Instrumental Music calendar is here. Your donations support extracurricular performance programs -- if you didn’t get a chance to donate, you still can here!

LPIE

26th Annual Lafayette Art and Wine Festival- join us on Saturday, Sep 21 from 10am-7pm and Sunday, Sep 22 from 10am-6pm
Did you know that the Art & Wine Festival is a fundraiser for the City of Lafayette and that LPIE is the largest beneficiary? Did you know that the people who work the ticket booth are volunteers? Come have some fun and help LPIE at the same time by staffing the festival ticket booth and/or the LPIE booth. Click HERE to sign and show your support for our schools!

Sports

*The game schedule below reflects dates and times as of last Friday. Games may change for several reasons, including weather. If you have questions or comments, please contact Acalanes Sports Boosters.

This week’s can’t miss events:

Girls volleyball
Tuesday, Sep 3 host Monte Vista HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Wednesday, Sep 4 at Moreau Catholic HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Saturday, Sep 7 Frosh Sonoma Valley tournament.
 
Girls golf
Tuesday, Sep 3 v. Las Lomas HS at 5:30pm.
 
Flag football
Wednesday, Sep 3 at San Marin HS at 5pm.
Saturday, Sep 7 Alameda HS and Heritage HS at Heritage HS at 9am.
 
Boys water polo
Wednesday, Sep 4 host El Cerrito HS. Varsity at 6pm and JV at 7pm.
Thursday, Sep 5 host Marin Catholic HS. JV at 4pm and Varsity at 5pm.
 
Girls water polo
Friday, Sep 6 and Saturday, Sep 7 Acalanes Invitational.
 
Football
Thursday, Sep 5 Frosh host Dublin HS at 5pm.
Friday, Sep 6 host Mt. Diablo HS. JV at 4:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
 
Cross country
Saturday, Sep 7 St. Mary’s Invitational at St. Mary’s College.

You may view the full 2024-2025 Athletic Schedule by clicking HERE.

General Administration Announcements

Acalanes Back to School Night (BTSN) is this Thursday, Aug 29 from 5:15-8pm!

Please plan to join at 5:15pm in the front quad for a parent and staff reception hosted by the Acalanes Parents Club (APC). Principal Shawn will share some remarks around 5:30pm and classroom visits start at 6pm.

As mentioned above, this evening is for us, the parents/caregivers, to experience what our students experience each and every school day - you don’t want to miss it!
Important Reminder: be sure to print the BTSN Program here and write down your student’s schedule and room numbers so you know where to go! Print and fold like a book.

Driver Etiquette at the New Raised Crosswalk on Stanley Boulevard
The City of Lafayette recently completed construction of the raised crosswalk on Stanley Boulevard near AHS. A raised crosswalk is a ramped speed table spanning the entire width of the roadway and acts as a traffic calming measure that allows pedestrians to cross at grade with the adjacent sidewalk. In addition, the new crosswalk includes flashing beacons that are activated by a push button to alert drivers of pedestrians crossing it.

This serves as a friendly reminder that drivers must yield to pedestrians and stop at the yield markings (sometimes called “shark teeth” markings) when pedestrians are crossing or preparing to cross. Drivers should not block the crosswalk when waiting for the traffic to move.

APC in Action

August APC Dons Dialogue - View the Slides!
Thank you to all who attended our first Dons Dialogue of the school year on Friday, Aug 23. We had a packed room. This month's topics included an overview of new staff, Challenge Success results, technology, athletic PE and a student activities report. If you were not able to attend, here are the slides from the discussion.

*ATHLETIC PE: Please click here to download the Contract and Weekly Timecard discussed by Coach Ivankovich for Athletic PE.

Thank you to our APC Hospitality Co-Chairs, Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi, for providing the welcoming coffee and treats! The next Dons Dialogue will be on Friday, Sept 20.  Click here for the full schedule of upcoming Dons Dialogues.

Peer Tutoring is Now Open!
We welcome Bill Powers as our new Co-Director, who joins Angela Ketcham, along with another outstanding Peer Tutoring staff!
 
Peer Tutoring aims to better the educational, social and emotional well-being of all Acalanes High School students and support them in developing the skills necessary to succeed in academics and life post high school.
 
We are open and ready to welcome students in Room 107. Students can drop-in to receive help from junior and senior student tutors in any AHS academic subject, or just come in to do homework, read or study.
 
We are thankful to the Acalanes Parents Club for continuing to fully fund and support this program.
 
Hours of operation: Everyday @ lunch, Monday & Wednesday @ academy, 7th period, and every day after school for 1 hour after the last school bell rings.
 
Please Consider Volunteering!
If you are looking for fun, easy ways to support our Dons, APC has a wide variety of events throughout the calendar year. The snack shack during football games, community support at the Lafayette Food & Wine Fest and ResRun, passing out snacks during finals weeks, and new volunteer events geared for Dons Dads only are just a few APC volunteer opportunities. Please check out our full list and sign up today - and don’t forget to invite your friends to join you!
 
Thank you APC Volunteers!
APC welcomed AHS staff back to school with coffee and bagels to kick off the school year. A big shout out to Stacey Hastings and Dominique Mickelson, our Staff Appreciation Coordinators, for organizing such a fun event for our staff! Your donations to APC help make these staff appreciation events possible. Thank you!!!

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

What is ACA You Ask?
Not only is “ACA” short for “Acalanes,” it is also the overarching, unifying theme that we at Acalanes High School represent on and off campus. Simply put, ACA (Acalanes Community Always) represents:

• Connectivity between Acalanes students, teachers, staff members, alumni and the greater Lafayette community
• Spirit and unity

These are characteristics that we all share as part of the Acalanes family, both during our time at Acalanes, and beyond as alumni. Our ACA spirit is on display daily in and outside of the classroom, and within our athletics, performing arts, student government, clubs, and Acalanes support organizations. We look forward to supporting ongoing programming that continues to build school spirit and supports our community and each other!
ACA Student Discounts!

As part of your student’s ASB card purchase, your student can get discounts or freebies at some favorite local business, such as

• Diablo Foods
• Johnny’s Donuts
• Local Kitchens
• Sideboard
• And more!

Your student just needs to show their ASB card at checkout. See the full list of discounts here! There is still time to purchase the ASB card in the Acalanes Webstore, this money drives student activities at Acalanes.

Lamorinda Back-2-School Promotion
Eat and shop locally this back-to-school season! In addition to the above Acalanes ASB program, the Lafayette Chamber has curated a list of fan-favorite spots all around Lamorinda offering discounts to students in the months of August and September. All your student has to do is show their student ID at checkout (or call for appointments) to receive the discounts. Click here to see all participating businesses.
*This is a separate program from our beloved ASB program above.
 
AHS Garden Update
The AHS garden is coming along!  We met weekly over the summer to harvest tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers - all that we planted last spring. We continue to harvest during our weekly garden club meetings and will soon start to plan our winter garden.
 
Thank you to our Lafayette Community Garden partners Janet Thomas, Jeannie Hill, and Pam Winther who made a special trip to weed and tidy up the meditation garden so it would be ready when students returned. Also thank you to APC for weeding during their clean up day. It really does take a village!

We have our first work day of the school year TODAY, Sunday Aug 25, until 2pm.
Thanks for all of your support!  If you have any questions, please reach out.

Lori (Ms. Tewksbury)
LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Important Dates This Month:
Aug 26: First General DEIB Committee meeting
Aug 26: Women’s Equality Day
 
It’s Here!! Our first general DEIB Committee meeting! Please join us in the Collaboration Center on Monday, Aug 26 at 6pm to learn about this committee and support the students and administration in bringing an even greater sense of belonging to our school. There will be snacks and drinks and an opportunity to meet others who want everyone to feel welcome. Remember, “ALL ARE WELCOME HERE”.
 
Did you say hi to someone new yet? Did your student? How did it go? Please let us know at diversityandinclusion@acalanesparentsclub.com or DM us on Instagram or Facebook.

Student Activities

This week on campus:
Tuesday @ lunch in room 314: Any frosh who did not attend Stanley are invited to a lunch to meet other frosh and have fun!
Thursday @ lunch in room 314: Any student who transferred to Acalanes is invited to a lunch to meet other transfers and current 10th, 11th and 12th graders.
Friday @ lunch in room 314: ACA Buddies 1st event with our ESC students!
Friday @ 6pm: 1st tailgate of the year! USA theme!
 
Club Applications If your student wants to start a club this semester, they need to fill out this form (re-upped clubs from spring don't need to reapply)! It's a super easy process, but the form needs to be filled out by this THURSDAY, Aug 29. Students need to be sure to find club officers, a club advisor (teacher), and to create a constitution before filling out the club application. If they have any questions, they can email Miles Blackhart, ASB Vice-President.
 
ASB News
If you purchased an ASB sticker and it is not printed on your student’s ID, please have Studio One reprint their card when they return for picture make-up day on Oct 7.
 
If you did not purchase ASB, you can still do so on the webstore.
 
If you have purchased ASB and your student memorizes their ID number, they will use that when they go onto Go Fan to get athletic tickets and it will be free.
 
The Bookshelf Foundation club is launching a 2-week school supplies drive for children learning in Ukraine starting this week. The drive will last from Aug 19 to Sep 2. Students can bring new or gently used school supplies to the library meeting room. Notebooks, writing supplies, backpacks, water bottles, and more are all welcome! Any and all support means the world to children who are struggling to learn in the midst of war. Thank you!
 
Spiritwear
Did you order a class shirt on the webstore? We will be handing them out to students during lunch on Wednesday, Sep 4.
 
Did you order spiritwear through our online spiritwear vendor Gryco? It will arrive in mid Sep and you will receive an email with pick-up instructions.
 
Did you purchase ASB but have yet to receive your free blue shirt? Your student can come to room 314 to get it.
 
A few additional important dates:
Sep 15-21 Homecoming 2024 (HOCO Night Out tickets on sale starting this week via Go Fan!)
Apr 19: Junior & Senior Prom
 
My goal is that every student at Acalanes is connected to one activity outside of class. I am always happy to meet with students and/or parents about on campus programming and opportunities. If I can help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Activities Director

College & Career

Career Quiz: Share this link with your students. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and provides insight into career opportunities.
 
Seniors: Please come by the College and Career Center during 6th, 7th, Academy, lunch and/or brunch to work on your common application and UC application. Tips and strategies provided during all sessions. MaiaLearning tutorials are also provided at each visit. Great tips here!
 
Sports Recruiting Presentation: Acalanes is hosting a presentation for families of student athletes. This will be held on Sept 9 at 7pm in the PAC. Students and parents of all grades and sports are welcome to attend. For more information, click here.