Weekly News & Announcements

Wellness Center

The Acalanes Wellness Center is off to a great start as we wrapped up the first quarter. We have already had 550 visits to the Center this year including students seeking mental health support, stopping by for a cool down, and taking advantage of our space for activities or study hall during academy. We love providing a safe space for your students to get the support they need while they are here at school. If you are ever concerned about your child or their peers, please do not hesitate to submit a referral for Wellness services using this link. We will follow up with each student that gets referred within one week of the submission. Please do keep in mind that all services provided through the Wellness Center are completely voluntary.

Performing & Visual Arts

Join us for a celebration of jazz music at the Fall Jazz Concert on Thursday, Nov 20 at 6:30pm in the Performing Arts Center! The concert will feature the Stanley Jazz Messengers, the Acalanes Jazz Combos as well as the Acalanes Jazz Ensemble. Join us to support our talented musicians from both Stanley and Acalanes!

LPIE

Join us for LPIE's 2nd Annual Community Crawl on Saturday, Nov 15 from 10am to 2 pm


LPIE Gala "Punchlines with Purpose" Tickets on Sale at 6:00am on Thursday, Nov 6!
For the first time ever, the LPIE Gala will feature a nationally acclaimed headliner—comedian Tom Papa, one of the top comedic voices in the country. With more than 20 years on stage and six stand-up specials—including his latest Netflix special Tom Papa: Home Free—Tom brings humor, heart, and perspective on life, family, and everything in between. His sharp wit and warmth have made him a favorite on Netflix, SiriusXM, and stages across the nation.
Funds raised through this event directly benefit our students by supporting exceptional programs in science, art, music, technology, electives, AP classes, and classroom support—programs that simply wouldn’t exist without community funding.
 
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind night! Tables and tickets are limited, and this year’s event will sell out quickly.

Sports

*The game schedule 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:

Flag football
Tuesday, Nov 4 NCS Semifinal.
Thursday, Nov 6 NCS Championship.

Girls volleyball
Wednesday, Nov 5 NCS Semifinal.
Saturday, Nov 8 NCS Championship.

Boys water polo
Wednesday, Nov 5 NCS Playoff First Round.
Saturday, Nov 8 NCS Quarterfinal.

Tackle football
Thursday, Nov 6 Freshman host San Leandro HS at 5:00pm.
Friday, Nov 7 at Las Lomas HS. JV at 4:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.

Cross country
Saturday, Nov 8 DAL Championship at Hidden Valley Park at 1:00pm.

Girls water polo
Saturday, Nov 8 NCS Semifinal.

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

APC in Action

APC Grants Have Been Awarded – Fall ‘25
A heartfelt thank you to all the teachers, students, and staff who submitted proposals for an APC Fall Grant. These grants are made possible through the generous donations of our Acalanes parents—we are truly grateful for your continued support! We are pleased to announce the following grants have been awarded this fall:

• Acalanes Leadership – Tri-Valley Leadership Conference (TVLC):
  Leadership students will once again represent Acalanes at the annual Tri-Valley Leadership Conference, where student leaders from fifteen Bay Area high schools come together to learn, exchange ideas, and celebrate their shared commitment to leadership and community.
• World Language – Peña Pachamama Cultural Experience:
  An evening field trip to Peña Pachamama in San Francisco offers Spanish students a vibrant cultural experience featuring South American food, live music, and dance, providing a meaningful cultural enrichment opportunity during Hispanic Heritage Month.
• STEM-inist Club:
  The Acalanes STEM-inist Club is working to expand its efforts to inspire and empower young women in science, technology, engineering, and math. APC will help fund a speaker series featuring women in underrepresented industries, volunteering at the AAUW Girls in STEM Conference, and field trips to explore college and career pathways in STEM.
• Writing Support Pilot Program:
  A new pilot program in our Social Studies classes will introduce Class Companion, an AI-based writing feedback tool designed to help freshmen and sophomores strengthen their writing skills.

Congratulations to all of our Fall 2025 APC Grant recipients for their creativity, innovation, and dedication to enriching the Acalanes student experience!

Campus Culture Committee

As we continue the 2025–2026 school year, the Campus Culture Committee (CCC) is focused on building a stronger parent support system for all student groups on campus. We’re also working closely with staff on issues that impact our students.

We recognize that supporting our students starts with supporting parents, which is why part of our mission is to ensure parents feel cared for through mental health and wellness support. This year, we launched a 3-Part Wellness Workshop Series, which began in September and continues with Part 2 during our November in-person meeting.

During our Oct 20 meeting, we planned for our next Parent Wellness Session (to be held on Nov 17) and shared that a third session will take place in Spring 2026. Katherine Walton provided an update on student clubs and activities, the group noted that many clubs do not have the same support as ASB. The group discussed creating a leadership skills checklist to help student club leaders grow and succeed.
A school board member also joined us to review the new district trustee map, summarizing the district vote and explaining the goal of providing greater voice to minority communities while maintaining cohesive elementary school areas. We appreciate her willingness to clarify and answer questions about this process.

Our Wellness Coordinator, Patrick Turner (pturner@auhsdschools.org), provided an update on the Acalanes Wellness Center and the services available to our students.
The Wellness Center is off to a strong start this year, wrapping up the first quarter with 550 student visits—for mental health support, a cool-down break, or use of the space for activities or study hall during Academy. If you’re ever concerned about your student or their peers, please don’t hesitate to submit a Wellness Referral. The AHS Wellness team follows up with each referred student within a week, and all services are completely voluntary.

 Campus Culture Committee – October Highlights & Upcoming MeetingsOctober & November Days to Remember

• All October: LGBTQ History Month
• All October: Filipino American History Month
• November 1: All Saints’ Day – honoring all saints, known and unknown
• November 1-2: Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) – celebrating the lives and memories of loved ones who have passed.

Join Us Monthly! (In-Person & Virtual Meetings)
Meeting Schedule | 6:00–7:30pm

• Nov 17 – In-Person: Part 2 of the Wellness Workshop Series
• Dec – No Meeting
• Jan 12 – Virtual
• Feb 9 – In-Person
• Mar 16 – Virtual
• Apr 20 – In-Person (Final Meeting)
• May – No Meeting

If you’d like to get involved, please email us at diversityandinclusion@acalanesparentsclub.com. All are welcome!

Reminder: Acalanes is a No Hate Zone
If your student experiences hate or bias, please encourage them to use the Bias Incident Reporting Tool (BIRT) available on the AHS website.
Submit a BIRT Report Here »

Student Activities

Unified Soccer – Monday @ lunch
Please encourage your student to go to the stadium at lunch on Monday to watch Unified Soccer. We want to pack the stadium as we cheer on & support our Unified Soccer team in the same way that we show up to Friday Night Lights.

BIG 10 this week: Flag Football & Girls Water Polo

Flag football begins their playoff run Tuesday evening & we are inviting you out to watch! Bring a blanket, bring your spirit, & let’s root on our team.
Did you know that our girls waterpolo team is ranked #3 in the COUNTRY? They begin their playoff run on Thursday at 5:00pm at home. Come watch this INCREDIBLE team!

Blood Drive – Oct 29
Acalanes is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross and we have appointment times from 8:00am-1:45pm. Give blood and treat yourself! In addition to donating (and there is a critical need right now), donors will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. Sign up here!
 
Friday is Halloween! We’ll kick off the day with our last morning rally followed by Trunk-or-Treat at lunch! Thanks to Zoonies for their donation of 5,000 pieces of candy!
 
In the evening, we have Friday Night Lights. Come out dressed in black or a costume for Senior Night, followed by the football game vs. Clayton Valley.
 
Class Cup Volleyball
Come out and support your classmates on Nov 3, 5, and 7 for this year’s Class Cup Volleyball Tournament! Games will take place in the Big Gym at lunch and will feature a single set of 6v6 indoor volleyball. Show out to cheer your grade on and watch the action!
 
If you want to sign up to help your grade take home the dub- fill out this form!

College & Career