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Acalanes Community Always (ACA)
ACALANES GARDEN - MAY UPDATE
We had a small group of kids and adults show up on Sunday, April 21 (Earth Day) to plant, weed, and set up irrigation. All of our summer crops are planted and thanks to Yuri and his son Alexey we have drip irrigation installed in all the beds! We have a small layer of straw to help with water conservation and weed suppression. The weeds are pretty fierce so we will spend the last two garden club lunch meetings weeding in the farm.
We have our summer schedule and mulch date set up. Unfortunately it is too close to the end of year to have another Sunday work party so we are planning our mulching work day on Sunday, Aug 25 when we return, and will go 9-11am to avoid the hot midday heat. We are fortunate that Ecomulch will donate the mulch that we need and only charge us a small delivery fee.
Our summer work evenings will be Tuesdays 5:30-7:30pm. We will weed, harvest, and start our "community veggie boxes" if we have a big harvest. We will meet every Tuesday except the first two weeks of July. The dates are: 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6. Either Mrs. Challacombe or myself (or both) will be there. If you think you can/want to come to any of these evenings, please sign up HERE.
Finally, we are in desperate need of cardboard and could also use new gardening tools and gloves. Please feel free to drop items off at room 201 before the year is done. If you are binging bardboard, it would be great if you could remove any tape and labels before you drop it off.
Thanks so much for all of your support. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Tewksbury (LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org) -
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
TO CELEBRATE IN MAY:
- Mental Health Awareness Month
- Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- Jewish American Heritage Month
May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Each May, hundreds of organizations and Americans of all backgrounds join together to discover, explore, and celebrate the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience from the dawn of our nation to the present day. You can learn so much by visiting the Jewish American Heritage website and checking out AUHSDs site here.
JOIN the DEIB Committee NOW for Next Year
Our ‘24/25 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process; we encourage participation. It is important that a plethora of voices and ideas are heard. We are also looking for members of our community that would like to be more involved. Time commitment and involvement is up to you but the more you do, the bigger impact you will have on our Acalanes community.
Please check out the new AUHSD DEIB website for many great resources and events! And follow us on Instagram and Facebook. -
Performing & Visual Arts
LAFAYETTE ROTARY'S GREAT MUSICIANS' FESTIVAL AT THE RES
Join the Lafayette Rotary Club on Saturday, May 18 from 11am - 3pm for this free musical festival at the iconic Lafayette Reservoir on the Rotary stage. Three bands and soloists will feature George Gershwin on the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody In Blue.
Bands include: The Big Bands of Rossmoor/Generations in Jazz, Acalanes High School Band Ensemble, Stanley Middle School Band, Campolindo High School, and Edna Davis and Roosevelt Middle Schools (Oakland).
For more information, email info@rotarylafayette.org or go to www.rotarylafayette.org.
ACALANES AND CAMPOLINDO JASS ENSEMBLES: Live at Yoshi’s!
Experience the best of high school jazz with the Campolindo and Acalanes Jazz Ensembles at Yoshi’s Jazz Club and restaurant in Oakland on Tuesday, May 28. The doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8pm. All proceeds from the performance benefit the music programs at Campolindo and Acalanes High Schools. General admission tickets are $25 each and can be purchased here. -
Student Activities
Wednesday @ lunch: Summer Bash
Encourage your student to come out to the pumpkin patch for games, food, sno cones & more to celebrate the end of year and start to summer!
Wednesday/Friday academy: Senior Grad Cap Decorating in room 314
Friday @ lunch: Last ACA Buddies of the year
Friday @ lunch: Junior Sizzle into Summer event
Sunday @ 4pm: Time of Reflection
Seniors can donate their Acalanes merch to the bin outside the front office! All proceeds from sales will go to the Class of 2028 and items can be purchased at Dons Day in August!
Acalanes summer spiritwear-store is open!
Looking for new student designed spiritwear? You can buy now through August 16 and proceeds benefit the classes of 2025, 2026, 2027 & 2028.
It’s a quiet week on campus with the start of AP exams. Good luck to all the students!
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
Katherine Walton, Activities Director -
College & Career
SENIORS:
Senior exit survey is mandatory: If your student has decided on their post high school plans, please have them log into Naviance and finish their Acalanes Senior Survey. It is the only way final transcripts will be sent to colleges.
JUNIORS:
AUHSD hosted a webinar last week for all Junior parents on the new college search platform, MaiaLearning. If you missed this webinar, you can now click HERE to view the MaiaLearning Parent Webinar.
JUNIORS, SOPHOMORES, FROSH:
Stanford University Admissions Night: May 14 from 6:30-7:30pm in the Campolindo CPAC. Open to all students, parents, and caregivers in the district. Learn about Stanford University from Admission Counselor, Neha Patel. This will be an overview of Stanford University and the programs they offer.
Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support. -
School Nurse
FUEL YOUR STUDENTS with Phytonutrients for Academic Success!
With AP exams and finals coming up, support your student’s academic success by providing them with nutrient dense food choices - they support brain health (and emotional health too!). Try to substitute processed foods and snacks with whole foods rich in these ingredients. Here’s a good resource. Let me know if you need more ideas!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 -
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 AcalanesSportsBoosters.
This week’s can’t miss events:
Boys Golf
Monday, May 13 NCS Championship at Foxtail GC, Rohnert Park.
Baseball
Tuesday, May 14 NCS first round playoff.
Friday, May 17 NCS Quarterfinal.
Softball
Tuesday, May 14 or Wednesday, May 15 NCS first round playoff.
Friday, May 17 or Saturday, May 18 NCS Quarterfinal.
Track & Field
Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 NCS Meet of Champions at Dublin HS.
You may view the full 2023-2024 Athletic Schedule by clicking HERE. -
APC in Action
ACALANES TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Acalanes Teacher Appreciation Week is here! We are providing lunch for our teachers on Friday, May 10. There are a few more spots to sign up to bring something to make their lunch extra special! Contact Staff Appreciation Co-Chairs, Stacey Hastings or Dominique Mickelson with questions
DONS DIALOGUE - Friday, May 17 at 8:30am
Please join us for our final Dons Dialogue of this school year. We will start at 8:30am with a brief general meeting to vote on our 2024-25 Board of Directors slate and then we’ll proceed with the Dons Dialogue discussion. Grab a friend and join us in the Collaboration Centter for another informative forum - coffee and treats will be served!
FINALS FUEL - For Exam Week
Finals are just around the corner…..and that means FINALS FUEL is back! During finals week we provide snacks for the students during brunch period. You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:- Purchase snacks prior to finals week and deliver to a private residence near AHS
- Purchase snacks from the Amazon wish list and items will be sent directly to a residence for transport to AHS
- Donate money and we’ll shop for you: Venmo @Stephanie-Asadorian (any amount is welcome and appreciated)
- Volunteer to hand out snacks on campus Tuesday, May 28 - Friday, May 31
You can also sign up here for shifts and food drop off here.
Reach out with any questions: reganscovic@gmail.com or stephquinn@hotmail.com Thank you in advance for your support!
Regan Scovic & Stephanie Asadorian -
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
To Celebrate in May:
- Mental Health Awareness Month
- Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- Jewish American Heritage Month
May is Asian/Pacific Heritage Month. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success. Their amazing website shows families and teachers ways to share the wonderful contributions Asian Americans have added to our culture. AUHSD’s DEI website also has videos and articles to help your family learn more.
DEI Next Year
Our ‘24/25 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process; we encourage participation. It is important that a plethora of voices and ideas are heard. We are also looking for members of our community that would like to be more involved. Time commitment and involvement is up to you but the more you do, the bigger impact you will have on our Acalanes community.To Celebrate in May:
- Mental Health Awareness Month
- Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- Jewish American Heritage Month
Mental Health Awareness Month: since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. It’s important to measure how common mental illness is, so we can understand its physical, social and financial impact - and so we can show that no one is alone. These numbers are also powerful tools for raising public awareness, stigma-busting and advocating for better health care. You can learn more about them here.
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
- 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
- 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14
DEI Next Year
Our ‘24/25 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process; we encourage participation. It is important that a plethora of voices and ideas are heard. We are also looking for members of our community that would like to be more involved. Time commitment and involvement is up to you but the more you do, the bigger impact you will have on our Acalanes community.Please check out the new AUHSD DEIB website for many great resources and events! And follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Social Media
