Weekly News & Announcements

LPIE

TOM MULVANEY LEGACY AWARD
LPIE is proud to announce a call for nominations for the Tom Mulvaney Legacy Award! Please click here to submit a nomination. Nominations are due by Thursday, Jan 25 at midnight. The winner will be announced Saturday, Mar 9 at LPIE's 6th Annual Gala.

LPIE GALA RAFFLE TICKETS
It’s not too late to win a trip to Cabo, Las Vegas, or Tuscany, but there are less than ten tickets left! Click here to request a ticket. The winner will be announced at the 6th Annual LPIE Gala on Mar 9. (You do NOT need to be present to win!)
 
PROJECT LPIE
Don’t miss your chance to participate in Project LPIE! Open to all Acalanes High School students, this competition is an annual event that showcases students' project-based learning. With 15 categories in a variety of disciplines, the contest is open to any AHS student. Awards will be given in every category and announced at our in-person awards ceremony in February. Click here to register today!  

Jocelyn Werner and Jaime Roder, Acalanes LPIE School Chairs
www.lpie.org, Follow us on Instagram

Sports

This week’s can’t miss events:
Boys soccer
Tuesday, Jan 16 host College Park HS. Frosh at 4pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:15pm.
Thursday, Jan 18 Frosh host Berkeley HS at 5pm.
Saturday, Jan 20 host Alameda HS. JV at 11am and Varsity at 1pm.
 
Girls soccer
Tuesday, Jan 16 at College Park HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Saturday, Jan 20 Frosh-Soph host Las Lomas HS at 9am and play at Campolindo HS at 2pm.
 
Girls basketball
Wednesday, Jan 17 host Alhambra HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Friday, Jan 19 host Campolindo HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
 
Boys basketball
Monday, Jan 15 at Bishop O’Dowd HS. Frosh at 4pm and JV at 5:30pm.
Wednesday, Jan 17 at Alhambra HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 6pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
Friday, Jan 19 at Campolindo HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 6pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
 
Wrestling
Tuesday, Jan 16 at Mt. Diablo HS at 5pm.
Saturday, Jan 20 San Ramon Valley Invitational and Livermore JV Barn Burner.
 
You may view the 2023-2024 Athletic Update by clicking HERE.

APC in Action

JANUARY DONS DIALOGUE - SAVE THE DATE
Please join us for the first Dons Dialogue of 2024. Friday, Jan 19 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center. We will hear from Principal Shawn and other Acalanes Staff members plus time for open Q&A. The detailed agenda will be released in the APC Newsletter next week.
Coffee and teats will be served!

FINALS FUEL IN ACTION!
Thank you to all the families that contributed snacks, funds or time to hand out fun snacks and encouraging words to all our students between exams. This is a special Acalanes tradition and one of the best volunteer roles on campus. If you missed your opportunity to help this winter, don’t worry Finals Fuel will be back in the spring.
Special thanks to our APC Co-Chairs Stephanie Asadorian and Regan Scovic!

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Jan 13: Korean American Day
• Jan 15: Martin Luther King Jr Day
• Jan 16: National Day of Racial Healing
• Jan 25: Mahayana New Year
• Jan 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The DEI committee hopes everyone had a wonderful break and is excited to learn more about one another in the new year! Please reach out if you have any suggestions for upcoming newsletter updates.
 
Korean American Day is on Jan 13 and commemorates the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States in 1903. The day also honors the Korean American's immense contributions to every aspect of society.
 
Some exciting news for the upcoming school year…the AUHSD school board unanimously approved AP African American Studies as a course offering for 10th-12th graders starting in the 2024-2025 school year. The course is an accessible AP course, providing students with an in-depth look into African American history and culture. The course was piloted at schools across the US for two years and is now available to all interested schools. AHS teachers Bruno Moreland, James Munoz and Joe Schottland originally proposed the course, which was approved by all sites. For in depth information on the course and its framework, parents can view the 2024-2025 course at AP Central.AUHSD teachers who teach the course will be provided training from the College Board, which typically happens in the spring and summer. We are very excited about this new addition to our AUHSD course catalog!
 
If you’d like to be a part of the upcoming 2024 celebrations, such as Black Excellence Month and Lunar New Year, please contact the DEIB committee here. And follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Student Activities

Welcome back to 2nd semester and 2024! Students have some fun things planned for the month of January!
 
Club Applications
Did your student want to start a club in the fall but didn’t get the chance? Now is the opportunity! Applications are available Jan 9 and due Jan 16. A google form application is in the daily bulletin and on canvas.
 
Tuesday Night Basketball: Wear Blue!
First day of school and we plan to show out to boys basketball in our BLUE CREW shirts to cheer them on as they take on Clayton Valley. Need a blue crew shirt? They will be available to purchase out front for $2. See you in the Chris Huber gym!
 
Preview of upcoming events:

• Jan 19: Spring Club Day at lunch
• Jan 22: Leadership applications available for 2024-2025 school year
• Jan 22 & 24: Class Cup Trivia at lunch
• Jan 26: Senior Breakfast (7:30am), Senior Speaker Series (academy) and a lunchtime rally for students and community (lunch). All are invited to attend the lunchtime rally to recognize our fall sports and highlight our winter athletes!
• Jan 31: Staff/Student Trivia
• A whole lot more!

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

College & Career

Seniors

• FAFSA webinar: This Thursday, Jan 11 at 6:30pm PT, CAP will host a FAFSA presentation. Click here to register. During the webinar, financial aid experts will discuss:
  • 2024 FAFSA changes and how they'll impact your family
  • How (and who!) to login/access the FAFSA
  • How to complete and submit the FAFSA
  • Who requires the FAFSA and when they are due
  • How the FAFSA changes impact your application process
  • Why everyone should complete the FAFSA
  • What business owners & split household families need to know
• Community College Support: Send your student to discuss community college opportunities and majors. Mark your calendars: DVC will be visiting on Wednesday, Feb 7 for an admissions presentation during academy in the library.
• Assistance League of Diablo Valley Scholarships: If your family has financial limitations, there are several local scholarships available. Apply here by Wednesday, Mar 24.

Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support.

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer  
En-Kr Erika Vasquez
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
Roh-Z Susan Martin
 
Course selection for 2024-2025 school year is coming! Counselors will be visiting 9th, 10th and 11th grade classrooms later this month to discuss the course selection process with students and hand out forms.

Frosh/Soph Parent Night All 9th and 10th grade parents are invited to an evening with Erika Vasquez and Marissa Meadows, two of our AHS Counselors, who will present information about the course selection process that parents should know. Please come to the library on Jan 18 at 6:30pm for this informative event! 

School Nurse

“It’s never too late–or too early–to start living healthier lives.”
Michael Greger, MD, FACLM  Founder, NutritionFacts.org
 
Happy 2024!

See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
DvoraCitron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128,
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​SchoolNurseWebsite

LPIE

Project LPIE 2024 is here! Open to all Acalanes High School students, this competition is an annual event that showcases students for their project-based learning. With 15 categories in a variety of disciplines, the contest is open to any AHS student. Awards will be given in every category and announced at our in-person awards ceremony in February. The timeline:

• Tuesday, Jan 23 - Projects due
• Friday, Feb 23 - Winners announced & reception at the Lafayette Library

Please refer to the Project LPIE Webpage for more specific information

LPIE Pay-to-Plays
Tickets for LPIE's Pay-to-Play Parties are on sale NOW! Don’t miss your chance to go to a Toga Party, a Family Friendly Fiesta, or a school based Light Up Fitness class. These parties are hosted by generous Lafayette families and enable you to support our schools while having fun! Click HERE to buy your tickets today!

Jocelyn Werner and Jaime Roder, Acalanes LPIE School Chairs
www.lpie.org, Follow us on Instagram

Sports

This week’s can’t miss events:
Boys basketball
Tuesday, Jan 9 host Clayton Valley Charter HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 6pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
Thursday, Jan 11 Frosh at Miramonte HS at 4:30pm.
Saturday, Jan 13 at Benicia HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 6pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
 
Girls basketball
Tuesday, Jan 9 at Clayton Valley Charter HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Saturday, Jan 13 host Benicia HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
 
Boys soccer
Tuesday, Jan 9 host Clayton Valley Charter HS. Frosh at 4pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:15pm.
Thursday, Jan 11 at Concord HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Saturday, Jan 13 host Deer Valley HS. Frosh at 9am, JV at 11am and Varsity at 1pm.
 
Girls soccer
Tuesday, Jan 9 at Clayton Valley Charter HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Thursday, Jan 11 host Concord HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
 
Wrestling
Wednesday, Jan 10 host Campolindo HS and Concord HS at 5pm.
Saturday, Jan 13 Mat Classic at Granada HS.
Saturday, Jan 13 Lady Grizzly Classic at San Lorenzo HS.
 
You may view the 2023-2024 Athletic Update by clicking HERE.

Finals Prep

Finals week is here! Tomorrow, Dec 18 is the regular class schedule and then the finals schedule begins on Tuesday, Dec 19 through Friday, Dec 22:


 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS:

• Teacher Office Hours: Tuesday, Dec 19 from 8:30-10:20am during 0 period final.
• Peer Tutoring:  Finals Week Hours
  • Monday, Dec 18, regular hours (academy, lunch, 7th Period and 1 hour after final school bell).
  • Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Dec 19-21) from 12:50-3pm.

• Wellness Center:  Finals Week Hours
  • Monday, Dec 18, regular hours (8am-4pm).
  • Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday, Friday (Dec 19-22) from 8am-1pm.

• Acalanes Library:  Finals Week Hours
  • Monday, Dec 18, regular hours (7:30am-5pm).
  • Tuesday (Dec 19) and Thursday (Dec 21) from 7:30am-3pm.
  • Wednesday (Dec 20) and Friday (Dec 22) from 7:30am-1pm.

Check out our Finals Prep Webpage for more information and resources!

APC in Action

Finals Fuel -  we’re almost there!
Thank you to all the families who have already contributed. We are close, but still need some more help to pull off this beloved Acalanes/APC tradition.

Help our students finish strong by providing snacks in between their finals. You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:

• Purchase snacks now and deliver to a residence near AHS
• Purchase snacks from our 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, Dec 19 - Friday, Dec 22

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

JUNE 2024 TRIP TO FRANCE & SWITZERLAND
Looking for the holiday gift that your child will remember for the rest of their lives? Give the gift of travel! Acalanes staff are taking students on a trip to Europe this summer. Students of any age can attend! The only requirement is an interest in travel! This summer we are going to France and Switzerland. This trip has a little bit of everything - ancient/historical sites, relaxing beaches, awe-inspiring locations, amazing food, and a once-in-a-lifetime bonding experience with your Acalanes peers. Final deadline to sign up is Thursday, Feb 15!
 
For anyone interested in going on the Europe trip this summer, please follow this link to preview the trip and to register:  June 2024 Trip to France & Switzerland!
 
GARDEN UPDATE
We are plugging away with our garden projects! During our last work day on Dec 3 we dug out the old soil in the raised beds, started installing hardware cloth (to gopher proof them) and made a prototype bed. Our next work party is Sunday, Jan 21 when we plan to add gravel to the meditation garden, finish the hardware cloth installation and replace the soil into the beds. We also have a workday on Sunday, Feb 4 when we plan to add more garden soil to top off the newly raised beds. This will set us up for planting in the spring. While all of this is happening, the garden club has been meeting weekly during lunch. We have been planning work days and in January, we will turn our focus to planning and then planting our seeds for our spring planting.

Thanks for all the support! Our APC grant is paying for the gravel for the meditation garden and a generous parent has helped us with a grow stand, as well as raised beds supplies and refurbishing. We still have a few items on our wish list here if you’d like to help.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Lori Tewksbury (LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org; room 201).  Happy Holidays!!