Weekly News & Announcements

Parents Club Pro-Tip

At our recent Dons Dialogue, we heard some valuable pro-tips from seasoned student leaders that we want to share broadly:

• Check in with your students about finals. Encourage them to take advantage of the many resources available to help study and de-stress. Visit the APC website for a reminder of resources available. You can even print the handy exam schedule here.
• Encourage your student to visit the RogerHub website to utilize their Final Grade Calculator. Some students find it helpful to calculate what score they need to achieve on their final exam in order to get the semester grade they desire in the class.

Let’s face it, finals can be a stressful time not only for our students, but also us parents, so hang in there!

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

JUNE 2024 TRIP TO FRANCE & SWITZERLANDLooking 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!

SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE:  Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.

• Upcoming Regular Meeting Date:  Thursday, Dec 14 from 5 - 6:30pm
• Special Holiday Movie Date:  Saturday, Dec 16 from 11 - 12:45pm
• Volunteers and Participants RSVP here
• (Volunteers get 2-hour community service validation per session)

To receive SEED High School updates, sign up to the High School newsletter here.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Dec 10               Human Rights Day
• Dec 7-15            Hanukkah
• Dec 25               Christmas
• Dec 26- Jan 8    Kwanza

The month of December is a time set aside by many to celebrate a variety of traditions and enjoy time with family, friends and community. If you have some information you feel is important for the DEI committee to share about a celebration you partake in, please let us know. 
 
Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication,” and is thus named because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. More information can be found here.

Contact the DEIB committee here. And follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Performing & Visual Arts

WINTER CONCERTS CONTINUE Our Winter Choral Concert is this week! Tuesday, Dec 12 7pm in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) Please join to enjoy our wonderfully talented students as we get in the holiday spirit!

Student Activities

WINTER WEEK IS HERE- A fun and supportive week as we near the end of the first semester! The schedule of events:
 
Monday
Dress-up: Pajamas
8am: Hot cocoa in the front quad
 
Tuesday
Dress-up: Any sweater, holiday or not
Lunch: Movie in 314 with snacks
7pm: Winter Choral Concert
Frosh Connect in PE classes covering final exams and tips to prepare
 
Wednesday
Dress-up: Fuzzy socks or slippers
3pm: Exam Cram in the library with peer tutors and teachers
Frosh Connect in PE classes covering final exams and tips to prepare
 
Thursday:
Dress-up: Groutfit (all gray outfit)
Lunch: Frosh finals informational meeting in the library
Last day to purchase a raffle ticket for the 2026 gift baskets

Friday:
Dress-up: Blue, White or ACA Gear
Adopt-a-Famiy drop off (either 7:15-8:30am or 10-11am in front of the small gym)
Lunch: Therapy dogs & frosh cards and candy canes
 
Class Fundraiser @ Minted
Looking to buy holiday cards or holiday gifts? Consider purchasing from Minted! You will receive 20% off and Acalanes classes of ‘24, ‘25, ‘26 and ‘27 will receive 15% back. Use the code FUNDRAISEACALANES
 
Adopt-a-Family Drop Off is THIS WEEK!
Thank you to those contributing to adopt-a-family this holiday season! Together, we are supporting over 70 families in our local community. If you opted in, please get prepared this week! We need you to drop-off your wrapped gifts this Friday, Dec 15 either from 7:15-8:30am or from 10:15-11am in front of the small gym. We take the gifts to the non-profit Friday afternoon so we must collect all gifts during those windows. See your email for more information.
 
If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to Laila Vivek at laila.vivek24@auhsdschools.org or Katherine Walton at kwalton@auhsdschools.org!
 
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.

College & Career

Seniors

• Community College Support: Send your student to discuss community college opportunities and majors. Mark your calendars: DVC will be visiting on Feb 7 2024 for an admissions presentation during Academy in the library.
• New FAFSA Changes and How They Impact Your Family: This is a very informative video on the new changes to FAFSA, which opened in December.
• Italian Catholic Scholarship: Apply here by Apr 1 2024.

Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support.
 
Juniors
 
Boys and Girls State: The application is now available for The American Legion Boys and Girls State programthis summer. It is sponsored by our local American Legion.
 
Sophomores/Frosh-  Send your student by to discuss volunteer opportunities! Check out this site for great ideas.

School Nurse

As we move into the winter months and holiday season, consider what self-care activities you can model and include your students in. For holiday gifts, get creative and choose fun items that also support their health and wellness.
 
Do your kids cook?
This week I gave a nutrition presentation in the Wellness Center during academy. I shared a really easy meal for students to make and encouraged them to include as many vegetables as they could: a jar of pasta sauce (add vegetables if desired), a package of pasta (choose whole grain or legume if willing), and add more vegetables, herbs and spices. Optional: add a can of cannellini beans and top with parmesan; or your protein of choice!
 
Eating (and making) a family meal is one of the best ways to support the health and wellness of your kids. Teaching your kids basic cooking skills/how to prepare a basic meal is one of the cornerstones of self-care. Give them some practice before they graduate!

See my website for more information.

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

Wellness Center

The countdown to first semester finals is on! These are sure to be highly stressful times for most students. In addition to the standard stressors such as jobs, extracurriculars and homework, changes in the weather, as well as the desire to perform well on finals, all have the potential to throw students for a loop. To help your student perform at their best, help them beat stress by utilizing “Four As”:

• Avoid unnecessary stress- teach your students the importance of boundaries and prioritization. It is okay for them to say no to people and activities that might  add extra stress during finals preparation.
• Alter the situation- encourage your students to talk about their stress instead of keeping it in. This is also a great opportunity to reinforce the value of self care activities that might help them decompress instead of overloading on academics.
• Adapt to the stressor- take the time to help your students shift their behaviors toward things that will benefit them during this time. Scientists recognize that teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately, most teens sleep only 7 hours each night and during finals, they may be tempted to sleep even less. Sleeping, and even eating, regularly not only decreases stress but powers your students bodies to perform their best mentally.
• Accept things you can’t change- finals aren’t going away. By accepting this reality, students have greater control over the things they can change in relation to finals. Study time, gratitude, personal time and self care are in your students’ control. Each of these things can work toward positively influencing their finals experience.

Finally, encourage your students to participate in the fun activities offered during the school day. There are a ton of school-wide activities taking place this week (Dec 11-15) that can help your student chill out and de-stress, including Winter Week dress up days, movie showings and hot cocoa for all. The Wellness Center is also bringing in therapy dogs on Dec 18 for de-stressing puppy hugs before finals officially start!
 
Happy All-idays to you and your loved ones from your Wellness Center team!
 
(Source: Keep Calm During finals by Lisa Brickert, MSW, LCSW

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
 
Honey Bear Christmas Tree Fundraiser
Embrace the holiday spirit while raising money for LPIE by purchasing your Christmas tree and holiday wreath from Honey Bear Christmas Trees (across the street from Acalanes)! If you mention this flier at the time of purchase, Honey Bear will donate 20% of your purchase to LPIE. Help give the gift of an incredible education by shopping at Honey Bear Christmas Trees this year!


Sports Basement Exclusive Discount and Donations to LPIE
To thank our community for its continued support, Sports Basement is giving up to 20% off your in-store purchase! Just mention this flier to receive this exclusive discount (some exclusions apply — please see Sports Basement’s site for details). Sports Basement will also donate 10% of its profits from the Sports Basement Basementeer program to LPIE. Help support our students by shopping in-store at Sports Basement 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:

Girls basketball
Tuesday, Dec 12 host Las Lomas HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Wednesday, Dec 13 host San Leandro HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Thursday, Dec 14 Liberty HS in Stonebarger JV Tournament at Liberty HS at 4pm.
Friday, Dec 15 Tracy West HS in Stonebarger JV Tournament at Liberty HS at 5:30pm.
Saturday, Dec 16 Caruthers HS in Recognize the Game Varsity Classic at Merritt College.
Saturday, Dec 16 Campolindo HS in Stonebarger JV Tournament at Liberty HS at 12pm.
 
Boys basketball
Tuesday, Dec 12 at Las Lomas HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 6pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
Saturday, Dec 16 Valley Christian HS in Merv Harris Classic at Serra HS at 6pm.
Saturday, Dec 16 host Rodriguez HS. Frosh at 12pm and JV at 1:30pm.
 
Girls soccer
Tuesday, Dec 12 host Benicia HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Thursday, Dec 14 at Berean Christian HS at 3:30pm.
Saturday, Dec 16 Frosh-Soph at Clayton Valley Charter HS at 2pm.
 
Boys soccer
Tuesday, Dec 12 at Benicia HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Thursday, Dec 14 JV host De La Salle HS at 5pm.
Thursday, Dec 14 Varsity host Berean Christian HS at 7pm.
Saturday, Dec 16 Varsity v. Sequoia HS in De La Salle Showcase at 10am.
Saturday, Dec 16 Frosh host Northgate HS at 12pm.
 
Wrestling
Saturday, Dec 16 Bill Martell Invitational at Northgate HS, Castro Valley Girls Invitational.
 
You may view the 2023-2024 Athletic Update by clicking HERE.

Finals Prep

We have your students covered as they prepare to finish the semester strong! Please be sure to visit our APC website for even more information on all events planned to support our students through finals.

EXAM JAM
Wednesday, Dec 13 from 3-5pm in the Library
Kick start your finals studying and preparation during Exam Jam. We will have teachers from each department along with peer tutors on hand to support and answer questions. It is a great opportunity to finish up study guides, begin to study while enjoying delicious snacks and a quiet environment. Exam Jam is open to all students. See you there!

FROSH FINALS INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Thursday, Dec 14 during lunch in the Library
Come hear from teachers in English, Math, World History, Living Earth & World Language about best practices to prepare for finals. They will not only share information on finals but best ways to study as well. Finals goodie bags will be given to the first 200 Frosh thanks to APC!

WELLNESS WINTER WORKSHOP
Friday, Dec 15 during Academy
Our Wellness in the Winter session is a space to gather together and practice coping skills to thrive during finals and a long break with family. Sign up for this academy.

CANINE STRESS BUSTERS
Friday, Dec 15 during lunch in the Front Quad
Come hug it out with your favorite four-legged friends. Therapy dogs will be on campus to provide smiles and tail wags to help reduce stress and provide a general sense of connection to our students. In addition, there will be tables with various stress free activities!
 
And don’t forget to encourage your student to take advantage of these additional resources:

• Peer Tutoring during every academy, lunch, 7th period, and every day for 1 hour after the final school bell.
• Wellness Center is open for students to drop in Monday through Friday from 8am - 4pm (with teacher approval during class hours).
• Acalanes Library is open from 7:30am to 5pm daily.

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

APC in Action

We have two great opportunities to treat our well deserving teachers, staff and students!
 
APC Staff Appreciation Holiday Cookie Exchange - We need lots of volunteers to pull this off and give our teachers and staff a much deserved treat on Friday, Dec 8. Please sign up here if you are able to bake and/or purchase holiday goodies.

Finals Fuel -  This is a wonderful way to get on campus and make a difference! 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 prior to finals week 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
Does your student love to travel? Acalanes staff is taking students on a trip to Europe this summer and students in any grade 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.

• For anyone interested in going on the Europe trip this summer, please follow this linkto preview the trip and to register.
• Here is the link to the meeting video to learn more.

The deadline to sign up is NOW, so please do so as soon as you can if you're interested.

Thank you,
Erin Barth and Tina Gullberg