Weekly News & Announcements

Student Activities

Come get organized before finals! We are hosting a backpack/binder organizational lunch on Wednesday, Nov 29 in the library. Please let us know you would like to attend by filling out this google form.
 
Class Cup is back and running this week! Class Cup is a friendly year long competition between classes with each month featuring a different event. This week, basketball is happening at lunch! Let the best team win!
 
ASB Business Spotlight: Diablo Foods
Discount: 20% off a lunch with the purchase of a sandwich. Just be sure to show them your ID card!
 
Adopt-A-Family
Thank you for your incredible support of Adopt-a-Family. As of now, we are able to support 65 families in our community - wow! If you are participating, look for an email with instructions on wrapping and drop off. 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.
 
Coming up in the next few weeks:

• Dec 7: Winter Concert
• Dec 8 @ lunch: Class of 2025 Holiday Lunch
• Dec 12/13: Frosh Connect
• Dec 13 @ 3pm: Exam Cram (finals study session with teachers and peer tutors)

SAVE THE DATE: Prom 2024 is Saturday, Apr 27 at the San Francisco Exploratorium
 
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.

Katherine Walton, Activities Director

College & Career

• Hispanic Heritage Scholarship: The Youth Awards honor Latinx high school seniors who excel in the classroom and community.
• Chevron Corporation’s Black Employee Network (BEN),would like to cordially invite high school seniors to participate in our 2024 College Scholarship Program.
• Electrician Apprentice: Seniors interested in a 5-year paid apprenticeship? Application here.
• California State OR UC Application Support: Send your student by this week! Deadline is Thursday, Nov 30 for these applications. We have college counselors available to help during Academy and after school.
• New FAFSA Changes and How They Impact Your Family: This is a very informative video on the new changes to FAFSA, which opens in December.

Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support.
 
Juniors
 
PSAT results: Looking to evaluate your PSAT score report?  Schedule an appointment with Debbie Levy in the CCC or join a free webinar hosted by Revolution Prep.
 
AUHSD Out of State College Fair: Sign up here to meet college admission counselors from more than 15 colleges in the Acalanes library on Wednesday, Nov 29 from 6:30-8:30pm. Learn about the benefits of out of state schools, scholarship opportunities, financial aid and costs, and how to find your “match” school.

Sophomores/Frosh-  Please join us for an Out-of-State College Fair! See details above.

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer  
En-Kr Erika Vasquez
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
Roh-Z Susan Martin
 
Frosh appointments and 4-year planning: Counselors are reaching out to all 9th graders to check in about their transition to high school and to discuss individual 4-year plans. These plans will be entered into the AERIES system and will serve as a useful visual aid for students and parents to monitor graduation status, as well as college eligibility. These individual appointments will continue through November and December.
 
Letters of Recommendation: Counselors will still be writing letters of recommendation for seniors with regular or rolling admission deadlines. Please send your senior in to see us if they have questions, need transcripts sent, or need a letter!

School Nurse

I hope all Acalanes families had a restful and nourishing Thanksgiving break, whether you were here locally or traveled.
 
Be hostile to germs!  Consistent healthy lifestyle habits help create an inhospitable environment in your body for germs to take hold in. Make sure to get good sleep, healthy exercise, and include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes in your diet.
 
Easy Fall Recipe:  Chili and Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
This easy seasonal winter squash recipe is delicious and nutritious! This is also a really easy dish for kids and teens to make. Eating (and making) a family meal is one of the best ways to support the health and wellness of your kids. Try this easy recipe and let me know what you think!
 
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

With finals right around the corner, it may be beneficial to discuss test anxiety with your AHS student. Test anxiety is actually a form of performance anxiety which affects 25-40% of students. While it’s perfectly normal for a student to feel nervous before a test, test anxiety can be overwhelming for students and disrupt their concentration and ability. Here are a few steps you can take to support your student in combating their test anxiety:

• Positive Self Talk can go a long way in altering one’s perception of their ability. Encourage your student to talk to themselves the same way they would talk to a friend or loved one experiencing the same anxiety. We are often our own worst critic and in many instances, we talk to ourselves more negatively than we would ever talk to someone else.
• Acceptance of mistakes can also shift your student’s mindset around their ability. First, remind your student that trying their best is realistically the most they can do. Even when trying our absolute best, people still make mistakes. Second, model this behavior for your students. Are you shaming your student when their best effort isn’t “good enough” or beating yourself up when you make a mistake? Offer grace in the face of mistakes. We’re all human after all.
• Teach test taking basics to your student so they might feel more confident when the time comes to take a test. Believe it or not, study skills and test taking strategies are learned. Just because students have to take tests, doesn’t mean they are actually equipped to do so successfully. 

LPIE

GIVING TUESDAY
Nov 28 is Giving Tuesday across the country. Here in Lafayette, our generous LPIE Board will be matching all donations up to $194,000. Every dollar counts double, so now is the time to make a difference! Click here to join your friends and neighbors who have already donated. Thank you for continuing the legacy of giving in Lafayette to support our children’s education.

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

Sports

This week’s can’t miss events:
 
Football
Friday, Dec 1 or Saturday, Dec 2 CIF NorCal Regional at 7pm.
 
Boys soccer
Monday, Nov 27 host Richmond HS scrimmage. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Thursday, Nov 30 De La Salle HS 6:30pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.
Saturday, Dec 2 at University HS. JV at 1pm and Varsity at 3pm.
Saturday, Dec 2 Frosh at Northgate HS at 12pm.
 
Girls soccer
Monday, Nov 27 at Bishop O’Dowd HS scrimmage. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Wednesday, Nov 29 host Alameda HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Friday, Dec 1 host Newark Memorial HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Saturday, Dec 2 at University HS. Varsity at 9am and JV at 11am.
Saturday, Dec 2 Frosh-Soph host Bishop O’Dowd HS at 9am and at Northgate HS at 2pm.
 
Boys basketball
Thursday, Nov 30 through Saturday, Dec 2 Varsity in the Piedmont Invitational.
Thursday, Nov 30 through Saturday, Dec 2 JV the John Rhodes Memorial Tournament.
Thursday, Nov 30 through Saturday, Dec 2 Frosh in the Alameda Tournament.
 
Girls basketball
Thursday, Nov 30 through Saturday, Dec 2 Varsity in the Marin Catholic Invitational.
 
You may view the 2023-2024 Athletic Update by clicking HERE.

General Administration Announcements

Junior Parent Night is this week on Tuesday, Nov 14 from 6:30-7:30pm in the library. This is an opportunity for junior parents to hear from counselor Susan Martin and College and Career Center advisor, Debbie Levy on post-high school plans. 

APC in Action

NOVEMBER DONS DIALOGUE - Friday at 8:45am
We hope to see you for our November Dons Dialogue this Friday in the Collaboration Center.  Join us to learn more about whats happening on campus, hear about the Finals Prep resources available for all students, meet our Blueprint advisor, and get updates from our student leadership team. Coffee and treats will be served!

If you’ve missed the past events, please click here for slides and recordings. 

MEET & GREET for TRANSFER PARENTS/GUARDIANS
We would like to invite all transfer parents and caregivers for a casual Meet and Greet on Friday, Nov 18 immediately following our November Dons Dialogue. 

A handful of experienced Acalanes parents will be on hand to help answer your questions. This will be your opportunity to connect with other transfer families, get answers to questions and hopefully meet some new friends. So please plan to bring your questions and appetite for a little nibble and some coffee!

When:  Friday, Nov 18 after Dons Dialogue (DD starts at 8:45am)
Where:  Collaboration Center in the front quad (next to the Main Office)

We hope to see you there!

STAFF APPRECIATION OPPORTUNITY!
Calling all bakers for one of our favorite Acalanes traditions! The APC Staff Appreciation Holiday Cookie Exchange is on Friday, Dec 8. Sign up here to contribute to this fun event for our staff! Contact Stacey Hastings or Dominique Mickelson with any questions.

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 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

Please click on the SignUpGenius and/or Amazon Wish List to help. Contact Regan Scovicand Stephanie Asadorian with any questions. Thank you in advance for your support!
 

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

APC Membership & Fundraising

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE - where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.
Upcoming regular meeting dates:

• Thursday, Nov 16, 5-6:30pm
• Thursday, Dec 14, 5-6:30pm

There’s also a special holiday movie date on Saturday, Dec 16 from 11am-12:45pm.
Volunteers and participants can 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.
 
AHS GARDEN UPDATE
We had a garden workday on Sunday, Nov 5. Lot of students, a few parents, and a few community members show up to help clean out the raised beds in the farm and the weeds behind the meditation garden and in the farm. We received a small grant from the Parent's Club to add more gravel to the meditation garden - thank you APC! We also have plans to reinforce the raised beds in the farm, add hardware cloth to keep gophers out and add some good soil all in time for a spring planting. Looking ahead, the garden club has saved seeds from some of the summer crops. We hope to use these, as well as seeds that have been donated, to start the plants for our summer crop. Please take a look at our updatedwish list. Our next work day is Sunday, Dec 3 from 10am - 2pm.

Thank you for the continued support! If you have questions or donations, feel free to reach out to me: LTewksbury@auhsdschools.org (room 201).  

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Upcoming Important Dates
November     Native American Heritage Month
Nov 12-18     United Against Hate Week
Nov 20          Transgender Day of Remembrance
 
As we move toward our season of gratitude, we would like to pay respect to the people who have lived on and stewarded the lands in and around Lafayette. These include the Ohlone, Miwok, Yokut, Karkin, Saklan, and at least four other tribes. If you would like to learn more about some of them through the eyes of East Bay Regional Parks, please click here. The Lafayette Library has also put together a book list to learn more as well. Click here for more information.

United Against Hate Week (Nov 12-18) is a call for local civic action to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods, towns and cities. United Against Hate Week emerged from a United Against Hate poster campaign created by Bay Area cities in response to white supremacist rallies in Berkeley and San Francisco in 2017. The original 13 communities were convened in 2018 by Not In Our Town, a national anti-hate organization and partner in the LA vs Hate campaign, and committed to an annual week of action and awareness. Since inception, United Against Hate Week has spread to over 200+ communities. Learn more at www.unitedagainsthateweek.org.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. You can learn more and find out how to get involved here.

Student Activities

If you have yet to watch the 5-minute video highlighting the incredible community we have at Acalanes and how we can make it even better, please take some time to do so. We want you to see it so check it out here!
 
Adopt-A-Family
As the holiday season approaches, the Acalanes Community Outreach board is kicking off Adopt-A-Family. Acalanes has partnered with Pacific Clinics for over 15 years to support 60+ families this holiday season. Our community can either adopt an individual or a family.
 
If you would like to adopt an individual, along with their wishlist of gifts, please fill out the sign up genius here. If you wish to adopt a family, please fill out the google form linked here. All wrapped gifts will be collected the morning of Friday, Dec 15 in front of school. As this date approaches, we will be in touch with more details! 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!