Weekly News & Announcements

Sports

This week’s can’t miss events:

Girls tennis
Tuesday, Sep 19 Northgate HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Thursday, Sep 21 Las Lomas HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.

Girls volleyball
Tuesday, Sep 19 host College Park HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Thursday, Sep 21 host Campolindo HS. Frosh at 4:30pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Saturday, Sep 23 Varsity and JV in Sonoma Valley Invitational.
Saturday, Sep 23 Frosh in East County tournament at Pittsburg HS.

Boys water polo
Tuesday, Sep 19 at Irvington HS. JV at 6:30pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
Wednesday, Sep 20 host Las Lomas HS. Varsity at 6pm and JV at 7pm.
Friday, Sep 22 and Saturday, Sep 23 Vintage Varsity Invitational.

Girls water polo
Wednesday, Sep 20 host Las Lomas HS. JV at 4pm and Varsity at 5pm.
Friday, Sep 22 and Saturday, Sep 23 Amanda McDonald Varsity Invitational at Menlo School.

Flag football
Wednesday, Sep 20 host Miramonte HS at 5pm, host Clayton Valley Charter HS at 7pm.

Girls golf
Wednesday, Sep 20 Campolindo HS at Moraga CC at 3:30pm.

Football
Thursday, Sep 21 Frosh at College Park HS at 5pm.
Friday, Sep 22 at College Park HS. JV at 4:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.

You may view the 2023-2024 Athletic Update by clicking HERE

General Administration Announcements

CLUB DAY HAD CAMPUS ROCKING

Thank you to all the students and staff who participated in Club Day on Friday. Did you know there are 72 approved clubs at Acalanes!! Be sure to ask your student what clubs interest them. And encourage your student to join in, it's never too late to get involved.PICTURE DAY ORDERS AND MAKE-UPS

APC Membership & Fundraising

Acalanes Parents Club is grateful for your donations this school year. If you haven’t had a chance to donate, you can do so here. Thank you for being a part of the APC community! We couldn’t do it without you!

Corporate Matching is a great opportunity to make your donations go twice as far. Please check if your company has a matching program and, if so, contact corpmatch@acalanesparentsclub.com for further information.

APC in Action

SENIOR PARENT NIGHT SLIDES AVAILABLE

Wow, Senior Parent Night was well attended! Lots of great information from Debbie Levy and College & Career Services.

Please check out the Senior Parent Night Slides if you missed the presentation or you are ready to access links for even more information.

*APC is proud to fund College & Career Services at Acalanes! 

DONS DIALOGUE & APC GENERAL MEETING - Save the Date
Please join us Friday, Sep 22 at 8:30am in the Collaboration Center for our September Dons Dialogue. We will start at 8:30am with a brief APC General Meeting including a review and vote on the 2023-24 APC budget. Our Dons Dialogue with Principal Shawn will immediately follow. APC will provide coffee and treats. All parents/caregivers welcome. 
 
ACALANES COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS
Welcome back Dons! The 2023-24 volunteer program year is in full swing for the Acalanes and President’s Service Awards so please make sure your students are logging those hours! It’s a great opportunity for students to give back AND be recognized for their service. THREE IMPORTANT CHANGES to note this year: 

1. We’ve transitioned to an app-based system, called Helper Helper, for reporting and validating hours. (That means no more paper forms and no more waiting until the end of the year to submit your hours. Yay!) 
2. The Acalanes Service Award now requires a minimum of 30 hours to qualify (back to the pre-COVID original hours requirement).
3. We have NEW instruction guidelines on what hours qualify as community service hours, which hopefully resolves a lot of past questions. 

Please check out the Volunteer Service Opportunities page for instructions on how to get started in the app and to view the new instructions and guidelines. All applications are due by Friday, Apr 19, 2024 so please make sure your students are logging those hours in the Helper Helper app now!  Email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions.
 
And if your child hasn’t picked up their AHS or Presidential Service Award from last year, please have them do so at the Counseling Office as soon as possible.

Follow the Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram to keep up to date on what's happening at Acalanes and reminders for important dates.

Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Parents Club Pro-Tip

ACADEMY WITH A PURPOSE
Our students attend Academy on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10:10-11:05am. Students use TeachMore (an online platform) to select where they would like to go for Academy or teachers can also tag a student to attend their Academy for test make-ups or targeted support.

Ask your student(s) where they are going for Academy each week and encourage them to make a good selection. These periods are a great time to get homework completed, work on group projects or participate in enrichment activities. Peer Tutoring is always a valuable option during the Academy periods as well.

Parent Education

Acalanes High School Hosts
A Community Parent Education Night
Thursday, Sep 28, 2023
Acalanes Performing Arts Center

Join Song For Charlie, Local Law Enforcement Agencies, and the Acalanes Administration as they present What Everyone Needs to Know About the Drug Landscape Today. This is an opportunity for our parent community to come together to learn the facts about fentanyl and take empowered action to protect yourself and your loved ones.  

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

LatinX Heritage Month runs from Sept 15-Oct 15 and is a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American LatinX community. You can learn more about it here for discussion with your students.

One way Acalanes will celebrate is through a community get-together. Encourage your student to sign up to bring food to a potluck on Wednesday, Sep 20 before the girls volleyball team takes on Campolindo. The potluck will be from 5-6pm in front of the big gym and all families are invited to join in on the fun!.

Student Activities

Clubs at Acalanes
This year we have 72 approved clubs at Acalanes and they are a great way to connect with a passion and get involved. Please encourage your student to attend meetings, reach out to the presidents and get involved! Check them out here!
 
Celebrate LatinX Heritage Month!
Sign up to bring food to the potluck on Sep 20 before the girls volleyball team takes on Campolindo. We will do a potluck from 5-6pm in front of the big gym and celebrate community together. Looking forward to it! 
 
Homecoming 2023: Acalanes celebrates music genres!
Homecoming week is Oct 9-14 and is one of the best weeks on campus with so many different ways for students to get involved. Please encourage your student to opt in!
Frosh have their informational meeting on Tuesday @ lunch in room 314 (other class meetings took place last week). If your student missed their class informational meeting, check the bulletin for links to sign up to participate!
 
Saturday, Oct 14 is our HOCO Night Out from 7-10pm. It is a campus wide event (1100+ attended last year) and a night not to miss. Tickets are on sale via Go Fan and are:
$25 with ASB
$50 without ASB
$75 for an outside guest
Outside guests do need to fill out and return a guest contract. Look in the bulletin for all of the information and stay tuned for confirmed vendors, food, games, activities and entertainment.
 
Spirit Wear/Class Shirt Update:
If you ordered spiritwear via the Gryco webstore, it will be here mid September and you will receive an email from me with pick-up information.
 
If you ordered a class shirt, we will hand them out this Wednesday, Sep 13 at lunch.
 
If you purchased ASB and didn’t receive your white spirit shirt, please send your student to room 314.
 
SEED Friendship Circle - Sep 21 at 5pm. Support high school students with special needs in our community by attending Friendship Circle at LOPC. It happens monthly and is a great chance to get to know new peers, have fun & serve your community. Counts as volunteer service hours. To RSVP email susan@lopc.org
 
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Activities Director

College & Career

Seniors

• College Visits This Week in the CCC: College visits are in the CCC. Students must pick up a pass from the College & Career Center to attend. The attendance office is not involved with college visits.
  • Monday: Pepperdine, Tulane, UCSD, St. Mary's, Univ. of Denver
  • Tuesday: HBCU College Fair- students chaperoned at Pittsburg High School
  • Wednesday: Denison, Pitzer, Minnesota, UConn, Lewis & Clark
  • Thursday: Gettysburg, WPI, George Washington, USF, Marist, Seattle University
  • Friday: USC, Gonzaga
• College Application Academy Support: Remind your student to come to academy sessions in the CCC. 6th and 7th period is OPEN for seniors to DROP BY anytime! No appointments needed.
  • Wednesday, Sep 13 & Friday, Sep 15: Essay Workshops
  • Wednesday, Sep 20 - UC App 101
• 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.

Juniors

• International University College Fair: Acalanes is hosting an International College Fair in the library on Thursday, Sep 27 from 6:30-8pm. 15+ universities will share information on applying to schools abroad. Please sign up here.
• Digital Practice for PSAT and ACT Exams: Click here to register your student for free online practice tests on Saturday, Sep 16 and Sep 23 from 9am-1pm with Revolution Prep.

Sophomores/Frosh

• Have your student explore their personality traits with this free assessment.

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

Dropping Classes: Students may still drop a class until the end of the first quarter, Friday, Oct 13. If the class is in the middle of the day, a student may add a TA period. TA is the only class a student can still add to their schedule.  

Senior Appointments: Counselors will begin individual appointments with seniors beginning this week. We will discuss the student’s plans for after high school. We will go through necessary steps to apply to college, arrange for relevant documents, and review deadlines. 
 
The CSF application period is open!  CSF (California Scholarship Federation) is an honor society. Current 11th and 12th graders are encouraged to apply. A complete CSF application has 2 parts - an application form  and a payment on the webstore. Turn forms in to the Counseling Office. The deadline is Sep 30 for both the form and the payment! Students who are members for at least 4 semesters, including during senior year, will get special stole to wear at graduation. Read the FAQ on the application form and contact Ms. Schonauer for any clarification.

School Nurse

Hot Weather Warning:
Please remember to encourage students' hydration. Our late summer days can be very hot and dry, and it’s not unusual for us to see students with symptoms of heat illness. If air quality declines and your student needs an inhaler, please make sure they carry that with them and use it properly, and submit thismedicaldocumentation (each school year).

Does your student need medication at school?
Do you need to communicate with me about your student’s health/medical issue?
Please use the QR code to access the appropriate medical form you may need.

Help your child manage stress:

1. Provide breakfast. Even if they say they’re not hungry, ask them what they would be WILLING to eat and have that readily available to eat before school or to take with them.
2. Make sure they have access to healthy food and snacks throughout the day.
3. Make sure they stay hydrated - have them bring a water bottle that they can refill throughout the day. Those are also available in the cafeteria. Food can be hydrating too - especially fresh vegetables and fruit!

Do you know what the Blue Zones are?  Find out by watching this new documentary on Netflix: Liveto 100: SecretsoftheBlueZones

Try this GRATITUDEPRACTICE.

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

Wellness Center

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. In honor of Suicide Prevention Week this week, the Wellness Center has teamed up with Student Leadership to offer a ton of opportunities for students to foster awareness around suicide prevention and to get involved in supporting themselves and their peers. Some of our activities include Kahoot trivia games, a positive affirmation station, gratitude grams and a short suicide prevention documentary and discussion with the Wellness team. Please encourage your students to get involved!
 
Suicide is preventable and knowing the signs of someone that might be contemplating suicide is invaluable. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has shared this important information about what can lead to suicide, the risk factors and the protective factors to consider. Even though suicide is a taboo subject, if you think someone you know may be suicidal, it is best to discuss your concerns with them directly and encourage them to seek support.

Performing & Visual Arts

The Acalanes High School Choir Vocal Groups will be singing at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, Saturday, Sep 23, 2:30-3pm on the Community Stage. Stroll on down to the stage and support our AHS singers.