General Administration Announcements

Finals Schedule: May 23 – 26
Parents take note of the spring finals schedule. Monday, May 22 follows the regular schedule and the finals schedule begins on Tuesday, May 23. A great way to help support our students during finals is to help out with Finals Fuel (see below).

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APC in Action

AHS Service Awards and Presidential Service Awards Celebration
Congratulations to those students who have been awarded AHS and Presidential Service Awards! We thank your students for making a difference to those individuals and organizations in need in our community and we hope they’ll continue their community service in the future. 
 
If your student received a service award, please remind them to come to the front quad at lunchtime on Wednesday, May 17 to pick up their certificate and enjoy a celebratory ice cream! Please note that all award recipients have been notified via email. If your student submitted an application and has not yet received any email in response, please have them email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com as soon as possible. 
 
Finals Fuel is May 24-26!
Let’s re-fuel our students between final exams with healthy snacks! Thank you to everyone who has already donated or volunteered, but we are still in need of snacks, donations and volunteers for this much-loved event!

Click here for the Sign Up Genius, which includes more information on donating and volunteering.

May APC Dons Dialogue – Listen to the Recording!
Thank you to all who attended our final Dons Dialogue of the school year on Friday, May 12. If you were not able to attend, here are the recording or slides from the discussion. This month’s topics included;

  • Student Leadership at AHS
  • ACA Garden Renovation
  • ACA Summer Plans
  • Wellness Resources for Summer Break
  • WASC Update
  • Student activities update

Big shout out to Audra Fraioli and Kari Tremble for providing the welcoming coffee and treats at every Dons Dialogue! 

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APC Membership & Fundraising

Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy…
There’s no better way to honor a Don than with a customized 2023 Legacy Brick on our Dons Legacy Wall! Prominently displayed in the Main Quad, our Dons Legacy Wall provides families a lasting way to recognize their special student, teacher, coach, team, performance group, club, and more. Purchase your brick through the Acalanes Web Store for $250. Contact Legacy Brick Coordinator Leanne Zimmerman with any questions.

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Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

The Acalanes Class of 2023 Car Rally is here – this Friday, May 19 at 5pm! Come out for a spirited Dons send off for our annual, community-wide celebration to cheer on our Acalanes seniors and their families. Join spectators along Mt. Diablo Blvd (from Oakwood to McDonald’s and back) and bring your signs, noisemakers and blue pompoms! It’s also a great night to stay out and dine in Lafayette!
 
Volunteers are needed for the Senior Car Rally! Join one of the best volunteering events of the year. Please consider signing up for a slot to help celebrate our graduates.
 
Dons love Lafayette! There are so many ways to support downtown Lafayette businesses this spring and summer. Consider purchasing gifts and dining out at our local Lafayette favorites.
 
Mark your calendars for some fantastic upcoming Lafayette events:

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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

May is Jewish Heritage Month, along with AAPI and Mental Health Awareness Month (as we highlighted last week). The White House issued a proclamation that begins with, “This month, we celebrate the enduring heritage of Jewish Americans, whose values, culture, and contributions have shaped our character as a Nation. For generations, the story of the Jewish people — one of resilience, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, prejudice and persecution — has been woven into the fabric of our Nation’s story.” Read the entire Presidential proclamation here.

May is a great time to explore the Jewish experience. You might start with achievements and contributions, but as one reader suggested, it is critically important to also examine the more painful aspects of antisemitism faced by Jewish people throughout history. The Anti-Defamation League found that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased by more than 35% in 2022. Even more reason to attend the upcoming seminar on Standing Up to Hate Crimes. See details below.

Upcoming Community Event: Standing up to Hate Crimes, Thursday, May 18 4-5:30pm, online via Zoom
Hate crimes are exponentially increasing in California. How do we, as a community, support victims of hate crimes? The State of California Civil Rights Department has developed tools for victims to report hate crimes and receive support. Co-sponsored by the Contra Costa County Libraries. Click here for registration information.
 
Summer Program for Teens: QLIT at The Athenian School, June 20-30
The vision of  this program is for Queer Leaders in Training (QLIT) (rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders) to find their people, feel safe, proud and affirmed, and realize their power to make a difference in their community and beyond. And of course, have so much fun. The QLIT program will be free of charge or “pay-what-you-can.” Learn more about the camp here.
 
DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. Out of the box thinking is welcome. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. Lots of ways to be involved without a huge time commitment.

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Student Activities

Our kickoff to summer spirit week is here! Please encourage your student to get involved!
 
Monday:

  • Dress-up: Monochrome Monday (e.g. all blue, all pink, all white)
  • Lunch: Pool competition

Tuesday:

  • Dress-up: Tank top Tuesday
  • Lunch: Innertube water polo

Wednesday:

  • Dress-up: USA day (red, white and blue)
  • Lunch: Innertube water polo championship

Thursday:

  • Dress-up: Twin day (match outfits with a friend)

Friday:

  • Dress-up: Beach Day!! (floral prints, lei’s, sunglasses, hats etc.)
  • End of year RALLY AT ACADEMY!!!

This week is all about seniors! See the senior section above for all the activities, deadlines and programming.
 
Hope to see our community SHOW UP for the Class of 2023 at our 4th annual downtown Lafayette car parade on Friday. See you at 5pm along Mt. Diablo Blvd!
 
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

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College & Career

Happy May! Congratulations to the seniors who made their final college decision!
 
Debbie Levy will be gone for the rest of the year, but the College & Career Center will be staffed with limited hours:

  • Monday – Closed
  • Tuesday/Thursday – Open during lunch and 7th period
  • Wednesday/Friday – Open during Academy and lunch
  • Finals Week – Closed


SENIORS 
 
Senior Exit Survey:  Important! If your student knows their post high school plan, please update Naviance. In order for final transcripts to be sent, students MUST go to “About Me” and “Surveys from Your School” and fill out “2023 Senior Exit Survey.” This is the only way transcripts are sent to colleges.
 
JUNIORS

Please stop by the College & Career during our open hours. Please also take a few minutes to complete this survey  – https://forms.gle/iGfrVqLkdAK85VJ58.
 
Looking for college resources over the summer? Please see links below.
 
College Essay Guy
Free College Essay Resources for Students-
Registration required for live summer courses
How to Write the College Application + Supplemental Essays Course
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/howtoapplyforcollege
 
How to Write a Personal Statement Online Course for Students
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/howtowriteapersonalstatement
 
Additional College Resources
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/webinars-live-events
 
SOPHOMORES/FROSH
 
Volunteer Job Fair:  There will be a volunteer job fair at Civic Park on Saturday, May 20 from 10am-1pm. Check out great opportunities to support your community!
 
Volunteer Ideas: Have your student come by the CCC so I can learn about their interests. Check out this website for ideas too! It’s best to set a search filter for teens.
 
Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support.  

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Counseling

Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer  
En-Kr Christina CastilloGallardo 
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
Roh-Z Susan Martin
 
Summer School Information: The summer school website is available for information about summer school offerings/dates. Please have your student see their counselor to sign up, get forms, and figure out which classes to take. Any D/F grade in a required course for graduation may be taken in summer school.

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School Nurse

Teens and Caffeine:
It’s pretty common to walk around school in the morning (and even later) and see kids drinking “energy” drinks. Despite the normalization of caffeine products, there is NO official recommendation for caffeine consumption in youth aged 12-18 (NO caffeine is recommended for children under 12). However, for teens that DO consume caffeine, the recommendation is to keep it under 100 mg. Consider having a discussion about caffeine consumption and the following questions:

  1. How much caffeine is in your drink?
  2. What other ingredients are in it (sugar, creamer, etc.)?
  3. What other ways can you “get” energy?  (Hint:  sleep, healthy foods, exercise).

Alcohol:
Please take a look at this site. There is so much that is “normalized” about alcohol use, but I encourage you to send a strong message discouraging our underage students from using. Parents, please discuss with other parents how you can support creating opportunities for your kids to have fun without the dangers of alcohol use.

Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse

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LPIE

Check out May’s Diablo Magazine, featuring the launch of the LPIE Endowment!
 
This February, LPIE launched a $12M endowment campaign to build long-term, sustainable funding for our Lafayette public schools. We are pleased to report that we have raised $9M toward that goal, but we can’t do it without your help.

If you believe in investing in our Lafayette students, now is the time to make a difference in their future. To learn more about how you can fund our future with a gift to the endowment, visit www.lpie.org/endowment.  Every dollar makes a difference.

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