Concert at the Res
Don’t miss out on the Acalanes Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band as they play in the annual Concert at the Res, located in the beautiful Lafayette Reservoir. There will be other musical performances to enjoy as well, including the Rossmoor Big Band, the Stanley Band and many more!
Date: Saturday, May 20
Time: 11am-2pm (Acalanes Band will start performing around 11:30am)
Location: Concert Stage at the Lafayette Reservoir
Softball
Tuesday, May 16 or Wednesday, May 17 NCS first round playoff game.
Friday, May 19 Saturday, May 20 NCS Quarterfinal.
Boys tennis
Friday, May 19 Saturday, May 20 CIF NorCal Championships Broadstone Racquet Club in Folsom.
Track & field
Friday, May 19 Saturday, May 20 NCS Meet of Champions at Dublin HS.
If you have any questions, please contact Randy Takahashi at rtakahashi@auhsdschools.org or Haley Walsh at hwalsh@auhsdschools.org.
GRADUATION INFORMATION
Acalanes Class of 2023
Friday, May 26 at 6pm
ACALANES STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCH – May 11
We are planning to treat our teachers and staff to a fabulous lunch spread on Thursday, May 11 to show them how much we appreciate all that they do! Please sign up here if you are able to help!
MAY DONS DIALOGUE – Friday, May 12 at 8:30am
Please join us for our final Dons Dialogue of this school year. We will start at 8:30am with a brief general meeting to vote on our 2023-24 Board of Directors slate (see below) and then we’ll proceed with the Dons Dialogue discussion. Grab a friend and join us for another informative forum – coffee and treats will be served!
2023-2024 ACALANES PARENTS CLUB SLATE
We are proud to announce our slate of nominees for the 2023-2024 Acalanes Parents Club Board of Directors. The slate was approved by this year’s board and the next step is for the APC General Membership to approve it at the APC General Meeting, immediately preceding Dons Dialogue on Friday, May 12. Contact APC Parliamentarian, Kristen Labrosse, at parliamentarian@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions.
2023-2024 Parents Club Executive Board Nominees
President: Kelly Daggs
VP Communications: Michele Colaco
VP Community Partners: Nicole Long
VP Fundraising: Lori MacLeod
VP Services: Kendra Uffelman
VP Special Projects: Raina Foster
Co-Head Liaison & ACA Liaisons: Sarah Cusumano & Heidi Keely
Secretary: Ali Krick
Treasurer: Lee Huskins
Assistant Treasurer: Eng Young
Auditor: Andrea Hilsabeck
Past President/Parliamentarian: Veronique Kuhner
AHS SERVICE AWARDS & 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 TIME
We’re in the home stretch…
Let’s end the year with a grand slam as we FUEL our students during FINALS week!
Who’s on first? You! By donating and/or delivering snacks to our students during finals week May 24-26.
What’s on second? Shop our Amazon wish list and have it delivered to the Finals Fuel clubhouse or donate directly to the Costco Run (venmo @sheryl-platt-1 or paypal sheryl@slpdesigns.net )
Why on 3rd? Help our students re-energize between final exams!
I don’t know in left field? Click here for the Sign Up Genius that includes more information on donating and volunteering.
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.
Junior and Senior Prom is this Saturday, May 13 at SF City Hall! Students must arrive to Acalanes no later than 5:45pm. Students will receive an email in their school account on Tuesday with all the reminders and information.
Acalanes celebrates Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Our Asian Student Union has planned a couple of events this upcoming week:
End of year spirit week: May 15-19
Applications for The Force for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year have just been released. This student run group is a collection of leaders that will help create a larger, louder, and more supportive student section. They need to be willing to lead cheers and step out of their comfort zone to lead the student section as a whole. Frosh, sophomores, and juniors can apply and it is a great way to get involved in the Acalanes community! Applications close tomorrow, Monday May 8.
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher
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
Tues/Th – Open during lunch and 7th period
Wed/Fri – 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/how–to–apply–for–college
How to Write a Personal Statement Online Course for Students
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/how–to–write–a–personal–statement
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.
Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer
En-Kr Christina Castillo–Gallardo
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows
Roh-Z Susan Martin
Summer School Information: The summer school website is up and running! Please use the link to get information about summer school offerings/dates. It will be at AHS this year! Please have your student see their counselor to sign up, get forms, and figure out which classes to take.
Geometry for Advancement: AUHSD does offer one course for advancement in summer – Geometry. This is an accelerated class designed for strong Algebra students (who have an A test average) to accelerate in math. Students may be placed in Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 Advanced upon completion of this class. Please have your student see their counselor for more information. This class also requires a teacher recommendation.
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:
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
May is mental health awareness month! We celebrate this month to destigmatize mental health issues, provide support and generate awareness of what mental health means for all of us.
Destigmatizing mental health issues has played a huge role in making mental health care more widely accessible to those who need it. The implementation of Wellness Centers in AUHSD is largely in part to widespread efforts to normalize mental health and provide support at school, where students spend a huge portion of their time.
Mental health comes in all shapes and sizes. Many people assume that mental health struggles are a matter of pathology but, in reality, someone may have mental health challenges without ever receiving a diagnosis. When thinking about mental health in broad terms, a perfect analogy for understanding is a car. Cars need regular maintenance to make sure that things run smoothly for as long as possible and when things come up, a car needs to be checked out to get things back to baseline. Mental health is extremely similar in the sense that if we are not taking care of our mental health, it is more likely that things will come up. If these things are not addressed appropriately, they have the potential to impact our lives in ways that are less than ideal. The Acalanes Wellness Center is here to support your students no matter what their mental health looks like. Mental health is a journey, not a destination. Check in with your student for a better understanding of where they might be on their journey.
