We continue to encourage you to check your emails and texts for important information from the school and district about the Coronavirus. You can also find information on the AHS Coronavirus Update & Postponed Events page as well as the AUHSD (District) home page.
Wellness Center
The AUHSD Wellness Centers were designed to provide on-site, school-based mental health, social, and emotional student support. This unprecedented challenge requires a significant shift in how we support students in isolating times, and in turn, requires implementing new technologies, policies and practices, and training. We must do all of these things while still adhering to existing rules and regulations and creating programming that students actually want.
Over the past two weeks, we have been: communicating with students via Instagram (@acalaneswellness) to offer mindfulness-based stress management strategies; maintaining continuity-of-care with specific families and students who had been receiving existing Wellness support; and, of course, creating a longer-term, post-spring break Wellness plan with other AUHSD Wellness Centers.
On April 7th, we will launch a pilot “Virtual Wellness Center” including a resource hub, online support and skill-building groups, and virtual student check-in’s. While this is unchartered territory, we are using this as an opportunity to experiment with new ideas to support our students and community. We look forward to announcing more specifics after Spring Break!
Please stay safe and sane during the Pandemic Spring Break. If you need support, here is a link to key resources compiled by our district here (CS 3/27@1:38pm)
Counseling
We want to remind you of some valuable community resources:
For non-life threatening mental health support: Contra Costa Crisis Center: call 211 or text HOPE to 20121 available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for mental health needs. www.211cc.org can help you reach other community resources.
In the event of a mental health emergency, please contact 911.
As a reminder, here are the counselor assignments and emails. Counselors prefer using the auhsdschools.org email but School Loop messages are also fine.
Student last names
A- E Anne Schonauer aschonauer@aushdschools.org
F-Lar Christine Todd ctodd@auhsdschools.org
Las – Rog Marissa Meadows mmeadows@auhsdschools.org
Roh-Z Susan Martin smartin@auhsdschools.org
Summer School will be at Acalanes this year and applications are available. Summer school is for students who need to repeat a required class because they have a D or F grade for the semester. Dates, times and more info is available here. Turn in application forms to your student’s counselor.
College & Career
SENIORS
UC Application Decisions Be sure to check your UC portal as UC decisions are beginning to roll out. Please update your Naviance as soon as you get news!
Scholarships This is a great time for seniors to look into scholarship options to support their college educations. Following are some to consider though there are hundreds to review online via a quick google search.
- Jewish Community Federation Scholarship Deadline: March 31, 2020
- CCAR (Contra Costa Association of Realtors) Deadline March 31, 2020
- Ivy & Pearls Deadline March 31, 2020
- Matt Lynn Scholarship, email Ms. Reicher for details. Deadline April 10, 2020
- PB&J Scholarship Fund
- Wa Sung Community Service Club
Naviance Portal Update: Senior parents – please ask your senior to update college decisions on Naviance Portal so that others, especially juniors, can see the results. It’s critical data for researching colleges.
JUNIORS & SENIORS
Student Support I will be available via School Loop or email: Wendy Reicher to support our seniors with application acceptances & rejections and juniors with application prep questions, list development, use of Naviance and more. Just reach out!
Internships Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan is seeking summer interns. Rising juniors and seniors submit a resume and cover letter to RebeccaBauer-Kahan@assembly.ca.gov with “Summer Internship Application” in the subject line of your email.
JUNIORS
Buck Scholars Buck Fellows Program for Sophomores, provides two years of mentorship for college, funding for enrichment, test prep and more. Deadline April 1, 2020.
College 101 Academy for Juniors Sign up in Teachmore under REICHER. All juniors must attend one session held in the CCC. Students who have not yet attended will be tagged this month.
COVID-19 Updates
We continue to encourage you to check your emails and texts for important information from the school and district about the Coronavirus. You can also find information on the AHS Coronavirus Update & Postponed Events page as well as the AUHSD (district) home page.
Wellness Center
In the spirit of “Community Can’t Be Canceled,” Wellness is using Instagram (@acalaneswellness) to bring wellness-related advice, resources and connection to the school community. We’re working with staff and student organizations like Leadership and Bring Change to Mind (@bringchangetomindacalanes) to provide positive messages and practical guidance for challenging times. If you didn’t catch the launch of our positivity mindset program Three Good Things, you can learn more on Instagram @3goodthings_ahs. We’re trying to increase the reach to these accounts and to @ahs_dons because connection is what we all need the most. You’ll soon see us launch a mindfulness program based on the curriculum of Mindful Schools. We’ll be adapting the lessons for a short form initially and if there’s interest, we may explore the possibility for some live practices. Please tell your students how greatly they are missed and how strongly the entire Dons staff believes in their ability to not only rise to the challenge of the current crisis but to build remarkable resilience along the way. Stay tuned each week for more thoughts and resources. We remain, so grateful to our incredible Parents Club for this platform! (CS – 3/20@2:37pm)
Volunteer Service Awards Program
With the support of the APC, Acalanes recognizes students for their volunteerism through the nationally recognized President’s Volunteer Service Award and the Acalanes Volunteer Service Award. All program information, including application and verification forms, download from the AHS website (under College & Career Center). Quick links below.
- Volunteer Service Awards overview
- Guidelines & Requirements
- Application & Tracking forms
Stay tuned for when and how to submit applications! Questions? Email APC program coordinators.
COVID-19 Updates
We encourage you to check your emails and texts for important information from the school and district about the Coronavirus. You can also find information on the Coronavirus Update & Postponed Events page of the school’s website.
