Radical acceptance is a powerful tool that can be used to cope with difficult situations that are out of our control. The premise is that by accepting things as they are, instead of internally fighting circumstances, we are able to reduce suffering. Radical acceptance is a challenging concept for many because it’s human nature to want to fight against things we don’t agree with. However, when utilized in a mindful manner, it gives us the opportunity to process in ways that better serve us. Keep in mind, radical acceptance is not choosing to be okay with something we don’t like or agree with but instead accepting “it is what it is”.
As we approach spring break, many of our AHS students know that the end of the school year is near. Practicing radical acceptance with your student might be the perspective shift they need to motivate themselves to finish the year strong. This is especially important for students that might be struggling t
o turn in work or keep their grades up. It can often feel overwhelming for students to fall behind but with radical acceptance the hope is they can accept the reality of their situation while empowering themselves to make choices to move forward in a positive manner.
Wellness Center
Sports
*The game schedule below reflects dates and times as of last Friday. Games may change for several reasons, including weather. If you have questions or comments, please contact AcalanesSportsBoosters.
This week’s can’t miss events:
Softball
Monday, Mar 25 Varsity at Mt. Diablo HS at 4:30pm.
Thursday, Mar 28 College Park HS at 4:30pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Baseball
Monday, Mar 25 JV hosts Berean Christian HS at 4pm.
Monday, Mar 25 Frosh at Miramonte HS at 4pm.
Tuesday, Mar 26 Pinole Valley HS at 4pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Wednesday, Mar 27 Frosh at Miramonte HS at 4pm.
Thursday, Mar 28 Miramonte HS at 4pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Saturday, Mar 30 Varsity v. Antioch HS in Concord Invitational at 2pm.
Saturday, Mar 30 Frosh at Las Lomas HS doubleheader at 10am and 12pm.
Boys Golf
Monday, Mar 25 Varsity v. Campolindo HS at Contra Costa CC at 3:30pm.
Wednesday, Mar 27 Varsity v. Miramonte HS at Rossmoor GC at 3:30pm.
Wednesday, Mar 27 JV v. Campolindo HS at Moraga CC at 3:30pm.
Girls Lacrosse
Tuesday, Mar 26 host Justin Siena HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Thursday, Mar 28 host College Park HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Saturday, Mar 30 Frosh-Soph v. Campolindo HS and Clayton Valley Charter HS at Campolindo HS at 9am.
Boys Lacrosse
Tuesday, Mar 26 at Clayton Valley Charter HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm.
Boys Volleyball
Tuesday, Mar 26 host College Park HS. JV at 5pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Boys Tennis
Tuesday, Mar 26 Northgate HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.
Track & Field
Wednesday, Mar 27 host Miramonte HS at 3:30pm.
Friday, Mar 29 and Saturday, Mar 30 Stanford Invitational.
Swimming
Thursday, March 28 host Berean Christian HS, Concord HS and Mt. Diablo HS at 4:00 pm.
Competitive Sport Cheer
Thursday, Mar 28 host Miramonte HS at 5:30pm and Las Lomas HS at 7:30pm.
Diving
Friday, Mar 29 host AUHSD meet at 4pm.
You may view the full 2023-2024 Athletic Schedule by clicking HERE.
General Administration Announcements
ACALANES JOB FAIR – THIS WEDNESDAY, MAR 20 DURING ACADEMY
Acalanes is sponsoring a student Job Fair to bring local businesses and summer jobs onto campus to connect students with employment opportunities. Parents, please encourage your students to participate. We are encouraging students to do some research ahead of time on the organizations attending, come prepared to talk to employers, and bring copies of their resume.
Check out the list of confirmed employers for our Acalanes Job Fair!
APC in Action
DONS DIALOGUE THIS FRIDAY AT 8:45AM
Join us on Friday, Mar 22 in the Collaboration Center for coffee, treats, great company and dialogue! This month we will hear department highlights from the English, History and Special Ed departments, plus our usual student activities update and open Q&A.
We hope to see you there!
ANNUAL COLOR RUN: Sunday, Mar 24 – sign up now!
Acalanes is having its Annual Color Run on Sunday, Mar 24 at 9am. This is a super fun 1 or 2 mile run around the Acalanes campus with different colored powder stations scattered throughout the course. This event is inspired by the traditions of Holi, the Hindu Festival of Color. Holi celebrates the arrival of spring, and its beautiful harvests and colors, with festivals involving colored powder. The Color Run is a community wide event and we encourage you to run or walk! You can register on Go Fan and the ticket cost includes a t-shirt, a gift from Zoonie’s and snacks at the end of the race. This is a great event for all ages so please encourage others to come as well! Hope to see you there!
SPRING CAMPUS CLEAN UP: Sunday, Apr 14, 11am – 2pm
Help us make our campus shine! Earn volunteer service hours, connect with your Acalanes community, and share in our Dons pride! All are welcome. Students can sign up on the Helper Helper app (click HERE for instructions) and adults can volunteer through the Sign Up Genius. Thanks for your help and GO DONS!
ACALANES SERVICE AWARDS DEADLINE APPROACHING: Friday, Apr 19
Thanks to APC, the Acalanes and Presidential Service Awards have gone digital. New this year, APC funded the Helper Helper app where students can find and record volunteer hours and earn a community service award. To qualify, all hours must be entered ANDvalidated by the student’s supervisor by Friday, Apr 19 so please encourage your students to get their hours entered now!!
Since April 2023, over 250 students have created Helper Helper accounts and logged over 6,900 volunteer service hours and we’re hoping that number will keep increasing! Students who volunteer at least 30 hours by Friday, Apr 19, will get an Acalanes Service Award so please encourage your students to get those hours entered, as that deadline is quickly approaching! To learn more and/or join the Helper Helper app, check out the volunteerwebsite.
Parent Education
POWERFUL COMMUNITY EDUCATION EVENT TUESDAY, MAR 19
Students, parents and community members are encouraged to attend “Paralyzed to Powerful” with Robert Paylor on Tuesday, Mar 19 at 7pm. This event will take place in the Acalanes Performing Arts Center (PAC) and while the event is free, we ask that you RSVP so we can plan accordingly.
Acalanes Community Always (ACA)
ACABOTS IS LOOKING FOR SPONSORS!
Acabots, the Acalanes High School Robotics team, engages students in engineering and robotics, aiming for victory in FRC California competitions. We rely on sponsorships to fund new parts, equipment, registration fee, and create wonderful experiences. Our club welcomes all students, covering diverse tasks from design to programming. We’re seeking business and personal sponsors to support our endeavors. If you are interested in supporting us, please contact lucas.ulbrich25@auhsdschools.o
SEED HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE: Where our special needs high schoolers hang out with their typical peers.
Upcoming regular meeting dates:
- Thursday, Mar 21: 5-6:30pm
- Thursday, Apr 18: 5-6:30pm
- Thursday, May 16: 5-6:30pm
Volunteers and participants should 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.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
Upcoming Important Dates:
- Women’s History Month (March)
- Disability Awareness Month (March)
- Gender Equality Month (March)
- Mar 19 Nowruz – Persian New Year
- Feb 14 – Mar 28 Lent
- Mar 25 Holi Celebrated
- Mar 31 Easter and Trans Day of Visibility
According to National Geographic, Nowruz stems from a religious holiday in Zoroastrianism dating back close to 3,000 years in Persia (now Iran), in which the coming of spring was celebrated as a triumph of good over evil. The holiday now extends into several different faiths and areas of the world.
Lent, in the Christian church, is a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches it begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides a 40-day period for fasting and abstinence (Sundays are excluded), in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month let us not forget those women with disabilities who have accomplished so many things despite their disadvantages. Please check out this link to discover 7 firsts to celebrate the accomplishments of deaf women.
Please check out the new AUHSD DEIB website for many great resources and events! And follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Student Activities
Is your student looking for something new to do? Check out the thriving Acalanes club communities and the club promotional videos on the Acalanes You Tube channel here!
March is Disability Awareness Month and on Thursday, Mar 21 we are asking the student body to wear crazy socks in recognition of World Down Syndrome Day.
The Acalanes Annual Talent Show is happening on Thursday, Apr 18 and hosts and acts are needed! If your student is interested in being a senior host or performing at the event, please encourage them to fill out the following forms below by Wednesday, Mar 27:
We hope your student will plan to celebrate diversity and promote cross-cultural understanding at the Cultural Fair on Wednesday, Apr 17 during lunch! Students can showcase the richness of their heritage by signing up for a booth at the Cultural Fair. They will have the opportunity to represent a country and be responsible for bringing and serving food from their chosen country and educating others about the cultures and traditions of their country. This can be done by sharing interesting facts, displaying flags and objects of cultural importance, or creating a poster board filled with relevant information. The event will be held throughout campus and participants will receive an email regarding their booth location closer to the date. Students can sign up here.
The Special Olympics is just around the corner. Acalanes is hosting this all day event on Friday, Apr 19 and volunteer sign ups are available in room 314 if your student would like to help. A permission form also needs to be completed. Some of the volunteer opportunities include working as a torch runner, working at the ribbon station, handing out signs, helping with the parade, and helping with events such as the turbo-jav, the standing long jump, and much more. Adults are also welcome to help as parking monitors and you can sign up here if you’re interested.
We still have 2028 frosh spirit packs available for purchase. Spirit packs feature a limited edition 2028 hoodie, string backpack and lanyard. The last day to order these is Thursday, Apr 18 and items will be available for pick-up beginning Wednesday, May 1. All proceeds benefit the class of 2028.
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
Katherine Walton, Activities Director
College & Career
CAREER ACADEMY & TRADE FAIR!
The Acalanes College and Career Center will host a Creative Arts and Design Career academy on Wednesday, Apr 10 at 10am. One of our committed speakers is Joel Flory, the co-founder of VSCO. We would like to invite other interested parents, alumni, and community members to share their career
experiences/pathways in graphic design, film/screenwriting, animation, sculpture, painting, fashion, photography, graphic design, etc. with our students. If you would like to be a presenter or know someone who would be a good fit, please email Debbie Levy and provide your name, industry, and phone number. We will follow up with all contacts.
In addition, we are hosting a Trade Fair during lunch on Wednesday, Apr 24 and are looking for more organizations to be represented. Please email Debbie Levy with any suggestions for us and we will follow up.
SENIORS:
Water Polo Scholarship: The Lafayette Water Polo Foundation is accepting applicationsfor seniors who play water polo.
The Matt Lynn Memorial Scholarship is now available. It will be awarded to college-bound seniors from Acalanes who have participated in a high school varsity sport(s) and who intend to continue playing a varsity or club sport in college.
Diablo Valley Assistance League is offering a $6000 need-based scholarship for students attending a 4 year university and $4000 for those going to community college.
JUNIORS, SOPHOMORES, FROSH:
SAT/ACT Free Practice Exams: Practice ACT and digital SAT exams are available with Revolution Prep. Click here to register. The ACT practice exam is on Saturday, Apr 20 from 9am – 1pm. The SAT practice exam is on Saturday, Apr 20 from 9am – 12pm.
Summer Ideas: DVC Career Academies: St. Mary’s College of California SummerAcademy for High School Students: UC Berkeley Summer Sessions:UC Berkeley Collegeof Environmental Design: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Summer Springboard:
Girls Who Code Summer Program
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
Course Selection for 2024-2025 School Year
Students may still ask to change their course requests for next school year. Counselors are keeping a wish list of student requests and will fill these requests as we are able.
First Week of 4th Quarter!
Counselors will begin monitoring seniors in danger of not graduating – letters from the Associate Principal will be sent home in late March.
Athletic eligibility will be determined this week – using 3rd quarter grades. Students need a 2.0 average or higher to remain eligible for their sports.
