General Announcements

THIS WEEK IS TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Teacher Appreciation Week is this week! Please sign up HERE to bring something for our fabulous teachers for a special lunch on Friday, May 9. And please encourage your students to write a note of appreciation for our fabulous Acalanes teachers and staff.

FINALS FUEL – VOLUNTEERS & SNACKS
Finals are just around the corner…..and that means FINALS FUEL is back! During finals week the APC provides snacks for the students during brunch period.  You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways: 

• Purchase snacks prior to finals week and deliver to a private residence near AHS
• Purchase snacks from the Amazon Wish list, items will be sent directly to a residence for transport to AHS
• Donate Money and we’ll shop for you: Venmo @Stephanie-Asadorian (any amount is welcome and appreciated)
• Volunteer to hand out snacks on campus (Wed. May 28th  – Friday, May 30th)

Sign up here for shifts and food drop off: SignUpGenius and Amazon Wish List Reach out with any questions: reganscovic@gmail.com or stephquinn@hotmail.com  

Thank you in advance for your support!
Regan Scovic & Stephanie Asadorian 

AHS AND PRESIDENTIAL SERVICE AWARDS CELEBRATION – MAY 21
Congratulations to those students who have been awarded AHS and Presidential Service Awards! Acalanes students volunteered a total of 16,580 community service hours this past year for over 480 different organizations! 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. 
 
Please note that all community service award recipients have been notified via email. If your student has received a service award, please remind them to come to the front quad at lunchtime on Wednesday, May 21 to pick up their service award certificate and enjoy a celebratory treat! 

APC SPRING GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED – SPRING ’25
Thank you to the teachers, students, and staff who submitted proposals for an APC spring grant. APC grants are funded through parents’ annual donations – so THANK YOU parents!  We are pleased to announce the following grants have been awarded so far this spring:

Acalanes Parent Volunteer Opportunity
There is still time to volunteer this school year! Join in on a fun and unique on-campus volunteer opportunity! We are looking for parent volunteers to help keep the cafeteria line running smoothly. Volunteer shifts are less than an hour and are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Sign up for one shift or multiple shifts! This is a fun and easy way to get involved during lunch at Acalanes–and even better, you can sign up to volunteer with a friend! Click HERE to learn more and to sign up!  Please check in at the front office when you arrive for your volunteer shift. Thank you for your support!
 
APC Spring Grants Have Been Awarded  – Spring ‘25
Thank you to the teachers, students, and staff who submitted proposals for an APC spring grant. APC grants are funded through parents’ annual donations – so THANK YOU parents!  We are pleased to announce the following grants have been awarded so far this spring:

PLEASE CARPOOL ON FRIDAY, APRIL 25

Acalanes is very excited to host the Special Olympics this Friday. There will be buses and many visitors coming to campus so we expect parking may be challenging. Please encourage your students to carpool on Friday!

OUR AP STUDENTS NEED YOUR HELP!
We are searching for parents to help with proctoring AP exams from May 5 – May 16. Exams start everyday at either 8am or 12pm. Students know to show up 30 minutes prior to start time for check in. Proctors for morning exams would need to start at 7:15am and afternoon exams at 11:15am. Exams can range from 2-6 hours and you should plan to stay for the longest amount of time possible. Restrictions: Parents, you are NOT allowed to proctor an exam that your own child is taking.
 
We especially need help on these dates/at these times:

• Morning and noon exams on Wednesday, May 7
• Noon exams on Tuesday, May 13
• Morning exam of Wednesday, May 14
• Morning and noon exams on Thursday, May 15
• Noon exams on Friday, May 16

You can volunteer your time or receive pay.
 
If you are interested in learning more about proctoring AP exams, please contact the Acalanes Testing Coordinator, Jamielle McDonald at jmcdonald@auhsdschools.org

2025-2026 ACALANES PARENTS CLUB BOARD SLATE
We are proud to announce our slate of nominees for the 2025-26 APC Board of Directors. A big thank you to this year’s Nominating Committee for their time and dedication in placing these amazing volunteers. The APC general membership will vote to approve the slate at the spring general meeting, immediately preceding Dons Dialogue on Friday, May 16 at 8:45am. If you have any questions, please contact APC Parliamentarian, Sarah Cusumano.
 
2024-2025 Parents Club Board Nominees
Presidents: Jocelyn Birrell
VP Special Projects: Jennie Dobies
VP Communications: Kendra Uffelman
VP Community Partners: Lynna McPhatter-Harris
VP Fundraising: Jen Ruhl
VP Services: Ali Krick
Co-Head Liaisons: Sarah Cusumano & Amy Lewis
Secretary: Kimberly Grover
Treasurer: Rick Phillips
Assistant Treasurer: Sierra Culbertson
Auditor: Courtney Griffin
Past President/Parliamentarian: Michele Colaco & Andrea Hilsabeck
 
Acalanes Parent Volunteer Opportunity
There is still time to volunteer this school year! Join in on a fun and unique on-campus volunteer opportunity! We are looking for parent volunteers to help keep the cafeteria line running smoothly. Volunteer shifts are less than an hour and are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Sign up for one shift or multiple shifts! This is a fun and easy way to get involved during lunch at Acalanes–and even better, you can sign up to volunteer with a friend! Click HERE to learn more and to sign up!  Please check in at the front office when you arrive for your volunteer shift. Thank you for your support!

OUR AP STUDENTS NEED YOUR HELP!
We are searching for parents to help with Proctoring AP Exams two weeks of May. Exam dates are from May 5 – May 16. Exams start everyday at either 8am or 12pm. Students know to show up 30 minutes prior to start time for check in. Proctors for morning exams would be needed starting at 7:15am and afternoon exams starting at 11:15am. Exams can range from 2-6 hours, please plan to stay for the longest amount of time possible. Restrictions: Parents, you are NOT allowed to proctor an exam that your own child is taking.
 
We especially need help on these dates/times:

• Morning and noon exams on Wednesday, May 7
• Noon exams on Tuesday, May 13
• Morning exam of Wednesday, May 14
• Morning and noon exams on Thursday, May 15
• Noon exams on Friday, May 16

You can volunteer your time or receive pay.
 
If you are interested in learning more about proctoring AP exams, please contact the Acalanes Testing Coordinator, Jamielle McDonald at jmcdonald@auhsdschools.org

APC DONS DIALOGUE – Friday, Apr 18 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center
Join us for our second-to-last Dons Dialogue of this school year. Come for the coffee and treats and stay for the discussion. Our April Dons Dialogue agenda includes;

• ACA Serves 
• End of year activities (including all senior events)
• Managing stress during the busy end of year 
• ASB structure and focus
• plus an open Q&A with Principal Shawn.

We hope to see you there!

If you missed our high energy March Dons Dialogue, please see links below for the video and slides. We had a great discussion led by Assistant Principals, Andrea Powers and Jeanne Johnson.
March Dons Dialogue Slides
March Dons Dialogue Video
 
2025-2026 ACALANES PARENTS CLUB BOARD SLATE
We are proud to announce our slate of nominees for the 2025-26 APC Board of Directors. A big thank you to this year’s Nominating Committee for their time and dedication in placing these amazing volunteers. The APC general membership will vote to approve the slate at the spring general meeting, immediately preceding Dons Dialogue on Friday, May 16 at 8:45am.
If you have any questions, please contact APC Parliamentarian, Sarah Cusumano.
 
2024-2025 Parents Club Board Nominees
Presidents: Jocelyn Birrell
VP Special Projects: Jennie Dobies
VP Communications: Kendra Uffelman
VP Community Partners: Lynna McPhatter-Harris
VP Fundraising: Jen Ruhl
VP Services: Ali Krick
Co-Head Liaisons: Sarah Cusumano & Amy Lewis
Secretary: Kimberly Grover
Treasurer: Rick Phillips
Assistant Treasurer: Sierra Culbertson
Auditor: Courtney Griffin
Past President/Parliamentarian: Michele Colaco & Andrea Hilsabeck
 

ACA SERVICE AWARDS DEADLINE: This Friday, April 18
Your student should check that their hours have been approved!!
If your student is working towards an AHS or Presidential Service Award, make sure their volunteer hours are entered and validated in Helper Helper by their supervisor by Friday, Apr 18!
 
To check supervisor validation of volunteer hours:

• Log into Helper Helper → “My Commitments” → “Past” → click an entry.
• If it says “Your attendance is pending approval”, their supervisor hasn’t validated it. Make sure your student follows up with their supervisor (and make sure the supervisor checks their spam folder for an email from Helper Helper).

To check final APC approval of volunteer hours:
Once validated, we review the hours to confirm they meet our guidelines. If approved, your student will see a blue star next to the entry under “Past Commitments.” If validated but not approved within a few days, please have your student check their AUHSD email (and spam) for an email from us. We likely have questions about their service. If we don’t hear back from them, their hours may be rejected.
Need help with your Helper Helper account, have questions about what qualifies as community service, or need info on additional requirements for a Presidential Service Award? Visit our volunteer website or email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com.

We are searching for parents to help with proctoring AP exams from May 5 – May 23. Exams start everyday at either 8am or 12pm. Students know to show up 30 minutes prior to start time for check in. Proctors for morning exams are needed starting at 7:15am and for afternoon exams starting at 11:15am. Exams can range from 2- 4 hours – please plan to stay for the longest amount of time possible. Restriction: Parents are NOT allowed to proctor an exam that their own child is taking.

If you are interested in learning more about proctoring AP exams, please contact the Acalanes Testing Coordinator, Jamielle McDonald.

ACA Service Awards Deadline: Apr 18 – Your student should check that their hours have been approved!!
If your student is working towards an AHS or Presidential Service Award, make sure their volunteer hours are entered and validated in Helper Helper by their supervisor by Apr 18! To check supervisor validation of volunteer hours:

• Log into Helper Helper → “My Commitments” → “Past” → click an entry.
• If it says “Your attendance is pending approval”, their supervisor hasn’t validated it. Make sure your student follows up with their supervisor (and make sure the supervisor checks their spam folder for an email from Helper Helper).

To check final APC approval of volunteer hours:
Once validated, we review the hours to confirm they meet our guidelines. If approved, your student will see a blue star next to the entry under “Past Commitments.” If validated but not approved within a few days, please have your student check their AUHSD email (and spam) for an email from us. We likely have questions about their service. If we don’t hear back from them, their hours may be rejected.
Need help with your Helper Helper account, have questions about what qualifies as community service, or need info on additional requirements for a Presidential Service Award? Visit our volunteer website or email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com.

MARCH DONS DIALOGUE – This Friday at 8:45am!
Join us on Friday, Mar 21 in the Collaboration Center for coffee, treats, great company and dialogue!  This month our agenda includes;

• College Acceptances with Debbie Levy
• Climate and Culture TOSA with Katherine Walton
• Math Intervention & Inclusion with Jennifer Gilson
• Updates from APs & End of Year with Andrea Powers & Jeanne Johnson
• Student Activities Report with Heloisa Mateus
• Q&A with APs and APC Board

Grab a friend and join us. We hope to see you there! 

PEER TUTORING: Spring Self-Talk Seminar
If you are currently playing a spring sport or are a student who wants to improve strategies to use your thinking as an ally rather than a foe, Peer Tutoring will be sponsoring a seminar to improve one’s self-talk. Boys’ basketball coach Joey Hewitt will be conducting the seminar during Academy on Wednesday, Mar 19 at 10:10am in room 107. (NOTE: If the RSVP’s warrant a room change, we will notify teams/students.) Coach Hewitt currently works with pro athletes, college and high school teams and players, and middle school athletes. Some areas that will be covered are:

• Developing next-play speed and mentality
• Identifying triggers
• Staying present rather than past and future

If your student will attend, please RSVP bpowers@auhsdschools.org. We are excited about this opportunity for our Dons!
 
Bill Powers & Angela Ketcham
Peer Tutoring Co Directors

Our AP students need YOUR help!
We are searching for parents to help with proctoring AP exams from May 5 – May 23. Exams start everyday at either 8am or 12pm. Students know to show up 30 minutes prior to start time for check in. Proctors for morning exams are needed starting at 7:15am and afternoon exams starting at 11:15am. Exams can range from 2- 4 hours – please plan to stay for the longest amount of time possible. Restriction: Parents are NOT allowed to proctor an exam that their own child is taking.
 
If you are interested in learning more about proctoring AP exams, please contact the Acalanes Testing Coordinator, Jamielle McDonald at jmcdonald@auhsdschools.org
 
STATE TESTING IS COMING!
CAASPP testing will begin tomorrow, Monday, Mar 10 and all juniors will take the English, math, and science tests over the three weeks prior to spring break.
 
Our school has outstanding achievement, and these test scores are critical as a public measurement of our students’ progress. Assessments are part of the state-mandated accountability system and are presented to the public via the California School Dashboard. When all students try their best on CAASPP, AUHSD schools will be able to present accurate academic performance data.  Students will also receive their score reports, which are included in their academic file.  CAASPP scores are also used at colleges for course placement.
 
We greatly appreciate our parents and community’s encouragement of our students to do their absolute best, participate, and show up for our school in taking these tests seriously. Don’t stress, but please do your best!