General Announcements

Staff Appreciation Grateful Lunch
Acalanes teachers and staff enjoyed a “Grateful Lunch” hosted by APC earlier this month! We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the families who contributed to the Staff Appreciation Fall Lunch and to our amazing Staff Appreciation Co-Chairs Dominique Mickelson and Stacey Hastings for organizing such an incredible meal for our staff!  We are so grateful for all of you and your help in making this lunch a success!

 
Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Peer Tutoring Seminar #2: The Importance of Self Talk, Wednesday, Nov 13
We do not hear any voice more than our own and how we “speak” to ourselves is so important – it can be friend or foe. Peer Tutoring is excited to welcome Don alum and current Mental Performance Coach/Assistant Boys Basketball Coach, Joey Hewitt, who will present information about the importance of self talk and techniques that will encourage more positive self talk. This session will take place during lunch on the 13th. Please encourage your student to attend and to share what they learn!
 
APC Fall Grants Have Been Awarded – Fall ‘24
Thank you to the teachers, students and staff who submitted proposals for an APC Fall 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 fall:

• The ACA garden will refresh their winter garden with fresh organic soil, winter vegetable seed starts and new gardening tools.
• A newly formed Culinary Passport Club will provide food tastings and cultural events where they offer sampling of cuisines they are focused on that month.
• The school nurse’s office will get 3 new beds. First time in over 20 years!
• The CTE department will receive materials to build 2 oversized Adirondack chairs that will be painted ACA blue and placed on campus. Will make for great photo ops!

 
Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

APC Fall Grants Have Been Awarded  – Fall ‘24

Thank you to the teachers, students, and staff who submitted proposals for an APC Fall 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 fall: 

• The ACA Garden Club will refresh its winter garden with fresh organic soil, winter vegetable seed starts, and new gardening tools. 
• A newly formed Culinary Passport Club will provide food tastings and cultural events where they offer a sampling of cuisines they are focused on that month.
• The school nurse’s office will get 3 new nursing beds.  First time in over 20 years!
• The CTE department will receive materials to build 2 oversized Adirondack chairs that will be painted ACA blue and placed on campus.  Will make for great photo ops!

Parent Volunteer Opportunity at Lunch 

We are still looking for help to oversee the student lunch line in the cafeteria on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the school week. This is an easy and fun way to volunteer on campus and a great opportunity to help with a friend! Volunteer shifts are less than an hour and there are lots of dates to choose from. You can sign up here. Please check-in at the front office when you arrive for your volunteer shift. Thank you for your support!

Thank you to Naomi and Jenny for stepping up first to help!
Don Parents Show Up!
 
Student Volunteer Community Service Awards
The 2024-25 Student Volunteer Program has kicked off for the Acalanes and President’s Service Awards so please make sure your student is logging those hours!  It’s a great opportunity for students to give back AND be recognized for their service. You can read more about the awards here and email us at communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions. 
 
Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Staff Appreciation Luncheon
APC is showing our teachers and staff how much we appreciate them with a Thanksgiving themed staff lunch on Monday, Nov 4. Please sign up HERE to bring an item if you are able to contribute. We are so grateful for your support!
 
October APC Dons Dialogue – Watch the Video or View the Slides!
Thank you to all who attended our Dons Dialogue on Friday, Oct 18. It was a packed house! This month’s topics included Peer Tutoring, Breaking Down the Walls, student safety expectations, a student activities report, and Q&A with Principal Shawn. If you were not able to attend, you can review the slides and video from the discussion. And thank you to our APC Hospitality Co-Chairs, Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi, for providing the welcoming coffee and treats! The next Dons Dialogue will be on Friday, Dec 13. Click here for the full schedule of upcoming Dons Dialogues.
 
Parent Volunteers Opportunity at Lunch
We have an incredible new volunteer opportunity! We are looking for help to oversee the student lunch line in the cafeteria on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the school week. This is an easy and fun way to volunteer on campus and a great opportunity to help with a friend! Volunteer shifts are less than an hour and there are lots of dates to choose from. You can sign up here. Please check-in at the front office when you arrive for your volunteer shift. Thank you for your support!
 
Student Volunteer Community Service Awards
The 2024-25 Student Volunteer Program has kicked off for the Acalanes and President’s Service Awards so please make sure your student is logging those hours!  It’s a great opportunity for students to give back AND be recognized for their service. You can read more about the awards here and email us at communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions. 
 
Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Please reach out to APC here with any questions.

Important Attendance Reminder
If a student is leaving early during the day for any reason, it is their responsibility to pick up their “off campus pass” from the main office (after a parent has called). They can pick it up in the morning, during brunch/lunch or between periods. It must be picked up before they attend the class they are leaving early from.

October APC Dons Dialogue 
Thank you to all who attended our Dons Dialogue on Friday, Oct 18. It was a packed house! This month’s topics included Peer Tutoring, Breaking Down the Walls, student safety expectations, a student activities report and Q&A with Principal Shawn. If you were not able to attend, a video and slides from the discussion will be available here next week.
 
Thank you to our APC Hospitality Co-Chairs, Mia Heglie and Monica Stassi, for providing the welcoming coffee and treats! The next Dons Dialogue will be on Friday, Dec 13.  Click here for the full schedule of upcoming Dons Dialogues.
 
Parent Volunteers Needed During Lunch
We have an incredible new volunteer opportunity!  We are looking for volunteers to help oversee the student lunch line in the cafeteria on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the school week.  This is an easy and fun way to volunteer on campus and a great opportunity to volunteer with a friend!  Volunteer shifts are less than an hour, and there are lots of dates to choose from.  Sign up here! Please check-in at the front office when you arrive for your volunteer shift.  Thank you for your support!
 
Student Volunteer Community Service Awards
The 2024-25 Student Volunteer Program has kicked off for the Acalanes and President’s Service Awards so please make sure your student is logging those hours!  It’s a great opportunity for students to give back AND be recognized for their service. You can read more about the awards here and email us at communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions. 

Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Contact APC here with any questions.

STUDENT SAFETY EXPECTATIONS
ICYMI, please take time to read Principal Shawn’s email from Friday, Oct 11 regarding student safety. Principal Shawn provides an overview of the expectations that were shared with all our students on Friday during Academy. The guidelines are designed to ensure a secure and supportive learning environment for everyone.

Click here to review the full email on Parent Square.
Click here to review Acalanes Student Safety Expectations. 

DONS DIALOGUE – FRIDAY AT 8:45AM
Please join us on Friday, Oct 18 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center for our October Dons Dialogue. Discussion topics for October include; Peer Tutoring, Breaking Down the Walls program, student safety expectations, College & Career Center update and a student activities report. APC will provide coffee and treats. All parents/caregivers welcome.
 

FRIDAY, OCT 11 WAS A SNACK ATTACK DAY FOR THE ACALANES STAFF!
Thank you to our Staff Appreciation team, Dominique Mickelson and Stacey Hastings, for creating this yummy snack bar for all our Acalanes Staff. Your generous donations to APC allow us to make sure the staff know how much we appreciate all they do to support our students.


Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Contact APC here with any questions.

MAKE-UP SCHOOL PHOTOS: Tomorrow, Monday, Oct 7
Did your student miss school photos at the beginning of the year? If so, your student will receive a pass tomorrow morning to come to the PAC lobby at a designated time to get a school photo taken and pick up a student ID card. If your student needs to have a photo retaken, they can come to the PAC lobby during brunch to have a new photo taken and ID card printed. 

PEER TUTORING PRESENTS NOTE TAKING 101!
If your child is struggling with note taking, or just looking for new/different strategies, this will be a helpful seminar. Pizza lunch provided for the first 40 students.
Wednesday, October 9, Lunch in Room 107