Campus Culture Committee
March is a month rich with celebration, reflection, and community connection. Please join us as we honor and recognize the many religious observances, cultural celebrations, and awareness months taking place.
Awareness & Heritage Months
- Women’s History Month
- Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
- Gender Equality Month
Religious & Cultural Observances
- Feb 17 – Mar 19: Ramadan
- Feb 23 – Apr 11: Great Lent
- March 4: Holi
- March 20: Nowruz (Persian New Year)
- March 31: Transgender Day of Visibility
Ash Wednesday
Annual ACA Color Run / Holi Celebration – Go Dons!
Celebrate Holi and school spirit at our annual ACA Color Run!
Be sure to register and join the fun as we come together in celebration and community.
Games for Good – Community Game Night & Fundraiser
Sunday, Mar 22 | 4:00–6:00pm
Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church
Join us for an evening of global-inspired games, friendly competition, and connection to support Together We Stand.
Enjoy:
- Easy-to-learn games for all ages
- Snacks and beverages
- Small prizes
- A chance to make a meaningful local impact
Your suggested donation ($45 adults / $25 youth) and optional pantry-item contributions will directly support Together We Stand’s work providing food and essential services to immigrant and vulnerable families facing food insecurity in our community.
Wellness Center Update
Join Us Monthly! (In-Person & Virtual Meetings)
Meeting Schedule | 6:00–7:30pm
- Mar 16 – Virtual
- Apr 20 – In-Person (Final Meeting)
- May – No Meeting
📬 Stay Connected
If you’d like to get involved or learn more, please reach out:
📧 diversityandinclusion@acalanesparentsclub.com
You Are Influential to Your Children and Your Community – Stand Up to Hate
In addition to producing events that help us connect, learn and grow, the DEI committee is also here to support parents. As we head into United Against Hate Week across Lamorinda, it feels like a good time to take a pause from our regular style of communication and acknowledge that the work is heavy and sometimes slow to yield results. We encourage you to keep going and to reach out if you need support. Try to approach equity work in a way that brings results, such as opening up a discussion with your kid(s). Our parent community is making a difference and our work is valuable.
Hate crimes occur right out in the open. Over the last few years, violent Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise here and nationwide. Last month, Ye issued strong anti-seminitic statements that were intended to be divisive and harmful. These are just a few examples of hate speech and hate crimes taking place in our nation. In order to effectively fight structural racism and discrimination we have to have purposeful conversations with our communities and with our children. Did your family talk about what Ye said or discuss increased assaults on Asian Americans in our area? Perhaps your family talked about how those behaviors circulated on social media and maybe even how it showed up in your daily lives?
While often difficult to corral your kid for another “important” discussion (yep, we get the teen eye rolls, too) we feel it is vital that you make time to talk about discrimination and acts of hate this week. An easy way to open up a conversation might be to simply ask if your student knows that the City of Lafayette observes a United Against Hate Week. You don’t need to supply all the content – it isn’t a lecture, just start the discussion. Our kids are intelligent and thoughtful. You can be honest that you find these conversations challenging, deep, difficult, confusing, frustrating and fill in the blank. It is tough but ok to be in discomfort for a few minutes. Those sticky, tricky moments are where people may find the most growth.
We encourage you to keep building community and celebrating our individuality. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
About Campus Cultural Committee
The APC is committed to working with our Acalanes parent and student community as well as our staff and our school and district administration to promote a positive school climate at Acalanes that encourages a culture of inclusivity and belonging for all. It is not enough to denounce acts of racism, we must also work to challenge ourselves and our students to be anti-racist every day. The scope of this committee will encompass the full spectrum of diversity including gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and mental and physical ability.
OUR VISION
Our vision is a positive school climate in which all members of our school community feel welcome regardless of their differences and in which students feel empowered to enter the world as engaged and active global citizens.
OUR MISSION
We are dedicated to identifying, implementing, and supporting a strategic approach to building an empowered school community that celebrates diversity and actively opposes discrimination of race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of one’s identity.
OUR GOALS
- Create a safe and healing space for our school community to communicate with one another within the scope of DEI (social issues, identity, current events, school culture)
- Facilitate parent educational opportunities for DEI
- Support and promote cultural events organized by Acalanes and its students
- Partner with Acalanes and District Administration to support and advance school and district efforts
