• Campus News

    August 21, 2020

    Class Shirts and Yearbooks
    During the first and second week of September, we will be passing out class shirts and yearbooks to those who ordered them. Stay tuned for exact dates and times!

    Spirit Wear
    If you missed ordering spirit wear, the webstore is back open until September 7th! Any items purchased will be shipped to your house. 

    Clubs
    Although we are beginning the year on distance learning, we want to get our clubs up and running! Any student can start a club and the process will be digital this year. Club Applications are available here, due by September 3rd. Within the registration form are all the guidelines and FAQ about clubs. We have a lunch meeting this Wednesday to go over the registration process for clubs, things to expect with virtual clubs and more. Please encourage your student to attend if they are interested in starting a club. Students will receive the Zoom link via Canvas on Monday.

    Tuesday, Aug 25 at Lunch Meet n Greet with Admin
    Join us for a Meet n Greet and Q & A with our Admin team. It will be held over Zoom where students will get to know our three administrators and ask any questions about the year or problem solve. Zoom link will be sent out via Canvas on Monday. 

    Missed the virtual rally on Friday?
    Watch it now!

    Getting Connected
    We will advertise any and all student activities and opportunities via the Acalanes home page, through Canvas and through social media. If you or your student are on social media, I would encourage you to follow @ahs_dons on Instagram! In addition, each class runs their own instagram account (see class updates above). 

    New Student Support
    We are committed to supporting our new students and welcoming them into our Acalanes family. Please see the Freshmen class update above for social opportunities throughout the next few weeks. In addition, we will be hosting opt-in workshops during “lunch” throughout the first month of school. We will go over time management, how to get involved, best strategies for distance learning, Canvas Q&A, and more. Schedule will be in this APC newsletter and on our home page. 

    ASB Card Support
    Thank you to all who purchased ASB cards. The money directly funds student activities throughout the year AND gives your student discounts throughout the community. Look for stickers in business windows then show a student ID card to receive the discount. Thank you to the Lafayette businesses for supporting Acalanes!

    If I can ever do anything to help you or your student, don’t hesitate to reach out!

    Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director

  • Wellness Center

    August 21, 2020
    Try It On With Wellness At the most recent Dons Dialogue, we announced our theme for the first quarter-- “Try It On with Wellness.” Trying on new ways of thinking, living, and doing is key to thriving in an environment where there are so many uncertainties. Adapting, evaluating, and adjusting are necessary not only to success but to wellbeing. We also talked about the five core competencies of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). The first competency is self-awareness, the skill of listening to ourselves. When we are truly self-aware, we recognize our emotions, our assets and deficits, and rights and responsibilities, and respond to that information. As students get up to speed on Canvas, Zoom learning, and all their course work, they will have to “try on” so many new things! Our tip for this week is to share with your student how YOU adapt, evaluate and adjust to meet the challenges you’re facing. Wednesday, Aug 26 from 6-8 pm Parenting Teenagers During Covid Register here for this presentation sponsored by Wellness and the district. This is one in a series of parent/guardian education events, so keep an eye out for future conversations!  Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist For updates, tips and advice, follow Wellness on Social Media: Instagram @acalaneswellness

  • College & Career

    August 21, 2020

    Please have students check their AUHSD gmail accounts for communications from the CCC. Students can book an individual meeting with me here. I will host “Seniors only” academy on Wednesday and Friday for college applications workshops. I’ve also booked admissions rep visits for Juniors and Seniors on Mondays so make sure your student checks Naviance and signs up to attend via Zoom. 

    Tuesday, Aug 25 - 7pm
    Value-Priced College Night
    Back by popular demand! Join Tim Lenahan, “The College Finance Guy,” as he shares strategies on how to pay for college and find the best college for students at the lowest cost to the family. Interested Junior and Senior families, please use this Zoom link to attend. No advance registration is required. 

    Meeting ID: 869 9269 4783 
    Passcode: 161407 
    Phone number (669)900-9128 

    Tuesday, Sept 1 - 7-8pm
    Navigating the College Admissions & Testing Landscape
    Tried & True’s College Night presentation helps families learn how best to navigate standardized testing for the college admissions process. This informative hour covers topics including differences between the PSAT, SAT and ACT; how test scores are weighted in the admissions process; understanding the impact of Coronavirus on admissions and testing, and much more. Interested Freshmen, Sophomore and Junior families, register in advance and receive your login credentials here. 

    Freshman College Planning
    Sophomore College Planning
    Junior College Planning
    Senior Checklist

    Always feel free to contact me with questions:  wreicher@auhsdschools.org

    Wendy Reicher

  • Counseling

    August 21, 2020
    Class Schedules Students cannot start a new class after Monday, Aug 24. Students may still drop a class (depending on credits and remaining schedule) until the end of the first quarter. Attention Seniors Counselors will start meeting with seniors individually in September to talk about post-high school planning. We are also working with Ms. Reicher, from our College and Career Center, on a presentation for seniors and their families about the college application process and how we can help you. Stay tuned for that in early September. Transcripts For seniors ordering transcripts to be sent to colleges for applications, we will start processing those around September 15. We are updating the school profile information. To request a transcript for college apps, have your list of colleges updated on Naviance and pay the $5 fee for official transcripts on the webstore. Mrs. Finn, the registrar, will process requests. If you absolutely need an official transcript before then, contact Mrs. Finn. Students can review unofficial transcripts in Aeries.   Counselor Assignments by Student Last Names: We will be posting links to calendars soon. In the meantime, email is the best way to reach us. Counselor Assignments Student last names: A- Ed Anne Schonauer Ee-Kr  Christine Todd Ku-Ros  Marissa Meadows Rot-Z  Susan Martin 

  • School Nurse

    August 21, 2020

    August is Immunization Week!
    School Immunization Requirements are still in place. Please check in with your local pediatrician’s office, Primary Care Provider, or our     County Health Department (call 925-313-6767 for additional hours through September).

    Beginning in October, please have everyone in your family get a Flu vaccine. We all want to stay as healthy as possible, individually and collectively as a community. Reduced illness from flu will also ease the burden of illness from Covid in our hospital facilities.

    Medical Forms and Medications at School
    Please turn in any relevant medical forms your student might need for the 2020-21 school year. Those forms should be dated no earlier than June 2020. You can access forms here.

    Still on Quarantine! Transitioning Back to School Routine After Summer Break

    Please get in touch with me with any questions, concerns, and/or requests. I look forward to being in touch and connected!

    Dvora Citron, RN, MS
    Acalanes School Nurse Google Site




     

  • Performing & Visual Arts

    August 21, 2020

    The APAB Board is seeking New Board Members If you have a passion for the arts, join us today! APAB has the following Board openings:
    • VP Choral (must have student in Choral to hold this role)
    • APAB Secretary
    • APAB Publicity Chair
    • APAB Parliamentarian
    Contact APAB President, Debra Bussey, if you’re interested in one of these positions or any other performing arts volunteer opportunities. Debra Bussey Acalanes Performing Arts

  • Legislative News

    August 21, 2020

    For reliable information on education legislation, school funding, and distance learning,  www.edsource.org is a great resource. If you have questions about the basic structure of school funding, www.ed100.org is also very useful.   

  • LPIE

    August 21, 2020
    LPIE at Work in school or at home, Lafayette Partners in Education dollars are at work!  Thanks to the annual donations from parents and the community, LPIE was able to provide a Chromebook for every Acalanes and Stanley student, and for any TK-5 student who needed one.  We hope all students (and parents) had a great first full week of school! Find out more at www.lpie.org. Laura-Kate Rurka & Jennifer Palmer Acalanes LPIE School Chairs

  • Sports

    August 21, 2020

    Athletic Clearances Use this down time to fill out athletic clearance paperwork for your student athlete. Forms can be found here. Fill them out with your pediatrician, then email Randy Takahashi for further instruction.  

  • Co-Presidents’ Weekly Message

    August 14, 2020
    Week one...Check!  Now that students have the first week under their belt and have had a chance to learn Canvas and get acquainted with their Virtual Academy Cohort teachers and peers, they are ready to move on to the next step of meeting the rest of their teachers and diving into classwork! Tomorrow, students will check in live with each teacher, then begin following the regular distance learning schedule on Tuesday (with the addition of a cohort meeting on Wednesday morning). The regular distance learning schedule can be found here. We had a great first Dons Dialogue last Friday with Principal Bell. As always, he gave our parents valuable information about distance learning, our Wellness Center, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. He also answered several parent questions. If you didn’t get a chance to watch it live, click here for the recorded version. And mark your calendar for next month’s Dons Dialogue on September 18. This week, we have two great events for our parent community. APC’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee is hosting its first Forum on Race on Tuesday, August 18th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Please see their section below for more information.  On Thursday, August 20th the school is hosting the 2020-2021 Virtual Back to School Night. Watch your email for more information about that evening. We’re off to a great start and have lots to look forward to this week!  Acalanes Community Always, Kristen Labrosse & Angela Ketcham

  • APC in Action

    August 14, 2020
    Mark your calendar and join us for the following important events: Tuesday, Aug 18 at 6:30pm A Forum on Race Join our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team for a virtual discussion on Race. See details and registration information below.  ICYMI: Dons Dialogue Recording Click here to catch the recording of Friday’s Dons Dialogue with topics including Distance Learning, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Wellness. 

  • General Announcements

    August 14, 2020
    Acalanes Attendance Procedures All absences, including full school day, late zoom arrivals and early zoom departures need to be called in at 925-280-3973. Remember, it is the responsibility of parents to call the message recorder for each and every student absence including dental and medical appointments. All absences not cleared within 48-hours are turned into cuts. For your convenience, the AHS message recorder is available 24-hours a day. Please bookmark and refer to the AHS website for detailed instructions and additional information.  Textbook Return & Pickup At last count we have over 1000 unreturned textbooks and novels out from last year. Our fellow Dons need these books! Please find those materials and drop them anytime outside the AHS Library. For students missing textbooks for the current year, please visit campus this week, Tuesday through Friday from 2-4pm in the Library, to collect outstanding materials. Thursday, Aug 20 Virtual Back to School Night Watch your email this week for agenda details and instructions on how to participate.