Weekly News & Announcements

Wellness Center

Tuesday, March 30 at 5:30pm Alcohol, Cannabis & Prescription Drug Expert Panel
This week, we are sharing an announcement from our partners at TUPE (Tobacco Use and Prevention Education at Contra Costa Office of Education). The fourth virtual TUPE parent/family engagement event, Alcohol, Cannabis & Prescription Drug Expert Panel, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 at 5:30 pm. This live webinar will focus on a panel of local adult and youth experts to discuss the impact of alcohol, cannabis, and prescription drugs on young people in our communities and share resources for youth and adults. Special guest speakers include April Rovero, Founder/Executive Director of National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse; Brian Gleason, Program Manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Richard Ceballos, Project Co-Director of Stanford Tobacco Prevention Toolkit and Cannabis Awareness & Prevention Toolkit, and CourAGE Youth Health Coalition members. 

You may register here. This will be simultaneously interpreted in Spanish. 

Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

For updates, tips and advice, follow Wellness on Social Media: Instagram @acalaneswellness

College & Career

Seniors

• DVC Registration (for graduating students only) Enrollment presentations sign up
• This is a busy time for admissions decisions to roll out. Remember to check ALL emails from schools to make sure you don’t miss anything. If you have any questions about an admission decision or financial aid reach out directly to the university. 

• Congratulations to all seniors who have heard from schools already!!! These are such exciting times. It is very helpful for everyone to log into Naviance and update the decisions. 

• Sonoma State is still accepting applications if you are still interested in applying. 

• Scholarships - There are still scholarships available. Naviance has many listed under the colleges section. Some deadlines are quickly approaching. Some applications require essays, so students should plan ahead. Here are some links to other scholarship sites:
  • https://student.naviance.com/acalanes 
  • https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/ 
  • https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships
  • https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/school-year/high-school-senior
  • https://scholarships360.org/scholarships/top-scholarships-for-high-school-seniors/ 

Juniors

• Sunday, March 14 Virtual College Fair - St. Mary’s usually hosts a huge fair with over 100 colleges; this year it is virtual. This is a great time to connect with schools you want to get more information about and a great way to connect with admissions reps. 

• • https://www.strivescan.com/wacac/

Resources:

• CCC Website 
• How to request a transcript
• College 101
• Internships and Volunteering Ideas
• Scholarships

Counseling

Class of 2023 PE Credit Options
Current Sophomores can earn PE credits through both Athletic PE and Independent PE options as well as yoga and weight training classes during the 2021-2022 school year (their Junior year). Athletic PE is for students who participate in Acalanes sports, while Independent PE can include activities outside of school sports teams. Students will need to sign up at the beginning of a semester next school year and will need to provide weekly documentation of activity to earn credit. Please see your counselor for more detail. 

June 7 through July 15 AUHSD Summer School
Summer school is for students who need to repeat a required course after earning a D or F grade. Email your counselor for an application.   

Geometry for Advancement
The District is also planning to offer a summer geometry class for those who want to advance more quickly through the math curriculum. This course is only open to students who are currently enrolled in Algebra 1 in 9th grade and have strong performance in Algebra 1. Email your student’s counselor if interested. 

Counselor Appointments
We love talking to our students! Email is the best way to reach us. Counselors have appointment slots for students and will email them a link for signing up. We are trying to reserve the limited slots outside of class time for students. Parents can schedule a time when students are in class. 

A- Ed  Anne Schonauer
Ee-Kr  Christine Todd
Ku-Ros  Marissa Meadows
Rot-Z  Susan Martin

Legislative News

Our school district has an agreement in place to re-open, but other school districts, especially the largest ones in the state, have not been able to achieve this. Now Governor Newsom and state legislators have reached a deal which should accelerate the process by providing hefty incentives to reopen and removing some of the obstacles about which school districts had complained. Meanwhile, the federal government has confirmed that standardized testing must resume this year, meaning students still in remote learning in California would be asked to take standardized tests at home. The state is applying for a waiver to give California some flexibility on how and when the tests are administered within the 2020-2021 school year. 

Questions? Email our APC Legislative Representative.

School Nurse

• Please note the types of masks that are NOT acceptable.
• Make sure to wear a CLEAN mask every day.
• Please wear your mask so that the top covers the bridge of your nose and the bottom goes under your chin. If you are constantly readjusting, it does not fit properly.

Sports

This week’s CAN’T MISS events:

Boys tennis

• Tuesday, March 9 at College Park HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
• Thursday, March 11 - Las Lomas HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.

Girls golf

• Wednesday, March 10 - Campolindo HS at Rossmoor GC at 3:30pm.

Cross country

•  Thursday, March 11 at St. Patrick’s HS at 3:30pm.

Boys golf 

• Friday, March 12 - Campolindo HS at Rossmoor GC 3:30pm.

Football

• Saturday, March 13 host Monte Vista HS. Freshmen at 1:30pm, JV at 4pm and Varsity at 7pm.

General Announcements

Projected Calendar Changes
As AHS prepares to open for hybrid instruction, the following calendar changes are anticipated:

• Monday, March 8: Non-school day for students (tentative)
• Friday, March 12: Regular instruction day for students (confirmed)
• Monday, March 15: Non-school day for students (tentative)

Hybrid Instructional Model
For details regarding the return to hybrid instruction, please visit the district website here. This page includes student group/cohort schedules, FAQs, return to hybrid transition timelines, and more. If you have additional questions, please submit your questions to the district using this form. 

AHS Update Regarding SAT Administration
This has been a complicated year for SAT administrations. Due to Covid-related restrictions AHS has had to cancel a number of administration dates and limit capacity moving forward. We apologize for any frustration caused by this ever-changing landscape. Linked here is a message from our AHS testing coordinator about the upcoming March 13 administration.

APC in Action

Due Friday, March 12 - APC Spring 2021 Grants Proposals!
Acalanes Parents Club is excited to announce its spring grant program is now accepting proposals to enhance the educational experience of AHS students during the current distance learning model and the return to in-person hybrid model. Teachers, students, staff and parents are welcome to submit a grant proposal. Contact APC Grants Coordinator Catherine Habas to receive the application submission guidelines or click here. Email completed applications to Catherine Habas at or drop in the APC box in the office. 

Application Deadline Extended to May 1, 2021 - Acalanes & President's Volunteer Service Awards Program
Due to the continued challenges of identifying and completing volunteer work during COVID, we have made the decision to extend the deadline, so students can finish service hours and submit applications. A few reminders:

• Applications may be submitted between March 25 - May 1, 2021. Please do NOT submit early.
• Completed and signed Applications (along with any supporting materials from your organizations) should be scanned and emailed to communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com.
• Download the service award application forms here. 
• If you have any questions please email us!

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

ACA “March Madness”
It’s almost time to welcome hybrid students back on campus!! With a return to Hybrid date of March 16, it’s time to pump up the ACA spirit to new levels! Here are some ways to do so:

• Fly your ACA flag!! Don’t have one? Buy one on the webstore! (See Fundraising section for details.)
• Decorate your student’s mailbox for the first day of Hybrid (decoration kits will be available during “Back to School” hybrid orientation)
• Get your students ready to wear ACA STRONG shirts on Hybrid Day 1, March 16. Students who didn’t pick up an ACA Strong shirt at the last ACA Day can pick one up at Back to School Hybrid Orientation.
• Be on the look-out for more info for a Senior Car Painting effort
• Join the fun & buy an ACA Parent/Sibling Strong Shirt. This is a grey version of the student/staff ACA Strong shirt.  You can purchase now via the Acalanes webstore for $10 and pick up from Acalanes after you receive your confirmation email. 

Buy and Eat Local: Support Lafayette Businesses & Restaurants!
Local businesses and restaurants need our support more than ever! Restaurants are welcoming outside dining again and would appreciate patronage by Acalanes families in their outdoor seating areas or via take-out. As always, local businesses continue to help our classes with dine out fundraising. Mark your calendar to support these businesses AND our Dons!

• Class of 2024: Tuesday, March 3 from 10a to 7p at Sideboard 

Questions, comments, or feedback, email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com.

Parent Ed

Wednesday, March 10 at 7pm - Dr. Michael Rich, "The Mediatrician"
Join us online for an informative talk with Dr. Michael Rich, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center of Media and Child Health. He will focus on understanding and responding to the ways in which teens and families are affected by the interactive media we use and how we use them. Dr. Rich will also reframe the issue of screen use in adolescents from the values-based “right vs wrong” debate that has prevailed since the earliest days of television to an evidence-based public health issue - how we are changed by our media use, in positive and negative ways, so that parents, teachers, clinicians, and society at large can make critical decisions in raising the next generations to be healthy, happy, and kind.

• No advanced registration is required. Click here to join the event!