Weekly News & Announcements

General Administration Announcements

A few housekeeping items for the end of the year:
 
Finals Schedule
There was an error in our Student Planner with the Finals Week Schedule. Please access the current Finals Schedule by clicking here.
 
Books
If your student has any books they are not currently using, please have them turn them in. They do not need to wait until the end of the year! 
 
Devices
Acalanes will collect all school-owned chromebooks, chargers, and other devices. These electronics can be returned to the library anytime during the week before Finals (May 16-20).
 
Should your student(s) want to keep their device, etc. to study for finals, the last chance to drop these items off is during Finals week, from 12:30 - 1:30pm on the following days:
12th grade - Monday 5/23
11th grade - Tuesday 5/24
10th grade - Wednesday 5/25
9th grade - Thursday 5/26
 
On Friday 5/27, the library will be open all day (8:00am - 4:00pm) in case a student misses their assigned day for any reason.

APC in Action

Acalanes and President’s Volunteer Service Awards
Congrats to over 140 dedicated students who volunteered this past school year to provide a vast array of services to our community! Acalanes students made a difference by volunteering over 7,500 hours. Students can pick up their award certificates and celebratory ice cream on Wednesday, May 18th, at lunch in the Main Quad. Any unclaimed certificates can be picked up at the College and Career Center.
 
Congrats to Principal’s ACA Blue Heart & Acalanes Silver A Award Recipients!
Over 125 students were nominated by their friends and peers for the ACA Blue Heart Award that highlights students who show up for their peers, foster spirit on campus, and show care for peers, teachers, staff, & our campus. Acalanes Silver A Award recipients were nominated by teachers recognizing students who exhibit subject matter passion through engagement and curiosity, create a sense of community and inclusion in the classroom, actively engage in a diverse exchange of ideas with their classmates and teachers, and/or find ways to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Award recipients can be found here.
 
APC is proud to provide financial and volunteer support for these awards programs!

APC General Meeting  APC will hold a general meeting during the first few minutes of Dons Dialogue on Friday, May 13 to hold a formal vote on the APC Board of Directors slate (below) and approve our new Bylaws.  All members are invited and encouraged to come!

Finals Fuel Spring Finals are quickly approaching and that means FINALS FUEL is back!  You can help refuel and recharge our Dons in several ways:

• Purchase from our Amazon wish list and have snacks shipped directly to us
• Donate $ for our Costco shopping trip
• Purchase items yourself & deliver to the College & Career Center at your convenience
• Volunteer to hand out treats and offer words of encouragement on Tues/Wed/Thus of finals week

Please click here to access the Sign-Up Genius link, and for more detailed information! Thanks in advance for your support. Go Dons! 

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

Mark your calendar for the AHS Senior Car Rally! Friday, May 20 at 5pm, Downtown Lafayette Come one, come all! This community-wide celebration is a great way to cheer on Acalanes seniors and their families. Spectators will line Mt. Diablo Blvd. from Oakwood to the Lafayette Library. Groups (AHS teams, clubs, etc) can reserve an area on the route to watch the Car Rally together by emailing Car Rally Co-Chair Linda Choi. It’s a great night to stay and dine in Lafayette!
 
Volunteers needed for AHS Senior Car Rally! Join one of the best volunteering events of the year. Please consider signing up for a slot to help celebrate our graduates.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

Wednesday, May 11 from 6:30 to 8:00pm via Zoom - Social Emotional Wellness and Mental Health for Asian American Tweens/Teens, hosted by Moraga School District, Campolindo Parent DNI and JM DEI Committee. Click to Register.

Saturday, May 14 at 7:30pm at the Lafayette Library - Gold Coast Chamber Players’ Cultural Crossroads: Black and Indigenous influences on Dvořák in America Pre-concert interview at 7:00pm. Tickets online: $15-45. Their short “About Us” video features our very own (soon-to-be-retired) Stanley music teacher extraordinaire Bob Athayde.

And speaking of music… Ever hear an amazing song and you can’t get it out of your head? Filipino American musician Toro y Moi’s just-released music video “The Loop” is one of those songs. In this fun San Francisco video he rides on various modes of transportation including in a jeepney, those little yellow GoCars, even skateboards.

Parent Education

“Keep trying to catch your kid in the act of doing something right.  Teens struggle with self-confidence.  When they aren’t dumping on themselves, their peers may do it for them.  Don’t add your voice to the chorus of negativity.  Actively look for things your kids are doing right.  Your praise shows you notice more than their faults.”  Annie Fox
 
In light of the tragedies that have occurred recently in our community, and in line with other recent Parent Education posts, we want to introduce a digital platform called BeMe for teens that can provide further coaching and crisis support both asynchronously and in real time. Tech is a large part of our teens’ reality, so this could be one app in their arsenal that could help them through tough times and provide education on self-care.
 
Finally, if your teen is struggling with academics or feeling down or frustrated about school, don’t forget to connect with our Counselors, our Nurse, and our Wellness Center. Connection and belonging are critical to a teen’s well-being, as well as ours, and will help us all feel more resilient.

Student Activities

An Aca Leader is a role model that shows leadership and plays a big role throughout our school community. Each week, one student who stands out is chosen to be our week's Aca Leader. This week we are proud to have chosen Scarlett Pappalardo, a senior on the Varsity Softball team. Our Aca Leader has made such an impact on their team and represents what an Aca Leader is!
 
Thank you for your enthusiasm & support for student activities. Katherine Walton, the Student Activities Director, is out on maternity leave. For any student activity questions, please contact Kat Bautista.

College & Career

Seniors

• DVC Done-in-one-Day Registration Rocks Saturday, May 7. Get everything done for DVC by registering for this event.

Juniors

• College Essay Workshops at Acalanes Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 15 and Wednesday, June 22 in the am. Details to follow, but students will brainstorm and create outlines for their college essays.
• Additionally, the College Essay Guy offers insightful sessions on the college essay process. Students leave with tangible ideas and drafts too! Our school is registeredand courses are FREE! I highly recommend checking some of these out! They are a fun and simple way to start/finish essays.
• Community College Summer Classes Open: Enrollment for summer courses at California Community Colleges has begun. You can likely take them asynchronously at many schools. If you’d like to explore a subject you are passionate about, click here.  

Sophomores/Freshmen

• Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge:  Virtual event on Wednesday, May 4 at 4pm to 6pm. Student Registration Link Click Here and Adults & TeacherRegistration Link Click Here

Resources:  CCC Website