• Parent Education

    January 30, 2022

    You’re not always going to be the best parent because you can’t train for this. There are no top scores to beat. For each of us, one day’s “best” is different from another day’s. Today’s best might be a home-cooked meal and tomorrow’s could be fast food in the car on the way to dance lessons. “Best” is a moving target. It’s a fast ball whizzing toward you ten times a day. All that matters is that you keep swinging. -Parents Magazine
     
    ICYMI- Here is a recording from our presentation The Well-Balanced Student Presentation with Laura Easley and Drew Schrader from Challenge Success, hosted by the APC Parent Education committee. It will be available for 60 days for your review.
     
    Tuesday, Feb 1 from 7 to 9pm online MVLA Parent Speaker Series will be hosting Rosetta Lee who will present Implicit and Unconscious Bias: Bridging the Distance Between Professed Values and Daily Behaviors. Rosetta Lee says that in over a decade of conducting training she mostly encounters people with a desire to do good. They want to be inclusive, kind, and fair. The problem comes when they have to evaluate how perceptive and fair-minded they actually are. She explains that the human mind takes in millions of pieces of information at any moment, but cannot actively process all of it, so it ends up taking mental shortcuts. The brain also makes assumptions based on certain associations, which can lead to biases. Rosetta illustrates and explains twenty different cognitive biases that mess with our decision making and behavior. Register for this free event here.
     
    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. Feel free to reach out and connect with us with ideas for future topics, shareable resources, or thoughts at parented@acalanesparentsclub.com.

  • Student Activities

    January 30, 2022

    Tuesday, Feb 1 in Room 314 Information meeting for current 9, 10 and 11th graders. Info meeting for current  8th grade Stanley students at lunch on February 3 via zoom (see Mrs. Shegoian for more information). Students can opt in to run to be a class officer and represent their class or join one of 16 committees. Student Government/Leadership is a wonderful opportunity to serve campus & community while building “soft skills” that will be used in the future.
     
    Monday, Feb 7 Student Government applications for the 2022-2023 school year are due! They are now available and all current 8, 9, 10, and 11th graders are encouraged to apply! Applications can be found on canvas or the Acalanes leadership website.
     
    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 Lukas Ross, a senior on the wrestling team. Our ACA Leader has made such an impact on his team and represents what an ACA Leader is!
     
    2021-2022 Clubs Anyone can still join a club and now is the perfect time to do so! Check out our 2021-2022 Clubs (clubs highlighted in green are new as of this semester)
     
    Acalanes Spiritwear Looking for Acalanes gear or a welcome gift for the Class of 2026? Look no further! Spiritwear is available for purchase on the Acalanes webstore. You can purchase here and once purchased, you will receive an email with directions for pick-up.
     
    ACAlanes supports the Monument Crisis Center
    From Monday, Feb 7 through Friday, Feb 18, the Acalanes Community Outreach Board is collecting Monument Crisis Center’s most needed foods- cereal and peanut butter. If you would like to contribute, drop off cereal and peanut butter in front of Acalanes’ main office. Thank you for your support!
     
    Black History Month begins NOW!
    Black History Month is a month-long celebration of Black excellence, culture & history. Students have worked really hard to put together a month of programming and information. We are encouraging our entire community to opt in to at least one event. Check out themonth-long calendar & opt in!
     
    Peek at the Week

    • Tuesday, Feb 1 at Lunch Leadership Informational Meeting in room 314
    • Wednesday, Feb 2 at Lunch Shawn tells All in room 314. Review pulse survey data with Principal Shawn & engage in critical dialogue.
    • Wednesday, Feb 2 at Lunch Frosh/Soph bonding-dodgeball on the football field
    • Friday, Feb 4 at Academy  Environmental council (all are invited to attend)

    Save the Date
    Friday, Mar 4 All school Spring Rally
    Saturday, Apr 30 Junior & Senior Prom at Lake Chalet in Oakland
     
    Katherine Walton, Student Activities Director

  • Wellness Center

    January 30, 2022

    While the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell are common knowledge to most, there is a “sixth sense” that is often overlooked. Interoception is defined as the perception of sensations from inside the body and includes the perception of physical sensations related to internal organ function as well as the autonomic nervous system activity related to emotions. By definition, it is easy to understand how this sense of self can contribute to our mental and physical health. Scientists suggest that disruption in interoception is reported in many mental health conditions.
     
    Talk with your student about the importance of tuning into their own bodies and minds. With practice, someone can receive messages that may be below the conscious threshold of perception. Some ways to develop interoception skills:

    • a mindfulness practice
    • noticing and labeling body language or sensations
    • thinking about how these physical sensations relate to our emotions

     Here is a link to a short video explaining how interoception works.
    (source: sciencealert.com)

  • College & Career

    January 30, 2022

    Seniors

    • Wednesday, Feb 9 DVC Registration- Please have your senior sign up for Levy’s Academy in the library. A DVC admissions officers will be walking students through the registration process and answer any questions.
    • Scholarship Tips- Send your child to the CCC soon to not miss deadlines.

    Juniors

    • Tuesday, Feb 1 from 6 to 7pm Acalanes Bookclub Meeting will be on Zoom.Join other Junior parents to discuss Who Gets in and Why by Jeffrey Selingo.
    • Black College Expo- Mark your calendars and register for 2/26 from 10am-3pm
    • CalPoly Humboldt- Read about California’s newest Polytech school.
    • College Timeline- Check out these informative tips!
    • DVC Summer Academies- Earn 1 college unit and get hands-on experience!
    • Jobs available- Orchard Nursery is looking for weekend cashier support/carry out. There are many other jobs available. Send students to the CCC.
    • Out of State College Fair- March 23 from 6:30-8:30pm outside at Campolindo. More details to come!

    Sophomores/Freshmen

    • College Timeline- Here are fun ideas and a timeline by one of my favorite resources- The College Essay Guy.
    • NCAA Eligibility- Watch this video to understand NCAA requirements if your student is a strong athlete.
    • SAT goes fully Digital in Spring 2024: Click here to read more!
    • Resume Development- Have your child reach out to work on creating a resume!
    • Volunteer  Here are some volunteer options to get you started. Check out the newforms for tracking volunteer service hours for recognized service awards.

    Resources:
    CCC Website

     

  • Counseling

    January 30, 2022

    Counselor assignments are by last name.
    A-Dr Anne Schonauer 
    Du-Kr Christine Todd 
    Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
    Roh-Z Susan Martin
     
    Monday, Jan 31 to Thursday, Feb 3 Course Requests Due to Counselors
    Your student has an appointment scheduled with their counselor this week to turn in their course selection form and review classes in Aeries. This appointment is on the white label on their course selection sheet. This is a five-minute appointment. Please make sure your student remembers this appointment, and meets with their counselor in the Library.
     
    Tuesday, Feb. 1 California Scholarship Federation (CSF)
    CSF applications open. Sophomores, juniors and seniors should apply. CSF is an honors society that recognizes strong academic performance. Students who have been members for at least 4 semesters receive special recognition. Please see the application for full membership policies. Applications are also available in the Counseling Office from Feb 1 through Feb 28. Turn in forms to the counseling office and email Anne Schonauer (aschonauer@auhdscshools.org) with any questions. 

  • School Nurse

    January 30, 2022

    Thank you to Acalanes families for reporting COVID+ cases to us (especially Attendance), keeping your students home when they are ill, and making sure they have well-fitting masks that they wear correctly.

    COVID Vaccine Most students are now eligible to get boosters - PLEASE DO!!!   Despite the burden of COVID virus, our community is working hard to stay healthy and the high vaccination rate and observance of health department guidelines makes a significant difference and helps keep students in school learning. If  you haven’t yet, please submit your students’ COVID vaccine records. 

    COVID Isolation, Quarantines and Test Kits The current guidelines for return to school after COVID illness require a negative COVID test (if returning before 10 days).  If your student is testing in the School Nurse Office, please make sure they register with Primary Health.  School sites do NOT have more test kits to distribute. Please see Principal Shawn’s COVID FAQ’s for more details.

    Make sure you always have your proof of vaccination! Try this site- https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/ iPhone users- you can now put your vaccinationrecord in your Apple Health app (and Apple Wallet).

    This week’s recipe: NiceCream! Blend together in a small food processor- 2 sliced frozen bananas, one heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, splash of oat milk (and add tsp of peanut butter for creaminess). Yummy and healthy!

    Please be in touch with me to discuss any medical, health, or wellness concerns.

    Stay healthy and be well,
    Dvora Citron, RN, MS
    dcitron@auhsdschools.org
    925-280-2970 x7128
    Acalanes School Nurse Google Site
    IG:  acalanesschoolnurse