Weekly News & Announcements

APC in Action

DONS DIALOGUE - FRIDAY AT 8:45AM
Please join us on Friday, Oct 18 at 8:45am in the Collaboration Center for our October Dons Dialogue. Discussion topics for October include; Peer Tutoring, Breaking Down the Walls program, student safety expectations, College & Career Center update and a student activities report. APC will provide coffee and treats. All parents/caregivers welcome.
 

FRIDAY, OCT 11 WAS A SNACK ATTACK DAY FOR THE ACALANES STAFF!
Thank you to our Staff Appreciation team, Dominique Mickelson and Stacey Hastings, for creating this yummy snack bar for all our Acalanes Staff. Your generous donations to APC allow us to make sure the staff know how much we appreciate all they do to support our students.


Follow Acalanes Parents Club on Instagram. Contact APC here with any questions.

APC Membership & Fundraising

All APC members should have received an email with a link to the Acalanes 2024-2025 Online Family Directory! If you donated to the APC and did not receive the email, please contact our Communications Team at vpcommunications@acalanesparentsclub.com.
 
It is not too late to donate here. With a donation of any amount, you will receive the directory, and you can also get an Acalanes tote bag. If you have any questions, or if you have donated and would like a tote bag, please contact Carrie Daughters.

Parents Club Pro-Tip

ATTENDANCE Q&A - PART 2
What does my student do if they are marked absent by their teacher and it is an error?
Have the student come into the attendance office to get a teacher correction form.
 
Do I need to excuse my student if they already have an early dismissal for sports?
No. Early sports dismissals are included in the Daily Don (email and/or text) sent from the office each morning.
 
If my student returns with a medical/dental note, do I still need to call the attendance line?
Yes, the absence still needs to be verified by a parent. Please call the 24-hour attendance line at 925-280-3973.

Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

CALLING ALL DONS DADS!
The Dons Dads is a dad-led group formed to create simple ways for father figures within the Acalanes High School Community to connect.  Relationships formed > Experiences shared > Laughs had > Ideas batted around > The world benefits.
 
For our first event, we've got space reserved at the Headlands for burgers and beverages for a Thursday Night Football (tm) game.
 
WHAT:       NFL Football. Broncos @ Saints. Burgers & Beverages
WHERE:    Headlands Brewery- Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette CA
WHEN:      Thursday, Oct 17. Kick off at 5:15pm. Doors open at five o'clock.
WHO:        You, and anyone else you'd like to invite.
VENMO:    $40 gets you two beverages and a smash burger.  @bob-mccallister  / 415.260.7518.

 
Send payment to Bob now to reserve your spot. Include your name and email in the memo.
 
We're fired up to have you.
 Josh Milnes & Bob McCallister, Dons Dads Co-Chairs/Founders


LAFAYETTE RES RUN FOR EDUCATION - NEXT WEEKEND!
Show your community spirit, and support Acalanes (Go Dons!) - sign up for the Lafayette Res Run for Education on Sunday, Oct 20. 15% of Acalanes designated registrations + donations go back to Acalanes Parents Club. Every registration counts! Be sure to select Acalanes when you register!
 
In 2023, the Lafayette Res Run for Education donated over $28K to our local public schools. Learn more and register TODAY.

SUMMER JAPAN TRIP
Acalanes staff are taking students on a trip to Japan this summer. Students from any grade and any of the four high schools can attend! The only requirement is an interest in travel! This trip has a little bit of everything -- ancient/historical sites, awe-inspiring locations, amazing food, and a once-in-a-lifetime bonding experience with your Lamorinda peers. Send your student on the trip of a lifetime where they become a global citizen who values travel and exploration.
 
For anyone interested in going on the trip to Japan this summer, please follow this link to preview the trip and to register:  June 2025 - Japan.
And check out our Instagram page to see photos from the last two summers! acalanes_travels

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

Important October Dates

• LGBTQ History Month
• Filipino American History Month
• Oct 14 Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Oct 31 Diwali

LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community.

Filipino American History Month (FAHM) is celebrated in the United States during the month of October. In 1991, October was chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Filipinos who landed in what is now Morro Bay, California on Oct 18, 1587. It is also the birth month of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong.

Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. “We acknowledge that Lafayette is part of the unceded, ancestral homeland of the Bay Miwok people. The Bay Miwok and neighboring Ohlone people have lived in and moved through this place for thousands of years.” City of Lafayette

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with what the students are doing to celebrate all of these wonderful cultures and special dates.

Student Activities

The annual Acalanes Fall Blood Drive is Oct 30. You can make appointments through the Red Cross website (link to page). You must create an account and find the Acalanes Blood Drive on the Find a Drive page. Our goal is to have 46 donors. If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Walton or marshall.stirling27@auhsdschools.org.
 
Breaking Down the Walls From Oct 22 - 24, all 10th and 11th grade students will participate in Breaking Down The Walls. The Breaking Down the Walls program is a unique opportunity for students and staff to connect, share their stories, and realize…

"It's hard to hate someone whose story you know."
Thanks to APC funding, this program creates a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding through a "play, trust, learn" model. By first helping students laugh together, they start to trust one another and eventually want to learn from those outside their regular friend group. The assembly, training, and workshops leave everyone with the realization that we are truly BETTER TOGETHER! 

Breaking Down the Walls strengthens social and emotional learning (SEL), specifically building social awareness and relationship skills vital to student growth and success. 

• Meaningful connections and positive relationships
  • Bring students together and provide dedicated time for them to connect and build relationships. 
• Empathy and Understanding
  • Allow students to share their stories, hear their peers' stories, and learn they are better together. 
• Thriving Campus Culture
  • Create an inclusive culture where students say, "I belong here; I am safe here; I can learn and grow here." 

Here is a 4-minute video from the organization with testimonials from students. Students will be participating during one of the three days, assigned by last name. Look for more specific information next week. 

Starting to think about holiday cards and gifts? Shop at Minted. Not only do you get 20% off, Acalanes gets 15% of all sales when you use the code FUNDRAISEACALANES.

If you ordered spiritwear from the Gryco webstore and haven't picked it up, please email Katherine Walton and she can leave it in the attendance office for you. 

2024-2025 Clubs
Looking to connect your student to a passion? Here are 77 unique clubs on campus, from Archery Club to the Red Cross Club. 
 

Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Activities Director

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by student last name:
A-F Anne Schonauer  
G-Ka Erika Vasquez
Ke-Re Marissa Meadows 
Rh-Z Susan Martin

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Counselors are finishing up seeing seniors individually to discuss post high-school plans. October is the month we spend writing letters for Early Decision/Action deadlines - each counselor has over 40 letters to write during October! Please have your student see us right away if they need a letter of rec!
 
GRADES AND ELIGIBILITY The first quarter of the year ended last Friday! Continued athletic eligibility will be determined from these grades this week for all fall sports - students must have a 2.0 GPA and be passing five classes. Quarter grades should be available in Aeries on Friday, Oct 18 or Monday, Oct 21.
 
JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT Please come to the Library on Wednesday, Nov 13 from 6:30-7:30pm to hear from Debbie Levy, College and Career Center Advisor, and Susan Martin, Counselor, about all things juniors should be thinking about as they research and prepare to apply to college next fall! 

School Nurse

Happy October!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention Month.  We know a lot more about this area than we used to, so there is a lot we can do to help increase awareness and hopefully reduce our risk of breast cancer. One of the most basic strategies is to teach young women to perform BSE (breast self exam) and encourage them to perform this life-saving technique monthly throughout most of their lives. I am sharing an excellent resource from The Get In Touch Foundation. The Daisy Wheel is an interactive, safe, and easy-to-use tool outlining the eight steps necessary to do breast self-examination. This tool is accessible as a downloadable app and also available as a hard-copy paper tool. I have several of the paper tools in my office and am happy to share with anyone who is interested.

I want to encourage all families to access these tools and share them with your daughters. I encourage you to view this instructional video with your daughter(s) and consider physically practicing this together. Your discussion should include incorporating this practice into a regular health hygiene routine. 

So take action and make a commitment to: 1. Review this information and materials with your daughter(s), or even just yourself; 2. Download the app or/and get the paper tool from me; 3. Schedule this practice on your calendar to perform monthly with a reminder.  Make this a habit that will become a regular practice. The more we perform these preventative health measures, the more it motivates and inspires us to increase our healthy habits in other areas.  I want to hear from you about this – please “get in touch.”

Let me know if you have questions or need support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Wellness Center

With SATs and PSATs right around the corner, it may be beneficial to discuss test anxiety with your AHS student. Test anxiety is actually a form of performance anxiety which affects 25-40% of students. While it’s perfectly normal for a student to feel nervous before a test, test anxiety can be overwhelming for students and disrupt their concentration and ability. Here are a couple steps you can take to support your student in combating their test anxiety:

• Positive Self Talk can go a long way in altering one’s perception of their ability. Encourage your student to talk to themselves how they would talk to a friend or loved one experiencing the same anxiety. We are often our own worst critic and in many instances, we talk to ourselves more negatively than we would ever talk to someone else.
• Acceptance of mistakes can also shift your student’s mindset around their ability. First, remind your student that trying their best is realistically the most they can do. Even when trying our absolute best, people still make mistakes. Second, model this behavior for your students. Are you shaming your student when their best effort isn’t “good enough” or beating yourself up when you make a mistake? Offer grace in the face of mistakes. We’re all human after all.
• Teach test taking basics to your student so they might feel more confident when the time comes to take a test. Believe it or not, study skills and test taking strategies are learned. Just because students have to take tests, doesn’t mean they are actually equipped to do so successfully.

Performing & Visual Arts