• General Announcements

    January 3, 2021

    Tuesday, Jan 5 - School Resumes
    Happy New Year! A friendly reminder that school resumes on Tuesday, January 5. 

    School Calendar Update
    The District recently announced that February 12 and March 12, two dates previously noted as days off for students, are now regular instructional school days. Please update your family calendar and refer to the district website for further details.

  • Acalanes Community Always (ACA)

    January 3, 2021

    ACA STRONG IN 2021!
    While students may not yet be back on campus, efforts are still actively underway to show our ACA Strong spirit in various ways. Be on the lookout for more information regarding how to get Acalanes students, families, alumni, and community members reengaged. Welcome back!

    Have any Extra Blue or White Holiday Lights?
    Team ACA is looking for donations of blue & white holiday lights for a campus project in January. Maybe you’ve switched to LEDs and don’t know what to do with your old lights? You can now donate them to Acalanes. Or, if you bought too many holiday lights and don’t need them, we’d love to take them off your hands! Email aca@acalanesparentsclub.com if you have lights to donate and they will happily be picked up off your doorstep.

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

    January 3, 2021

    Week SEVENTEEN in the Challenge to Build Habits Supporting Racial Equity
    Happy New Year! If you are interested in joining our group, email us! We need you and we welcome you! It will take all of us to join in, educate ourselves, and start the crucial work to create racial equity. As part of your commitment to this important work, we invite you to join us for these upcoming DEI events. 

    Tuesday Jan 19 from 7-8:30pm, Dr. Lori Watson Racial Equity Series: Biases, Beliefs, Consciousness
    Join us for the remaining sessions of Dr. Lori Watson’s insightful seminar series on Racial Equity. If you haven’t already registered, sign up here. 

    “I truly appreciate these important workshops. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to come together with other parents and create a space where I can develop a deeper understanding of my role in creating an anti-racist community. Initially, I was both nervous and curious about the content and framework. I appreciate everyone giving each other a little grace in this personal process. Each session helps me build and practice the skills I need to have open, honest conversations on racism. It is not easy but it is necessary.”

    --Teli T., Acalanes parent

    The remaining dates for this series are:

    • February 9 “Whiteness”
    • March 3 “Children and Race” 
    • May 6 “Disrupting Racism/Co-Conspiratorship” 

    Thursday Feb 4, 6:30 - 8 pm - DEI Book Club
    We are reading the critically-acclaimed novel Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Order your copy from Orinda Books and sign up here for the next discussion. 

    Save the Date! Tuesday Feb 23 - Speaker Event with Arshay Cooper 
    Plan to join us for an evening with Arshay Cooper, the author of the powerful memoir “A Most Beautiful Thing,” about the first U.S. all Black rowing team. If you didn’t have a chance to read the book over winter break, it can be purchased from Orinda Books. The book was also adapted into a film, which is available on Amazon Prime or Xfinity. And, the Acalanes community will have the opportunity to watch the film adaptation in an exclusive Acalanes screening event! More details coming soon!

    We encourage you to take a survey developed by CMERA (Committee for Multicultural and Educational Reform at AUHSD) and Grassroots Law Project (GLP). Grassroots Law Project AUHSD aims to bridge the gap between grassroots organizing and legal expertise in criminal justice reform. Working with CMERA, the group is campaigning to make the school curriculum more accurately diverse. 

    • Curriculum survey for AUHSD students
    • Curriculum survey for AUHSD parents

    To get involved with GLP AUHSD, fill out this Google Form. Check them out on Instagram: GLP and CMERA 

    What reflects culture more than food does? Email us your recipes and ideas. We want to honor everyone’s culture and share with this group!  

    To join us, or if you want more information or have questions, email us! Stay current by visiting our webpage, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

  • LPIE

    January 3, 2021

    Welcome to 2021!

    We Hope You Listened to Your LPIE Donations at Work!
    LPIE supports Instrumental Music, Choral and Drama performing arts, plus visual arts at Acalanes. The Winter Performances helped kick off winter break - if you missed any of them please check out LPIE’s social media site or find links     here.

    LPIE's Community Campaign Podcast
    Take a walk down memory lane with long-time residents, Mary McCosker and Kelly Daggs, as they dive into the history behind LPIE. Mary and Kelly take the listener back 40 years, to what started as a response to budget cuts in music and the arts, and has grown into a significant partnership with the two Lafayette school districts. Episode 6 reminds us why we all choose to move here: "Green Hills, Great Schools." When you live in Lafayette, you truly understand what community means. Click  to listen.

    Laura    -Kate Rurka     & Jennifer Palmer
    Acalanes LPIE School Chairs

    www.lpie.org

  • From the Activities Director

    January 3, 2021

    2021!
    We are here and we are ready to kick off 2nd semester with lots of programming. Look for more updates next week as we restart & get up and running. 

    2020-2021 Clubs
    Club meetings continue. Check out our 45 clubs!

    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

    January 3, 2021

    Everyone who endured the pandemic has much to be proud of and that goes for students especially. Adolescence is a critical stage that requires so much in the way of social development. And while they may not have had the developmental opportunities we wanted for them, we assure you that each and every student was rising to meet incredible challenges. As the new year begins, it is critical that there be a period of reflection on 2020 to help inform 2021. We created the Wellness Review (a list of 20 questions about 2020) for students to use a reflection tool. Research shows that self-reflecting not only embeds learning, it also creates a foundation for future learning. As your student begins second semester knowing that the vaccine is on the horizon, we really can say with confidence that the pandemic will end. Let’s make sure they take the opportunity to look at 2020 with an assets-based lens, rather than a deficit one so they can enter the new year with resilience and a commitment to take care of their bodies, hearts and minds.

    Allen Choi, Wellness Coordinator
    Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist

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