Weekly News & Announcements

Sports

Softball
Tuesday, May 16 or Wednesday, May 17 NCS first round playoff game.
Friday, May 19 Saturday, May 20 NCS Quarterfinal.
 
Boys tennis
Friday, May 19 Saturday, May 20 CIF NorCal Championships Broadstone Racquet Club in Folsom.
 
Track & field
Friday, May 19 Saturday, May 20 NCS Meet of Champions at Dublin HS.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Randy Takahashi at rtakahashi@auhsdschools.org or Haley Walsh at hwalsh@auhsdschools.org.

General Administration Announcements

GRADUATION INFORMATION

Acalanes Class of 2023

Friday, May 26 at 6pm

>> Read 2023 Graduation Information Here <<

APC in Action

ACALANES STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCH - May 11
We are planning to treat our teachers and staff to a fabulous lunch spread on Thursday, May 11 to show them how much we appreciate all that they do! Please sign up here if you are able to help!

MAY DONS DIALOGUE - Friday, May 12 at 8:30am
Please join us for our final Dons Dialogue of this school year. We will start at 8:30am with a brief general meeting to vote on our 2023-24 Board of Directors slate (see below) and then we’ll proceed with the Dons Dialogue discussion. Grab a friend and join us for another informative forum - coffee and treats will be served!

2023-2024 ACALANES PARENTS CLUB SLATE
We are proud to announce our slate of nominees for the 2023-2024 Acalanes Parents Club Board of Directors. The slate was approved by this year’s board and the next step is for the APC General Membership to approve it at the APC General Meeting, immediately preceding Dons Dialogue on Friday, May 12. Contact APC Parliamentarian, Kristen Labrosse, at parliamentarian@acalanesparentsclub.com with any questions.
 
2023-2024 Parents Club Executive Board Nominees
President: Kelly Daggs
VP Communications: Michele Colaco
VP Community Partners: Nicole Long
VP Fundraising: Lori MacLeod
VP Services: Kendra Uffelman
VP Special Projects: Raina Foster
Co-Head Liaison & ACA Liaisons: Sarah Cusumano & Heidi Keely
Secretary: Ali Krick
Treasurer: Lee Huskins
Assistant Treasurer: Eng Young
Auditor: Andrea Hilsabeck
Past President/Parliamentarian: Veronique Kuhner

AHS SERVICE AWARDS & PRESIDENTIAL SERVICE AWARDS CELEBRATION 
Congratulations to those students who have been awarded AHS and Presidential Service Awards!  We thank your students for making a difference to those individuals and organizations in need in our community and we hope they’ll continue their community service in the future. If your student received a service award, please remind them to come to the front quad at lunchtime on Wednesday, May 17 to pick up their certificate and enjoy a celebratory ice cream! Please note that all award recipients have been notified via email. If your student submitted an application and has not yet received any email in response, please have them email communityservice@acalanesparentsclub.com as soon as possible. 
 
FINALS FUEL TIME
We're in the home stretch…
Let's end the year with a grand slam as we FUEL our students during FINALS week!
Who's on first? You! By donating and/or delivering snacks to our students during finals week May 24-26.
What's on second? Shop our Amazon wish list and have it delivered to the Finals Fuel clubhouse or donate directly to the Costco Run (venmo @sheryl-platt-1 or paypal sheryl@slpdesigns.net )
Why on 3rd? Help our students re-energize between final exams!
I don't know in left field? Click here for the Sign Up Genius that includes more information on donating and volunteering.

APC Membership & Fundraising

Buy a Brick, Leave a Legacy…
There’s no better way to honor a Don than with a customized 2023 Legacy Brick on our Dons Legacy Wall! Prominently displayed in the Main Quad, our Dons Legacy Wall provides families a lasting way to recognize their special student, teacher, coach, team, performance group, club, and more. Purchase your brick through the Acalanes Web Store for $250. Contact Legacy Brick Coordinator Leanne Zimmerman with any questions.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

May is both Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage and Mental Health Awareness Month. The Lafayette Library's CelebrateDiversity page contains information to help celebrate the month. Library staff have curated booklists for all ages that feature AAPI voices and stories. As well, the county library system posted a quick read titled, HowAreYou? HowAreYouReallyDoing? to their adult blog page.

Upcoming Community Event: Standing up to Hate Crimes, Thursday, May 18 4-5:30pm, online via Zoom
Hate crimes are exponentially increasing in California. How do we, as a community, support victims of hate crimes? The State of California Civil Rights Department has developed tools for victims to report hate crimes and receive support. Co-sponsored by the Contra Costa County Libraries. Click here for registrationinformation.

DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. Out-of-the-box thinking is welcome. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. Lots of ways to be involved without a huge time commitment.

Student Activities

Junior and Senior Prom is this Saturday, May 13 at SF City Hall! Students must arrive to Acalanes no later than 5:45pm. Students will receive an email in their school account on Tuesday with all the reminders and information.
 
Acalanes celebrates Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Our Asian Student Union has planned a couple of events this upcoming week:

• Monday at lunch in room 314: Showing of Bao
• Wednesday at lunch in room 314: Spicy noodle eating contest

End of year spirit week: May 15-19

• Dress-up days every day along with lunchtime opportunities
• End of year rally on Friday, May 19

Applications for The Force for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year have just been released. This student run group is a collection of leaders that will help create a larger, louder, and more supportive student section. They need to be willing to lead cheers and step out of their comfort zone to lead the student section as a whole. Frosh, sophomores, and juniors can apply and it is a great way to get involved in the Acalanes community! Applications close tomorrow, Monday May 8.
 
Looking to stay informed? Follow us on Instagram for the latest on student activities and class happenings.
 
Katherine Walton, Leadership Teacher

College & Career

Happy May! Congratulations to the seniors who made their final college decision!
 
Debbie Levy will be gone for the rest of the year, but the College & Career Center will be staffed with limited hours:
Monday - Closed
Tues/Th - Open during lunch and 7th period
Wed/Fri - Open during Academy and lunch
Finals Week - Closed

SENIORS 
 
Senior Exit Survey:  Important! If your student knows their post high school plan, please update Naviance. In order for final transcripts to be sent, students MUST go to “About Me” and “Surveys from Your School” and fill out “2023 Senior Exit Survey.” This is the only way transcripts are sent to colleges.
 
JUNIORS

Please stop by the College & Career during our open hours. Please also take a few minutes to complete this survey  - https://forms.gle/iGfrVqLkdAK85VJ58.
 
Looking for college resources over the summer? Please see links below.
 
College Essay Guy
Free College Essay Resources for Students-
Registration required for live summer courses
How to Write the College Application + Supplemental Essays Course
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/how-to-apply-for-college
 
How to Write a Personal Statement Online Course for Students
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/how-to-write-a-personal-statement
 
Additional College Resources
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/webinars-live-events
 
SOPHOMORES/FROSH
 
Volunteer Job Fair:  There will be a volunteer job fair at Civic Park on Saturday, May 20 from 10am-1pm. Check out great opportunities to support your community!
 
Volunteer Ideas: Have your student come by the CCC so I can learn about their interests. Check out this website for ideas too! It’s best to set a search filter for teens.
 
Please visit our College & Career Counseling website any time for additional information and support.  

Counseling

Counselor assignments are by last name:
A-Em Anne Schonauer  
En-Kr Christina Castillo-Gallardo 
Ku-Rog Marissa Meadows 
Roh-Z Susan Martin
 
Summer School Information: The summer school website is up and running! Please use the link to get information about summer school offerings/dates. It will be at AHS this year! Please have your student see their counselor to sign up, get forms, and figure out which classes to take.
 
Geometry for Advancement: AUHSD does offer one course for advancement in summer - Geometry. This is an accelerated class designed for strong Algebra students (who have an A test average) to accelerate in math. Students may be placed in Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 Advanced upon completion of this class. Please have your student see their counselor for more information. This class also requires a teacher recommendation.

School Nurse

Teens and Caffeine:
It’s pretty common to walk around school in the morning (and even later) and see kids drinking “energy” drinks. Despite the normalization of caffeine products, there is NO official recommendation for caffeine consumption in youth aged 12-18 (NO caffeine is recommended for children under 12). However, for teens that DO consume caffeine, the recommendation is to keep it under 100 mg. Consider having a discussion about caffeine consumption and the following questions:

1. How much caffeine is in your drink?
2. What other ingredients are in it (sugar, creamer, etc.)?
3. What other ways can you “get” energy?  (Hint:  sleep, healthy foods, exercise).

Alcohol:
Please take a look at this site. There is so much that is “normalized” about alcohol use, but I encourage you to send a strong message discouraging our underage students from using. Parents, please discuss with other parents how you can support creating opportunities for your kids to have fun without the dangers of alcohol use.

Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org
925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse

Wellness Center

May is mental health awareness month! We celebrate this month to destigmatize mental health issues, provide support and generate awareness of what mental health means for all of us.
 
Destigmatizing mental health issues has played a huge role in making mental health care more widely accessible to those who need it. The implementation of Wellness Centers in AUHSD is largely in part to widespread efforts to normalize mental health and provide support at school, where students spend a huge portion of their time.

Mental health comes in all shapes and sizes. Many people assume that mental health struggles are a matter of pathology but, in reality, someone may have mental health challenges without ever receiving a diagnosis. When thinking about mental health in broad terms, a perfect analogy for understanding is a car. Cars need regular maintenance to make sure that things run smoothly for as long as possible and when things come up, a car needs to be checked out to get things back to baseline. Mental health is extremely similar in the sense that if we are not taking care of our mental health, it is more likely that things will come up. If these things are not addressed appropriately, they have the potential to impact our lives in ways that are less than ideal. The Acalanes Wellness Center is here to support your students no matter what their mental health looks like. Mental health is a journey, not a destination. Check in with your student for a better understanding of where they might be on their journey.

Performing & Visual Arts

Jazz Café at Stanley Middle School
 
The much-anticipated annual Jazz Café returns to Stanley Middle School on Friday, May 12 at 6pm. Lamorinda residents have long flocked to the popular “Jazz Café” event for a fun (and free) evening of jazz, coffee and dessert. There will also be a taco truck on hand. This year’s Café marks the debut of Stanley Middle School’s new music director Todd Minson. For more information, please contact dalianishimori@gmail.com.
 
Date:  Friday, May 12
Time:  6pm
Location:  Stanley Middle School
Performers include:

• Stanley Jazz Crusaders
• Stanley Jazz Messengers
• Stanley Chorus
• Campo Jazz Ensemble
• Acalanes Jazz Ensemble

Admission Price:  Free