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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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20 Parent Ed Event
21 Club Day
28 Dons Dialogue
October Dates:
6 Homecoming Dance
8 No School-Staff Development Day
26 Dons Dialogue and APC General Membership Meeting (for parents)
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Associate Principals' Message
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Hello Acalanes Families!
If we have not yet had the opportunity to say hello to you personally, welcome to the new school year. We truly hope that it is has been a great start for your students and you. Both of us have had a wonderful first few weeks of school here at the home of the Dons and are beyond thrilled to be a part of this outstanding community. From day one we have been nothing but impressed by the excitement and dedication of our staff and students.
We both come to Acalanes from other high schools and yet similar backgrounds. Mike worked at Miramonte for 18 years as a math teacher and as a common core and instructional coach. Andrea worked at Monte Vista for 13 years as a social studies teacher, activities director, and teacher on special assignment working with school culture. For this year Mike will be working with students M-Z, technology, SRT/504, Academy, textbooks, testing and our new Wellness Center. Andrea will be working with students A - L, facilities, safety, athletics, leadership, registration, and graduation.
We look forward to using this venue as an opportunity to connect with our Acalanes families and provide updates throughout the school year.
Go Dons!
Andrea Powers & Mike Plant
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Dons Dialogue: Last Chance For Your Input
Are there topics you would like Dons Dialogue to cover? Take part in
this survey in the next week to weigh in on what you would like to discuss at future Dons Dialogues.
APC General Membership Meeting/Dons Dialogue
Friday, September 28
Join us for our upcoming APC General Membership Meeting to approve our 2018-19 APC Operating Budget on Friday, September 28. We will begin with the General Membership Meeting at 8:30am followed by Dons Dialogue in the Collaboration Center. Parent parking will be available in the small lot by the Main Gym. All APC donors can vote to approve the budget. Attached is a link
to the draft operating budget for your review.
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2018-19 Student Directory/Parent Handbook
If you weren't able to pick up your copy at BTSN, please visit the Registrar (in the counseling office) to pick one up.
Community Service Award Opportunities
If your student is interested in doing volunteer service hours, please
click here for some different organizations and ideas. To apply for an Acalanes or Presidential Service Award,
click here to print the application and verification forms. Applications will be collected in the Spring.
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Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman
Class Updates
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Just a Reminder - Dons Families click on each
Class Heading to link through to our Webpage where you can find lots of great information and useful contacts. Be sure to keep up to date as lots of fun things are on the horizon!
Thank you to everyone who attended the
Parent Social
at Rancho Cantina! It was a fun night and great way to kick off Senior year.
We had a very informative Senior Parent Night last week. if you missed it, please click here for the counselors' college presentation as well as other important Senior year dates.
Homecoming Hallway Decorating
,
September 30,
10am-4pm
Encourage your seniors to
come out and help transform the senior hallway into the land of Aladdin! This is the last year for the Class of 2019 to participate in this fun AHS tradition! Seniors are welcome to drop by to help for an hour or stay all day. Free snacks and lunch will be provided.
Senior Portrait Flyers from Studio One Photography will be available in the main office. Studio One will be on campus from
January 15-18
to
take yearbook photographs. Students will need to make an on-campus appointment. If you would like to schedule a session outside of school, please call the studio at 925-361-0430.
Yearbook Baby Ads
The year is just underway but we are planning for our yearbook baby ad section. Please
submit
baby ads and pay online using the access code: 7610 by
November 5
. We cannot take late submissions so spread the word.
Thank You Parent Volunteers for supporting the class of 2020 by working at the Snack Shack on Friday night and the ticket booth at the Art & Wine Festival on Saturday.
Intro to College Testing and PSAT Prep
Register your student for a four-part college test seminar with Ames Tutoring and Testing on the Acalanes
Webstore
. Look for the link under "testing." Please read
the flier
for more information.
Homecoming Hallway Decorating
September 30, 10am-4pm
Calling all Juniors to come out & help decorate the Junior hallway for the Alice in Wonderland theme. Students are welcome to stay the entire time or drop by for as long as they can. Snacks and lunch will be provided. A fun way to start off the week of homecoming activities!
Homecoming Football Snack Shack & BBQ
Octo
ber 5
Come out and support the class of 2020 by working a shift at the snack shack or grilling on the new BBQs at the Homecoming game. It's a fun way to watch the games and cheer on the Dons! Sign up here.
Grad Night Chair - Calling all Junior Parent Volunteers
Thank you to Lulu Braunstein, Julie Bishop and Carrie Daughters for chairing the 2020 Grad Night!
Tori Heffelfinger
Kathy Hemmenway
Kat O'Donnell
Ellen Seiler
Thank you to everyone who stepped up to help with our Sophomore Class Fundraiser at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival Ticket Booth. It should be a perfect weekend to be outside!
If you are still looking for a way to help, we need parent volunteers
Encourage your kids to get involved this year starting with HOMECOMING WEEK NEXT MONTH! Our leadership team would love as many sophomores as possible to participate in hallway decorating, skit practice and team building events!
Sophomore Snack Shack Fundraiser October 19, 5:30pm. Parents we need your help in the snack shack! All proceeds go directly to the Class of 2021. Sign up here.
Thanks to everyone who helped out at our Freshman Snack Shack Fundraiser last Friday- we appreciate it!
As a reminder, we have a lot of fun stuff coming up with Homecoming and would love to have as many Freshmen as possible participating- so please encourage your student to get involved!
Hallway Decorating Sunday, September 30
Decorating will take place from 10am to 4pm and we welcome any and all help as the students decorate for our Wizard of Oz theme. Students are welcome to stay for the whole time or drop by for as long as they can.
The kids are also looking to borrow a few items for decorating/their skit. Please email us if you have any of these and are willing to lend: Costumes (Dorothy, witch, lion, tin man, scarecrow), striped tights, red shoes/ruby slippers, tutus, staple guns and buckets.
Skits/Homecoming Game
Friday, October 5
Skits will take place at 5:30pm and then we will be helping out with football concessions during the game. We would love some additional parent help at the concession stand so please sign up here if you're interested- it will be a fun night!
Jen Fish
Kristin McPhail
Judy Sandberg
Candy Stryker
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Club Applications:
Club Day is September 21
Any student can start a club on campus! Applications are now available in Room 314 and on the Acalanes homepage
and are due
September 12.
Students need the following to start a club:
- 4 students
- A certificated teacher as an advisor
- Constitution
- Completed Application
- Budget or budget waiver
Homecoming 2018
Sunday, September 30-Saturday, October 6
Theme this year is Once Upon a Homecoming (Fairtytales) and the subthemes are:
Freshmen Wizard of Oz
Sophomores Peter Pan
Juniors Alice in Wonderland
It is a great week & a great opportunity for students to get involved in class skits, lunchtime activities, dodgeball and class hallway decorating.
We are hosting our Fall blood drive on
Thursday,
September 20
and would love community involvement! Want to donate? Please fill out this google form with the best time and we will be in touch to confirm.
We still have some spirit wear left to sell! Grab a sweatshirt, sweatpants, Don Nation blue shirt or an Acalanes mug by visiting the webstore. All proceeds benefit the Classes of '19, '20, '21 and '22 and items will be delivered to your student's 3rd or 5th period class.
Questions?
Email
Katherine Walton, the leadership teacher, Room 314.
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College and Career Center
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College Visits There have been lots of "no shows" to the college visits so far this fall. Please encourage your child to contact me if they can't attend a visit they signed up for. Remind them also to stop by to grab a pass from me to attend a college visit.
Next week: Northeastern, The New School, Gonzaga, U of Miami, U of San Francisco, University of Puget Sound and NYU (to list a few)
Seniors If you have questions about college applications, essays, list building or anything college related - make an appointment and come during Academy. GO DONS!!!
General Information:
West Point Do you have a student interested in learning more about West Point? A representative will be here at lunch on Wednesday, September 26.
Insiders' Guide to College Admission Testing
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Cancelled
We did not have enough people sign up for this event.
Financial Aid Presentation
Learn about financial aid from the financial aid department at St. Mary's on
October 15,
at 6pm in the library.
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CSF The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) membership application period is open now. The deadline is
September 30. CSF is an honor society and membership is based on semester grades. Students need to apply and pay dues each semester. Students who are members at least 4 semesters from 10th-12th grades are recognized at graduation. Refer to the application for eligibility and membership requirements.
Go to the Web Store to pay
$5 dues and download an
application. The dues go toward the purchase of the awards. Application forms can be
turned in at the counseling office. Contact CSF adviser Ms. Anne Schonauer with any additional questions.
Cyber High Juniors and Seniors who need to make up a D or F grade in a required class and were not able to attend summer school can take a class for credit recovery through Cyber High -- an online class supervised by a teacher after school. Contact your student's counselor for details. Students must sign up by September 14. Classes start September 24. |
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September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
This Thursday! Please join us for a
screening
of the important
film
Suicide: The Ripple Effect
in the Acalanes PAC on Thursday,
September 20
, 7-9pm.
The film focuses on the devastating effects of suicide and the tremendous positive ripple effects of advocacy, inspiration and hope that are helping millions heal and stay alive.
We hope this film will start a conversation, and help end the stigma around mental health disorders. Please
visit
Eventbrite
to register.
Students are welcome and encouraged to attend at no charge
. Co-hosted by Miramonte Parents' Club. Please visit the APC Wellness page for more information about the film and for important facts about suicide and suicide prevention.
Monthly District Parent Support Group
Tuesday,
September 18, 7:30-9pm,
Acalanes Collaboration Center
Acalanes and AUHSD District parents are welcome to attend this open, peer support group where parents gather to share common problems and experiences of parenting teens struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, depression and/or eating disorders. Our hope is to connect people with others coping with similar challenges to share
empathy and understanding of what they're going through and to share
firsthand experience insight. Contact
Holly Nolan
with questions.
Vaping: In The News Calling a surge in teen use of e-cigarettes an
epidemic, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he is considering pulling all flavored e-cigarettes from the U.S. market...The most popular brand, Juul, sells refills with mango, cucumber and creme flavors. Each $4 pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. -Wall Street Journal
Note: We are working on a parent education event regarding vaping. Details to come soon!
New Online Resources for Parents
You can now find links to the following helpful resources on the
Parent Education page, under
Online Resources:
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A Brighter Day Parent Resources features information on topics ranging from depression and suicide prevention to teen relationships, nutrition, and family life.
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Answers Questions About Suicide covers risks, warning signs and how to help, all pertaining to children and teens.
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One of the fundamental principles guiding our work in the Wellness Center is that the path to self-reliance is paved by asking for help. Framed a different way, requesting help demonstrates a desire to learn and improve. We're so energized by the engagement of this community of students and their commitment to understanding and owning mental well-being. We hope you'll frame the Wellness Center to your students as we do-- as a place where they can chill if they're feeling overwhelmed; get help from counseling if they need it; visit during the downtime in their day to unplug and learn self-care skills.
One of the prompts on our giant white board is "What do you do reduce stress and anxiety?" There's a commonality in their answers that delighted us-- they're all mindfulness-based! They point to the importance of getting grounded in our bodies when our thinking minds are causing us to feel disconnected and discombobulated. There's great advice for all of us here: connect with someone you care about; listen to music; make something; think of something that makes you happy; drink a warm drink; and last but not least-- Breathe!
Follow us on Instagram (acalaneswellness) and Twitter (@acalaneswellnes)
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist (ext. 7136)
Eryn Reeder, Wellness Coordinator (ext. 7150).
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Mindfulness and Homework:
Concussion Support?
Support your student's resiliency - read
THIS
article.
Acalanes School Nurse
925.280.3970 x7128
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Double your dollars! Many employers match charitable contributions of their employees dollar-for-dollar and some companies will donate to LPIE for your volunteer hours. There's no easier way to help LPIE bridge the gap!
Consider listing LPIE as the recipient of your company's matching program. If you're not sure if your company has a matching gift program, or how to take advantage of the program, we can walk you through it
here.
P.S. Did you know... Did you know LPIE is on social media? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
With gratitude,
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Monday,
September 17,
there will be a presentation by Julian Jenkins of
Next College Student Athlete (NCSA)
in the PAC at 7pm. This organization uses the athletic and academic hopes of the student to find the most suitable universities and assist with contact.
This week's can't miss events:
Girls Volleyball
Tuesday,
September 18
at Campolindo HS. Freshmen at 4pm, JV at 5pm and Varsity at 6:30 pm.
Thursday,
September 20
at Alhambra HS. Freshmen at 4:00 pm, JV at 5pm and Varsity at 6:30 pm.
Saturday, September 22 in Sonoma Valley Invitational.
Boys Water Polo
Wednesday,
September 19 host Campolindo HS. Varsity at 6:00 pm and JV at 7:00pm.
Girls Water Polo
Wednesday,
September 19 host Campolindo HS. JV at 4:00 pm and Varsity at 5:00 pm.
Saturday,
September 22 in Amanda McDonald Invitational at Menlo School.
Girls Tennis
Tuesday,
September 18 v. College Park HS at 3:30 pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Thursday, September 20 v. Las Lomas HS at 3:30 pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Girls Golf
Tuesday,
September 18 v. Northgate HS at Boundary Oak CC at 3:30 pm.
Thursday,
September 20 v. Las Lomas HS at Boundary Oak CC at 3:30 pm.
Friday, September 21 v. Campolindo HS at Rossmoor GC at 3:30 pm.
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