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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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February Dates:
7
Acalanes 2019-2020 Course Preview & Open House
15-18 Presidents' Weekend
22
Dons Dialogue
March Dates:
11
School Holiday - Staff Development Day
29 Dons Dialogue
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Happy New Year Dons Families!
We hope your holiday season was chock full of the usual delights of family, food and festivities.
School resumed session with a "study week" of review and finals preparation. From our perspective, it truly seemed like the students were engaged and enjoying the review process, although we know that the truth is that finals week is a stressor. As a whole, the Dons kids have been working extremely hard and seem focused on closing out the semester positively. Their efforts, along with excellent staff support such as the office hours during the '0' period final, availability for one-to-one and small group help at lunchtime and after-school and the frosh "exam squash" hosted by Leadership, has meant that finals week has been pleasantly uneventful for most.
This post-holiday welcome-back-to-finals will, of course, be different next year, as the schedule shifts and finals will take place before the break. Although our students are doing a great job now, we believe that this schedule shift will allow for a better flow to the year and, most of all, a true break between semesters. More than ever then, next year's holiday break will be a time for relaxation, reflection and rejuvenation.
This week, the second semester has started and most students will be back to their reassuringly familiar schedule. Some students, particularly sophomores, are starting new semester-long classes, which can provide a jolt of excitement, and all students will be encouraged by the grade-reset and a chance to resume their learning with a fresh start.
As always, we are proud of the dedication, enthusiasm and positivity of the Dons students and staff. Let's make 2019 our best year yet! Go Dons!
Your Associate Principals,
Andrea Powers and Mike Plant
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Acalanes 2019-2020 Course Preview and Open House
Mark your calendars for the 2019-2020 Course Preview and Open House on
February 7.
The night is a valuable resource for current Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors who are mapping out their future courses, as well as an excellent way for incoming 9th grade students to experience all that Acalanes has to offer.
It's also a great way to connect with fellow Acalanes parents.
The schedule is as follows:
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5:45pm Principal's Welcome for incoming 8th grade families.
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6:15pm Acalanes Parents Club reception (we'll have refreshments!) in the quad adjacent to Large Gym.
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6:30-8:00pm Break-out sessions. Drop in to one of the numerous break-out sessions focused on the various academic pathways (e.g., science, math, etc.), check out electives or drop-in on core classes. Or come by the APC welcome table for a hot cocoa and ask any questions you may have.
A detailed schedule will be available in advance.
We can't wait to see you there!
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Dons Legacy Wall
The Dons will soon be adding a new batch of legacy bricks to the walls of Acalanes High School and you can add yours to the mix!
Bricks provide a wonderful and lasting way to recognize someone while helping support AHS at the same time. Pay tribute to your upcoming graduate, past graduates, your favorite teacher, or anyone who has contributed to your time at AHS. You can even dedicate a brick to your Acalanes' Sports Team or your favorite club. Be creative, be unique and leave a lasting impression on AHS!
To have your personalized message engraved on a brick only takes a tax-deductible donation of $250 to the Acalanes Parents Club. Inscriptions can be a maximum of three lines, with up to 17 characters per line. To order you brick by
May 1, 2019
contact Melissa Arends at
[email protected]
. Give a gift that will leave a forever legacy at AHS!!
Haven't seen the wall before? Check it out right outside the main office.
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Booster Bash Tickets On Sale!
This year's annual Booster Bash is April 27! You can purchase your $75 early bird tickets here.
20% off at Sports Basement 20% for AHS
Acalanes families can receive a 20% discount off all purchases at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek for one day of their choice from now until
February 7
with a percentage of profits coming back to Boosters to support our athletes.
More details about both of these fantastic opportunities in the Sports section below.
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Senior, Junior, Sophomore, Freshman
Class Updates
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Senior-Junior-Sophomore-Freshman Class Updates
Just a Reminder: Dons Families can click on each
Class Heading
to link through to our Webpage to find lots of great information and useful contacts. Be sure to keep up to date as lots of fun things are on the horizon!
January 28
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Senior Breakfast, 7:30am (read below)
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April 11
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Senior Parent Meeting, 7pm PAC
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May 4
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Junior & Senior Prom, Academy of Sciences
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June 2
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Time of Reflection, 3pm Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church
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June 3 - 6
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Finals Week
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June 7
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Graduation Rehearsal, 9-11am Mandatory Attendance! (breakfast served)
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Graduation, 6pm
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Grad Night, 8pm busses leave for Umigo
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Senior Breakfast
is T
omorrow
in the Big Gym! Are you looking to participate in one of the last Acalanes events for your son or daughter?
Sign up here
to help with the Senior Breakfast. It's so much fun to see all the seniors gathered at this festive event.
We still need volunteers to help make a few things. The most popular items are the hash brown potato casserole and the coffee cake. We provide the recipes (they're SUPER easy!) and you provide the dish. We also need volunteers to help make pancakes and bring fruit. The more parents we have, the merrier!
In addition to the (FREE) hot breakfast buffet, there will be games and a photo booth. We hope to see you and your Senior at this event to kick off their last semester. If you have any questions, contact Senior Breakfast Co-Chairs Suzanne Everly,
[email protected]
or Christina Goddard,
[email protected]
. Thank you for your help!
Basketball Fundraisers.
Support girls basketball this week! Acalanes hosts Clayton Valley on Monday
Jan 29
, Northgate on Wednesday
Jan 31
and Campolindo on Thursday
Feb 1
. Freshmen 4pm, JV 5:30pm and Varsity 7pm. All ticket sales benefit the class of 2020.
Student Naviance Workshop.
Juniors should attend the Naviance workshop in the College & Career Center during one of their Academy periods to learn more about starting their college journey. The same presentation will happen each week, so they just attend once. This workshop will be available for the first several weeks of the second semester so sign up now!
SAT/ACT Registration. If you haven't already done so, you may want to think about registering for the SAT or ACT. Check out more information here.
Tori Heffelfinger
Kathy Hemmenway
Kat O'Donnell
Ellen Seiler
Final weeks for Dons Spirit Wear on the Webstore!
Thank you to all who have placed orders! All sale proceeds go directly to the Class of 2021. You have now until
February 7
to purchase one of the items below via the Acalanes
webstore
OR
in front of the large gym at OPEN HOUSE on February 7!
Come support our class! Ordered items will be delivered to students at school in mid-February.
Short Sleeved Tees $15, Long Sleeved Tees $20 and Hoodies $40.
If you have any questions, contact Mary Caprio at
[email protected]
. Thank you for all of your support!
Quad City Sophomore Dance
This year's Quad City Dance, back by very popular demand, is hosted by Las Lomas on February 22 from 7-9pm. For sophomores ONLY, this has been a terrific fundraising event for the class and lots of fun for our students! Tickets will be pre-sold on campus for $10 or $15 at the door. Encourage your sophomore to attend with friends! It's a great night for the class of 2021!
Starting next
Monday,
February 4
through
Tuesday,
February 12,
Freshmen will be selling
Valentine's Grams
to be delivered on Valentine's Day. These will be sold during the lunch hour and students can buy either a flower ($2), a bag of candy ($3), or both ($4) to be delivered with a personal note. On the first day of sales (
February 4
), students can buy two and get one free!
Please remind your students about this fundraiser - all proceeds come back to the class.
Thanks for your support!
Jen Fish
Kristin McPhail
Judy Sandberg
Candy Stryker
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We are gearing up for 2nd semester and there are lots of ways for students to get involved!
Calendar of Events
January Dates
28
Senior Breakfast at 7:30am
February Dates:
1
Communications Video: 1st semester highlights
6 Taco Bout it with Bell at lunch
7 Open House
7 '19-'20 Leadership Applications are available
8 Spring Club Day at lunch
19-22
Random Acts of Kindness Week
22
Quad City Dance at Las Lomas (sophomore district dance)
25-3/1 2nd semester spirit week: Bay Area Games
26 Spring Blood Drive
27
Leadership Applications Due
Senior Breakfast
is TOMORROW,
Monday, January 28
at 7:30am! All seniors should plan to attend!
Club Day
is at lunch on
February 8
. Is your student interested in starting a club but didn't do it first semester? They still can! Club Applications are available
now
and
due
January 31
. All information is on the
Club website
.
Questions?
Email
Katherine Walton, the leadership teacher, Room 314.
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From the Acalanes Wellness Center
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Can we talk about technology? One of the most delightful things about the center is that it is a cell phone free space which means it opens up space for so many other things! An interesting question for your student might be, "Can you think of three reasons why the wellness center is phone-free?" That's what we do when we introduce the policy to students. Here are the top three we hear again and again:
We usually point out another reason - when we sit quietly without distraction, focus (and therefore, INSIGHT) can arise. We live in an era that cultivates short, fragmented bursts of attention which means cultivating longer periods of attention must be intentional. The following solution-based article from Mindful Schools is an excellent resource.
Eryn Reeder, Wellness Coordinator (ext. 7150)
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist (ext. 7136)
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College and Career Center
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Senior Information
Considering Dropping a Class?
Some seniors decide to drop a class for second semester. It is VERY important that they contact all of the schools they have applied to and let each know about the change.
Mid Year Reports
Some schools require a mid year report (a transcript showing first semester grades). Check the school's website or check on the Common App site for which schools require this. (I am happy to help students figure this out too). Order your $5 mid-year transcript,
via the
webstore
. In the comments section clearly write
MidYear Report
and type the names of the schools.
Scholarships
As students finish applications, they move on to looking for scholarships. I have a space in my room where these are posted. Send your student in to take a look. New scholarships added weekly.
All Grades
NCAA Information Night
is this Tuesday,
January 29
in the Campolindo
Library. If you have a student who may be playing a sport in college, this could be a helpful presentation.
BlueStamp Engineering Presentation
BlueStamp Engineering is a six-week, hands-on summer program where high school students build technology projects they're passionate about. Each student selects their own projects and completes the program with two projects (which they keep). Encourage your student to stop on
February 4
at lunch in the C&CC.
Best of the West CA Tour Student Nights
Select PAC-12 institutions are coming together to ensure you and your family are prepared to navigate the college selection process. See the Best of the West California Tour's
eventbrite page
to learn which Universities are attending and to register. Our closest event is on
February 7 at
7:00pm at San Ramon Valley High School.
USA Gap Year Fairs USA Gap Year Fairs is an annual circuit of events that bring together reputable gap year organizations, interested students and parents, high school college counselors, and gap year experts. This year's fair will be held on February 24 The Athenian School, Danville. For more information and to register, see Gap Year Fair's website.
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Frosh & Soph Parent Night
Counselors invite parents of freshman and sophomores to a presentation and short Q&A session in the Acalanes PAC this Thursday,
January 31
from
6:30-7:30pm
.
Counselors will be reviewing the course selection process as students prepare to choose courses for the following academic year and take the next steps to prepare for life after high school.
Courses for next year Counselors will be visiting classrooms this week, January 28 - February 4, to discuss course selection. Students and parents are encouraged to attend 2019-2020 Course Preview and Open House on February 7 to learn more about electives. Students will have a short meeting with their counselor to turn in their course requests at an assigned appointment time on these days:
Freshmen February 12
Sophomores February 14
Juniors February 13
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The Mask You Live In The Moraga iKind project is hosting a free screening of Jennifer Siebel Newsom's must-see documentary "The Mask You Live In" this Wednesday, January 30 from 7-8:30pm at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School. The movie "follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity." Highly recommended for all parents, not just those with sons. For more information and to register, click here.
Challenge Success Parent Education Event
Click
here
to watch Challenge Success'
Say What? The Power of Communication in Raising Healthy, Engaged Kids
video featuring the humorous Dr. Wendy Mogel, a clinical psychologist and author of
Voice Lessons for Parents
, along with Challenge Success Co-Founders, Dr. Denise Pope and Dr. Madeline Levine, and two youth mental health advocates from the Children's Health Council Teen Wellness Committee, Meghna Singh and Reneé Remsberg.
(For easier navigation of the video, look at the comments section for a detailed outline of timestamps for different segments of the event.)
How Colleges Today Are Supporting Student Mental Health
Read the article from Greater Good magazine here.
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Feedback
I like to hear from parents on what questions and feedback you have on health issues you are dealing with in your families. Feedback can be positive or negative, and questions can be on any health (physical AND mental) topic.
I have received a question about
what Acalanes does to support students with ADD/ADHD
.
There are many supports available here at AHS. My first recommendation would be for your student to meet with their counselor as each situation is unique.
Some strategies include:
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Strengthening organization skills
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Communicating consistently with counselor and teachers and requesting support as needed. Teachers want to help students and welcome hearing from them. They are willing to work with students outside of class time per arrangement.
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Utilizing Academy period effectively
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Using our Peer Tutoring program
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Self-Regulation -
What's that?
Start by checking out the
CALM
app. You can even try it WITH your student! I recommend starting off with Daily Calm - it's just 10 minutes each day.
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Parents: Make sure your student is "covering their bases"
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Make sure they can fuel themselves with healthy foods and stay well-hydrated throughout the day.
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Sleep/Rest: Help set boundaries for your students. Most adolescents need a good 9 hours of sleep. That means they need help pacing themselves with their busy schedules, and creating healthy sleep habits. Do they have non-scheduled "down time" each day?
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Check in with your child's pediatrician.
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Some play and fun! We all need a regular opportunity to unwind and doing something we love.
More questions? Please get in touch with me to discuss!
REMINDER: If your child has a concussion, please make sure to see the Concussion section on my website for IMPORTANT information.
Best wishes,
Dvora Citron, R.N., M.S.
Acalanes School Nurse
Tuesdays & Wednedays 7:30-3:20, Fridays 7:30-11:30
925.280.3970 x7128
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Performing and Visual Arts
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Class Selection is just around the corner!
We have four different levels of choir and a place for anyone who wants to sing! Aren't sure which class you should sign up for?
If you have never sung before: "
Vocal Performance I
,"
Chorale
If you have sung before, can kind of read music and are a treble voice: "
Vocal Performance II
,"
Women's Ensemble
.
If you are a bass or tenor voice, or an experienced singer of any voice type: "
Vocal Performance III
,"
Concert Choir
.
If you are an experienced singer who reads music is up for a challenge and likes to travel and perform: "
Vocal Performance IV
,"
Chamber Singers.**
(Bella Voce is the all treble section of this level.)
**
Please note
: Vocal Performance IV requires and audition which will take place in March after the musical.
Anyone in Vocal Performance II and higher is eligible to audition for the Spring Musical.
If you have a choral class in your schedule, you'll have an instant community of friends, a creative outlet and a non-stressful class that will make you an viable college applicant.
Here's an article about that
.
If you have any questions, drop by the choir room or email me at: [email protected]
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But would it actually benefit our District? At best, the proposed budget, if enacted, would reduce (but not eliminate) expected annual increases in state-mandated expenses for the District which have already doubled over the last 5 years. No new revenues are expected to result, according to
a District staff report given this week to the Governing Board.
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6th Annual Project LPIE 2019!
Project LPIE will open for registration on
February 1
. This recognition program is open to all Acalanes students. Showcasing project-based learning in 16 different categories, Project LPIE has a category for everyone. Details coming soon.
Join the LPIE Board
Are you interested in serving on the LPIE Board or your LPIE school team for the 2019-20 school year? LPIE's Nominating Committee is looking for interested and enthusiastic people to join us! Working with LPIE is a great way to meet new people, learn more about how our schools are funded, and make an impact in our community. Please contact Amy Parlett at [email protected] for more information.
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Sports Basement 20% off to benefits AHS Athletes! Acalanes families can receive a 20% discount off all purchases at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek for one day of their choice from now until
February 7 with a percentage of profits coming back to Boosters to support our athletes. Just bring
this flyer from the Booster's home page. And if you are a member of the Basementeer loyalty program, please designate Acalanes Boosters as your charitable organization - you can do so in the store or by calling 941-6100.
Booster Bash Tickets On Sale!
Come join your friends and neighbors from the Acalanes community to celebrate and raise funds for our athletes at the annual Booster Bash. This year's "BLUE-STER BASH" will be held on Saturday,
April 27 at the Moraga Country Club. Early-bird tickets are now on sale for $75 using
this link. Ticket prices increase on
March 25 so get your Blue-ster Bash ticket today! If you would like to donate or host a play2play party, please contact Wendy Finegold at
[email protected].
This week's can't miss events
Boys basketball
Tuesday,
January 29
at Clayton Valley Charter HS. Freshmen at 4:00pm, JV at 5:30 pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Thursday,
January 31
at Northgate HS. Freshmen at 4:00pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Friday,
February 1
at Campolindo HS. Freshmen at 4:00pm, JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Girls basketball
Tuesday,
January 29
host Clayton Valley Charter HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Thursday,
January 31
host Northgate HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Friday,
February 1
host Campolindo HS. JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Boys soccer
Monday,
January 28
at Campolindo HS. Freshman at 3:30pm, JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Wednesday,
January 30
host Northgate HS. Freshmen at 3:30pm, JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Friday,
February 1
at Concord HS. JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Girls soccer
Monday,
January 28
host Campolindo HS. JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Wednesday,
January 30
at Northgate HS. JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Friday,
February 1
host Concord HS. JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Wrestling
Wednesday,
January 30
at Las Lomas HS at 6:00pm.
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