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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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30 Homecoming Hallway Decorating
October Dates:
1-6 Homecoming Week
6 Homecoming Dance
8 No School-Staff Development Day
26 Dons Dialogue
November Dates:
11 No School - Veterans Day
19-23 Thanksgiving Break
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Today kicks off Homecoming Week as move into fall! Students will be decorating their class halls all day today. We hope you'll encourage your student to participate in homecoming activities today and throughout the week culminating with the home football game on Friday night vs. Northgate and dance on Saturday night. This week provides a fun way for students to connect to their various classes and for the classes to compete against each other for the most Homecoming spirit. Students have been active on campus this week at the exceedingly well attended Wellness Fair and Club Day where students had the chance to join a plethora of clubs.
On the parent front, Dons Dialogue last Friday gave parents the opportunity to weigh in on the new district Homework policy evaluation and to hear updates regarding the new Acalanes Wellness Center. These forums are a terrific way to find out what's happening on campus and hear directly from Principal Bell. We hope you'll join us for the next one on Friday,
October 26.
We have our first three-day weekend coming up next Monday, October 8. We hope your students enjoy a little extra down time.
Dawn Brightbill & Sarah Cusumano
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Dons Dialogue The Acalanes High School District is in the process of reviewing and revising it's Homework policy. Parents attending Friday's Dons Dialogue had the opportunity weigh in on this evaluation with Aida Glimme, AUHSD's Associate Superintendent of Educational Services. If you were not able to attend Friday's meeting but would like to give input before the revisions are presented at the District's Governing Board Meeting in November, please email Aida Glimme. You can also read the District's September 5, 2018 presentation slides on this topic here.
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2018-2019 APC GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!
Acalanes Parents Club will continue its APC Grant Program this year with the intent to look for ideas that will enhance the educational and campus experience of AHS students in new and innovative ways. Teacher, students and parents are welcome to submit a grant proposal. Please download the application here. Email completed applications to Laura White or deliver to the APC box in the office. Grant applications are due by October 31.
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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!
Homecoming Hallway Decorating
Today,
September 30,
9
am-4pm
We need your Seniors TODAY to come out and help transform the Senior hallway into the land of Aladdin! This is the last year for the Class of 2019 participate in this fun AHS tradition! Seniors are welcome to drop by to help for an hour or stay all day. Snacks and lunch will be provided. This is a great way to kick off Homecoming Week!
Graduation Cap & Gown Make-Up Day
Jostens will hold a make-up day at Acalanes on
October 5
for those who were unable to hand in their orders last week. Extra grad packets are in the Attendance Office. You can order the standard cap/gown/tassel unit
here
or fill out the order form (under "Add Item" - choose #17). The total cost of the basic unit is $27.55 and includes tax (no charge for shipping and handling). You can order larger graduation packages using the order form or online at
Jostens
.
The deadline for online orders is October 5
.
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. Scheduling for on-campus appointments begins in November. 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.
Homecoming Hallway Decorating
Today, September 30, 9am - 4pm
All Juniors come out & help decorate the Junior hallway for our Alice in Wonderland theme. Students may stay the entire time or drop by for as long as they can. Snacks and lunch provided. A fun way to start off the week of homecoming activities!
Homecoming Football Game Volunteers
October 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
.
SAT/ACT
Many students take either the SAT or ACT during their junior year, with most students taking the test twice. There are fall test dates available for those interested.
Please note that the ACT is not offered at any of the schools in our district and it is helpful to sign up early to get a closer location. Many of our students go to College Park, Berkeley High or Skyline High.
Register here for the SAT and here for the ACT.
Tori Heffelfinger
Kathy Hemmenway
Kat O'Donnell
Ellen Seiler
Hallway Decorating
TODAY, September 30!
We need Sophomore Spirit and Help TODAY during Homecoming Hallway Decorating. All classes will be working on Hallway setup today from
9am-4pm at Acalanes. Snacks and lunch are provided! Students are encouraged to help out for however long they are able to stay. Our Peter Pan themed hallway is going to be AWESOME!
Homecoming Football Game Volunteers
October 5
Come out and support the class of 2021 by working a shift at the snack shack or grilling on the new BBQs at the Homecoming game. All 4 classes are required to staff the Snack Shack and we've got some holes to fill for sure! It's a fun way to watch the games and cheer on the Dons!
Sophomore Snack Shack Fundraiser October 19
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to help us with our Sophomore Class Snack Shack assignment. We have a few spots left to fill and NEED your help. We are looking to fill the final spots below. Sign up here.
| 1 spot |
BBQ Shift 1 |
4:30-6:30pm |
| 4 spots |
BBQ Shift 2 |
6:30-9:00pm |
| 2 spots |
Snack Shack |
7:15pm-9:30pm |
GO DONS!
Hallway Decorating TODAY,
September 30
We welcome any and all to come help decorate for our Wizard of Oz theme from 9am until 4pm today. Students can stay for the whole time or drop by for as long as they can. We'll have food! Lots of snacks...and pizza and salad will be served for lunch. Thank you to all of our volunteers who are bringing items!
Homecoming Football Game,
October 5
We still need some parent help with concessions on Homecoming game day...please sign up here if you're interested. Definitely a fun night!
Jen Fish
Kristin McPhail
Judy Sandberg
Candy Stryker
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Homecoming Week is
this week
!
Dress-up Days
Monday
Pajama Day
Tuesday
Twin Day
Wednesday
Jungle Book Day
Thursday
Class Theme Day
Friday
Class t-Shirt/Class Color Day
Lunch Activities
Monday
Magic Carpet Races
Tuesday
Cardstacking
Wednesday
Student Staff Dodgeball
Thursday
Pie-rates Treasure
Friday
Capture the Flag
Evening Activities
Wednesday
at 7:30pm Staff vs. Student Dodgeball
Friday
5:30pm Community Rally and
6:15pm Football Tailgate!
Homecoming Dance
Saturday,
October 6
Tickets are sold at lunch. $15 with ASB, $30 without. At the door they both go up by $5. Guest permission slips are on School Loop. Tickets for guests are $40 and only available at the door.
Questions?
Email
Katherine Walton, the leadership teacher, Room 314.
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College and Career Center
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Senior Information
College & Career 101
Have you looked at the District's
College & Career 101
website? This is a GREAT resource for everything college. There is a new Naviance Section too which should help you navigate all
that you need to do in Naviance.
College Visits Next Week,
15 schools are coming next week including Western WA, Occidental, Santa Clara, Chapman, Elon, Oregon State, Vassar, & American. Sign up in Naviance.
New! University of Alabama will visit on
October 2 at 9am!
West Point The United States Military Academy will visit at lunch on Wednesday,
October 3.
College Acceptances Congratulations to those seniors who have already been admitted to college. There is a marble jar on my desk where students can add a marble for each acceptance. Send your child in when they hear good news from a school.
Transcripts
Students need to order transcripts in
Naviance
and pay for them on the
Webstore
(be sure to write out all of the school names in the space on the webstore). Confused? Come see Mrs. Kisner.
Letters of Rec Students request letters of recommendation in Naviance. Students need to discuss with each teacher what information they need. Not all schools need letters of rec, so have your child look at the list of schools in the Common App to know what is needed. Questions? Come see Mrs. Kisner.
Academy
Come get help with list building, essay brainstorming and college research during academy.
General Information
College Financial Aid Presentation
October 15
, 6pm, Acalanes Library Learn all about financial aid for college (from the financial aid department at St. Mary's College).
SAT/ACT
Many students take either the SAT or ACT during their Junior year, with most students taking the test twice. There are fall test dates available for those interested.
Please note that the ACT is not offered at any of the schools in our district and it is helpful to sign up early to get a closer location. Many of our students go to College Park, Berkeley High or Skyline High.
Register here for the SAT at here for the ACT.
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PE requirement
This week, counselors visited junior English classes and and heard a lot of questions about PE. Students are required to complete 20 credits of PE to earn a diploma. It's noted on the transcript as 10 credits of Phys Ed 9 and 10 credits of Phys Ed. The Phys Ed credits can be met through either PE classes such as weight training or yoga, or by logging the required hours with an AHS team sport. Students must log their hours using the timesheet process to get PE credits. Transcripts can be accessed by students and parents
here
. Students can add a PE class second semester.
Healthy Stress The counselors came across this article about helping teens to embrace growth opportunities and wanted to share.
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Challenge Success is holding their 15th Annual Parent Education Event centered around the art and science of communication featuring Dr. Wendy Mogel. Friday, November 2 at Stanford.
Speaking of which, the Center for Parent and Teen Communication have tons of practical tips and techniques for effectively talking with your teen.
And to follow up on our documentary screening of "Suicide: The Ripple Effect" last week, the "Columbia Protocol" or C-SSRS came up in the discussion afterwards. The C-SSRS is a short set of simple, direct questions to assess suicide risk in anybody. See more here.
Governor Brown just signed two bills that address the alarming recent increase in suicide in children, along with three others that aim to increase our kids' safety and well-being. Read about them here.
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As we close out September, we're gratified by the number of students who are making use of Wellness resources. We've had over 200 visits and we're impressed by how self-aware students are about stress-- especially when it interferes with learning. We're having important conversations about resources that support learning like peer tutoring, time management and communication with teachers. Perhaps most importantly, we're talking about the distinction between how much time we spend thinking about the past (like a test we didn't perform well on) and the future (getting into college) as opposed to focusing on what we need to do RIGHT NOW. Mindful, directed attention to the task at hand has the dual benefit of being more efficient and more rewarding. Please continue to encourage your students to visit if they haven't already!
Casey Sasner, Intake Specialist (ext. 7136)
Eryn Reeder, Wellness Coordinator (ext. 7150).
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Parents:
Take a photo of your student wearing their backpack.
Weigh their backpack - it should be NO MORE than 10% of their body weight. Then read these resources for Backpack Awareness:
Basics of Backpack Wearing
.
Let's help teach our students to integrate practices to support their health and well-being, and reduce the chances that they will have more back, neck and shoulder issues.
ADDRESSING TEEN STRESS:
Watch this webinar on Thursday,
October 11
, at 4:00pm
For Parents, Caregivers, Teachers, School Counselors and Staff, Youth Workers, and anyone interested in Teen Mental Health. This program features local pediatrician Amy Saltzman, M.D.
She is a holistic physician, mindfulness coach, scientist, wife, mother, devoted student of transformation, long-time athlete, and occasional poet. Her passion is supporting people of all ages in enhancing their wellbeing and discovering the "Still Quiet Place" within. She is recognized by her peers as a visionary and pioneer in the fields of mindfulness for youth and holistic medicine.
Acalanes School Nurse
925.280.3970 x7128
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The
Acalanes Choirs
will be participating in the 16th Annual Richard C. Hansen Fall Choral Classic Festivals and Concerts.
Mixed Choirs, Chamber Singers and Concert Choir
will be on Monday,
October 8
, at LOPC with guest conductor, Dr. Jonathon Talberg from CSU Long Beach. Women's Ensemble and Bella Voce will be on Thursday,
October 11
, at LOPC with Tina Harris from St. Francis High School in Sacramento. Both concerts will start at 7:30pm and feature opening and closing performances of the mass choirs from all three schools, with individual ensembles in between.
Tickets are general admission and my be purchased
here
. Suggested donations are $10 for adults, $5 for Seniors (65 and older), and students are Free. Student tickets will be available at the door. Come and see this wonderful collaboration of the AUHSD choirs!
Acalanes Instrumental Music Department's Fall Music Concert
Please join us Thursday, October 18, at 7pm in the Acalanes Performing Arts Center for the Instrumental Music Department's first concert of the year! This concert will feature our String Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble as well as music performed by the full Symphonic Orchestra. We're excited to announce the Symphonic Wind Ensemble will be joined by the amazing guest artist Riley Lindsey, who graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a Masters in Performance on Tuba. We hope to see you there.
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This week's can't miss events:
Football
Friday,
October 5
host Northgate HS. JV at 4:40pm and Varsity at 7:00pm.
Girls volleyball
Tuesday,
October 2
at Northgate HS. Freshmen at 4:00pm, JV at 5:00pm and Varsity at 6:30pm.
Boys water polo
Wednesday,
October 3
host Las Lomas HS. Varsity at 6:00pm and JV at 7:00pm.
Friday,
October 5
and Saturday,
October 6
in Southern California Invitational in Irvine.
Girls water polo
Wednesday,
October 3
host Las Lomas HS. JV at 4:00pm and Varsity at 5:00 pm.
Thursday,
October 4
host San Ramon Valley HS. JV at 4:00pm and Varsity at 5:00pm.
Girls tennis
Tuesday,
October 2
Northgate HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is home and JV is away.
Thursday,
October 4
College Park HS at 3:30pm. Varsity is away and JV is home.
Girls golf
Tuesday,
October 2
Irvington HS at Skywest GC at 3:00pm.
Friday, October 5 Miramonte HS at Rossmoor GC at 3:30pm.
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