Campus Culture Committee
💙 Acalanes Parent Club – Campus Culture Committee (CCC)-October 2026 Update
October 2026 Update | Building Community & Moving Into Action!
Thank you to everyone who attended our first Campus Culture Committee (CCC) meeting in September! It was wonderful to connect with parents and caregivers, share ideas, and begin planning ways to support our students, staff, and school community throughout the year.
Our CCC SignUpGenius is now available!
We invite parents and caregivers to sign up to support student clubs, staff, campus activities, and special events in meaningful and creative ways.
Whether you can volunteer your time, donate supplies, or help with a special event, every contribution helps strengthen our Acalanes community.
👉 Sign Up to Support Our Acalanes Community!
🍂 You're Invited! FRIENDSGIVING with Principal Colin Malcolm
📅 Thursday, Nov. 19
⏰ 5:30–7:00pm
📍 Location: To Be Announced
Please join us for a special CCC FRIENDSGIVING Social with Principal Colin Malcolm!
💚 Parent Wellness Workshop & Spring CCC Updates
📅 Monday, Dec. 14
⏰ 6:00–7:30pm
💻 Virtual Meeting
🏫 A Note About Participation in School Events
During our September CCC meeting, questions were raised regarding participation by community members in school-based activities and events intended for parents and guardians.
We encourage families to review the Acalanes Parent Club bylaws, which provide guidance regarding participation and membership. Please refer to the attached bylaws for the relevant language.
📅 Upcoming CCC Events at a Glance
- October – December: CCC Volunteer Opportunities – SignUpGenius Open
- November 19 | 5:30–7:00pm: FRIENDSGIVING Social with Principal Colin Malcolm – Location TBD
- December 14 | 6:00–7:30pm: Parent Wellness Workshop & Spring CCC Updates – Virtual
- January 11 | 6:30–7:30pm: CCC Meeting – Virtual
- May | Date TBD: CCC Year-End Retreat – In Person
📅 October Dates & Observances
October – LGBTQ+ History Month
LGBTQ+ History Month is observed throughout October and provides an opportunity to learn about and recognize the history, achievements, experiences, and civil rights movements of LGBTQ+ people.
October – Filipino American History Month
Filipino American History Month is celebrated throughout October and recognizes the history, culture, experiences, and contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
💚 Wellness Center Reminder
As we move further into the school year, we want to remind families that the Acalanes Wellness Center is here to support our students.
💙 Stay Connected & Get Involved
Our CCC continues to work alongside students, staff, families, and school leadership to help create an Acalanes community where all students and families feel seen, heard, valued, supported, and that they belong.
Reminder: Acalanes is a No Hate Zone
Acalanes is committed to maintaining a campus where every student feels safe, respected, welcomed, and valued.
If your student experiences or witnesses bias or hate, please encourage them to report it using the Bias Incident Reporting Tool (BIRT) available on the AHS website.
Submit a BIRT Report Here »
Reporting incidents helps our school respond to concerns and continue working together to create a culture of safety and belonging for everyone.
You Are Influential to Your Children and Your Community – Stand Up to Hate
In addition to producing events that help us connect, learn and grow, the DEI committee is also here to support parents. As we head into United Against Hate Week across Lamorinda, it feels like a good time to take a pause from our regular style of communication and acknowledge that the work is heavy and sometimes slow to yield results. We encourage you to keep going and to reach out if you need support. Try to approach equity work in a way that brings results, such as opening up a discussion with your kid(s). Our parent community is making a difference and our work is valuable.
Hate crimes occur right out in the open. Over the last few years, violent Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise here and nationwide. Last month, Ye issued strong anti-seminitic statements that were intended to be divisive and harmful. These are just a few examples of hate speech and hate crimes taking place in our nation. In order to effectively fight structural racism and discrimination we have to have purposeful conversations with our communities and with our children. Did your family talk about what Ye said or discuss increased assaults on Asian Americans in our area? Perhaps your family talked about how those behaviors circulated on social media and maybe even how it showed up in your daily lives?
While often difficult to corral your kid for another “important” discussion (yep, we get the teen eye rolls, too) we feel it is vital that you make time to talk about discrimination and acts of hate this week. An easy way to open up a conversation might be to simply ask if your student knows that the City of Lafayette observes a United Against Hate Week. You don’t need to supply all the content – it isn’t a lecture, just start the discussion. Our kids are intelligent and thoughtful. You can be honest that you find these conversations challenging, deep, difficult, confusing, frustrating and fill in the blank. It is tough but ok to be in discomfort for a few minutes. Those sticky, tricky moments are where people may find the most growth.
We encourage you to keep building community and celebrating our individuality. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
About Campus Cultural Committee
The APC is committed to working with our Acalanes parent and student community as well as our staff and our school and district administration to promote a positive school climate at Acalanes that encourages a culture of inclusivity and belonging for all. It is not enough to denounce acts of racism, we must also work to challenge ourselves and our students to be anti-racist every day. The scope of this committee will encompass the full spectrum of diversity including gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and mental and physical ability.
OUR VISION
Our vision is a positive school climate in which all members of our school community feel welcome regardless of their differences and in which students feel empowered to enter the world as engaged and active global citizens.
OUR MISSION
We are dedicated to identifying, implementing, and supporting a strategic approach to building an empowered school community that celebrates diversity and actively opposes discrimination of race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of one’s identity.
OUR GOALS
- Create a safe and healing space for our school community to communicate with one another within the scope of DEI (social issues, identity, current events, school culture)
- Facilitate parent educational opportunities for DEI
- Support and promote cultural events organized by Acalanes and its students
- Partner with Acalanes and District Administration to support and advance school and district efforts
