LASF: My School / Acalanes High School

My School: Acalanes High School

Student Artwork The Acalanes team is a group of parents who volunteer to help out at the high school. They meet once a month.

Some of the LASF projects are listed below. In addition, LASF has funded a number of special allocation grants to the teachers at Acalanes. These grants provide support for new or innovative program.

Art

Students always enjoy and are inspired by successful professionals who visit the school and share their world and the secrets of their trade with them. LASF's Artists-In-Residence program brings professionals from many walks of life into the classroom for this purpose. Artists introduce students to the life of an artist, demonstrate their specialty and provide a unique and exciting experience.

Social Studies

Writing for Mastery: The largest LASF program at Acalanes, Writing for Mastery's purpose is to improve writing by giving individual feedback in the organizational and development stages of writing. Students meet one-on-one with a History writing tutor to review their rough drafts, and again after they have had a chance to implement the suggestions.

English

California Poets in the Schools visits each sophomore English class, where a local professional poet works with students in the creation of their own poetry. It's the largest writers-in-school program in the nation, promoting creativity, self-expression and apprecation of poetry.

Science

This year, LASF will fund many of the lab supplies and classroom materials for all science disciplines. Acalanes students also continue to benefit from recent major capital improvements funded by the Foundation including microscopes, equipment, and supplies for biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, physics, and more.

And, through an allocation grant several years ago, LASF funded the development of a riparian classroom that continues to provide students with the opportunity to learn from and monitor a natural ecosystem in the creek behind the school.

Music

Student Artwork Music has long been a key part of LASF's activities at Acalanes. This year, by funding musical accompanists, choreographers, set designers and teaching assistants, LASF offers Acalanes students many unique opportunities.

Master classes for the instrumental music program allow experts to teach students how to improve their playing, and the Musicians-in-Residenced program provides students with unique small-group instruction.

LASF will also be purchasing instruments this year for use in the classroom on a daily basis.

LASF Congratulates the Acalanes High School Jazz Band!

In January 2007, the Acalanes High School Jazz Band won top honors at the prestigious Folsom Jazz Festival, outplaying over 60 of the best high school bands from throughout California! Many of the bands from the Festival came from high schools much larger than Acalanes. The Jazz Band’s continued tremendous success is due in part to the commitment of the Lafayette schools (at elementary, middle and high school) to offer a strong music curriculum to its students, as well as critical funding for top-notch music enrichment programs provided by LASF.

Academic Clubs

LASF supports Mock Trial, Academic Decathlon, and Model UN.

Congratulations to the Acalanes Academic Decathlon!

In late February, Acalanes Academic Decathlon will compete in the State Competition in Southern California, having won the division competition for the first time.

Peer Tutors

Peer Tutors are selected through an application process and trained to facilitate the learning of their fellow students. Tutors are chosen for their knowledge and ability to communicate. They participate in weekly seminars that focus on teaching/tutoring skills. Students receive support in study skills, note taking, and time management. Peer tutors work closely with the respective classroom teachers. (Co-funded by LASF and Parents' Club)

Miscellaneous Grants and Support Services

Also for the 2006-2007 school year, LASF will:

Fund the purchase of new sheet music.
Purchase new supplies to upgrade equipment used for digital design and video production classes.
Support the library by providing funds to update resources.

Acalanes Needs You!

Looking for a way to become more informed and involved at Acalanes? LASF positions are a great way to see your LASF contributions in action, help decide how future fund should be spent, and participate on campus with teachers, students and other parents. For more information about ways to represent LASF or to volunteer, please contact Carol Applebury, office@lasf.org.

The artwork on this page was reproduced from original artwork created by students from the Graphics Design class.