Community Events
Part of what gives ACDS its warm, inclusive feel is our community events bringing together our families and students, neighbors, and friends.
Our events are lovingly coordinated by parent volunteers and are a tradition well-remembered by all who participate, including alumni. These events bring our families together, on campus, to create life-long cherished memories. Join the fun!
To explore our community life and our traditions, please expand the events below.
Back to School Events
Lemonade Party
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
This is an opportunity for new and returning families to meet their children’s teachers, see their new classrooms, and enjoy lemonade and cookies. Children and parents are encouraged to explore the classrooms and chat briefly with the teachers. The Lemonade Party interactions help children overcome their "jitters" before classes begin, making the first day of school more relaxed, fun and productive.
Park Meet-n-Greet
Elementary (1st-5th grade)
This informal gathering is held at Greystone Park adjacent to the school and offers students and parents a chance to reconnect with familiar friends and meet new ones while enjoying popsicles. Elementary teachers are on hand to greet parents and students, as well as answer any questions.
Middle School Welcome Event
Middle School (6th-8th grade)
The Middle School Welcome Event is a fun kickoff event to welcome students to the new school year. Students will meet their teachers, welcome our new students, pick up their laptops, and reconnect with old friends, all while enjoying a sweet treat.. Middle school parents are invited to meet in the DuVall Courtyard for their own parent mixer while they wait for their middle school student.
New Family Orientation
After parents drop children off for their first day of school, ACDS hosts the New Family Orientation. There is a brief presentation where administrators and Parent Service Auxiliary (PSA) board members address FAQs and parents enjoy refreshments, meet and mingle with other parents, and sign-up for a variety of volunteer opportunities.
Welcome (Back) to ACDS Event: Family Food Truck Friday!
This informal event held in the early evening during the second week of school brings together the entire ACDS community - children and parents alike - to mingle on the blacktop and enjoy a summer evening together.
Spirit Week
Cougar Spirit Week
Cougar Spirit Week takes place in October with events organized to promote school spirit. Each day carries a theme - you might find students with their favorite color one day and wild socks the next! At the end of the week, students participate in a bonding and school spirit event called the The Cougar Games complete with relationship- and school-spirit building activities. Cougar Spirit Week is a festive and lively tradition at Almaden Country Day School.
Class Color T-Shirt Key
| Pre-K | Kinder | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| Red | Coral | Royal Blue | Berry | Purple | Electric Green | Heliconia (hot pink) |
| 6th | 7th | 8th | Admin | Enrich. Teachers | ||
| Tropical Blue | Charcoal Gray | Black | Light Blue | Forest Green |
The Class Color/Spirit T-Shirt is worn during the Pep Rally and Cougar Games.
Campus Events
Back to School Nights
Parents are given the opportunity to experience their child’s day by touring teachers’ classrooms. Separate nights are dedicated for parents of ECE, Elementary and Middle School. Teachers discuss classroom procedures and expectations, instructional plans for the year, curricula and homework.
Halloween Parade
It just wouldn’t be Halloween without a school-wide Halloween parade! In this popular ACDS tradition, the central blacktop area on campus is filled with ghosts, goblins, famous athletes, cartoon characters and princesses as students from every grade level get to participate — you’ll also witness decked out teachers and administrators who get into the spirit!
Pumpkin Carving
This Pre-K, Kinder, and Elementary family event is a festive evening of pumpkin carving that includes creativity, costumes and camaraderie. The campus is transformed with pumpkins scattered across the garden, a spooky Halloween tunnel, and costumes of every sort. After dark, families enjoy refreshments and entertainment in the candlelight of hundreds of freshly carved pumpkins.
Middle school students have their own celebration during the first middle school social of the year held on the same evening in the Fisher Event Center.
Thanksgiving Feast
The Thanksgiving Feast is a hallmark event at ACDS with more than 400 students gathered together around tables to share a meal. This feast isn’t a catered event or a parent-cooked extravaganza — it’s the product of every student at ACDS. Students roll up their sleeves to join parent volunteers and participate in chopping, stirring, seasoning and spicing, creating a multiple-course feast that helps bring the meaning of Thanksgiving to life.
Talent Show
Each year dozens of ACDS performers hit the stage for our annual Talent Show. From dancing, to singing, to magic, to skits, our campus is oozing with talent. Parents, family, and friends are all invited to cheer on our performers.
Book Fairs
ACDS hosts 2 bookfairs inside the ACDS library. Students and parents can purchase specially selected books from Hickelbees just in time for holiday and summer reading! Proceeds from the Book Fairs go directly to ACDS students through the various activities in the ACDS library.
Teacher Celebrations
Teacher Hospitality Luncheons
Several times each school year, the faculty room is transformed from a workspace filled with paper, glue and scissors, into a lovely dining room with a buffet luncheon provided by parents from specific grade levels. Teachers and staff are highly valued at ACDS, and the Hospitality Luncheon program is just one way that parents give thanks for the faculty’s dedication. A team of parent volunteers coordinate the luncheons, and parents cook and provide the meal for our teachers and staff.
Teacher Appreciation Holiday Luncheon
This is the largest and most formal luncheon of the year — an annual tradition complete with a sit-down meal at a carefully selected site off campus, honoring the faculty with a touch of holiday elegance.
Teacher Appreciation Week
For a week each year, the entire ACDS community celebrates our faculty with handmade cards and gifts from the children, favorite treats and other personalized expressions of gratitude. Check the school calendar for this year's dates, typically toward the beginning of May.
End of School Events
Blacktop Bash
The Blacktop Bash rounds out the school year with a fun and casual all-community gathering on the ACDS campus. Families bring chairs and blankets and enjoy dinner from a selection of local food trucks. There is entertainment for the kids and many opportunities for families, faculty and staff to spend time together outside of the regular school day.
End of the Year Carnival (Elementary)
On the last day of school, the expansive outdoor play space is transformed into a festive carnival by a team of dedicated parents. Hundreds of students run between carnival games, face painting stations, a teacher dunk tank, and a jump house. Laughter fills the air while students enjoy their friends and anticipate a carefree summer ahead.
End of the Year 6-7 Grade Party
The 6-7 grade year-end party is held at a nearby site at the same time as the carnival, giving the Middle School students an opportunity to sign yearbooks, hang out together, and say goodbye to friends.
Great America for 8th Grade
As Elementary students play at the carnival and the 6-7 grade students enjoy time together, our graduating class heads to Great America for a day full of fun in the sun.