Joy! Music for the Whole World

Saklan’s All-School Concert is next Wednesday, March 29th at 4:30 p.m. Students will be dismissed at noon from the Lesher Center and asked to return at 4:00 p.m. in preparation for the performance.

Please note the following details for the day:

  • All Saklan students need to be dropped off directly at the Lesher Center at 8:45 a.m. on the morning of the 29th. Normal Saklan Bus & Van service will NOT be operating that day. 
  • Students will be Dismissed at Noon from the Lesher Center.
  • Extended Day will be available until 3:00, but it is recommended that students go home at noon to have some down time before the concert. Reserve your child’s spot in Extended here.
  • All students are asked to report back to the Lesher Center at 4:00 p.m. dressed in their “Sunday best” version of all black clothing, with an accessory of yellow. 

The Concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. Feel free to invite extended family and friends to join us!

Covid Tests

We will be sending home COVID-19 tests with all students next Tuesday afternoon. Parents, please COVID test your student before you drop them off at the Lesher Center on Wednesday morning.

Skipolini’s After the Concert

All Saklan students and family members (including extended family) are invited to join us after the All-School Concert on March 29th for dinner at Skipolini’s Pizza in Walnut Creek. Pizza will be served on the Outdoor Patio. In order to make the evening more enjoyable for all, we are asking families to purchase tickets in advance to ensure enough pizza for all. Please use the button below to get your tickets for the dinner.

Get Your Skipolini’s Tickets

Thank you to the Saklan PA for organizing this dinner!

Pi Day

On Tuesday, March 14th, Saklan’s third and eighth graders celebrated every mathematician’s favorite holiday: Pi Day! Pi (π) is the ratio of a circle’s circumference in relation to its diameter. It is celebrated on March 14 because the date format 3-14 are the first three digits of Pi. Third graders worked together with the eighth graders to see if they could find Pi by measuring the circumference and diameter of a cookie.

They also collaborated to write mnemonic devices to help remember the digits of Pi and wrote some original Pi-Ku poetry. The third graders really enjoyed collaborating with the eighth graders in learning about Pi!

#SaklanCollaboration

2023-24 Calendar

As we approach the 2023-2024 school year, we want to share the important calendar dates so that you too can begin planning for the year ahead. You will notice that the Middle School will begin school a day earlier than the Lower School and ECE students in order to accommodate dates available for The Advance with our vendor. We know this is a complicated switch, especially for families with students in both Middle School and Lower School. This is anticipated to be a one-time occurrence, and we thank you for your understanding.

Below are the dates for school breaks, noteworthy events, and early dismissal days for next year. A more detailed calendar will be shared over the summer.

2023-2024 IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES

Aug 18 Back to School Social
Aug 22 – 24Middle School Advance for 6th – 8th Grade
Aug 23First Day of School for PS – 5th Grade
Aug 25Middle School Rest Day (NO SCHOOL for 6TH-8TH GRADE)
Sept 4Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 6Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 9Indigenous Peoples’ Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 26 & 27Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL)
Oct 31Halloween Celebration (2PM DISMISSAL)
Nov 1Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 20 – 24Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)
Dec 15Lower School Musical (NOON DISMISSAL, NO EXTENDED DAY)
Dec 18 – 29Winter Break (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 1New Year’s Day (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 2Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 15MLK Jr. Day (NO SCHOOL)
Feb 16 – 19Presidents’ Day Weekend (NO SCHOOL)
Feb 29 – Mar 1Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL)
April 1 – 5Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)
April 8Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 6 – 10Teacher Appreciation Week
May 10Teacher Appreciation Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 27Memorial Day (NO SCHOOL)
June 6Last Day of School (NOON DISMISSAL, NO EXTENDED DAY)

The Gas Giants!

If you joined us for CLAS this morning, then you are well aware that the Hoot Owls have been learning about our solar system. This morning they sang a song about the planets, and then shared their favorite planet and why. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Pluto (because it is a dwarf planet!) all made the list.

Leading up to their presentation, the Hoot owls learned about the gas giants of our solar system. They discovered that Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is the largest planet in our solar system with a huge red spot on it. Scientists think that this is a huge storm that has been raging for hundreds of years! The Pre-K kiddos strengthened their fine motor skills by using an eyedropper to add watercolor to shaving cream, and then made prints of it to hang on the wall.

The Hoot Owls also learned that Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, doesn’t look round because it is spinning so fast. They were fascinated to learn that Saturn’s rings are made of ice and dust! 

Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, is the coldest planet in our solar system. To remember this the students painted Uranus using bluish green ice cubes! Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun, is the windiest. The Hoot Owls painted Neptune with Q-tips so they could swirl and twirl the wind.

Hope and Joy for our Future

Thinking back on my own elementary school experience, what stands out to me is rote repetition, memorization, and regurgitation. Not much thought or research was put into what or how we were taught; it was just the way it always was.

As I wander through the classrooms here at Saklan now, even in the preschool where my own daughter has the privilege to explore, I am struck by how much more inspiring, fun, and memorable school is for these students. And that gives me so much hope and joy for our future.

Learning at Saklan is interactive, collaborative, mindful, relevant, and thought provoking. And now, more than ever, it is being infused with more Project-Based Learning. I am so proud to see how that has been changing the way the students see their role in learning and in the greater world.

In one short year, Project Work has led to exciting changes at Saklan. There is a buzz that was reflected in the success of the fund-a-needs presented at last Saturday’s auction. In order to continue and enhance their Project Work, teachers have responded with specific requests. 

Grace spoke about the power of professional development and how her past experience with the Broadway Teachers Workshop in New York City reconnected her to her 13 year old self in a way that allowed her to further connect to and inspire her students. 

Lauren spoke of her passion for bringing media arts literacy to our students, through digital art and graphic design learning tools that will apply across subjects and grade levels, helping students produce and share final products with the wider community. 

Peta reminded us how much design and architecture can influence the learning environment.  She asked for support in redesigning her classroom to integrate furniture that promotes collaboration. 

If you are as inspired as our teachers are and would like to donate to these initiatives, you can make a gift here. We thank you for your support.

In gratitude,

David

Newton’s Laws of Motion

Since February, the 8th graders have been studying physics in science class. They have been learning about the forces of gravity, air resistance, and friction on our planet. The students have also been working on putting Newton’s three Laws of Motion into real life scenarios.

To learn about these forces, the eighth graders have been taking part in different hands-on labs to help exhibit how these forces act on objects on our planet.  Students first studied friction by measuring the force needed to move different blocks and bricks along different surface textures.  These textures included a smooth countertop, markers that roll and sandpaper. Using a spring scale students could measure the force needed to move the objects and the amount of friction the textures were producing.

To see gravity and air resistance, students created different sized parachutes in class and dropped them from the ceiling of the science lab. Students could then see the pull of gravity on the parachutes and how air resistance could be used to slow that force down. Next, students worked on designing, creating, and shooting off rockets to try to see how to defy both air resistance and gravity.

#SaklanHandsOn

Skipolini’s After the Concert

All Saklan students and family members are invited to join us after the All-School Concert on March 29th for dinner at Skipolini’s Pizza in Walnut Creek. Pizza will be served on the Outdoor Patio. In order to make the evening more enjoyable for all, we are asking families to purchase tickets in advance to ensure enough pizza for all. Please use the button below to get your tickets for the dinner.

Get Your Skipolini’s Tickets

Thank you to the Saklan PA for organizing this dinner!

Concert Reminders

Saklan’s All-School Concert is Wednesday, March 29th at 4:30 p.m. Students will be dismissed at noon from the Lesher Center and asked to return at 4:00 p.m. in preparation for the performance.

Please note the following details for the day:

  • All Saklan students need to be dropped off directly at the Lesher Center at 8:45 a.m. on the morning of the 29th. Normal Saklan Bus & Van service will not be operating that day. 
  • Students will be Dismissed at Noon from the Lesher Center.
  • Extended Day will be available until 3:00, but it is recommended that students go home at noon to have some down time before the concert if possible. Reserve your child’s spot in Extended here.
  • All students are asked to report back to the Lesher Center at 4:00 p.m. dressed in their “Sunday best” version of all black clothing, with an accessory of yellow. 

The Concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. Feel free to invite extended family and friends to join us! Your extended family and friends are also welcome to join us at Skipolini’s.

Experts in our Community

As teachers bring our project work deeper, students have had a vast number of opportunities to connect with experts in fields relevant to their units. Some of our personal favorites here at Saklan have been our Saklan parent experts! Recently Lauren Wolf came to speak with 4th graders and Gary Hill with 6th graders to share their knowledge and insights.

If you have expertise in any of the following, we’d love to connect you with students in the classroom!

  • animation, drawing, and comic books
  • toxicology
  • small business ownership
  • ancient China

Please reach out to Linda (llathrop@saklan.org) if you have an expertise you are willing to share with Saklan students.

Parent Coffee Next Friday

Please join us next Friday, March 24th from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. in the Pavilion for warm coffee, snacks, and a conversation about social emotional well-being! Saklan Mom, Jaime Pham, will share about the role that emotional well-being plays in overall health. Jaime works in social media with a focus on mental health. She will lead us in a brief meditation and then discuss the youth mental health crisis, social media, and share how she incorporates EQ and emotional management into conversations with her fifth grader. Kim Parks, Saklan’s Director of Teaching and Learning, will share about Saklan’s Social Emotional Learning program as well.

If you can’t make it in person, please join us on zoom.

This is a can’t miss parent coffee event and we hope to see you there!

#SaklanSEL

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