Saklan’s All-School Concert 2026

Saklan students are very excited to share our All-School Concert with you on Thursday, February 12th, at 4:30 p.m. Students will be dismissed at noon from the Lesher Center and are 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 at the Lesher Center at 8:45 a.m. next Thursday. Parents are asked to park and walk their child directly to their teacher at the backstage entrance on Locust Street.
  • Saklan Bus & Van service will NOT be operating that day. 
  • Students will be dismissed from the Lesher Center at noon.
  • Extended Day will be available until 3:00, but it is recommended that students go home at noon to have some downtime 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 all-black clothing, with the assigned accessory color shown below. 
ClassesAccent Color & Apparel Suggestions
Owlets & Hoot OwlsRed Accent
Kindergarten & 1st GradeOrange Accent
2nd & 3rd GradeYellow Accent
4th & 5th GradeGreen Accent
Ensemble & PercussionBlue Accent
ChoirViolet Accent

The concert is free and will begin at 4:30 p.m. We invite family and friends to join us!

#SaklanCommunity

The Owlets’ California Adventure

The Owlets have been busy learning all about California through a joyful, hands-on mini-inquiry inspired by curiosity, creativity, and discovery. Their exploration began in early January with a classroom art project focused on California poppies. After closely studying photos of the state flower and noticing its bright orange and yellow colors, the Owlets used liquid watercolors to create their own vibrant poppies. Although poppies typically bloom in the spring, they bloomed early in the Owlet classroom!

The inquiry officially began with the book Welcome to California, which introduced students to the basics of the state and continued to serve as a reference throughout the project. The Owlets eagerly shared places they have visited across California and quickly realized just how diverse the state’s landscapes are. To bring this learning to life, they worked together to create a large map of California, discovering coastal beaches, farmland, snowy mountains, forests, and deserts along the way.

In small groups, the Owlets used a variety of materials to represent where each landscape is located on the map. They also examined real photos shared by Owlet families and practiced matching each image to the correct region.

The Owlets also learned about California’s weather patterns and the animals that live in each region. They noticed that the desert is hot and home to animals that wouldn’t survive in cooler mountain climates. While studying the California state flag, they spotted the large brown grizzly bear and learned that grizzly bears no longer live in the state. This led to an exploration of animals that currently call California home, including black bears, foxes, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, and quails. Students were especially excited to discover a few “hidden” quails right in their classroom.

The inquiry wrapped in elements of California history as well, including a discussion of the Gold Rush and how people once traveled to the state in search of gold. Through art, literature, mapping, and imaginative play, the Owlets have built a strong foundation of knowledge about California—its landscapes, animals, symbols, and history—while nurturing curiosity and a love of learning along the way.

#SaklanHandsOn

From Blowups to Breakthroughs: A New Way to Navigate Anger in Kids

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026
noon–1 p.m. PT
Live Q&A webinar streamed on Zoom

We’ve all taught our kids the value of deep breaths and calm-down strategies once tempers flare, but how do we stop harmful outbursts from happening so often in the first place, and keep from losing it ourselves?

Join Renée Jain, founder of GoZen!, the beloved platform that helps kids build emotional strength, on February 10 to learn how to rethink everything you thought you knew about anger. In this live ParentEd Talk, Renée will share how to shift from yelling and frustration to confidence and clarity when your child erupts — and explain how anger, once understood, can become a powerful source of insight, communication, and connection.

Attendees will gain:

  • Simple, science-backed strategies for self- and co-regulation to use during meltdowns
  • Scripts to guide kids from reactivity to reflection
  • A clear approach to repairing after conflicts, building emotional resilience and strengthening long-term communication with your child

Anger doesn’t transform just by calming it down — it transforms when we change our relationship with it. Register here for the webinar using promo code SAKSCHL to attend for free. You’ll also gain access to the event recording, so you can watch it anytime, anywhere.

#SaklanParentEd

Show Your Saklan Spirit!

Join the Saklan Student Council in celebrating school spirit! All students and teachers are invited to participate in the upcoming spirit days.

Wednesday, February 11: Valentine’s Spirit Day – Wear red, pink, purple, white, hearts, or something whimsical

Tuesdays, February 17: Lunar New Year – Wear Red

Friday, March 13: Ode to Sweatpants – Wear Sweats

Tuesday, March 17: St. Patrick’s Day – Wear Green

Friday, March 27: Pajama Day – Wear School-Appropriate Pajamas (no slippers, please)

Friday, April 17: Color Out Day – Dress all in one color

Friday, May 1: Character Day – Dress as Your Favorite Character from a Book, Movie, Game, etc.

Friday, May 15: Funky Fashion Day – Wear Mismatched and Fun Fashion

Participation in these spirit days is optional. If students choose not to dress up, they need to wear their uniforms. Let’s have some fun and show our Saklan pride!

#SaklanSpirit

February SEL Focus: Perseverance

This February, Saklan’s Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) focus is perseverance: the ability to keep going even when learning feels challenging. Perseverance helps students build confidence, resilience, and a growth mindset, reminding them that effort and persistence matter just as much as outcomes.

Throughout the month, students are being encouraged to practice perseverance in concrete, age-appropriate ways:

When faced with a challenge, students are learning not to give up. Instead, they are encouraged to pause, take a break when needed, and return ready to try again. This helps normalize struggle as part of the learning process and teaches students that setbacks are temporary.

Students are also practicing doing their best on every task. Perseverance isn’t about rushing to finish; it’s about slowing down, focusing, and putting forth genuine effort, even when the work feels hard.

To make big challenges feel more manageable, students are learning to break large tasks into smaller steps. This strategy helps reduce overwhelm and shows students that progress happens one step at a time.

Equally important, perseverance includes learning to be kind to oneself. Students are reminded that mistakes are part of learning and that everyone is growing at their own pace. Practicing self-compassion helps students stay motivated rather than discouraged.

Finally, students are encouraged to believe in themselves. Developing perseverance means trusting that with time, effort, and support, they can grow and succeed, even when something doesn’t come easily at first.

By focusing on perseverance this month, students are strengthening skills that will support them far beyond the classroom, helping them approach challenges with confidence, patience, and resilience.

#SaklanSEL

Head’s Corner: What Belonging Looks Like at Saklan

On a regular basis, we ask students in grades 3-8 to complete an anonymous survey about their experience of belonging and inclusion at Saklan. At its core, the survey asks a simple question: Are we keeping our promise that Saklan is a place where students feel seen, heard, and valued? Do they experience Saklan as a safe learning environment—one where relationships are central to learning?

The survey serves as an important check for us. It helps us understand what is working well and where we may need to pause, reflect, and make adjustments based on what students are telling us.

We are currently analyzing the first semester’s results from students in grades 3–8, and we are proud of both the work we do and the community we share. The data points to a strong sense of belonging at Saklan, while also highlighting a few areas where we can continue to grow.

One of the most illuminating parts of the survey is the open-ended question that invites students to elaborate on what helps them feel they belong at Saklan. Their responses, shared below, tell a powerful and authentic story.

Belonging through relationships

  • “When people hang out and talk with me, support me, and accept my options.”
  • “When people invite me to play with them.”
  • “When I’m sad, my friends make me feel better, and my friends just make me laugh.”
  • “Even when I don’t want to play the same game as my friends, there is always someone to play with.”

Belonging through acceptance and inclusion

  • “Having friends, and being accepted for who I am.”
  • “Being respected a lot, for who I am.”
  • “I like how everyone hangs out with whoever they want, rather than being separated by gender or how you act.”
  • “I feel like I belong at Saklan.”

Belonging through adult care and attention

  • “I always know I can go to a teacher when I am sad or need help with my homework.”
  • “My teacher always helps me and tries to make me understand the answer.”
  • “Teachers pay a lot of attention to me.”
  • “When teachers explain why they can’t get to me yet, I still feel heard.”

Belonging through safety and voice

  • “I feel safe to share my thoughts and ideas.”
  • “Saklan is such a small community, so everyone knows each other.”
  • “If I feel left out, there is always a teacher who will help work it out.”

Belonging through structure, leadership, and shared experiences

  • “Something that helps me feel like I belong is advisory.”
  • “Family groups, the ability to be creative, and the fun interactive experiences.”
  • “When I am teaching a younger student, I feel a sense of joy and it makes my day.”
  • “When I come back from being sick or a trip, my classmates welcome me back with smiles and hugs.”

We believe transparency and listening are essential to building a strong school community. For those interested in exploring the data more deeply, the full student survey results are linked here. We’re grateful to our students for their honesty and thoughtfulness, and we remain committed to using their feedback to strengthen belonging, relationships, and learning at Saklan.

With Gratitude,

David  

A Glimpse Into What’s Next

On Thursday morning, all Saklan students participated in Moving Up Day. This special experience gives students a chance to step into the future and get a preview of what the next school year will bring.

Preschool through 5th-grade students visited the classrooms of their rising grades, where they spent time with their future teachers, explored new spaces, and learned about what lies ahead. Meanwhile, Saklan’s 6th, 7th, and 8th graders proudly welcomed 5th graders to the middle school side of campus, hosting them and offering a “day in the life” look at middle school.

The energy across campus was unmistakable. Students and teachers alike were buzzing with excitement as classrooms filled with morning meetings, questions, laughter, and connection. Teachers thoughtfully planned activities that showcased their grade level, including book readings, STEM building challenges, classroom scavenger hunts, icebreaker games (some delightfully awkward!), and conversations designed to help students feel confident and curious about the year ahead.

Moving Up Day is more than just a visit; it’s an opportunity for students to build familiarity, ease transitions, and begin imagining themselves in new roles as learners. It allows teachers to connect with their rising students and begin building the relationships that are so central to the Saklan experience.

If you know a child who “moved up” on Thursday, be sure to ask them about it. They’re almost certain to have something enthusiastic to share!

Self-Disciplined Family Groups

On Wednesday, Saklan Kindergarten through 8th-grade students engaged in a thoughtful and interactive Family Group lesson focused on developing self-discipline, an essential skill that supports learning, emotional regulation, and personal growth.

The lesson began by inviting students to reflect on what self-discipline means to them. Through discussion, students identified self-discipline as recognizing when support is needed to achieve a goal and having the ability to bring themselves back on track. Together, they created a web of ideas on the board, placing “Self-Discipline” at the center and surrounding it with their own thoughts and experiences.

From there, students explored the many moments at school when self-discipline is needed. They shared examples such as staying focused, managing fidgety feelings, handling stress or big emotions, listening actively, raising a hand instead of calling out, and navigating moments of silliness or frustration. This conversation helped normalize the challenges students face and reinforced that self-discipline is a skill everyone practices and strengthens over time.

To introduce practical strategies, students watched a short, engaging video featuring Cookie Monster learning tools to resist his love of cookies. Together, the group reviewed the strategies Cookie Monster used (counting, singing, and imagining something calming) and discussed why these tools might work for him, as well as why different strategies may be more helpful in a school setting.

Students then applied their thinking to real-life scenarios. Through role-play and group discussion, they explored situations such as being cut in line, feeling nervous before a test, forgetting lunch, struggling to stop giggling, or feeling upset when a classmate takes something without asking. For each scenario, students worked collaboratively to identify healthy, self-disciplined responses and the tools that could help them regain control and focus.

To bring the learning together, students created a visual poster highlighting different situations and the tools that support self-discipline.

This lesson emphasized that self-discipline isn’t about being perfect; it’s about noticing when something feels hard and having strategies to help oneself move forward. Through discussion, creativity, and collaboration, students strengthened their understanding of self-discipline as a skill they can practice every day, building confidence and resilience along the way.

#SaklanSEL

Exploring Polygons Through Reflection

Last week, eighth-grade geometry students began a study of polygons and quadrilaterals using hinged mirrors, protractors, and colored paper to construct and analyze a variety of shapes. As they built regular hexagons, equilateral triangles in two different ways, and a rhombus that was not a square, students measured the angles formed by the mirror and noticed clear patterns, such as a 60° central angle for a hexagon and a 90° angle for a rhombus.

When students attempted to create a circle, they reasoned that a shape with infinitely many sides would require an angle of zero, leading to thoughtful discussion. Along the way, students made connections between reflection, congruent triangles, and perpendicular bisectors, strengthening their ability to observe patterns, explain their thinking, and build understanding through hands-on exploration.

#SaklanHandsOn

Lights, Camera, Auction!

Saklan’s Auction Committee is rolling out the red carpet and searching for scene-stealing auction items to make this year’s Golden Age of Hollywood–themed Starlight Gala & Auction an absolute blockbuster. We’re looking for star-quality offerings that will have guests buzzing, bidding, and ready for an encore. Here’s a peek at the kind of treasures that can help our auction steal the show:

  • Vacation Getaways – Do you have or know someone with a vacation property, timeshare or other access to destination properties?
  • One-of-a-Kind Experiences – Do you have a connection to something unavailable to the general public? Think Club 33, behind-the-scenes tours, throwing out the first pitch, dinner with someone famous, or an opportunity to sit in an owner’s box.
  • Event Tickets – Do you have season passes for the Giants, Warriors, theatre, symphony, or live music venues?
  • Adventure Experiences – Hot air ballooning, horseback riding, and cooking classes are always popular items.
  • Wine – Do you belong to a winery and have a few extra bottles of your favorite Cab you would be willing to part with for a good cause?
  • Gift Cards – Your unused gift cards can enhance a basket of themed goods.

Have a brilliant, show-stopping idea of your own? Don’t fade to black, share it with us! In true Saklan fashion, we invite you to think creatively. Click the button below to complete the online donor form, or email ewilliamson@saklan.org with your award-worthy ideas.

Auction Donation Form

Let’s make this year’s auction a true Hollywood classic: the cat’s pajamas and one for the history books!

Saklan’s Starlight Gala & Auction will be held at Lafayette Park Hotel on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. This adults-only soirée is always the bee’s knees—a glamorous night of community, celebration, and a little old-school sparkle as we come together to support Saklan’s continued success. Proceeds from the evening directly benefit our students by funding enriching field experiences, inspiring guest experts, Project Based Learning, family groups, and top-notch professional development for our incredible teachers.

#SaklanCommunity