FRIDAY BLOG

Head’s Corner: Beginning the Year with Connection

The start of the year is always exciting. The lifeblood of our campus—our students—return eager to see one another, meet new students, reconnect with their teachers, play on the new structures, and simply bond. It is a time to celebrate and nurture who we are as a community—one that places a high value on connection. If students are the lifeblood of Saklan, connection and belonging are its heart.

We know from research that children thrive and grow when they feel known, valued, and connected. That sense of belonging gives them the confidence to share their ideas, take risks, try something difficult, and recover when things do not go as planned.

The same is true of our larger community. We thrive when we are connected—when we come together to support one another, learn together, and share joyful moments.

That is why we are being intentional this year about creating more opportunities to bring our community together. In addition to CLAS, Taste of Traditions, and many other offerings, I want to introduce a new initiative—our Discussions with David series. These gatherings will give us a chance to connect and explore topics that shape our children’s experiences, help us create a deep sense of belonging, and shape our lives as parents and as members of a community dedicated to the well-being of our kids.

A strong community is not built through any one event. It grows when we show up, share our experiences, remain curious about one another, and make room for new voices. I hope you will join us for the celebrations, conversations, and shared learning that will help Saklan continue to thrive.

I am excited about what we will build together this year. Welcome back.

Warmly,

David

Picture Day

Roots & Shoots Photography will be taking individual and class portraits of Saklan students on Monday, August 24th. These pictures will be used in the yearbook and will be available for purchase.

Pictures will be taken outside in the Redwood Grove during the school day. Please note that 1st – 8th grade students may be in spirit wear or uniform tops for the pictures.

For students who are absent on picture day, makeup pictures will be taken on Thursday, August 27th at 9:30 a.m.

Portrait Ordering Process

Portraits will be available to order online approximately 4 weeks AFTER picture day. Complimentary proofs will be provided for every student, so you can decide whether you would like to order them. If you do order, all portrait packages will be shipped directly to your home (a shipping fee will apply). There will be no school package drop-off.

Questions? Please contact Roots & Shoot directly at grow@roots-shoots.com. They will be happy to assist you!

Join us for CLAS!

All Saklan families are invited to join us next Friday, August 28th, for our first CLAS of the year. CLAS is an all-school assembly focused on Community, Learning, Appreciation, and Sharing that occurs every other Friday on the Saklan Sports Court.

Each CLAS has student hosts, presentations of learning, a birthday celebration, and a song sung by all. CLAS is one of the opportunities that Saklan students have to build their confidence and practice public speaking skills. It is also an opportunity to showcase how supportive, creative, compassionate, and courageous our community is.

CLAS will be held at 8:30 a.m. on the following Fridays:

August 28 – Coffee & Tea Provided
September 11
September 25 – Student Council Candidate Speeches
October 9
October 23
October 30 – Join us for the Halloween Costume Parade and more!
November 6 –
November 20 – Special Grandfriends’ Day CLAS
December 11
January 15
January 29
February 19
March 12 – Pi Day Celebration
March 26
April 16
April 30
May 14
May 21 -Final CLAS of the Year

#SaklanCommunity

Investing in Excellence: Summer Professional Learning

At Saklan, learning extends well beyond the school year. This summer, our faculty embraced opportunities to grow professionally, bringing new ideas and strategies back to the classroom for the benefit of every student.

Kim Parks, Jennifer Lettieri, and Shelby Hastings participated in Responsive Classroom professional development, strengthening their understanding of practices that foster engaging, supportive learning communities in both the Lower School and Middle School.

Linda Lathrop and Tausha Kordisch attended PBL World, a three-day conference dedicated to Project Based Learning. During the conference, they collaborated with educators from around the world and developed innovative PBL units that will inspire inquiry, creativity, and meaningful learning experiences in the year ahead.

Vickie Obenchain attended the NEED (National Energy Education Development) Conference in Nashville, where she explored hands-on, inquiry-based approaches to teaching energy science. She returned with new knowledge and engaging labs that will allow students to investigate topics including nuclear technologies, hydrogen fuel cells, and hydropower engineering.

These enriching professional development opportunities were made possible in part through the generosity of Saklan’s Annual Giving Fund donors.

#SaklanLifelongLearners

Fall Enrichment Classes

The fall session of enrichment classes will begin the week of September 14th and run through December 10th. Classes available this session include Garden Club, Scratch Coding, Mixed Media Art, and Soccer. The complete schedule of classes offered this fall is below.

Registration for the fall session of classes opens on Tuesday, August 25th at 11:00 a.m. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and often fill very quickly.

Fall Enrichment Information

Congratulations, Class of 2026!

This morning, we honored and celebrated The Saklan School’s Graduating Class of 2026. It was a heartfelt ceremony in which the middle school teachers introduced the graduates, and the graduates shared short speeches with their parents, teachers, and fellow students.

A highlight of the ceremony was a speech by Saklan alumnus Levi Kim. Levi graduated from Saklan in 2021 and has since completed high school at The Athenian School and his freshman year at Brown University. During his speech, Levi shared with the graduates that their ability to always get back up is one of their greatest strengths and an important gift they bring to the world. He also reminded them that they will always have a place at Saklan.

Equally heartwarming was the performance led by Dianne and the Kindergarten through 7th grade students, who invited the audience to join in singing “Your Nonsense Makes Sense” by The 502s.

We know the Saklan Class of 2026 will do great things as they move on to the following high schools:

Acalanes High School
The Athenian School
Bentley School
Campolindo High School
Clayton Valley Charter High School
The College Preparatory School
Head-Royce School
Los Lomas High School
Miramonte High School

There are several people who made the graduation events possible this year. We would like to extend a special thank you to Emily Williamson, Kim Parks, Hector Ramos Diaz, and Javier Yacarani for organizing the graduation dinner and gifts. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, but the dinner was beautifully orchestrated. Thank you to Kim Parks, Vickie Obenchain, Linda Lathrop, and Jennifer Lettieri for helping the students express themselves so eloquently in their graduation speeches. Thank you to all the teachers who introduced the students during the Graduation Dinner and during today’s ceremony. Additionally, a special shout-out goes to Dianne Hurvitz, Shay Sager, Kim Parks, Emily Williamson, Hector Ramos Diaz, John Miazga, Coach Rob, and Javier Yacarini for all their behind-the-scenes work handling the logistics of the graduation ceremony.

#Classof2026

Thank You for an Incredible Year

As we wrap up the 2025–2026 school year, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible community that makes our school such a joyful, engaging, and meaningful place to learn and grow.

Thank you to every Saklan family for your support and partnership throughout the year. Your involvement and encouragement have had a lasting impact on our students, faculty, and the broader school community.

A special thank you goes to all of the community members who generously volunteered their time, energy, and talents throughout the year. Your support helped make so many events, celebrations, and learning experiences possible, and we are deeply grateful for all you did to strengthen our community. Your contributions were instrumental in the success of the following activities and events:

Welcome Back BBQ
Uniform Exchange
Annual Giving Fund
Parent Coffees
Grandfriends’ Day
Book Fair
Lower School Musical
All-School Concert
Starlight Gala & Auction
Teacher Appreciation Week
Middle School Musical
Yearbook
Field Experiences
Class Celebrations
Open Houses
Fall Festival
Movie Night
Spring Service Social
Taste of Traditions
Parent Education Events
End of Year Parties

Additionally, thank you to everyone who showed support for our students during the following events:

CLAS
Halloween Costume Parade
The Spongebob Musical
Basketball Games
All-School Concert
Spring Follies
Curtains Young@Part
Art Show
Presentations of Learning
Graduation

It was a wonderful year. Thank you, Saklan families, for your support and partnership in making the 2025-2026 year a success!

Team Spirit on Display

Saklan’s annual Family Group Field Day was a terrific day filled with exemplary sportsmanship, great team spirit, and tons of fun! Students in Kindergarten through 8th grade kicked things off by performing creative and entertaining cheers in their family groups, each one judged by our enthusiastic panel of faculty and staff.

Following the cheers, the family groups faced off against each other as they rotated through the following activities:

Super Volleyball
Sponge Relay
Marbles, Marbles
Sack Relay
Charades

Next up was the water-balloon toss!

Finally, the family groups ended the day on the sports court where the top 3 teams were announced and popsicles were enjoyed by all.

This high-energy event wasn’t just about games and laughter—it was also a powerful culmination of the year’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) work. As students navigated relay races, team challenges, and friendly competition, they demonstrated the core SEL skills they’ve been developing all year. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of another wonderful year of family groups!

#SaklanConnected #SaklanFamilyGroups

Save the Date: 2026 Welcome Back BBQ!

Please save the date for Saklan’s annual Welcome Back BBQ on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. This fun community tradition is a wonderful opportunity for new, returning, and alumni families to reconnect, meet teachers and staff, and kick off the new school year together.

Be sure to mark your calendars; we look forward to celebrating the start of another great year with you!

#SaklanCommunity

Summer Fun at Saklan!

A summer of creative exploration awaits your child during Summer@Saklan! Designed with curiosity and imagination in mind, this year’s summer camp promises to be a dynamic blend of art and science, giving campers the perfect opportunity to learn, play, and grow in a joyful environment.

Ages of Campers

Students entering Preschool through 3rd Grade are invited to join us for Summer@Saklan, and will be divided into two age groups:

Mini Campers: Age 3 – Entering Kindergarten
Explorers: Entering 1st – 3rd Grade

Session Dates & Themes

This summer, camp will run in one-week sessions from June 15th – July 31.

Session Dates	Mini Camper Theme	Explorers Theme
June 15 – 18	Dramatic Play	Claymation & Art
June 22 – 26	Sports	The Art of Puppetry
June 29 – July 2	Bug Exploration	Jewelry Making
July 6 – 10	Science	Bookmaking & Printing
July 13 – 17	Safari Animals	LEGO Science
July 20 – 24	Cooking	Space
July 27 – 31	Art	STEAM

The camp day will begin with drop off from 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. and run until 2:30 p.m. Extended Day will be available until 4:30 p.m.

Whether your child loves painting, building, experimenting, or just having fun with friends, Summer@Saklan offers something for everyone. It’s the perfect way to keep young minds active and inspired during the summer months.