At this year’s auction, our Fund-a-Need is about something that feels especially important right now.
The world our children are growing up in is changing quickly. A lot of attention is paid to what students need to know to keep up. That matters, of course. But I would argue that more importantly is who they are becoming.
Are they learning to work with others?
Can they solve problems?
Can they listen across differences?
Can they stick with something hard?
Can they stay grounded in themselves while also growing in empathy for people whose lives may look very different from their own?
Those are not nice to haves in the work of education. They are central to it.
At Saklan, we believe those qualities are built through experience. They grow when children are well-known by their teachers. They grow when students are given meaningful opportunities to collaborate, create, persist, and solve real problems together. They grow when a school makes space for belonging, challenge, reflection, and joy.
At Saklan, that kind of growth starts early and deepens over time.
It looks like our youngest students noticing that some trees on the playground have already dropped their leaves while others are still holding on, and turning that simple observation into a real investigation—sorting leaves, sketching them in observation notebooks, learning their parts, and filling a Wonder Wall with questions.
It looks like kindergartners exploring the stories behind their names—interviewing their families, learning about one another. In the process, they begin to navigate friendship, identity, and belonging while practicing the problem-solving skills that help communities thrive.
And it looks like 8th graders in Puerto Rico, working side by side to help rebuild, listening to the stories of people whose lives were changed by Hurricane Maria, and coming to understand that service, resilience, and empathy are not just ideas we talk about at school—they are things you live.
These are very different experiences, but they are connected by the same purpose. In each case, students are learning habits that matter deeply: how to notice, how to wonder, how to solve problems, how to connect, and how to contribute.
That kind of learning takes intention, skill, and care. It takes talented teachers. It takes intentional programs. It takes time, trust, and experiences that invite students to lean in fully.
That is why this year’s Fund-a-Need matters.
Your support helps make possible the relationships that allow children to feel known and valued. It creates the kinds of projects and experiences that spark curiosity, challenge students to think deeply, and give them meaningful opportunities to solve problems together. And it strengthens the environments where students build confidence, empathy, and resilience over time.
Join me in supporting this work.
By making a Fund-a-Need donation, you are investing in more than a single program. You are investing in the daily work of helping children become thoughtful, capable, compassionate people who can contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
That is work worth supporting, and I am deeply grateful to be part of a community that understands its value.
Warmly,
David
FRIDAY BLOG 
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