Staff Spotlight: Coach Rob

For Coach Rob, Physical Education is about much more than sports. It’s an opportunity for students to explore, take risks, build relationships, and discover what they’re capable of.

Now in his third year at Saklan, Coach Rob teaches PE to students in Kindergarten through eighth grade, giving him the unique opportunity to work with students throughout nearly their entire Saklan journey.

Coach Rob draws much of his approach to teaching from his own interests and experiences. Sport, wellness, travel, culture, and exploring new places have always been important parts of his life.

“I try to bring that same sense of curiosity and adventure into PE,” he shares. “I want students to experience new games, sports, challenges, and ways of working with people that they might not always choose on their own.”

For Coach Rob, movement can be a powerful vehicle for learning not just about physical skills, but about ourselves and the world around us.

Learning Through Play

Coach Rob sees play as an essential part of learning.

“Play gives kids the opportunity to explore, problem-solve, communicate, compete, take risks, fail safely, and try again,” he explains. “I don’t see play as something separate from learning. I think it’s one of the ways kids learn best.”

His goal is to create an environment where students can be present, challenge themselves, try new things, and most importantly, enjoy moving.

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching PE is watching students discover that they don’t have to fit a particular definition of an “athlete” to find success.

Coach Rob especially enjoys seeing a student who may not initially consider themselves athletic or have much interest in sports find an activity they genuinely enjoy. That might be a sport, a game, running, an adventure, a team challenge, or simply realizing they can accomplish something they didn’t think they could do.

“I want every student to understand that there is more than one way to be successful in Physical Education,” he says.

Be Willing to Try

If Coach Rob could offer his students one piece of advice, it would be simple: Be willing to try.

“You don’t have to be the best at everything. Be present, give your best effort, try something new, and be willing to be uncomfortable sometimes. That’s usually where growth starts.”

Ultimately, Coach Rob hopes students remember his classes not simply for the games they played or the skills they learned, but for how they felt while learning.

“I hope they remember that we played. We explored. We competed. We laughed. We tried things we weren’t always good at. And we learned how to work with different people.”

More than anything, he hopes students leave PE with healthy habits, healthy relationships, and the confidence to step into whatever comes next.

Democracy in Action: Saklan Students Take the Lead

Another exciting Student Council election cycle came to a close at Saklan last Friday, offering a wonderful reminder of the importance of student voice and civic engagement within the school community.

This year, fifteen out of thirty-three Middle School students submitted their candidacies for Student Council officer positions, and each candidate put forth a strong effort throughout the election process.

The Middle School officer candidates presented lively and engaging speeches at CLAS last Friday. Students in Grades 1–8 then participated in the balloting process in their classrooms, with the results of the Middle School election announced just before the end of the school day.

Earning a seat as a Saklan Student Council officer involves more than simply winning the popular vote. Each candidate had to submit a Letter of Intent, make a campaign poster, sit for an interview conducted by Jennifer Lettieri and Kim Parks, and share slogans and stickers with the Lower School students during lunch recess. The speeches presented at CLAS were the culmination of their campaigning.

Candidates were awarded points for timeliness and quality when carrying out each of these tasks, and the candidates with the most points were the winners.

Lower School Student Council representatives were selected by their classmates and respective homeroom teachers in grades 1-5. This year, two Kindergarten representatives were also selected, and they will join the Lower and Middle School students at regular Student Council meetings every other Wednesday.

Congratulations to our 2026-2027 Student Council members!

Middle School Officers

President– Mae

Vice President– Willow

Treasurer – Makena

Publicity Chair – Roni

Secretary – Elise

Environmental Affairs Chair – Meredith

Lower School Representatives

Kindergarten – Cayden and Graham

Grade 1 – Alina and Noah

Grade 2 – Can and Nora

Grade 3 – Evan and Addys

Grade 4 – Olin and Satya

Grade 5 – Sam and Ruby

Kinder Korner: Building Connections

One of the special traditions Hoot Owls and Kindergartners experience at Saklan is Kinder Korner. These gatherings give Kindergarteners the chance to step into leadership roles as they guide the Hoot Owls through fun, educational activities in math, reading, or science. For the Hoot Owls, it’s an exciting introduction to Kindergarten that fosters meaningful connections between students and teachers across the two grades.

For their first visit of the year, the Kindergarten class celebrated the first day of fall by teaching the Hoot Owls how to make leaf rubbings. The Kindergartners gathered leaves for their younger friends and demonstrated how to place the leaves under the paper, with the veins facing up, before using the side of a crayon to gently rub across the paper and reveal the leaf’s shape and texture.

As the Hoot Owls created their artwork, Kindergarten students practiced explaining directions, demonstrating techniques, and encouraging their younger classmates.

Through Kinder Korner, students in both grades benefit from the connection. Hoot Owls gain familiarity and confidence as they look ahead to Kindergarten, while Kindergarteners develop leadership, responsibility, and empathy by helping their younger peers learn.

Learn More about Kindergarten at Saklan

Next Thursday, October 8th, Riva will host a Kindergarten at Saklan Information Session in the Humanities Room at 8:45 a.m. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Kindergarten experience at Saklan and how families can help prepare their children for this important transition.

Riva will share what a typical day looks like, what students learn, and how Kindergarten builds on the skills and experiences developed in Preschool and Pre-K. She’ll also offer practical tips for preparing children academically, socially, and emotionally, and answer your questions.

We would love for you to join us!

Family Groups Begin the Year with Inclusion and Connection

On September 29, Saklan’s Kindergarten through eighth-grade students gathered for their first Family Group meeting of the school year, coming together across grade levels to build connections and explore what it means to be inclusive and accepting.

Family Groups are a Saklan tradition that brings students from different grades together throughout the year. These mixed-age groups create opportunities for students to get to know one another, learn from each other, and build a stronger sense of belonging across the school.

For their first meeting, students began by getting to know the members of their Family Group through introductions and fun activities designed to help them discover new things about one another. Students paired up, asked questions, shared their answers, and looked for connections within the group.

Each group then turned its attention to what it means to be inclusive and accepting at Saklan. Students discussed what inclusion can look like (including others, working with different people, and being kind), and what it means to be accepting (including not judging others, giving people second chances, and allowing others to be themselves).

Students were also invited to reflect on times when they have felt included and accepted at Saklan. They shared examples of classmates being kind, inviting them to join an activity, playing together at recess, or showing genuine interest in getting to know them.

To represent the idea that everyone contributes something unique to the group, each student decorated a paper paw with things they enjoy or qualities that represent them. The individual paws were brought together to create a Family Group poster: a visual reminder that while each student is an individual, everyone has a place within the group.

The meeting set the tone for the year ahead: getting to know one another, celebrating what makes each person unique, and creating a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and included.

#SaklanSEL #SaklanCommunity

The 2027–28 Admissions Season Is Here!

We’re excited to welcome families to Saklan this admissions season! Bring your family and friends and join us for upcoming opportunities to experience our Preschool–8th Grade program firsthand, meet our teachers, explore our campus, and discover what makes Saklan such a special place to learn and grow.

Upcoming Admissions Events

Kindergarten at Saklan Information Session
Thursday, October 8 at 8:45 a.m.

Preschool–8th Grade Open House
Friday, October 16 at 9:00 a.m.

Parent Perspective: Virtual Parent Panel
Thursday, December 10 at 12:00 p.m.
Hear from current Saklan parents about their family’s experience and what makes our community meaningful to them.

Preschool–8th Grade Open House
Friday, January 8 at 9:00 a.m.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

New student applications for the 2027-2028 school year are now open! This application is for students not currently enrolled at Saklan. For priority consideration, please submit your application by Friday, January 22, 2027.

Current families, please note that re-enrollment information will be shared in January.

Head’s Corner: Helping Children Discover the Power of Agency

In my last piece, I wrote about lighthouse parenting: the idea that our children need us to be steady and dependable without constantly steering their course. A lighthouse provides guidance, security, and clear boundaries, but it does not remove every obstacle or determine the path.

That raises an important question: What develops in children when we give them room to navigate?

One answer is agency. AI researcher Andrej Karpathy has observed that agency is “both more powerful and scarcer than intelligence.” Intelligence may help children know what they could do; agency helps them actually do it.

Psychologists describe the belief that our choices can influence outcomes as an internal locus of control. As The Economist recently noted, people with a stronger sense of control tend to act more purposefully—from searching harder for work to saving more and following through on entrepreneurial ambitions. Agency does not guarantee success, but it makes action more likely.

Children develop that belief through experience. We can tell them they are capable, but they also need opportunities to experience themselves being capable. They need to make decisions, attempt solutions, encounter consequences, recover from mistakes, and discover that their efforts can change an outcome.

This is where lighthouse parenting becomes especially important. Rather than immediately solving a problem, we can help children understand it, consider their choices, and decide on a next step.

At Saklan, we want students to have repeated experiences of agency. Project Based Learning asks them to investigate authentic questions, make decisions, revise their thinking, work through uncertainty, and create something that matters. Classroom conversations invite students to share their perspectives, while reflection helps them recognize the connection between their choices and their growth.

Ultimately, the aim of lighthouse parenting is not simply to do less for our children. It is to make room for them to do more for themselves—and, over time, for others.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give children is not a perfectly cleared path, but the growing conviction that they can help determine where the path leads.

We can provide the steady light. They must gradually learn to navigate.

Warmly,

David

Weather Wonders

What happens when air pressure changes? How do warm and cold air move? And can you really make snow indoors?

Third-grade students have been exploring these questions and more in the science lab as they investigate the forces behind weather and changes in our atmosphere.

Over three weeks, students conducted hands-on experiments that made these concepts come to life. They watched balloons expand and marshmallows shrink as they explored the effects of air pressure. Using beakers filled with hot and cold colored water, they observed convection currents and saw how temperature differences cause air and fluids to move.

The weather investigations didn’t stop there. Students even made snow indoors and explored different types of clouds, creating cloud collages to capture and demonstrate what they learned.

Through each experiment, students asked questions, made observations, and used evidence to understand the science behind the weather they experience every day.

For these young scientists, learning about weather isn’t just something they read about; it’s something they can see, touch, test, and discover for themselves.

#SaklanHandsOn

Ready for a Wild Adventure?

Saklan community members ages 6 and up are invited to join the Saklan Belonging Committee for a Tarantula Trek at Mount Diablo State Park on Friday, October 2!

Come explore the trails and experience one of the Bay Area’s most fascinating seasonal wildlife events as we search for tarantulas in their natural habitat.

Space is limited to the first 20 adventurers; sign up using the button below!

SIgn Up to Attend the Tarantula Trek

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanBelonging

What’s in the Mystery Box?

Learning Spanish Through Exploration

What’s hiding inside the Caja Misteriosa?

In Spanish class, Saklan’s ECE students have been exploring new vocabulary through a fun, hands-on activity called the Caja Misteriosa, or Mystery Box. One at a time, students reach into the box without looking and use Spanish words to describe what they discover.

Is it grande or pequeño? Big or small?
Is it duro or suave? Hard or soft?

As students feel and describe each mystery object, they practice listening, speaking, and using new Spanish vocabulary in a meaningful context. The element of surprise keeps everyone engaged and encourages students to take risks as they try out new words.

Learning a new language is even more fun when you can touch, explore, guess, and share, and the Caja Misteriosa gives our youngest learners a joyful way to do just that!

Taste of Traditions: A Saklan Family Celebration

What tastes and traditions make your family feel at home?

This fall, we’re bringing our Saklan community together for Taste of Traditions, a special evening celebrating the many cultures, experiences, and traditions that make our community unique.

Join us on Saturday, October 17, from 5:00–7:30 p.m. on the Saklan Sports Court for an evening of food, music, dancing, stories, and connection.

Join the Table

There are many ways to be part of the celebration:

  • Bring a dish with personal or family meaning. Homemade and store-bought contributions are equally welcome.
  • Share a story, artifact, tradition, or song that is meaningful to your family.
  • Help with setup, welcoming families, or cleanup.
  • Come simply to enjoy the evening, connect with friends, and celebrate our community.

Whatever you choose, we hope you’ll join us at the table! Please use the button below to RSVP by Monday, October 5th.

RSVP for Taste of Traditions Here!

Please label all food contributions with ingredients and known allergens. Taste of Traditions is a family event, and children must be accompanied by a family member or designated adult.

We can’t wait to gather, share, and celebrate the traditions that help make Saklan feel like home.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanPA