The Hoot Owls and 4th graders had their first meeting as buddies. The buddies spent time getting to know each other and playing games. Looks like it’s going to be a good year for buddy friendships!
Month: September 2017
Twilight Parade
Here’s a short video for those of you who missed the Walnut Creek Twilight Parade last Saturday.
PA Educational Talk
A big thank you to the Parent Association for organizing last Friday’s PA Educational Talk on the Saklan STEM Program, Curriculum Overview and Academic Edge.
Our Science/STEM teacher, Vickie Obenchain, gave a very informative summary of the latest developments in the STEM program at Saklan and how the results of last year’s fund-a-need drive has resulted in dramatic improvements for the program. The slides from her presentation can be viewed here: Vickie Obenchain 9.15.17 STEM The presentation is also available on our Youtube Channel.
- Part 1: https://youtu.be/7qV6uFMfFNk
- Part 2: https://youtu.be/2N2Nc5TaFBc
- Part 3: https://youtu.be/t4JvMzYp_Iw
She was followed by our Middle School Dean, Kim Parks, who talked about Saklan’s curricular goals and review process. The slides from her presentation can be viewed here: Kim Parks 9.15.17 Saklan Academic Edge
- Part 1: https://youtu.be/5tK6gX_MnY4
- Part 2: https://youtu.be/Kz8ormK971Q
- Part 3: https://youtu.be/urseN–PEsO
Moraga Pear and Wine Festival
Once again, we will have a booth at the Moraga Pear & Wine Festival. The event takes place in the Moraga Commons Park on Saturday, September 23 from 11:00 – 4:00.
This year, there’s something new and we’ll be a part of it! “Moraga Gets Chalked” is being sponsored by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Moraga’s Art in Public Spaces Committee. The goal is to draw a magical place including one of the sculptures from town. There is a writing component as well. Our fearless Art Teacher, Ms. Natalie Palms, will be coordinating our team. The Chalk Contest will be held on the basketball court. Artists begin at 11:00 and end at 2:00. Please stop by our booth and cheer on our artists!
If your middle schooler would like to earn community service hours assisting with our booth, please have them contact our Director of Marketing, Christine Kuckuk at marketing@saklan.org.
Family Fun Night
EF Tours Trips
One more week to sign up! Enrollment closes on the 30th!
These are optional trips for 5th– 8th grade students and their families.
- Iceland: North and South during spring break
- Science at its best! Experience: Whale watching, geyser and waterfall witnessing, blue lagoon lounging, glacier hiking, plate tectonic studying!!!
- Berlin, Prague and the Alps in mid-June
- History up close! Experience: WWII learning, chocolate tasting, architectural appreciating, Sleeping Beauty castle wondering, mountain viewing and fondue tasting!
**Want information, please email: vobenchain@saklan.org to get your questions answered or to set up a time to meet up!
Learn more at the links below:
Spring break trip to Iceland (More of a science centered trip along with culture): www.eftours.com/1986335UB
Summer trip to Germany, Prague and the Alps (More of a WWII history trip along with culture): www.eftours.com/1944336JN
There are a limited number of spots available, so if you are interested please email or click on the links to learn more/enroll.
Buy Your Tickets Today!
The Saklan School Night at the Oracle Arena
Monday, November 6 at 7:30PM
vs. 
- Bring your family and friends out to The Saklan School Night and cheer on your 2017 NBA Champions as they take on the Miami Heat.
- All fans in attendance will receive a 2017 NBA Championship Replica Mini Trophy!
All participants (14 and under) will be entered into a raffle to stand on the court during the National Anthem! - Driving to the arena? Visit warriors.com/expresspark to purchase your parking pass today and save.
- PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS BEFORE OCTOBER 1st!
Head’s Corner
Dear Saklan Community,
I was pleased to see an outstanding turnout for this morning’s Parent Association Education Talk on the Saklan Academic Edge. Our Science/STEM teacher, Vickie Obenchain, gave a very informative summary of the latest developments in the STEM program at Saklan and how the results of last year’s fund-a-need drive has resulted in dramatic improvements for the program. She was followed by our Middle School Dean, Kim Parks, who talked about Saklan’s curricular goals and review process. The slides from her presentation can be viewed here: Kim Parks 9.15.17 Saklan Academic Edge In listening to these two outstanding and dynamic teachers, it is clear why our students love attending their classes. A big thank you to the Parent Association for sponsoring this talk for our community.
Today, we are having the student council elections and all the candidates were able to give campaign speeches this morning at Flag. This year, we had a total of 10 middle school students running for office, which represents 27% of our MS enrollment. In what is ever more becoming the trademark of our Saklan students, all of the candidates made very well-thought-out, engaging, and often highly creative presentations. It was a delight to see all aspects of the school mission come into play in this event; the courage to run for office and make a speech, the creativity and confidence shown in the presentations, and the compassion of the entire community to support our students in their endeavors. I am very excited about our middle school student body this year and after what I saw today, am thrilled about the leadership potential there is at Saklan.
Last night we had a great turn out for our Middle School Back to School Night. I would like to thank all of the Saklan faculty and staff for their efforts in making these important meetings productive and informative for our parent community. I would also like to give a special thank you to Stefany Wall, one of our extended program staff, who stayed late for both of the Back to School Nights to provide childcare.
This Saturday evening, we will again be participating in the Walnut Creek Twilight Parade which is a truly fun event for our students. Thank you to Christine Kuckuk, our Director of Marketing, for organizing the event. All participants will receive the new Saklan t-shirt. I hope we will again see a huge crowd of students and parents for this fun event.
Have a great weekend!
Peter
Congratulations Candidates!
The Saklan School Student Council
Election Winners
Co-Presidents
Hailey Perrin (8th grade)
West Temkin (8th grade)
Secretary Treasurer
Natalie Barkey (8th grade)
Harrison Leenhouts (7th grade)
Publicity Chair Activities Chair
Abby Ruppert (7th grade)
Max Budowski (7th grade)
Hot Air Balloons
This week the 8th grade created hot air balloons that would help test the ideas of buoyancy and Archimedes Principle, along with Charles Law in Chemistry. Using paper, glue, tape and paperclips (to act as a ballast), they engineered balloons that they thought would create the largest lift when filled with heated air.
The students tried many times to create lift. After some on the fly design changes, and adding different amounts of air, we finally got lift off! The engineering processes was in full effect with the 8th graders, and when hitting snags in their designs, they were able to tinker their designs and way of thinking to accomplish their goal! This was one of the few new engineering projects the students have taken part in this year!
FRIDAY BLOG 
You must be logged in to post a comment.