Month: May 2020

Building Roller Coasters

The 8th graders culminating physics project was to design and create a roller coaster for a marble that utilized the forces we learned about in class, had enough momentum to fulfill a loop, and had a slow down stop. Each 8th grader used their creativity, math skills and the scientific method to design, redesign, start over, and eventually create their coasters. 

Students also got inspiration for their coasters by watching a few video clips, where they learned the need for gravitational pull to power the coasters, centripetal force and air resistance to provide thrills, and of course friction to stop safely!

We are extremely impressed with their efforts in this project – especially having to create these at home, and present and work virtually this year throughout this project. They are a great class, and we are glad to see they are ready for high school!

#SaklanAcademics

Creative Hoot Owls

The Hoot Owls learned about two different artists. First, they explored concentric circles and the abstract artwork of Wassily Kandinsky. Hoot Owls were asked to talk about how the colors they chose for their artwork made them feel.

Next, Hoot Owls listened to a book about Henri Mattisse called Henri’s Scissors by Jeanette Winter. They learned about his later life and how much he loved making art with paper. Hoot Owls created their own artwork from colorful paper cut outs. The Hoot Owls also learned about artists, Frida Kahlo and Alma Woodsey Thomas this year. 

#SaklanDistanceLearning

ECE Scavenger Hunt

Together even while apart, the Hoot Owls and Owlets have been participating in weekly home scavenger hunts with Ms. Jessica. Some of the things our ECE students have been tasked to find: their school backpack, something that begins with the first letter of their name, a photograph, something with wheels, a favorite book, something silly they can wear, and (an all-around favorite) someone they love.

The Hoot Owls and Owlets have been so creative with some of the trickier prompts! They got a chance to tell their friends a little bit about each item they found. It’s been a blast getting to know each other better this way, while also including siblings and other family members in the fun.

#SaklanCreative

Thank You, Saklan Parents!

The Saklan faculty and staff expressed their gratitude for the surprises, gifts and treats during Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you for making the entire faculty and staff feel special. We are so lucky to be part of and supported by such a wonderful community. Click here to watch the video.

#SaklanGrateful

Distance Learning Survey

Towards the end of April, we asked parents to participate in a survey created by Independent School Management aimed at measuring our successes and challenges with distance learning. Independent School Management is a consulting firm that advises schools across the world. While we did do well on the survey (scoring above most other independent schools), there were two big takeaways from the results.

The first is the difference in how much more challenging lower school students (especially the younger grades) find distance learning. While this is not surprising, looking across the spectrum of all other independent schools, this was a common trend. The second finding was just how important it is to attend to children’s social-emotional needs at this time. While we were not shocked to see this as an issue – we were surprised to see just how important staying connected to others is to kids during this time. If you are interested in seeing the detail, please click here. 

Distance-Learning-Survey-ResultsDownload

#SaklanDistanceLearning

Re-Creating Art Masterpieces 

With art museums closed, institutions such as the Los Angeles Getty Museum made their collection accessible online. The museum challenged their viewers to choose their favorite artwork and re-create the painting. What does that look like?

Well, branching off of performance art, the 4th-8th grade took on the challenge. Using household items, costumes, pets, plants and beyond, they re-created the artwork of their liking. Each piece is nothing short of creative! The question is, who did it better?

#SaklanCreative

Landform Project

Second graders have been studying landforms and the way that the earth surface can change quickly and slowly. The culmination of their landforms project involved second graders creating their own map and key of an imaginary land with a selection of various landforms that they have been learning about. Once the map was created they built and painted their own landform model complete with labels.

They worked very hard and we are very proud of the results.

#SaklanDistanceLearning

Force And Motion In Kindergarten

During our Science explorations, the Kindergarteners have been busy learning about Force and Motion. They learned that motion is what happens to an object after force has been applied. The children learned about different kinds of forces such as push/pull, gravity and air. Then the fun began.

To experience pushes, the Kindergarteners built a golf course with books and cups.

They had fun with gravity by building ramps with various angles.

Finally, they used a straw to blow and move a cotton ball, feather and bead. “May the force be with you.”

#SaklanDistanceLearning

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