Month: April 2021

Head’s Corner

If These Dollar Store Buckets Could Talk

Right now, outside of the main office, there are five plastic buckets. They seem unassuming at first, but upon closer inspection, they have a lot to say about the motivation and determination of the sixth grade class.

If these dollar store buckets could talk, they would tell you how thoughtfully students researched their chosen endangered species, learning about its environment, the threats to its existence, what it needs to survive.

They would brag about the creativity of each group, the excitement that went into decorating the buckets and garnering support for each animal.

They would regale you with examples of Ms. O’s passion and commitment, as she guides students through this work for another year.

Through the muffled sound of loose change mixing with dollar bills, the buckets would marvel at the generosity of the Saklan community, and the thrill students of all ages have gotten from selecting their favorite animal and donating money toward its cause.

If they had a spare moments, these buckets would deliver an eloquent lecture on what it takes to build–and keep– a school culture of creativity, compassion, and courage.

I have passed by these buckets every day for the past week, and so far, I haven’t heard them say a word. But I know if they could talk, they would remind me–and all of us–how lucky we are.

#SaklanCompassion

Save the Date for Spring Musicals!

A sure sign–and sound–of Spring at Saklan? Musical rehearsals! Saklan students in fourth-eighth grades have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming musical performances. Like everything, musicals this year will be done differently than in the past, but the hard work and dedication that goes into them remains the same!

The Saklan fourth and fifth graders are busy rehearsing for “Seussical Kids,” which they will perform on Friday, May 28, at 11 a.m. Meanwhile, the seventh and eighth grade classes are working on creating a film version of the Stephen Sondheim classic, “Into the Woods.” Their final movie will be shown on campus on Thursday, June 3, with a simultaneous live stream for at-home audiences. A short, filmed edition of “Guys and Dolls” as performed by the Saklan sixth grade, will be released as well.

More details will be forthcoming on how parents can experience each performance, but we hope you’ll join us in lending your support to each Saklan performer, and extending deep thanks and appreciation to Ms. Chaffey for making the musicals happen no matter what!

#SaklanCreative

Sea Star Dissection

As part of the 7th grade biology unit on animals, the class looked at different phylum found within a particular kingdom. The students talked with Ms. O about the different characteristics and important adaptations each animal has for survival.

As part of the lesson, students take part in multiple dissections in order to learn and compare the anatomies of common organisms. So far in their study of invertebrates, the class has dissected a squid (part of the mollusk phylum), a worm (the annelid phylum) and, this week, a sea start (a member of the echinoderm phylum).

Each organism has a different circulatory system, number of hearts, different sequence of body parts, and some have no brain at all! These dissections are a hands-on way students have been able to see the diversity of all life!

#SaklanAcademic

Saklan’s Budding Botanists

The Saklan second graders have been turning a scientific eye to the plant world! They started by learning all about seeds, including studying the lifecycle of a plant and what seeds need to grow, and cutting open different fruits and vegetables to see what seeds were inside.

Then, the students were put in charge of planting their own bean seeds. Fortunately, the second grade classroom has a sunny window sill, and the second graders got to watch as their seeds sprouted and grew. Each day, they had the opportunity to measure their plant, and track its progress in their plant journals.

Now that they’ve gotten big enough, each student will get to take their plant home and continue to make observations to make its growth and other changes over time.

#SaklanHandsOn

Seventh Grade Takes a Turn at Challenge Sonoma

This week, the sixth grade class hit the road for a field experience at Challenge Sonoma! Next week, it’s the seventh grade classes’s turn!

Like the sixth graders did, the seventh grade class will spend the day participating in a ropes course challenge and other activities that will require them to communicate and work together in order to be successful.

Opportunities for field experiences off-campus have been rare this year, which is why we are so excited by the success of the sixth grade trip, and can’t wait to offer the same fun day to the seventh graders.

If you have any questions, please email Vickie Obenchain at vobenchain@saklan.org  or Kim Parks at kparks@saklan.org.

#SaklanFieldExperience

Sixth Grade Studies Climate Change

Over the past few weeks, the sixth graders have been learning about climate change during science class. They’ve gained an understanding of how climate change can impact human health, coast lines, and society, as well as ecosystems and species that cannot adapt quickly enough.

To continue their learning, the students wanted to help a species in need. Students researched several species, including the Adelie Penguin, Arctic Fox, Beluga, Red Panda, and Monarch Butterfly. They found out where each species is located, why they are important to their ecosystem, and what threats there are to the species.

In order to raise money to help these species, students are going to hold an election, and the entire Saklan community is invited to participate. Starting on Monday, you will see decorated buckets on the tables near the office, and you can lend your spare change to vote for the species you want to help the most.

Each cent you contribute will count as one vote. One penny will count as one vote, a quarter will count as 25 votes, a dollar will count for 100 votes, and so on. All of the money raised will go to the World Wildlife Fund, which is working to help these species.

We will symbolically “adopt” the species that gets the most votes, and will announce the winner to the Saklan community.

Thank you for your help!

#SaklanCompassion

Science Discovery in the Owl Classroom

Some of Saklan’s youngest students are learning all about science! The Owls in Ms. Jessica’s class are spending the month learning what science is, what an experiment is, and the definitions of the words “hypothesis” and “observation.”

To bring their learning to life, the students are conducting an experiment of their own, using celery sticks and white flowers! The class put one of each into cups of water, then added different food coloring to each cup. They also left one cup of water uncolored.

Each student formed a hypothesis about what would happen, including:

“They will grow!”
“They will explode!”
“The water will get hard like Jello!”
“They will suck up the water!”
“They will get hot!”
“A raccoon will take the celery!”

The class will make observations every day to see which of their hypotheses are correct!

#SaklanHandsOn

2021-2022 Days Off School

Planning has begun for the 2021-2022 school year, including a proposed calendar of schools breaks and days off. More detail about these dates and other important school events for next year will be coming, but we hope this outline will help Saklan families as they begin planning for the year ahead.

Aug19: Teachers’ First Day
Aug 25: First Day of School
Sept 6: Labor Day, No School
Oct 8-11: Fall Holiday, No School
Nov 11: Veterans’ Day, No School
Nov 22-26: Thanksgiving Break, No School
Dec 17: Half-Day
Dec 20-31: Winter Break
Jan 3: Professional Development Day, No School for Students
Jan 17: MLK Day, No School
Feb 18-21: President’s Day Weekend, No School
April 4-8: Spring Break
May 6: Teacher Appreciation Day, No School
May 30: Memorial Day, No School

Thank you for your support as we plan for another great year at Saklan!

#SaklanCommunity

Bringing Historical Figures to Life

The second graders in Mrs. Prizeman’s class closed out their biographies unit by embodying noteworthy figures from throughout American history. After researching about the life of their chosen person–including their childhood, noteworthy accomplishments, and overcome challenges–each student created a short video to teach others what they had learned.

Many students pulled out all the stops–including costumes and accessories–to bring their historical figure to life! To see Saklan creativity at work, and to learn more about people who made a difference, watch the video here!

Upcoming Field Experience

On Thursday, April 15, the sixth grade class hit the road for a field experience at Challenge Sonoma! They’ll spend the day participating in a ropes course and other team-building activities, designed to build self-confidence, improve teamwork skills, and get students outside for a day in the Sonoma Redwoods.

We are asking students to return a filled out and signed student release form by Wednesday, April 14.

If you have any questions, please email Grace Chaffey at gchaffey@saklan.org or Kim Parks at kparks@saklan.org.

We are so excited for this opportunity to take students off campus and give them a day to remember!

#SaklanFieldExperience