Month: December 2022

How Can We Help our Apple Tree Thrive?

Before the Thanksgiving Break, the kindergarten class concluded their study about apples and apple trees. After learning about apples, their life cycle, the parts of an apple, taking observations of apple trees at Moraga Gardens and the tree on the ECE playground, and interviewing experts, the students answered their essential question: “How can we help our apple tree thrive?”

Kindergartners learned that they needed to move the wood chips away from the base of the apple tree, so they created kindness rocks and arranged them around the tree to keep the wood chips away.

The class also learned that local wildlife was continually eating the apple tree’s buds, so they put a decoy owl by the tree to try to keep squirrels away!

Since the apple tree is on the playground that the kindergartners share with the Preschool and Pre-K students, the kindergarteners thought it was really important to talk with them about how to keep the apple tree thriving. The kindergartners did an amazing job of sharing their project-based learning with the PS and PK students.

#SaklanPBL

Family Group Poems & Characters

On Tuesday, 1st – 8th graders gathered with their family groups to talk about being compassionate and how they could show compassion to others. The students then worked together to write an 8-line poem containing a few specific words: Saklan, compassion, hot cocoa, and winter. The students also dressed up one of their family members as a winter character, using only newspaper. The families definitely showed their creativity!

All family groups then gathered on the sports court to share their poems (some groups acted them out) and winter characters. Among the characters presented were a snowflake, reindeer, elf, Frozen princess, and a Yeti!

#SaklanFamilyGroups #SaklanSEL

Did We Reach 100% Participation in Saklan’s Annual Giving Fund, Yet?

Almost! Did you know that each year we ask current families, faculty and staff, trustees, grandparents, alumni families and friends of the school to make a tax-deductible donation to Saklan’s Annual Giving Fund? 

One of our goals is to reach 100% participation from our current families. The chart below shows you where your student’s class is towards reaching this goal.

If you haven’t made a gift yet, it’s not too late to contribute. YOU can make a difference and get ALL of us closer to 100% with your gift today!

Not sure how much to contribute? We receive gifts anywhere from $10 to $10,000. Please know that whatever amount is meaningful and affordable for your family, Saklan is truly appreciative of your gift.

You can make an AGF gift via the following methods:

  • DONATE ONLINE through our secure site; or
  • Write your check made out to The Saklan School with “Annual Giving Fund” written on the Memo line and deliver it to our office.

If you would like to discuss your gift further, please contact Emily at ewilliamson@saklan.org.

On behalf of all of us at The Saklan School, thank you very much for your support.

#SaklanCompassionate #SaklanAGF

Who Do Art Objects Truly Belong To?

Who do art objects truly belong to? Over the last six weeks, the 6th graders have been seeking to answer this driving question by exploring museum bias, researching significant artifacts, and understanding different present day arguments for and against repatriation of ancient art objects.

The sixth graders in front of the de Young Museum after touring the Ramses Exhibit.

After taking a trip to the de Young Museum to view the Ramses Exhibit, researching the significance of a chosen artifact, and speaking with experts from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Badé Museum, and Stanford University, their final milestone and public product for this unit was to select an aspect through which to answer the driving question. Some students focused on museum bias, others on big ideas around repatriation, still others on power and ethical issues in the worlds of archeology and museum preservation of ancient artifacts. You can read their manuscripts here, which have been submitted to KQED’s Youth Perspectives program for consideration to be published by KQED. 

#SaklanPBL

Get Your Saklan Spirit Wear

The Saklan Parent Association (PA) is excited to offer Saklan Spirit Wear! Hoodies, pajama pants and t-shirts are all available. Orders are accepted online only, through December 16th. A portion of the proceeds will be used by the PA to fund more events for our school community. Don’t delay, get your Saklan spirit wear order in today! 

Special thanks to Shannon O’Connor for her work on the design, the entire PA Board for their feedback, and to Erin Moorhead for working to make the items available to our community.

#SaklanSpirit #SaklanPA #SaklanCreative