Month: November 2023

The Power of Gratitude

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I, like many of you, have been thinking about the power of gratitude. We get so busy that it is easy to miss all the opportunities to be grateful. The research clearly points to the fact that sharing gratitude has as much a positive effect on the giver as it does on the receiver. We routinely practice and model gratitude in our classrooms with students but sometimes forget to do it as adults. That being the case, I thought I would take a moment to share some gratitude. 

  • I’m grateful for all the Grandfriends who joined us for our Grandfriends’ Day this morning.  Their presence in the lives of our students helps students become more compassionate, courageous people.
  • I am grateful that our community is built upon the values of kindness, belonging and empathy.
  • I’m grateful for a parent community that is supportive of the work we do here at Saklan, to the point where we have reached 78% AGF participation. 
  • I’m grateful for working with faculty and staff who love children and have embraced project-based learning. In the first 12 weeks of school, they have run 12 projects, invited over 35 guest experts onto campus and taken students on over 25 field experiences. 

Lastly, I am grateful to be able to take next week to slow down, spend time with my family, and truly appreciate how fortunate I am.  

With gratitude,

David  

A Walk through African American History

The 8th grade class has been reading All American Boys, coauthored by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Keily, in their Language Arts/Humanities class. The book delves into themes of racial injustice, identity and social justice.  

In conjunction with vocabulary and literary analysis work, the students have been learning about African American history to place the plot of the novel in historical context. The eighth graders examined the struggles of African Americans to achieve justice and equality after the abolition of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.

Each student studied one “step” in the “walk” through selected events and topics in African American history, starting with the arrival of the first Africans in North America in 1619 and ending with the Black Lives Matter movement today. After examining primary and secondary sources, each junior historian wrote about what they learned and analyzed its relevance to the struggles of Black Americans for social justice throughout American history. They also tied in these topics to the issues and themes in the novel.

Students shared their explanations and interpretations of African American history in individually curated displays that included informational text, historical documents, images and handmade artifacts. Visitors to their classroom exhibit were invited to take a “Walk through African American History” to view the displays and talk to each 8th grade curator. Visitors included the fifth and sixth grade students, teachers and parent guests on campus for CLAS and Middle School Open House.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the exhibit!

Being Humble

On Thursday, 1st – 8th graders gathered with their family groups to talk about being humble and how they could show humility to others. The students then worked together to write an 8-line, rhyming poem containing a few specific words: humble, turkey, stuffing, grateful and Saklan. The students also dressed up one of their family members as a holiday character or Thanksgiving food item, using only newspaper and tape. 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 holiday characters/food items. Among the characters presented were: turkeys, a scarecrow, a football player and a chef!

#SakanSEL

Showing Respect

How can we show respect for the people whose ancestral land Saklan is on?

This is the driving question that the third graders are currently working to answer in their PBL unit. They have been learning about the Saklan people (part of the Bay Miwok nation) who have lived on this land for thousands of years longer than anyone else.

The third and fourth graders were recently visited by the founders of Cafe Ohlone, Vincent Medina (of Chechenyo Ohlones) and Louis Trevino (of Rumsen Ohlones). Vincent and Louis shared with the students all about their culture and traditions, and how their work is centered around keeping their culture alive. They requested that the students refer to indigenous peoples in the present tense, not the past, because they are still here and their culture is still celebrated by their people.

The third graders continued to learn more about the Saklan/Bay Miwok peoples through expert learning research groups and a virtual field experience with guest experts from Coyote Hills Regional Park. Stay tuned for more information on their unit and their culminating end product.

#SaklanPBL

A Big Bang

The fifth graders have been visiting the science lab to learn about our solar system. The lessons kicked off with a bang, quite literally. Students were introduced to the theory that the solar system began with a big bang, and because understanding abstract concepts is made easier with hands-on models, Ms. O stood on the center desk and popped a balloon filled with confetti.  Students counted up confetti pieces that spread in various grid areas around the room after her “big bang,” seeing that those closest would have been pulled towards each other by the gravitational forces all objects have.  

In the next lesson, students created scaled planets and a sun. They then carried them across the street to the church parking lot, to help understand the relative distance between the sun and its closest planet.  After placing the sun at the far end of the parking lot, students counted off 38 meters, using meter sticks, from the sun to hold up Mercury, which was one confetti dot in size compared to the 140cm diameter sun! That the sun is a small star is quite mind boggling when its relative size is created in this hands-on way.

#SaklanHandsOn

Carnival of the Animals

The Kindergarten students have been immersed in a music project centered around Camille Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals.” In music class, they have been exploring the movements and behaviors of various wild creatures through this music.

As a culmination of their “Carnival of the Animals” music unit, the kindergartners took a field experience to the Oakland Zoo, where they went on a musical scavenger hunt! The students listened to each piece, using musical clues to guess which animal they were after. They then put their heads together, using basic map skills to track down their chosen animal.

Once they reached their destinations, it was all about observation. They compared the real-life behaviors of the animals with those expressed in the music. It was an opportunity for the kindergartners to use teamwork, honing their listening and observation skills.

Their love of animals and natural curiosity definitely shone through!

#SaklanFieldExperience

Building Shield Volcanoes

In science, the sixth graders just wrapped up their study of volcanoes. They learned about the different types and parts of a volcano, where volcanoes are located, the different types of eruptions that can occur, and how they create different rocks and formations.

As part of their hands-on study, the sixth graders looked at different types of igneous rocks and tested different fluid viscosity to see how different lavas might flow. Then they built their own shield volcanoes and tested different batches of “magma.” The students determined the speed of flow, what minerals make the lava flow slower, and how those different flows cool into different rocks.

The sixth graders also talked about the dangers and advantages of living by active volcanoes. They learned about Mt. Vesuvius, one of the most famous eruptions in history, which buried the city of Pompeii in 79AD.  Students were amazed at the preserved history they saw and the amazing power of the volcano. 

#SaklanHandsOn

 Día de los Muertos

In October, the Kindergarten – 3rd grade students celebrated Día de los Muertos and California’s cultural roots with a field experience to watch the professional performance group Cascada de Flores. The bilingual and participatory performance included lively songs, stories, musical instruments, and dance. Students learned about the difference between Halloween and Day of the Dead, and then explored Day of the Dead traditions, such as building an altar, to honor lost love ones.

Student highlights of the trip included the opportunity to participate in the performance by dancing on stage and carrying flowers to the altar, as well as riding in a yellow school bus!

#SaklanFieldExperience

Grandfriends’ Day: Last Call for RSVPs

Saklan is excited to host Grandfriends’ Day on Friday, November 17th from 8:45 to 10:30 a.m. We have an exciting morning lined up for grandfriends, including student presentations, time in classrooms, a photo booth and other fun activities for students and grandfriends to work on together!

Please remind your grandparents and special friends (a friend or family member that your child looks up to and/or has a grandparent-like relationship with) about this event so they join us! 

Rsvp for grandfriends’ day here!

#SaklanCommunity

Pop-Up Book Fair

Next Friday, November 17th, Saklan will host a 1-day Book Fair. This will be a great opportunity to purchase books to be used as holiday gifts or to donate to a Saklan classroom. The Book Fair will be open before school, during Grandfriends’ Day and before and after Fall Follies.

We are looking for volunteers to help set up, run and clean up the book fair, and would love your help! Click on the button below to see the volunteer options.

Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up

We look forward to sharing a wonderful selection of books with you!