Month: May 2025

Community, Curiosity, and Culminations: May at Saklan

May is a flurry of events and amidst all the special happenings, are PBL culminations! These student-driven showcases of learning are the perfect opportunity for family and friends to come together, and you’re invited! Owlet, Hoot Owl, Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th grade families, do you know what’s coming? Read on for opportunities for all of us to come together in community to support our learners. 

Early Childhood Education

Our ECE students spend many weeks during a project unit building expertise on a topic of high interest. They learn from experts, head out into the field to get their questions answered, and represent what they have learned through a wide variety of methods: dictating stories, creating 3D models, drawing pictures, and much more! 

This semester, both ECE classes have been learning all about bugs! The ECE yard has been an exciting place as students buzz around finding, observing, and sharing critters they find on the yard. Come support our youngest learners and hear all they have learned about bugs on the morning of May 20th after drop off! 

Lower School and Middle School

In LS and MS, our students always begin with a driving question. This question drives the content learning for 5-10 weeks, depending on the product and content standards being covered. Each year the question may remain the same, but how the students answer it, interpret their research, and create a public product shifts. This helps keep the authenticity and student engagement high as teachers are also rigorously assessing content standards. 

After all their hard work, students welcome the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge with the support of the community. Save the dates below to see how our LS and MS have answered the following driving questions! 

GradeDriving QuestionCulmination Information
KHow can writing our own fairy tales help us spread magic and joy?Friday, May 16th after CLAS
1How do homes keep us safe?Friday, May 16th during CLAS with reception after
3How can we become eco-friendly entrepreneurs who create products people want?Friday, May 23rd after CLAS 
6How are we still connected to ancient Greek culture, language, and mythology today?Friday, May 23rd after CLAS

Doing a project is much different than Project Based Learning, and attending culminating events is a great way to support our learners and see strong Project Based Learning in action. We hope you can join us!

#SaklanPBL

Teacher Appreciation Week 2025

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week! The Parent Association has planned lots of fun and unique ways to celebrate the Saklan faculty and staff, but they need your help!

Meals for the Saklan Staff

One of the beloved Saklan Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week traditions is themed potluck lunches from the parent community!  If you are able, please sign up to bring something yummy for the teachers and staff by clicking on the button below.

Help Provide Lunch for the Saklan Staff

Thank you for helping make this year’s Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week extra special!

#SaklanPA #SaklanTeacherAppreciation

Staff Spotlight: Mylesa

Lover of iced coffee, sports, and sneakers, our staff spotlight is Director of Admissions, Mylesa Alexander! This school year was Mylesa’s first at Saklan, but she has been working in independent schools for many years in the Bay Area. If you don’t already know her, keep your eyes peeled at drop-off and pick-up times where she can often be found chatting with parents and petting all the well-loved Saklan family dogs! Read on to get to know her a bit better! 

As you wrap up your first year at Saklan, what has surprised you most about the Saklan community?

As I wrap up my first year at Saklan, I’ve been most surprised and truly impressed by how much agency and leadership skills students are given, especially at the middle school level. Middle School is such a weird time in their lives, and being able to know exactly who they are makes way for stronger adults. They’re given opportunities like leading family groups or student councils. Our students are empowered to lead, make decisions, and truly have a voice! Something that’s rare but so impactful at this age. As a mom of a middle schooler myself, I’ve seen firsthand how the Saklan environment is pushing students to grow in every area with strong core values and understanding. 

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work or with your family?

My favorite thing outside of work is traveling with my son and sharing new experiences. We both thoroughly enjoy going to sporting events: 49ers, SJ Sharks, or SJ Earthquakes. My son is starting to share a love for concerts, so we’ve been going to more of those. We both love spending a magical day at Disneyland (I love the snacks the most!) or just playing soccer in the backyard. For me, it’s just enjoying the simple things and spending time together, laughing, joking, and being together. These moments bring us closer and create memories that we both cherish.

What are you most looking forward to next year?

Next year, I’m excited to kick off our admissions events with more in-person open houses! Getting our community more involved and OUT into the community more too, bringing more awareness to Saklan! I want to increase outreach with local partnerships in the area, working closely with Rob and his TAP program. Exploring the Lamorinda area and participating in events with The Town FC soccer games or the Art and Wine festival in Lafayette, I think, will be a great way to engage with the broader community. New admission seasons always excite me because I get to really expand and try new events that cater to each family’s needs. The possibilities are endless in admissions, and I’m excited to be able to grow our community. 

Día del Niño

The Spanish-speaking world is vibrant with music, art, literature, and cherished traditions. At Saklan, learning Spanish goes beyond vocabulary and grammar, and includes cultural understanding and global empathy. Exploring cultural practices helps students appreciate why they are learning Spanish and gives them insight into the values and contributions of Spanish-speaking communities around the globe.

One such tradition is Día del Niño (Children’s Day), a holiday celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries to make children feel special, loved, and appreciated. In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, this day is recognized annually on April 30th and honors the role children play in families and society.

To bring this celebration to life, students worked in groups to create their own piñatas! Each group chose a character for their piñata—some favorites included dog paw prints, Lilo, Stitch, and Baby Yoda! Students decorated their piñatas with colorful paper, ribbons, and creative touches.

On Wednesday, the students couldn’t wait to break open their piñatas as a special treat, celebrating not only the language they’re learning, but the rich traditions that come with it.

Collaborative Students

Throughout May, Saklan students are focusing on being collaborative. Across all grades, students are discussing what it means to collaborate and to work as a team. Discussions around taking turns, listening to each other, and supporting each other can be heard across campus!

Students in 1st – 8th grade will put their collaborative skills to the test later this month during Field Day on Tuesday, May 27th. This fun-filled event will be a true celebration of collaboration, with family group teams working together in exciting and meaningful ways.

#SaklanSEL