Author: The Saklan School Friday Blog

The Saklan School is a private Pre-K through 8 school located in Moraga, CA. Our mission is to think creatively, act compassionately, and live courageously.

Donor Support Amplifies Saklan

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Last school year, members of our community came together to raise essential funds for Saklan. Many donations were made to the Annual Giving Fund and the Annual Auction’s Fund-A-Need initiative for the Arts.

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The following will benefit the ongoing growth of all our students and programs:  traditional drum set from Ghana, a musician’s area rug for our kinesthetic early learners, iMac, iPads and collaboration stations for music composition, a 7cuft kiln for our students’ creative needs, math and reading curriculum review and complements, Yamaha cello and string instrument stand, robotics and science kits, storage and organization spaces for teachers and learners, SMART boards for interactive lessons, and much more.

The highlights are many because the gifts were many. Thank you very much to our generous donors and our generous community.

Middle School Advisory Starts with a Fun Activity

For the first two Advisory periods this year, the middle school students were challenged to a special ice-cream contest.

First, they had to think up as many different flavors as they could. These ranged from delicious sounding caramel and cookie dough or all grape skittle ice-cream to the more acquired tastes of Halibut or black olive. After this sustained creativity session, the kids had to think up three or four flavors per advisory that they wanted to make and try.

The next Advisory period consisted of making the ice cream the old-fashioned way, by hand. The middle-school students filled zip-lock bags with milk, sugar, and whatever flavoring they chose to make. They then put these sealed bags in a larger zip-lock with rock salt and ice. After ten minutes of shaking, the milk froze and ice cream was made.

Ms. Shay, Mr. Javier, and Mr. O’Connell helped judge which flavors best fit the four categories, Most Creative, Surprisingly Good, Most Surprising Overall, and Most Courageous.

The winners of ice cream creation contest were:

Most creative flavor – The judges were wowed by this amazing combination, Strawberry basil. It was made with fresh chopped strawberries, basil picked this morning from Lindsay’s garden, and a sprinkling of lemon and lime juice. C’est magnifique!

Surprisingly Good – Danny’s Whole Hog Ice Cream contained no hog whatsoever. It was inspired by a Winnipeg, Canada cater and was a combination of dragon fruit, smoothie, San Pellegrino soda ice cream, mango, and caramelized lemon made separately and then lovingly combined in the exact right percentages.

Most Surprising overall flavor – Canadian Max’s Special – This expertly mixed confection consisted of toasted eggo waffles, real Canadian syrup, and melted butter! Yum!

Most Courageous – This ice cream was the big winner and would have won 3 of the four categories.  BLT ice cream made with homemade bacon, real heirloom tomatoes from Clark’s garden, and fresh lettuce. The Judges raved, “ Wow! That’s good” and “Yum!”

Honorable mention – Spicy Chocolate ice cream was artistically arranged in a Gordon Ramsay type ramekin of ice cream, gently broken cone, and soft, white marshmallow.

8th Grade Chemistry

This week the 8th grade created hot air balloons that would help test the ideas of buoyancy and Archimedes Principle, along with Charles Law in Chemistry. Using paper, glue, tape and paperclips (to act as a ballast), they engineered balloons that they thought would create the largest lift when filled with heated air.

The students worked together to fill the balloon and create lift. After some on the fly design changes, and adding different amounts of air, we finally got lift off! The engineering processes was in full effect with the 8th graders, and when hitting snags in their designs, and having environmental challenges, they were able to tinker their designs and way of thinking to accomplish their goal. With the help of the wind as well, we noticed how fluids move in and push matter. Luckily, we got them all off the roof!

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Every middle school student at Saklan had already known what “National Hispanic Heritage Month” was and when it was celebrated. To expand their knowledge, they watched a video called “Mes de la Herencia Hispana” created by CNN last week. After watching the video, they were able to share some additional facts about this celebration in the United States.

  • It is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. Independence Day in México and Chile fall within this 30-day period.
  • It is celebrated by American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
  • Hispanic Heritage week started in 1968 during President Lyndon Johnson.
  • Hispanic Heritage celebrations expanded to 30-day under President Ronald Regan .

In the 4th to 8th Spanish Class, students colored flags from 20 different Hispanic countries that celebrate this important day.

In the Art Room – Make a Wish!

Lilly wishes for better ways to treat mental illnesses.
Aaron wishes his cat was still alive.
Isabel wishes her dog would never pass but at the same time be healthy.

At the beginning of every year, K- 8th grades participates in a group installation project. Last week, colorful pieces of paper were hanging from the walkway. Thinking globally and locally, the students have made a wish for the new school year.

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Elena and Elishka wish for world peace and eternal happiness. Phoebe wishes to control water and be on Broadway!

This project was inspired by Japanese Artist Yoko Ono who has made wishing trees around the world. This year is off to a great start with all the positive wishes made!

National Geographic Educator

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This year Vickie Obenchain, Science Teacher, is going to be serving as a National Geographic Certified Educator Mentor for interested teachers. National Geographic Certified Educators are committed to teaching their students about the world and how it works, empowering them to succeed, and make it a better place. Vickie will be helping teachers all over the US and here in California get certified through the program. Click here to learn more about the program.

Head’s Corner

Culture vs. Rules

Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like

The “Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like” Y-chart is one of the greatest tools I have ever seen that incorporates students’ voices to establish a desired classroom culture. It is simple to set-up and can be used beyond the classroom. Simply make a Y on a large piece of paper and ask your participants to describe what a great classroom, loving family, or productive workplace looks like, sounds like, and feels like. This Y-chart can be used in a variety of situations where you are looking for stakeholder participation and voice.

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What I like most about the Y-chart is it establishes a culture. It focuses on our senses- what one might hear in a great classroom or how one might feel being in that classroom. It does not try to create a culture by external forces, such as rules and policies. What’s better is that it speaks to our internal motivations, building those ethical judgement “muscles.” Instead of a student thinking I should not do that because of rule “x,” they begin to think about things they need to do to create the classroom they described.

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A class that created the Y-chart pictured above would have very little need for many, if any, rules. Take a close look at the chart, this time thinking of issues that might arise in a classroom. Are any of them not addressed? I would venture to guess there are very few.

Could this classroom run without any rules? Would it be a more creative place? Would those students understand how to self-regulate, how to be independent? What other behaviors would it generate?

What about Saklan? Tell me what does a great school look like, sound like, and feel like? I would love to hear your thoughts. Follow this link and share your ideas. I will share them back with you in two weeks.

With gratitude,

David

P.S. Rosie is the classroom’s Skinny Pig.

Head’s Corner

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Culture: From the Latin cultus, which means care

Over the summer, I had asked each teacher and staff member to meet with me individually. One of the things I wanted to learn was what made Saklan special to them. Overwhelmingly, a message of the power of relationships came through in these conversations. Here are a few of their responses:

  • We are lucky to have each other.
  • I feel like we are family.
  • We know how to pull together.
  • We look out for each other.
  • Saklan has helped me grow as a person.
  • We connect through personal relationships.

All of the values above are about connection to each other. As educators, we spent our first day back to school discussing the power of our culture at Saklan. We wondered what is the foundation of a culture that promotes connection? How is it created, maintained, and grown?

We connect by sending belonging cues to each other that signal “we are close, we are safe, and we share a future.” Science backs this up. The amygdala is mostly known as the part of the brain that is responsible for the “flight or fight response.” We now know that it also lights up when receiving belonging cues. It seeks connection, searching for others who are on “our team.” But it can’t do both at the same time. If it is worried about safety, it cannot seek connections. Only in an atmosphere where it feels safe and is receiving “belonging cues” does it make a connection.

This week our middle school students and their teachers are away at our annual Advance. They are building positive interpersonal connection and preparing for the upcoming school year. One of their activities, the Trust Walk (pictured above) is very powerful. The “guide” is  constantly signaling, “You are safe.” And more powerfully, the blind-folded individual is signaling, “I am vulnerable. I am seeking connection and trust.” Vulnerability is one of the strongest belonging cues one can send to  build trust. Trust does not lead to us sharing our vulnerabilities, it is the other way around.  When we make ourselves vulnerable, we build trust.

Harvard recently did a ten-year study of two companies that were similar in every way except when it came to having a culture of connection. The difference in performance between the two companies, is that the one that had the strong culture of trust and belonging had 756% higher productivity over the ten years versus the other that did not embrace a sharing culture. Connection is not just one of the many things we need to build a strong community – it is the most important thing.

We need to continually send belonging cues to students to foster connection and safety. But we also need to be sure to do it between each other. Without it, we will struggle to reach Saklan’s full potential. So what belonging cues will you send?

Warm regards,

David

Head’s Corner

Dear Saklan Community,

Today was our last flag of the school year. It is amazing how fast this year has gone by, but equally amazing how many wonderful things have happened at Saklan. Our flag was hosted by three Hoot Owl students, Sean, Caleb and Elyse, who showed the confidence and courage to speak in public, which is a trademark of Saklan.

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At flag, we also recognized our entire student council for their work and efforts this school year and gave out appreciation awards. A big thank you to Kim Parks and Lisa Rokas for advising the student council and helping to develop the skills of leadership, community service and collaboration, which we have seen grow stronger in our student body.

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Today, we also held a Thanks-A-Latte event to thank and appreciate the many parents that have supported the school during the year through their volunteering efforts. In the spirit of acknowledging our volunteers, at Flag we recognized Hillary Conlon and Miranda Heerah for their many years of service and support of the school.

Next week is our last week of school, and on Monday our students will have fun participating in the Family Group Field Day. This is the last event in our Family Group program and is one that highlights the sense of community and “being at home,” which our students feel while they are at school

While this will be the last blog of the year, you will receive more communications from the school during the course of the summer. Please look for updates on staffing, transportation, and events planned for the next year.

It has again been a great pleasure and honor to be part of the Saklan community this past year and I look forward to an exciting last week of school.

Enjoy your weekend!

Peter

Poetry Cafe

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On Wednesday morning, the third grade classroom was transformed into a Poetry Cafe as the third graders took to the stage to share their original poetry with family and friends.
The students embraced the Beatnik culture of the 50’s by dressing in black shirts and berets.  Each poet shared two of their favorite poems, their book dedication and their “About the Author” page.  This was a fun way to celebrate the end of our poetry unit!