Honoring Our Vets

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At Friday Flag, the Hoot Owls and 4th Grade took a moment to honor all of our courageous and dedicated Veterans, by singing the military songs for all branches of the armed services: the Coast Guard, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marines, and the Army. We thank them for all that they do to keep our country safe.

Middle School Open House

6th Grade Yosemite Trip

Friday, December 1, 2017

8:30 – 10:30AM

RSVP

We invite all current and prospective parents to join us for an inside look of the highlights of Saklan’s middle school program. Whether you are interested in the lower school or middle school, hearing what our students experience by the time they graduate from Saklan will inspire you.

Head’s Corner

Dear Saklan Community,

The big event of this week was undoubtedly the Halloween and Harvest Festival on Tuesday. This is the second year that we have put on this event and it was tremendously successful by all accounts. This event was sponsored by our Student Council and our students played a big role in organizing the event and running many of the activities.  A big thank you to Kim Parks and Lisa Rokas, who are our Student Council Advisors, to the team of staff and teachers, and to the numerous parent volunteers who helped in many ways.

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Of the many activities that were organized, the haunted house was as big a hit as ever. The costume parade and competition was fun and colorful and our students enjoyed dressing up in unique and creative costumes. Our Lower School students had fun going to the AEGIS and Moraga Royale assisted living homes and singing their Halloween songs. And finally, the middle school deck was turned into a spooky disco which attracted students of all ages and parents as well.

Please remember that next Friday, November 10, the school will be closed in observance of Veterans Day. The day before, you will receive a text message reminding you about this holiday. As of this year, we have implemented a new mass notification system through Renweb that allows us to send emergency and non-emergency text messages in addition to emails. This will be the first school-wide test of the system, so please give us any feedback you may have.

Also, in two weeks on Friday, November 17, we will have our Fall Follies. It will be held at the Willow Spring Auditorium and will start at 10:30AM. I look forward to a big crowd to experience this fun showcase of Saklan talent.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Autobiography Gallery Walk

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Fifth graders have completed their Autobiography Projects. This project included six chapters detailing important information all about them. The students were asked to write a chapter on various parts of their lives. Each chapter included photos and captions that corresponds with the chapter. In addition, students organized and drew a twenty important events timeline of their lives. Lastly, we invited parents and family members to come and see all of the autobiographies during a gallery walk in fifth grade. Students also shared their projects with various classes that visited later that day. This project is a special keepsake for fifth graders, and we are all proud of their hard work and dedication toward their terrific autobiographies. Way to go fifth graders!

Second Grade Monster Stories

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The second graders have completed a month long project. First, they read many books from The Monster Series by Ellen Blance. This monster is lovable and kind. The next step was to choose a title for their own monsterstory and map out the plot. They then wrote a rough draft, proofread and revised, recopied, illustrated, and finally designed a cover.

They have enjoyed reading their stories to the Kindergartners, Hoot Owls, and Owlets.

Middle Schoolers Volunteer At ACFB

On Wednesday, the middle schoolers went to the Alameda County Food Bank (ACFB). They worked for a little over an hour and a half and helped pack produce to go out to needy families in Alameda County. Our students helped package 6,119 pounds of onions for those in need; seniors, families and children.

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As we are moving on to our next SEL topic next week on Gratitude, it was nice for our students to be able to give back to our community. Most people who receive assistance from the ACFB are people with jobs, who are having to decide between rent or food, or between medicine or food. One in six Alameda County residents receive help from the food bank, and of them children and elderly make up the largest group. In fact, one in every three children are getting help with the assistance of the food bank.
We were proud to help such a great organization and live our mission.

Constellations, What A Sight!

 

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These creative constellations, fashioned from marshmallows and Q-tips, were made by the imaginative first grade class. The first graders presented all the facts and stories behind their individual constellations. The “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was a great tune performed by the class to wrap up their “out of this world” space unit.

Here are some of the pictures from their field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center.

Pumpkin Hunt

The Owlets and Hoot Owls had a pumpkin hunt last week. First, they searched for the pumpkins with their names on the bottom on the playground.

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Then they had a party with delicious Halloween snacks.

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Finally, the Hoot Owls carved their class pumpkin.

It was a fun day!