The Saklan School Friday Blog

Spring Enrichment Classes

Saklan is excited to announce the launch of two new after-school enrichment classes this spring: Pickleball and Basketball!

These classes, led by Coach Rob, are designed to promote physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship while providing a fun and engaging environment for students of all skill levels. Classes will begin the week of April 7th. Pickleball will take place on Mondays from 3:10-4:00 PM, and Basketball will take place on Wednesdays from 3:10-4:00 PM.

More information, including the class schedule, descriptions, and registration link, can be found on the enrichment webpage.

We hope your child, whether new to the sports or experienced, can take advantage of these wonderful opportunities to develop new skills and make new friends!

Life as a Pioneer Child

The third graders recently took a journey back in time to 1888, stepping into the shoes of pioneer children at the historic Tassajara One-Room Schoolhouse. Dressed in their finest pioneer attire and carrying lunches in baskets or kerchiefs tied to sticks, they experienced a school day just as children did over 130 years ago—when Grover Cleveland was president and the U.S. had only 38 states!

During their visit, students read from McGuffey Readers (published in 1879), practiced math on slate boards with chalk, and even tried their hand at cursive writing using quill pens dipped in ink. It was a hands-on, immersive glimpse into the past that brought history to life in an engaging way!

Recess was just as much fun as the school day itself! The third graders jumped rope, walked on cans and wooden stilts, and even sang songs while playing instruments popular in the 1800s. They also explored inventions and news articles from the time, gaining a deeper understanding of daily life in 1888. By the end of the day, they all agreed—school was definitely fun in the past!

#SaklanHandsOn #SaklanFieldExperience

Internet Safety for Kids

Join The Saklan School for our free Internet Safety for Kids virtual parent education workshop on Wednesday, April 23, at 6:00 p.m. During the presentation, Darryl Holcombe, one of the region’s expert law enforcement officers working to keep kids safe online, will share tips, insights, and strategies to help children stay safe when navigating the internet and social media.

#SaklanParentEducation

70th Anniversary Gala Tickets

Put on your flapper dresses, fedoras, and spats, and join us for The Saklan School’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction on Saturday, April 26th, from 6:00 – 11:00 PM at the Lafayette Park Hotel. This swanky, adults-only affair is sure to be a roaring good time celebrating 70 years of The Saklan School. This 1920s-themed event will include:

Cocktail Reception with an Open Bar and Tray-passed Hors d’oeuvres
Plated Dinner with Wine and a Choice of Pan-Roasted Sea Bass, Filet Mignon, or Butternut Squash Ravioli
Silent & Live Auctions
Paddle Raise for New Playground Structures
Dancing
And Live Entertainment by Radio Gatsby

Early bird tickets are now available online; prices go up on March 29th!

Get Your Auction Tickets Today!

The Saklan School’s Annual Auction is a fun, community-building event and the school’s second-largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the auction support the unique programs offered at Saklan, including field experiences, guest experts, Project Based Learning, family groups, and professional development opportunities for our amazing teachers.

Can’t make the auction?

There are several ways to participate in this year’s event even if you can’t attend: underwrite a teacher ticket, donate wine to the wine ring toss, or stay tuned for more information on participating in our online silent auction.

Thank you for your support of Saklan.

#SaklanAuction

Head’s Corner: Fueling Innovation

The Impact of Your Generosity

As we prepare for our milestone 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction, I want to express my profound gratitude for your generous “Fund-a-Need” contributions at last year’s event. Your collective generosity raised an impressive $63,250, enabling us to transform our learning spaces into innovative, project-based learning environments where students collaborate effectively and pursue their authentic curiosity.

Your support has made tangible differences throughout our campus. We provided specialized PBL training for 12 educators, equipped classrooms with technology for seamless video conferencing with guest experts, and installed collaborative furniture that fosters student interaction. These strategic improvements have created dynamic spaces where students now engage in meaningful projects that develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills they’ll carry forward into their futures.

Your generosity has truly transformed our learning environment, empowering your children to thrive and grow in ways that will impact them for years to come. Thank you for making a lasting difference.

Bridges Math Explained

Join Lower School Teachers Riva Zippin, Lisa Rokas, and Annette Robison on Friday, March 28th after CLAS to learn about our lower school math program: Bridges. The teachers will share an overview of the Bridges Math program and demonstrate how it builds a conceptual understanding of math through engaging activities and hands-on learning.

We hope you can join us to see how Bridges provides a modern approach to instruction that empowers Saklan students to become confident, creative, and flexible problem solvers. Coffee and snacks will be provided!

Beliefs, Behavior & Belonging

In humanities, sixth graders have been exploring the early civilizations of the Indian subcontinent and the origins of Hinduism and Buddhism. The class welcomed Saklan parents and guest experts, Manju Rajashekhar and Toshie Baba, to share their personal experiences and perspectives on Hinduism and Buddhism.

Recently, the sixth graders visited a Buddhist Monastery in Lafayette. Students heard more about the story of Siddhartha and various Arhats, participated in seated and walking meditations, and explored more evidence for the 3B Framework and 3 Claims About All Religions they have used to discuss religions throughout the year. Students met with monks and volunteers at the monastery, who showed them the buildings, grounds, and statues.

3B Framework– an individual’s religious identity may be a unique mix of

beliefs- ideas about holy scriptures, sacred texts, teachings
behavior- actions, habits, practices
belonging- sense of community

3 Claims About All Religions

All religions are internally diverse
All religions evolve and change over time
All religions are informed and influenced by the cultures they are situated in

Last week, the class enjoyed a field experience at the Blackhawk Museum where they toured the Into China exhibit as a kick-off to their unit on ancient China. This was followed by a visit from Asian Art Museum storyteller docent Nancy Parker who shared stories that connect to the museum’s artifact collection about Confucius, Buddha, and the Silk Road trade.

#SaklanPBL

Explore, Create, & Innovate

SIGMA: Science • Innovation • Game Development • Math • Activities

Explore, Create, and Innovate with SIGMA!
Are you the parent of a 2nd-5th grader at The Saklan School who loves science, math, coding, and hands-on STEM challenges? If so, your kiddo can join SIGMA—The Saklan STEM Club!

Led by 5th-grade students Benji Spicer-Youakim and Leo Xie, SIGMA meets once a month after school for exciting activities like coding, robotics, engineering challenges, and more! Get ready to tinker, build, experiment, and crack mind-bending challenges—SIGMA is where your STEM adventure begins!

Open to all 2nd – 5th grade Saklan students
Free for all participants
To sign up or learn more email Hector at hdiaz@saklan.org.

All-School Concert Tomorrow!

Saklan students are very excited to share our All-School Concert with you tomorrow, Friday, March 21st, at 4:30 p.m. Students will be dismissed at noon from the Lesher Center and asked to return at 4:00 p.m. in preparation for the performance.

Please note the following details for the day:

All Saklan students need to be at the Lesher Center at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow. Parents are asked to park and walk their child directly to their teacher at the backstage entrance on Locust Street.
Normal Saklan Bus & Van service will NOT be operating that day.
Students will be dismissed at noon from the Lesher Center.
Extended Day will be available until 3:00, but it is recommended that students go home at noon to have some downtime before the concert. Reserve your child’s spot in Extended here.
All students are asked to report back to the Lesher Center at 4:00 p.m. dressed in all-black clothing, with the assigned accessory color shown below.

Classes	Accent Color & Apparel Suggestions
Owlets, Hoot Owls, 3rd, and MS Instrumental Ensemble	Light Blue Accent
1st, 2nd, 5th, and MS Music Production	Green Accent
Kindergarten, 4th, and MS Choir	Orange and/or Bright Pink Accent

The concert is free and will begin at 4:30 p.m. Family and friends are invited to join us!

Staff Spotlight: Ester

You may already know our K-3rd Spanish teacher and Chile native, Ester Vines, but did you know she loves visiting Mexican ruins and cenotes? Or that she loves spending time in nature and camping? Ester brings her joyful creative energy to all her endeavors at Saklan. In addition to teaching Spanish to our Kinder-3rd grade students three times a week, Ester leads ECE yoga and Lower School creative dance and movement classes as part of our Saklan after school enrichment program. Her creative pursuits don’t end there, Ester is also a talented painter!

How long have you been teaching Spanish at Saklan?

I have been teaching Spanish for 11 years at Saklan.

We know you love nature, camping, and hiking! What hobbies or interests do you like weaving into your Spanish classes?

I like to pass onto my students the love for nature and how important it is to take care of our planet, our home, appreciating our ancestors and their knowledge and wisdom. I love to draw, paint, dance and sing so we do a lot of hands-on projects in my classes, we also sing and sometimes we dance.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to your students as they are learning a second language?

Learning a second language opens many doors to students as they go through life. They can connect to other kids or people and learn about their culture, their way of life, visit ancient ruins, being able to help communities by doing social work, and communicating to them in their language is priceless.