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.

Discovering Ohlone Culture

The third and fourth grade students recently spent a memorable day on the UC Berkeley campus visiting Café Ohlone as part of their Project Based Learning units. During this field experience, students stepped into a living story of culture, language, and resilience. Café founders Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino welcomed the group with warmth and generosity, sharing the many ways they keep Ohlone traditions alive through language, food, and community.

As students listened, they learned about the deep and enduring relationship the Ohlone people have with the land—how native plants serve as food, material for basketry, and sources of medicine. They were especially fascinated to discover that acorns, a staple of the Ohlone diet, require six months of careful preparation before becoming soups and breads.

Student curiosity sparked a steady stream of thoughtful questions, so many that Vincent and Louis kindly extended their presentation to continue the dialogue. Students were eager to understand how traditional foods, languages, and customs continue to shape Ohlone life today. Vincent and Louis emphasized one message above all: Ohlone people are still here, actively preserving, practicing, and celebrating their culture.

A highlight for many students was learning to say several words in Chechenyo, the traditional Ohlone language. Speaking the language offered students a meaningful way to honor and connect with the living culture they had just encountered.

This field experience deeply enriched students’ exploration of their driving question. By connecting firsthand with Ohlone voices, students gained a more nuanced understanding of history, identity, and belonging—and a lasting appreciation for the resilience and vibrancy of the Ohlone community.

#SaklanProjectBasedLearning #SaklanFieldExperience

Kind & Courteous Fun in Family Groups

This week, Saklan students gathered in their Family Groups for a joyful, laughter-filled Thanksgiving-themed SEL activity focused on kindness, cooperation, and creativity. With two tasks to complete before the big group sharing time, each Family Group worked together to celebrate our November SEL theme: Kind & Courteous.

Creating a Rhyming Poem

The first task was a poetic one! Students were given six words—Kind, Courteous, Turkey, Stuffing, Grateful, and Saklan—and worked together to craft an eight-line, rhyming holiday poem.

Groups brainstormed opening lines, found creative rhyming pairs, and practiced reading their poems aloud. Once the writing was complete, the fun continued as students came up with movements, gestures, or a mini-skit to bring their words to life. Whether performed as a group or with one reader and several actors, each poem became a cheerful expression of teamwork and holiday spirit.

Newspaper Costume Creations

The second task invited students to transform one group member into a Thanksgiving-inspired character—using only newspaper and masking tape! Creativity soared as students twisted, folded, layered, and shaped newspaper into costumes representing:

  • A turkey
  • Corn
  • A pile of leaves
  • A scarecrow

With laughter and collaboration, each group designed a costume that matched their chosen character or food item, showcasing not only imagination but also teamwork and courtesy in action.

The Grand Reveal

All Family Groups gathered on the sports court for the culminating celebration. Costumed characters stayed hidden behind the art room while groups circled the court. One by one, each group introduced their character, who stepped forward for the big reveal. Afterward, students performed their holiday poem for teachers and peers—earning smiles, applause, and plenty of festive cheer.

This activity beautifully blended creativity, community, and our monthly SEL focus. Students practiced kindness, cooperation, and communication while having a whole lot of fun. A perfect kickoff to the season of gratitude!

#SaklanSEL

Exploring the Elements

In chemistry, eighth graders explored the periodic table of elements, often described as the ultimate map of matter. They learned to read the table like scientists—discovering how atomic numbers and atomic masses reveal information about each element’s structure, bonding potential, and the shared properties within each column. With each lesson, students grew more confident in understanding how the periodic table organizes and explains the world around us.

One question that sparked lively curiosity was: “How can an element have a negative boiling point?” To find out, students conducted a hands-on Dry Ice lab. Wearing goggles and gloves, they observed how this compound sublimates, changing directly from a solid to a gas at room temperature. They watched Dry Ice “boil” on the counter, producing dense vapor clouds, and experimented with how everyday objects reacted to the extreme cold. From squealing pennies to bubbling vapors, the lab brought to life the concept of boiling points and how temperature affects different substances on Earth.

To deepen their understanding, each student selected an element to research in depth. They created Bohr models, uncovered the discovery stories behind their elements, and explored everyday uses—from technology and medicine to construction and art. To showcase their creativity and knowledge, students designed custom T-shirts celebrating their chosen element. The results were as stylish as they were scientific!

#SaklanHandsOn

Head’s Corner: Where is the Rigor?

Every so often, I get the question from a prospective parent about rigor. They love our approach, and are firm believers that students need to have a “love of learning” and a “love in learning”. But they ask: Is it rigorous? 

As adults, our concept of rigor is informed by our own experiences. When many of us think of rigor, we think of lots of homework, long tests, sitting at a desk, and grinding it out. While that kind of work may be hard, is it rigor or compliance? Is it the type of learning that benefits future-facing students? 

True rigor is about the level of thinking kids are doing, not how stressed they are. Can they analyze, design, and create? Do they grapple with open-ended questions well? Can they explain their thinking, defend their work? Do they persist and have grit?  

Our project-based approach demands synthesis, application, and transfer—the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It also requires something traditional rigor often ignores: motivation. When students care about what they’re doing, they naturally push themselves further.

This type of work is cognitively rigorous; what we grew up with feels more like compliance rigor.  

If you are not sold on the idea that what we do is truly rigorous, let our MAP results speak for us. NWEA administers the MAP test to over 35,000 schools across the country. Of those schools, 3,500 are private schools like Saklan. If you look at our results, we not only rank well against schools in general, but score significantly higher than most of our private school cohort. 

What we do may not look like the rigor of our childhoods. But it’s the rigor kids need today—and the rigor that prepares them for tomorrow.

Warmly,
David

#SaklanAcademics

Grandfriends’ Day – RSVP Today!

Saklan is excited to host Grandfriends’ Day on Friday, November 21st, 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! 

If your child doesn’t have a grandfriend who can attend, please don’t worry. All students will be included in the activities and be paired up to experience a morning of cross-generational fun!

RSVP for Grandfriends’ Day!

#SaklanCommunity

Saklan Student Council at Work

Snack Shack

Every Saklan student knows how rewarding a snack can be at the end of a busy day of learning and having fun with one another here at school. Our dedicated and resourceful Student Council has been busy planning the return of Snack Shack this year!

Student Council officers and representatives in grades 1 through 8 selected the final items for sale based on desirability, minimizing waste, and setting reasonable prices ranging from 50 cents to $3.00 per item. Yummy snacks for sale this year will include: Goldfish crackers, gummies, chips, Veggie Straws, Hello Panda, Pirate’s Booty, Rice Krispies treats, La Croix bubble water, Honest Juice, and Martinelli’s apple drinks. 

Last year’s Student Council voted to allocate most of the proceeds from Saklan’s Snack Shack to support Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a non-profit organization. Their mission is to inspire communities to care about coastlines. Additionally, each February, our 7th-grade students have the opportunity to work with this organization to clean up a section of Waikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, helping to reduce the amount of microplastics in the local environment. Last year, our Saklan students sifted the sand and removed 30 pounds of microplastics! By purchasing snacks at Snack Shack, this money is converted into donations to support Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s vital work. Stay tuned for which charity or cause this year’s Student Council selects!

Snack Shack will open outside David’s office from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Thursday.  Saklan students are invited to come by and purchase a snack from our hardworking Student Council members. Cash only, please. 

Food Drive

The Saklan Student Council is partnering with the Town of Moraga to collect food donations for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. All families are invited to contribute non-perishable food items (no glass, please) to support our local community. Here are the most needed items:

  • Nut butters (peanut, almond)
  • Jam/jelly/honey
  • Canned tuna and chicken (in water)
  • Boxed macaroni and cheese
  • Shelf-stable milk
  • Applesauce 
  • Beans/lentils (dry or canned)
  • Rice 
  • Whole grain cereals/crackers
  • Oat/oatmeal/farina
  • Whole wheat/grain pasta
  • Canned soups/vegetables/tomato products (low sodium, easy open)
  • Nonperishable ready-to-eat meals: chili, ravioli, meats, etc. (low sodium)

Drop off non-perishable food items in the containers located outside the Saklan office. All collection containers will remain on campus until Thanksgiving Break.

Thank you, students and parents, for your support of our Student Council.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanLeadership

The Book Fair Is Almost Here!

The Saklan Librarians are excited to share their love of books with our families at the annual Book Fair next week! This beloved event is a wonderful opportunity for students and parents to discover new stories, support a passion for reading, and help grow our school’s book collection.

Book Fair Hours:

  • Thursday: 2:00–4:00 PM
  • Friday: 8:00–11:30 AM (closed during CLAS, approximately 9:00–9:40 AM)
  • Friday: 2:00–4:00 PM

The Book Fair will be held in the parking lot, with a move into the Library if it rains.

We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating the joy of reading!

#SaklanCommunity

Why I Give: Investing in a Community That Invests in Children

I chose Saklan because it offers a different kind of education. One that helps students understand subjects deeply and reach their own conclusions. In a world where this generation has information and misinformation at their fingertips, it’s crucial they learn how to think, not what to think—and to show up with the courage to do the right thing.

Saklan is also where my son is seen, not as a test score or a kid to mold, but as himself. Here he’s encouraged to think independently, follow his own developmental timeline, and nurture his genuine love of learning. I don’t take that for granted. I know it isn’t true everywhere.

I give to Saklan my most limited resource: my time. To me, community isn’t an extra; it’s formative. I want my son to see that showing up matters, that relationships shape the places we care about, and that being part of something means taking responsibility for it. You don’t just show up—you help build the places you belong. That looks like reading to a class, organizing a potluck, cheering at CLAS, lending a skill to a project, or helping a new family find their footing. It’s introducing yourself at drop-off, showing up when someone needs a hand, and caring about others’ well-being.

I also give financially to Saklan because I want it to endure. Like many independent schools, Saklan operates with a gap between what tuition covers and what it actually costs to sustain small classes, rich programming, and support the teachers who pour so much into all the kids. Each year, I make a contribution that’s meaningful for our family. I see it as investing in the future of a community that invests in our children.

Join Ani and her family in supporting Saklan’s Annual Giving Fund.

#SaklanGiving #SaklanCommunity

Raising Future Ready Kids

What will learning look like in five years — or even next fall? As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms education, families are faced with big questions: How should my child use AI? How do I know which tools to trust? Could AI replace teachers? What about screen time and privacy?

Join ParentMap and Saklan on Nov. 18 for an urgent and inspiring ParentEd Talk. Khan Academy founder Sal Khan will share how families can harness AI to support learning in healthy, thoughtful ways, while preserving the creativity and curiosity that make childhood special.

RSVP to Receive the event link (Code SAKSCHL)

#SaklanParentEd

Celebrating Learning at Saklan

This week, our campus buzzed with excitement as second and seventh-grade students showcased their learning during two incredible culmination events. Culminations are opportunities to bring community members together to celebrate student learning and provide a platform for learners to share their knowledge, creativity, and growth.

As part of their Welcome to Saklan PBL unit, second grade explored the question: How can we help newcomers to Saklan feel welcome? After considering what may be the most important elements of our campus to teach newcomers about, students dove deep into mapping, writing, and presentation standards. With help from a critique and revision session with Mylesa, our Director of Admissions, second graders have created a complete self-guided tour of our Saklan campus that can be shared with new families. The digital and interactive components can be used by newcomers for years to come! To celebrate their work, they led families on a live version of their tour this week with great success! Come hear more about this unit at CLAS on November 14th. 

In a seventh-grade math PBL unit, students coded Scratch video games based on their interests. Seventh graders used math knowledge of graphing rotations, reflections, and translations to design an original or remix an existing Scratch game. To culminate this work, they shared the games they made with other students! Third through fifth-grade students were invited to learn about how the seventh graders designed their games and then were given an opportunity to play them!

Culminations like these highlight the power of Project Based Learning, where curiosity drives discovery and students share their learning with pride.

#SaklanProjectWork