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.

Creativity and Hard Work

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Art Show last Friday! It was a fantastic event, showcasing the creativity and hard work of all Saklan students.

Thank you to Lauren for making the Art Show a reality. Her expert guidance and belief in the students through the art making process, helping them to explore their creativity and express themselves, was evident in the art. We also appreciate the time she took to organize the art, determine the layout for the Art Show, create the scavenger hunts for the students, and take care of all the other details that made the event a success!

Thank you to the Saklan teachers and staff for their help in getting ready for the Art Show, guiding the students and grandfriends through the event, and helping with clean up at the end of the day.

Thank you to the Saklan students for sharing their work with us. The time and detail that went into each of the pieces was evident, as well as their propensity to think creatively!

#SaklanCreativity

Lunch Ordering

Taco ‘bout a great lunch!  Last week, the fifth graders took their Spanish class out into the field to put their classroom learning to real use! The class headed to a local Mexican food truck, where they ordered lunch for themselves – in Spanish! Next, they headed to the Moraga Commons for an out and about recess.  And the lunch verdict? Delicioso!

#SaklanFieldExperience

Rube Goldberg Machines

The third graders recently learned about the famous cartoonist Rube Goldberg. He is well known for the elaborate crazy contraptions he drew of complicated chain reactions that, in the end, performed a simple task. Each of the third graders were then inspired to use the engineering design process, together with what they learned about forces and motion in science, to create their own Rube Goldberg Machines. They each came up with their own design for a contraption with at least 4 chain reactions to complete a simple task.  The third graders used great perseverance to keep trying and redesigning until their machine worked! 

The third graders were excited to share their videos with each other and the second graders. Check out some of them below!

#SaklanCreative

Cross-Generational Joy

Some 50ish years ago, Grandpa Schulte taught me how to throw a baseball and would take me to Tiger games. The seats were as lousy as the Tigers, and I never became Aurelio Rodriguez. Grandpa O’Connell let me drive his rusty red tractor around the farm and taught me how to play poker (to my mother’s chagrin). There is not one living plant in my house, and I gave up thinking I would profit from cards long ago.  

Grandparents have a unique ability to provide love, support, and guidance that is different from that of parents. They have the bandwidth to validate children’s feelings and offer patience and understanding when things get tough. They savor every moment they have with children, knowing that their time together is limited.

Which brings me to Grandfriends’ Day. A core value of Saklan is the power of experiential learning. Today our grandfriends enjoyed a field experience into our students’ lives. They had their hand taken and were led into a world of education different from what they knew as a student. They engaged in morning meeting activities that emphasized connection and cross-generational understanding. They gained insight into a child’s life through The Saklan Art Show. They held conversations about project and field work that helped grandfriends understand what makes Saklan exceptional. 

But most importantly, Grandfriends’ Day gave someone in their lives an opportunity to share what is important to them. They were able to learn from, validate, and bond more deeply with a special person in their life. And that, at the end of the day, is what matters most.

To those that were able to share your grandfriends with us today, thank you. It was a pleasure to witness the cross-generational joy and light being spread around our campus. 

With gratitude,

David

#HeadsCorner #SaklanGrandfriendsDay

PA Spring Social & Service

The PA’s Spring Social and Community Service event is this Sunday, April 23rd from 12 – 2:00 p.m. at Lafayette Community Park. Join us for play, pizza and supporting our community. We will be gathering and assembling supplies for two local organizations: Bay Area Crisis Nursery and White Pony Express. Please see details below for specific items requested.

White Pony Express Items Requested (in individual packaging):

  • Adult Toothbrushes
  • Adult Toothpaste
  • Adult Bar Soap

Bay Area Crisis Nursery Items Requested:

  • Unopened Baby Wipes
  • Unopened Diapers (Size 4-7)
  • Baby Feeding Supplies: new bottles, sippy cups, plates/bowls, utensils

Bring your donation items to the park and stay for pizza and play! If you will join us, please RSVP here to ensure we have enough pizza for everyone.

We hope to see you Sunday!

Learning About Ramadan!

The Hoot Owls were excited to learn about the holiday Ramadan from guest expert Nora, a Hoot Owl parent! The class learned that Ramadan starts when there is a crescent moon in the sky. They also learned that during Ramadan grown ups fast when it’s light out and people exchange presents. Nora read the students Ramadan (Celebrate the World) by Hannah Eliot. The class also read The Gift of Ramadan by Rabiah York Lumbard.

Thank you so much for sharing your traditions with the Hoot Owls, Nora!

Owlet Scientists

During the month of April, the Owlets have excitedly visited Saklan’s Science Teacher, Ms. O, in the Science Lab! During their first visit, the Owlets learned that scientists are very curious, and they use their senses to learn about the world around them. The students used their senses to smell a mystery smell, feel a mystery toy inside a bag, and listen to mystery sounds. Coming up in the science lab, Ms. O will teach them about chemical reactions, temperature, and energy.

In their classroom, the Owlets practiced being scientists by observing seedlings and flowers, and then drawing exactly what they observed. They also made a hypothesis about which seedlings they think will grow the tallest, and then they measured and recorded their current height with a ruler.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2023

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

Student Quotes

The PA is collecting quotes from students about all Saklan faculty and staff members. Please ask your children what they appreciate and love about their teachers (think core teachers, specialists, Miss Shay and the list goes on!). Please post your child’s comments by April 22nd. Individual quotes will be printed and hung all over the front of the school during TAW.

Click here to view the Teacher Appreciation Quote Boards.

Potluck Lunches

One of the beloved Saklan Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week traditions is themed potluck lunches from the parent community. This year we are again asking families to bring in dishes with special meaning to you to help make the week special for our incredible teachers and staff!

Click here to sign up for a special dish under one of the daily themes.

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

#SaklanPA #SaklanTeacherAppreciation

Earth Day Celebration

On April 11th, Saklan celebrated Earth Day early by doing a service learning project of building wood duck egg boxes. The boxes built will be placed in the wild for wood ducks to use for nesting, hoping to increase survival rates their young.

Additionally, students got to learn about and see several animals from Wildmind, an animal rescue organization. Wildmind shared the stories of Pugsley the turkey vulture, Sonora the grey fox, Taborri the red-tailed hawk, Oscar the opossum, and Sherman the desert tortoise. The goal was to inspire students to help support our beautiful animal kingdom. The students were excited to see the animals and learn their stories, and took away a greater understanding of ways to help support our local animal species.

#SaklanCompassionate

Ceramic Vases

Middle schoolers have been planning and making “textured” ceramic vases that represent a theme, idea or hold personal connection. Students started the unit with an in-depth exploration of the art element of “texture” and how people can react differently, and sometimes strongly, to how different surfaces look and feel. 

Students worked in groups to observe, respond to and research the work of ceramic artists who use texture to create meaning and visual interest in their artwork. After presenting the work and meaning behind their artists to the class, they began to plan their own work. 

Their challenge was to create a themed, functional vase, that a viewer could experience both visually and tacitly. Student themes vary greatly and range from representing objects or items of personal meaning, eliciting strong reactions or feelings from their audience, or wider explorations such as capturing the beauty of natural decay, people’s fears of imperfection, or the passing of time. 

The works in progress are stunning and incredibly well made. Join us on April 21st to see them yourself, as they will be on display at the Spring Art Show. 

#SaklanCreative #SaklanArtShow