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.

Ending the Year on a High Note…Literally

The return of school musicals to end the year has all of Saklan ready to break out in song! After so many months of uncertainty, Ms. Chaffey went above and beyond to make sure that musicals could happen in some form this year, and we’re so grateful for her creative thinking.

To start off, today the fourth and fifth grade classes performed Seussical KIDS, leaving all their hard work on the outdoor stage. Students, teachers, and the performers’ parents were treated to a spectacular display of singing and dancing, featuring favorite characters such as Horton, the Cat in the Hat, and the Sour Kangaroos.

Next week, the seventh and eighth grade students will have their chance to put their talents on display! Their film version of Into the Woods will be screened on campus for the rest of Saklan to enjoy. Stayed turned for more details on how the rest of the Saklan community can view this film as well.

Congratulations to all of our Saklan performers, and another huge round of applause for Ms. Chaffey for making this happen and to the entire Saklan faculty and staff for their support.

The show really must go on!

#SaklanMusicals

Saklan’s Annual Art Gallery

Saklan students have been working hard all year with Ms. Natalie, learning about different art mediums and styles and ways to express themselves through art.

The culmination of all that hard work is Saklan’s Online Art Gallery, which launches today. Like last year, the students’ artwork will be displayed on Artsonia, which all Saklan families can access. In addition to viewing art works, you can also comment on different pieces, or purchase commemorative items featuring your child’s artist masterpiece.

Students were able to select for themselves which pieces they wanted to feature in the gallery, continuing the focus on self-expression. We hope you’ll enjoy a taste of these pieces below, but please be sure to browse the full gallery on Artsonia.

A huge thank you to Ms. Natalie for making this happen, and to Kim Anderson and Daisy Coby for helping to photograph all of the student work. We’re so proud of what all of our Saklan artists have accomplished this year!

#SaklanCreative

Eighth Grade Goes for a Ride

Last Friday, the eighth grade class headed out for a field experience to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, where they put their physics knowledge to the test by riding roller coasters and other amusement rides.

While they were there to have fun, they were also there to determine speed, acceleration, and which forces were acting on them throughout the different rides.

Students applied Newton’s Three Laws of Motion to see how physics plays a key role in the design, fun, and safety of roller roasters. They timed the rides, wore accelerometers to test the amount of g-force the ride exerted on their body, and filled out a packet to record all of their physics observations.

It was a fun day for everyone, and a special final field experience for the eighth grade class.

#SaklanFieldExperience

Piñata Fun

As the academic demands of a challenging year begin to wind down, there is an opportunity to invite additional fun into classroom learning. For some lucky Saklan students, that meant exploring piñatas in Spanish class with Maestra Padilla!

Middle School students spent time making piñatas as part of their hands-on learning about Spanish culture. They used colorful crepe paper to cover piñatas made to represent familiar shapes and characters.

The fourth and fifth graders also got hands-on piñata fun! To end the day on Thursday, each student took a turn hitting the piñata in an attempt to get it to break and spill its treasures–snacks, beaded necklaces, and more–onto the turf.

While each student gave it a valiant effort–even breaking off the top completely– in the end, Mr. Crabtree had to step in to really break the piñata open!

#SaklanHandsOn

Ending the Year with Roller Coasters

It has certainly been a roller coaster of a year, so it only makes sense that the eighth grader’s final physics project would be to build roller coasters of their own.

Students were tasked with designing and creating a roller coaster for a marble that: utilized the forces learned about in class, had enough momentum to fulfill a loop, and had a slow down stop. The groups of students had to use their creativity, math skills, and the scientific method in order to design, evaluate, start over, redesign, and eventually finalize their coasters.

Before getting started, students found inspiration for their designs from informational video clips, where they learned the need for gravitational pull to power the coasters, centripetal force and air resistance to provide thrills, and of course friction to stop safely!

This project has its challenges, including aligning creatively with your design partners, troubleshooting problems with limited time, and getting the proper speed for the coaster to work.

We are extremely impressed the effort and enthusiasm the eighth graders put into this project, and are excited to see them using the skills they’ve learned at Saklan, which will serve them well as they head off to highschool!

#SaklanAcademic

Call for Library Books

The end of the year is approaching fast, which means students are running out of time to return library books! As we head into the last two weeks of school, please check in with your student to see if they have any checked out library books, and remind them to return any books before the last day of school.

Ms. Meredith and Ms. Joy will be sending out overdue emails next week, and we appreciate your help in ensuring your student gets their books returned on time. Thank you!

#SaklanCommunity

Fifth Grade State Projects

Saklan fifth graders have been hard at work on their State Report Binders and State Floats, and this week they were able to present all they had learned!

To begin the project, each student chose a state that they were interested in learning more about. Many of the students had personal connections to their selected state, which included Nevada, Hawaii, Maine, New York, and more! They were all excited to begin research to see what information they could find for their binders.

Each binder consisted of eight chapters, informing readers on various state facts. Students also drew the state bird, flower, and flag, and a map of the state that included a map key, major rivers, the state capital, and all of the states that are along the border.

Students were also able to pick an activity associated with their state to bring their presentation to life. Many students chose to make a food related to their state, which they brought in to share with the class following their oral presentations.

The project also required students to create a state float, which could visually represent many of the facts that were researched for their binders.

Each student did an amazing job on their project and learned so many about their state, which they could share with the whole class. Way to go, fifth graders!

#SaklanAcademic

Saklan Stays Sunny

The good energy and sense of appreciation and joy from Teacher and Staff Appreciate Week is still very much alive at Saklan! This year’s theme of “Here Comes the Sun” resonated with the entire faculty, especially as we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel after a challenging year.

In order to show the Saklan parent community that all their hard work is noticed and appreciated, the Saklan faculty put together a little video to express how we feel. Please enjoy the video here – and thank you again for this year’s incredible Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week! You truly made us feel like the sun is shining once again!

#SaklanAppreciation

Signs of Spring

Spring is in full swing and the Hoot Owls and Owlets in Ms. Jessica’s class are seeing signs of it everywhere! They’ve been learning all about the parts of nature they’re seeing more of as the world comes alive.

For almost a month, students have been tending to and observing the radish seeds they planted back on Earth Day. To further their plant learning, the Owls created and labeled the parts of a plant. They’ve taken the opportunity to observe and interact with many different types of plants by using magnifying glasses, dissecting flowers, and creating collages with plants as well! As a class, students planted bean sprout and pea plant seeds in a transparent planter so they could observe the seed coat softening and the roots growing down into the soil. The Owls made their own plant life cycle wheels while observing the bean and pea plants, and noticed which plants were in different parts of the cycle.

Beyond plants, spring also brings new bugs! The class has been using nets and bug catchers to collect and observe bugs from the play yard! They learned that all insects have certain feature: six legs, three body sections, and antennae.

The Owls will bring their learning to life with a special performance at next week’s Friday Flag, so tune in on May 28!

#SaklanHandsOn

Thank You, Parents!

Dear Parents,

First of all, thank you to all parents who helped contribute quotes for the teachers and staff at Saklan. It is so touching to see the thoughtful, sweet, funny things that the students have to say about us. What a lovely reminder of not only how connected we all are, but of how we have no idea what small moment or simple gesture will be meaningful or memorable for a student.

Second of all, thank you to all the parents who brought food all week long to feed us lunch. Summer BBQ Favorites on Monday, Special Family Recipes on Tuesday, World Food Tour from Home on Wednesday, Holiday Favorites on Thursday, and Aloha Breakfast from the Lo Family on Friday – we are full of food and love and appreciation. THANK YOU! Nothing brings more joy for teachers than having lunch prepared for them during the week – we had so many smiling faces. 🙂

Third of all, thank you to the parents who came to help decorate the school over the sweaty weekend! Specifically, thank you to Sandy and Myron Lo, Erin Moorhead, Shannon O’Connor, Lindsay and Huntley Montgomery, and Tara Grammer for taking time out of their Saturday to decorate the school for us. It was so joyful to walk in on Monday morning to see all the sunshine, love, and appreciation greeting us. THANK YOU! It means SO MUCH!

Additional helpers behind the scenes were Eric and Shira Lompa (they donated ALL the printing work via their print shot ScanArt!), Diane Bode, and Eze Wachuku. Thank you!

Last but not least, a special thank you to the Teacher Appreciation Week Committee that helped plan this amazing week of gratitude and goodies: Sandy Lo, Erin Moorhead, Shannon O’Connor, and Lindsay Montgomery. You set the bar high and made this such a memorable week for all of us!

If the past fifteen months have taught us anything, it is how important true connection is and how much we have missed it. The sweet notes, the wonderful food, and the incredible effort brought us not just a sense of appreciation but one of connection. THANK YOU! As we move into next year, we feel loved, appreciated, and connected.

#SaklanConnected