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.

Homes Around the World

First grade learned about Homes from Around the World. They learned a lot about countries, climate, culture, and resources. They discussed how factors affect the type of home you build, such as cultural influences.  The students also talked about what homes have in common; people make them, people live in them, and they keep us safe or our shelter. Homes all look different and they are made with different materials or natural resources.  First grade students had a great time working on their project boards and they were able to share a video presentation report to their families.

To end this informative and fun unit, the class had a memorable field experience at the Avant’s Barn House. Mr. Cris Avant, a Saklan parent, was so gracious to share his knowledge and expertise in building homes. He is the owner of Canyon Design Build and he rebuilt the Historic Moraga Barn LEED to Platinum standards. On Wednesday, Mr. Chris showed the first graders how he reconstructed this 109-year-old building with solar roof tiles, passive heating and cooling and rainwater catchment systems. The kids were able to view a presentation on home construction, a slideshow of some old buildings being remodeled, and a tour where tools were used for construction use. At the end of the tour, the kids all had a wonderful experience riding a dump truck!

#SaklanHandsOn

Kindergarten Science Activities

Kindergarten have been studying force and motion or pushes and pulls. The children first moved a friend on a swing by either pushing or pulling. They then used a model of a swing in the classroom to discover how different pushes changed the motion of the swing.

During PE, the class used force to beat Mr. Crabtree in a game of tug of war.

Next, the children learned about gravity as a force. Using different sized vehicles the class experimented how vehicles go down a ramp with the pull of gravity.

Finally, the class learned about wind as a force. With a straw, the children used the force of wind to create movement with a variety of objects. 

#SaklanAcademics

A Month of Poetry

Once a week, middle school students were assigned a poetry assignment that they would add to their Google Slide of Poems. Mrs. Cashen usually gave them a poem format that she wanted them to write in; and then two topics with a random fun one like Reese’s pencil, pigs, green Covid testing tent, etc. and then a more of a teacher topic like Spring.

Some of the formats were easy and some were far more challenging as time progressed. One of the most challenging formats was the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, where lines A rhymed with lines A and so forth. Students were feeling like poetry should just flow out of their pencil or fingers from the first touch, but they were beginning to learn to erase/delete, and go back and revise their work. They were learning to write with a central topic and with meaning whether it be with emotion or a topic. 

#SaklanAcademics

Save the Date!

Our 4th and 5th grade students will be performing Seussical KIDS on Friday, May 28th at 10:30 AM at the outdoor performance space at Joy In Motion. This is right down the street from Saklan, and they will be outdoors at all times.

Each 4th and 5th grade student can bring 2 adult family members. Family groups will be physically distanced six feet apart and must always maintain six feet of physical distance from others. Please bring a lawn chair to sit in and wear well-fitting mask.

Seussical KIDS is great fun for the whole family. We look forward to seeing you all there.

The show will be live streamed for those who can’t attend in person.

#SaklanPerformingArts

Head’s Corner

Not So “Standardized’ Testing

Over the next two weeks, if your student is in grades 3-8, they will spend a few hours taking the NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test. The MAP test is a “standardized” test in Language Arts and Math (and soon Science) like the ERB – but it is nothing like the ERB.  

The first difference is how students take it. Instead of the test being a pencil and bubble form test that has students answer the same questions no matter what 4th grade class they are in the world, the MAP test is computerized and adaptive. As students take the tests, the program feeds them either more challenging or easier questions, depending on their performance on previous questions. The algorithm searches to find a student’s strengths and weaknesses in a subject area. All students are fed the same number of questions, but it is safe to say that out of the thousands of questions in the data bank, no student takes the same test. 

The second major difference is that while the test will benchmark students to other students across the country, that is not the emphasis. The test provides data for teachers, parents, and students alike that will help leverage strengths and fill in gaps. Each teacher receives a report on their class as well as individual students to assess their competency in a subject area. Parents receive a report on their child that offers suggestions for improvement as well as links to resources that will spur academic growth.

Lastly, the test can be used at different times of the year to assess growth and pinpoint areas of need. Compared to the ERB, which would take three or four mornings of instructional time to complete, the MAP takes approximately 45 minutes per subject area to complete – making it not only more useful but less intrusive to our teaching day. 

We look forward to sharing the information gathered from the MAP test as we move forward into next year. 

For more information on the MAP test, please click here. 

Warm regards,

David

#SaklanAcademics

Learning Expedition of the Bay

This past Tuesday, the 5th and 6th grade students joined the Marine Science Institute for a four-hour expedition of the San Francisco Bay aboard a 90-foot research vessel, the R.V. Robert G. Brownlee. The students discovered what lives in the estuary and how we are connected to it. They rotated through three stations using scientific methods and equipment to examine different types of life.

First, they went to hydrology to understand the water quality, and then performed a plankton tow to see the basis of the food chain. After, they used a mud grab to collect a benthic mud sample to look for invertebrates. And lastly, they worked together to deploy a 16-foot trawl net to bring fishes on board. In small groups, they studied the fishes using dichotomous keys. Students were inspired to observe and touch the live animals that they collected. Between sharks, crabs, halibut and sting rays, they saw a bunch of cool marine life!

#SaklanFieldExperience

Marble Runs

Ms. Traci introduced some long pieces of foam to the Hoot Owls without any directions. The Hoot Owls quickly decided to turn them into marble runs. This required lots of ingenuity, patience and the sharing of ideas, space and materials. It was a little tricky at first to work together with such fun and new materials, but they quickly got the hang of it.

After almost an hour of working on the activity inside, the Hoot Owls wanted to work on it longer so we moved the activity outside. Many Hoot Owls wanted the marble to be able to go up and down so they used their bodies as bumps and hills.

One day didn’t seem to be enough for this fun and creative activity because the Hoot Owls wanted to continue to make different marble runs for more than a week!

#SaklanCollaboration

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week

From May 10-May 14, Saklan will be celebrating Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. This year has been like none other–both in the challenges faced and the successes achieved–so it feels especially important to celebrate our Saklan teachers, and let them know how much we appreciate the work that they do.

In addition to surprises and celebrations put on by the Saklan Parents Association, we will also mark the occasion with a half-day on Friday, May 14. Please note that this will be a noon dismissal day for students.

Huge thank you to the Parents Association and in particular Sandy Lo for organizing the week’s events. We are all looking forward to a week of appreciation, and showing Saklan teachers just how thankful we are for the work they do!

#SaklanCommunity

Pioneer Day

On Tuesday, April 27, the third grade class traveled back in time to 1888 to experience life as a pioneer student. Each student took on a new identity by choosing an old fashioned name and came to school dressed in their finest pioneer attire.

Mrs. Rokas, with the help of Ms. Meredith and Ms. Joy, brought traditional pioneer activities into her own classroom. The day started in the classroom with the three R’s: reading, writing and arithmetic. Students read from McGuffey Readers (published in 1879), practiced their cursive writing using quill feather pens and ink, and practiced their math on slate boards with chalk. They also had a spelling bee!

During morning recess, students played like pioneers. They walked on can stilts, used jump ropes, and played hopscotch and jacks. Afterwards, they listened to pioneer stories from Ms. Meredith under a shady tree and made some pioneer crafts with Ms. Meredith and Ms. Joy: tin punch art and yarn dolls. 


For lunch, each pioneer student brought authentic pioneer food in baskets, pails or tied to a stick. After lunch, students sang pioneer songs and learned square dancing with Mrs. Chaffey. Next, they made butter in mason jars and tasted the delicious homemade butter on biscuits brought by Kaylah.

The day ended the day with group games: tug-o-war, sack races and three-legged races.  

The third graders really embraced the pioneer spirit and enjoyed their time travel back to 1888! Huge thank you to Mrs. Rokas, Ms. Meredith, and Ms. Joy for bringing this day to life for the third graders!

#SaklanHandsOn