Category: General

Saklan’s All-School Concert is next Wednesday, March 29th 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 dropped off directly at the Lesher Center at 8:45 a.m. on the morning of the 29th. 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 down time 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 their “Sunday best” version of all black clothing, with an accessory of yellow. 

The Concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. Feel free to invite extended family and friends to join us!

Covid Tests

We will be sending home COVID-19 tests with all students next Tuesday afternoon. Parents, please COVID test your student before you drop them off at the Lesher Center on Wednesday morning.

As we approach the 2023-2024 school year, we want to share the important calendar dates so that you too can begin planning for the year ahead. You will notice that the Middle School will begin school a day earlier than the Lower School and ECE students in order to accommodate dates available for The Advance with our vendor. We know this is a complicated switch, especially for families with students in both Middle School and Lower School. This is anticipated to be a one-time occurrence, and we thank you for your understanding.

Below are the dates for school breaks, noteworthy events, and early dismissal days for next year. A more detailed calendar will be shared over the summer.

2023-2024 IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES

Aug 18	Back to School Social
Aug 22 – 24	Middle School Advance for 6th – 8th Grade
Aug 23	First Day of School for PS – 5th Grade
Aug 25	Middle School Rest Day (NO SCHOOL for 6TH-8TH GRADE)
Sept 4	Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 6	Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 9	Indigenous Peoples’ Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 26 & 27	Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL)
Oct 31	Halloween Celebration (2PM DISMISSAL)
Nov 1	Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 20 – 24	Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)
Dec 15	Lower School Musical (NOON DISMISSAL, NO EXTENDED DAY)
Dec 18 – 29	Winter Break (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 1	New Year’s Day (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 2	Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 15	MLK Jr. Day (NO SCHOOL)
Feb 16 – 19	Presidents’ Day Weekend (NO SCHOOL)
Feb 29 – Mar 1	Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL)
April 1 – 5	Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)
April 8	Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 6 – 10	Teacher Appreciation Week
May 10	Teacher Appreciation Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 27	Memorial Day (NO SCHOOL)
June 6	Last Day of School (NOON DISMISSAL, NO EXTENDED DAY)

As teachers bring our project work deeper, students have had a vast number of opportunities to connect with experts in fields relevant to their units. Some of our personal favorites here at Saklan have been our Saklan parent experts! Recently Lauren Wolf came to speak with 4th graders and Gary Hill with 6th graders to share their knowledge and insights.

If you have expertise in any of the following, we’d love to connect you with students in the classroom!

• animation, drawing, and comic books
• toxicology
• small business ownership
• ancient China

Please reach out to Linda (llathrop@saklan.org) if you have an expertise you are willing to share with Saklan students.

The Auction Fiesta 2023 silent auction is now open! Along with the items from the greater community that opened yesterday, the student collaborative art, legacy baskets, and fun teacher experiences are now open for bidding!

Student Collaborative Art

Each class has an art item that they worked on in the auction. View the slideshow below to see some of the beautiful work the Saklan students created!

Legacy Baskets

To learn more about the legacy baskets that the 8th graders created for the auction, check out the video below!

Once you are on the Online Bidding page, click the Start Bidding button and finish creating your account.

HOW TO BID:

1. Search for packages by name or number by using the magnifying glass or by choosing a category under the menu.
2. You can Bid the next increment or Bid More than the next increment. If you choose Bid More you can set your max bid. If your max bid is the highest, the system will automatically bid in your favor until you are outbid or until the auction closes.
3. To “watch” a package, select the star icon on the package.
4. You’ll be notified if you’re outbid at any point before the auction closes and you will see an Outbid notice at the top of your screen.
5. To get back to the main screen, click the house icon.
6. To view the packages you are bidding on, click the menu button and select Bids.

This auction is open to the public, but we ask that the winning bidders pick up items from Saklan. Feel free to pass on the auction link – https://saklanfiesta.ggo.bid – to those you think might be interested. 

Thank you for your support of The Saklan School!

#SaklanFiesta #BidEarlyBidOften

Join the Saklan Student Council in showing your school spirit! For the next couple of months, every Friday will be a Saklan Spirit Day. All students and teachers are invited to dress up for the following spirit days:

Friday, March 10: Pajama Day – Wear school-appropriate pajamas and normal shoes (no slippers please)

Friday, March 17: St. Patrick’s Day – Wear green

Friday, March 24: Identity Day – Wear anything that shows something about who you are and/or what you are passionate about

Friday, April 14: Color Out Day – Wear Blue from head to toe & support Autism Awareness Month

Friday, April 28: Funky Fashion Day – Wear mismatched and fun fashion

Friday, May 19: Beach Day – Wear typical clothes for tropical/warm weather (no swimsuits please)

Participation in these spirit days is optional. If students choose not to dress up, they need to wear their uniforms.

#SaklanSpirit

Saklan’s social-emotional learning emphasis for March is honesty and trustworthy. Throughout the month, all Saklan students will discuss what each of these words mean with their class, brainstorm ways to be honest and showcase trustworthiness, and look for ways to put those ideas into practice both at school and at home.

#SaklanSEL

We hope you will join us for to this year’s Auction Fiesta on Saturday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. The celebration will focus on community building and have several activities (games, photo booth, raffles) to encourage socializing and reconnecting with friends old and new! Our Fiesta will also include a taco bar dinner, open bar, wine ring toss, silent auction, and lots of fun!

Auction Tickets

Tickets are now available online for a discounted rate of $75 each. But the price increases on March 1st, so get your tickets today!

Don’t miss this special celebration and chance to support Saklan. Proceeds from this event are invested directly back into our children’s educational experiences, in and out of their classrooms.

Fund-a-Needs

Instead of having one large fund-a-need, this year we have multiple different projects/items that we are raising funds for. They are: 

• The Summer Reflection Fund/Professional Development for Saklan Faculty & Staff – Support teachers and staff in their pursuit of professional development projects of personal interest that also benefit their students and the school.
• Collaborative, Flexible Seating – Help us create learning spaces, inside and outside of the classrooms, that inspire collaboration.
• Media Arts Literacy – Help the art program expand to teach digital art and graphic design, as well as give students the opportunity to photograph their own artwork and create a digital portfolio.
• Water Refill Station for the Early Childhood Area – Provide Saklan’s youngest students with a water bottle refill station to help keep them hydrated and foster independence.
• All-weather Library Book Return Station – Help protect Saklan’s newly expanded Library collection from water and weather damage, as well as create a central location for all community members to return their library books.
• Indoor Vertical Garden for the Science Lab – Provide students with the opportunity to learn about life cycles and biology through hands-on, indoor gardening and plant growing.

Can’t Attend the Auction?

Even if you can’t join us in person at the Fiesta, you can still be involved in the auction. From donating wine for the wine ring toss to underwriting a teacher’s ticket, there are many ways to show support for the event. This year’s silent auction and fund-a-needs will be available online, so all community members can participate in the auction even if they can’t be at the event!

Still Collecting Wine

We are still collecting wine for our Wine Ring Toss! Please consider donating a favorite bottle or two (valued at $20 or more, or rated 90 points or higher) to this year’s collection. Please bring your wine donations to the Saklan Office or drop them off at the Auction Fiesta table in front of Saklan during morning drop off. 

Have Questions?

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page on the auction website for more information about the event, as well as to see the list of auction donors.

On Friday, February 10th, Saklan students celebrated the 100th day of the 2022-2023 school year. To mark the occasion, the Hoot Owls made “100” crowns and participated in several counting activities.

The Kindergartners celebrated the 100th day of school by asking questions of an (almost) 100 year old. Check out their questions and the answers they received via video by clicking here!

The Kindergarteners also made a special snack of a 100 things, as well as glasses, crowns, and structures with 100 cups. They also shared mystery bags of 100 items that they brought from home, giving clues to their friends to try and guess what was in each bag!

The first graders enjoyed counting by tens to make trail mix with 100 snack items in it, and made necklaces with 100 loops on them.

The third graders celebrated by completing some challenges related to 100. They wrote a list of 100 words from 10 different categories, completed a 100 multiplication chart and collaborated on STEM challenges: building a tower with 100 cups, building a Lego structure with 100 Lego blocks, and making a design with 100 pattern blocks.

The students had a wonderful day celebrating 100 days of learning!

#SaklanAcademic #100daysoflearning

Last week, our compassionate fifth graders created heart table toppers to brighten the dining room of Aegis Senior Living Center, and then hand-delivered them.  The students also delivered cards that the Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students made, as well as table-toppers from 4th grade.

Lin and Alison, of Aegis Senior Living Center, were delighted to receive the Valentine’s Day decorations.  They shared that they were used to decorate their dining tables on Valentine’s day night, and that their residents loved the cards and table décor!

#SaklanCompassionate #SaklanCreative