Category: General

Congratulations, Class of 2026!

This morning, we honored and celebrated The Saklan School’s Graduating Class of 2026. It was a heartfelt ceremony in which the middle school teachers introduced the graduates, and the graduates shared short speeches with their parents, teachers, and fellow students.

A highlight of the ceremony was a speech by Saklan alumnus Levi Kim. Levi graduated from Saklan in 2021 and has since completed high school at The Athenian School and his freshman year at Brown University. During his speech, Levi shared with the graduates that their ability to always get back up is one of their greatest strengths and an important gift they bring to the world. He also reminded them that they will always have a place at Saklan.

Equally heartwarming was the performance led by Dianne and the Kindergarten through 7th grade students, who invited the audience to join in singing “Your Nonsense Makes Sense” by The 502s.

We know the Saklan Class of 2026 will do great things as they move on to the following high schools:

  • Acalanes High School
  • The Athenian School
  • Bentley School
  • Campolindo High School
  • Clayton Valley Charter High School
  • The College Preparatory School
  • Head-Royce School
  • Los Lomas High School
  • Miramonte High School

There are several people who made the graduation events possible this year. We would like to extend a special thank you to Emily Williamson, Kim Parks, Hector Ramos Diaz, and Javier Yacarani for organizing the graduation dinner and gifts. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, but the dinner was beautifully orchestrated. Thank you to Kim Parks, Vickie Obenchain, Linda Lathrop, and Jennifer Lettieri for helping the students express themselves so eloquently in their graduation speeches. Thank you to all the teachers who introduced the students during the Graduation Dinner and during today’s ceremony. Additionally, a special shout-out goes to Dianne Hurvitz, Shay Sager, Kim Parks, Emily Williamson, Hector Ramos Diaz, John Miazga, Coach Rob, and Javier Yacarini for all their behind-the-scenes work handling the logistics of the graduation ceremony.

#Classof2026

Thank You for an Incredible Year

As we wrap up the 2025–2026 school year, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible community that makes our school such a joyful, engaging, and meaningful place to learn and grow.

Thank you to every Saklan family for your support and partnership throughout the year. Your involvement and encouragement have had a lasting impact on our students, faculty, and the broader school community.

A special thank you goes to all of the community members who generously volunteered their time, energy, and talents throughout the year. Your support helped make so many events, celebrations, and learning experiences possible, and we are deeply grateful for all you did to strengthen our community. Your contributions were instrumental in the success of the following activities and events:

  • Welcome Back BBQ
  • Uniform Exchange
  • Annual Giving Fund
  • Parent Coffees
  • Grandfriends’ Day
  • Book Fair
  • Lower School Musical
  • All-School Concert
  • Starlight Gala & Auction
  • Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Middle School Musical
  • Yearbook
  • Field Experiences
  • Class Celebrations
  • Open Houses
  • Fall Festival
  • Movie Night
  • Spring Service Social
  • Taste of Traditions
  • Parent Education Events
  • End of Year Parties

Additionally, thank you to everyone who showed support for our students during the following events:

  • CLAS
  • Halloween Costume Parade
  • The Spongebob Musical
  • Basketball Games
  • All-School Concert
  • Spring Follies
  • Curtains Young@Part
  • Art Show
  • Presentations of Learning
  • Graduation

It was a wonderful year. Thank you, Saklan families, for your support and partnership in making the 2025-2026 year a success!

Team Spirit on Display

Saklan’s annual Family Group Field Day was a terrific day filled with exemplary sportsmanship, great team spirit, and tons of fun! Students in Kindergarten through 8th grade kicked things off by performing creative and entertaining cheers in their family groups, each one judged by our enthusiastic panel of faculty and staff.

Following the cheers, the family groups faced off against each other as they rotated through the following activities:

  • Super Volleyball
  • Sponge Relay
  • Marbles, Marbles
  • Sack Relay
  • Charades

Next up was the water-balloon toss!

Finally, the family groups ended the day on the sports court where the top 3 teams were announced and popsicles were enjoyed by all.

This high-energy event wasn’t just about games and laughter—it was also a powerful culmination of the year’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) work. As students navigated relay races, team challenges, and friendly competition, they demonstrated the core SEL skills they’ve been developing all year. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of another wonderful year of family groups!

#SaklanConnected #SaklanFamilyGroups

Save the Date: 2026 Welcome Back BBQ!

Please save the date for Saklan’s annual Welcome Back BBQ on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. This fun community tradition is a wonderful opportunity for new, returning, and alumni families to reconnect, meet teachers and staff, and kick off the new school year together.

Be sure to mark your calendars; we look forward to celebrating the start of another great year with you!

#SaklanCommunity

Summer Fun at Saklan!

A summer of creative exploration awaits your child during Summer@Saklan! Designed with curiosity and imagination in mind, this year’s summer camp promises to be a dynamic blend of art and science, giving campers the perfect opportunity to learn, play, and grow in a joyful environment.

Ages of Campers

Students entering Preschool through 3rd Grade are invited to join us for Summer@Saklan, and will be divided into two age groups:

  • Mini Campers: Age 3 – Entering Kindergarten
  • Explorers: Entering 1st – 3rd Grade

Session Dates & Themes

This summer, camp will run in one-week sessions from June 15th – July 31.

Session DatesMini Camper ThemeExplorers Theme
June 15 – 18 Dramatic PlayClaymation & Art
June 22 – 26SportsThe Art of Puppetry
June 29 – July 2 Bug ExplorationJewelry Making
July 6 – 10ScienceBookmaking & Printing
July 13 – 17Safari AnimalsLEGO Science
July 20 – 24CookingSpace
July 27 – 31ArtSTEAM

The camp day will begin with drop off from 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. and run until 2:30 p.m. Extended Day will be available until 4:30 p.m.

Whether your child loves painting, building, experimenting, or just having fun with friends, Summer@Saklan offers something for everyone. It’s the perfect way to keep young minds active and inspired during the summer months.

We can’t wait to see all the creativity and curiosity that unfolds this summer at Saklan!

End-of-Year Reminders

As we count down the final days of the 2025–2026 school year, we would like to share a few important reminders with families as we prepare for graduation and summer break.

Uniform Exchange

We are currently collecting gently used Saklan uniform and spirit wear items for our Uniform Exchange. Families are welcome to donate shirts, jumpers, sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, and other items featuring the Saklan logo.

Beginning next week, a plastic collection bin will be placed in front of the school for donations. Thank you for helping support other Saklan families through the exchange program!

Lost and Found

Our lost and found is overflowing with sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, and other items. Next week, all lost and found items will be placed outside at the front of the school for families to look through.

We encourage everyone to stop by and check for missing belongings before the end of the school year. Any unclaimed items remaining after school ends will either be added to the Uniform Exchange or donated to charity.

Graduation

All Saklan families and friends are warmly invited to attend this year’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 29, at 10:15 a.m. on the Sports Court. If you enjoy CLAS, you will LOVE Saklan’s Graduation!

As the ceremony will take place outdoors, guests are encouraged to come prepared for the weather. We recommend bringing sunglasses and water bottles in case of sun, as well as sweaters or jackets in case of cooler or breezy conditions.

We look forward to celebrating the close of another wonderful school year together!

Eighth Graders Put Physics into Motion 

The end of the year in Saklan’s eighth grade physics class is filled with hands-on science, engineering, and problem-solving. As the culmination of their physics studies, students recently worked in teams to design and build their own roller coasters for marbles to ride.

Each group created an eight-foot-long coaster that incorporated the major physics concepts they studied throughout the year, including force, momentum, motion, and energy transfer. To meet the project requirements, every coaster needed to include at least one loop, a slow-down stop, and creative decorations inspired by the themed roller coasters found at amusement parks.

Throughout the project, students relied on creativity, collaboration, math skills, and the scientific method as they designed, tested, redesigned, and refined their creations. Groups analyzed what worked, identified challenges, made adjustments, and in some cases started over entirely before successfully completing their final designs.

The project challenged students to apply their understanding of the four forces studied in class while ensuring their coaster had enough momentum to complete a loop and safely guide the marble to a stop. More importantly, it gave students the opportunity to experience physics in action through experimentation, teamwork, and hands-on learning.

The final roller coasters showcased not only impressive engineering and creativity, but also the persistence and problem-solving skills students developed throughout the process.

#SaklanHandsOn

Head’s Corner: What Kind of Childhood Are We Trying to Protect?

When I was a child, I routinely got into trouble. (Hard to believe, right?)

I grew up in a Detroit neighborhood with lots of friends and neighbors around. Most of the trouble we got into could best be described as “good trouble.” Staying out past the time the streetlights came on. Using the entire city block to play tag, running through neighbors’ backyards with friends, cutting across lawns. Nothing serious. Nothing mean-spirited. Just the ordinary trouble of childhood: testing boundaries, losing track of time, and discovering the world beyond adult eyes.

Looking back, I am struck by how much learning was tucked inside those moments. We were practicing judgment, negotiating with friends, taking small risks, and discovering what it felt like to be trusted.

I have been thinking about this because of two things I have been reading: The Amazing Generation and a new report from the Institute for Family Studies, High Tech, Low Play: The Life of American Children. Together, they point to something many of us sense: children need more than protection from the virtual world. They need more opportunities to experience the real one.

What struck me most in the report was a simple but unsettling idea: many children today are highly protected in the physical world, yet relatively unprotected in the digital one. They have access to screens earlier and more often, while having fewer opportunities to roam, play, take small risks, and build independence with friends.

That imbalance gives me pause.

Many children today can wander widely online before they are trusted to wander very far in real life. They may have access to enormous digital worlds before they have had enough practice navigating the physical one.

This is not to say we should simply recreate the childhoods we remember. The world has changed. But children still need opportunities to stretch, explore, decide, negotiate, and discover their own capabilities.

That is one reason I am drawn to The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt. Its invitation is not simply for children to put down their screens, but to imagine what they might pick up instead: more freedom, more friendship, more movement, more play, more responsibility, and more real-life adventure.

So what kind of childhood are we trying to protect?

One with enough safety to feel held, and enough freedom to grow. One with adults close enough to guide, but not so close that children never get to practice. One with room for play, movement, friendship, responsibility, and the small, good trouble that helps children discover their capacity.

And maybe that is the real invitation — not just to give children fewer screens, but to give them more childhood.

Sincerely,

David

Time to Return Library Books!

As the school year comes to a close, it’s time to start checking bookshelves, backpacks, and bedside tables for any Saklan Library books that may still be at home.

Meredith and Joy kindly ask that all library books be returned by Friday, May 22, so the library can prepare for the end of the year and get ready for another great season of reading ahead.

The Saklan Library has been filled with so many wonderful stories, discoveries, and adventures this year, and we are grateful to all of our students for making reading such an important part of their school experience.

Thank you for another fantastic year of book reading!

Class of 2026 Graduation

The Saklan School is excited to celebrate the graduating Class of 2026 with a commencement ceremony honoring their achievements, growth, and contributions to the community on Friday, May 29, at 10:15 a.m. on the Saklan Sports Court. This meaningful event will bring together the school community, as all Saklan students from Kindergarten through eighth grade will participate in the celebration in various ways.

Families and guests are warmly invited to attend, and we kindly ask that those planning to join us RSVP by May 22.

RSVP for Graduation

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2026 with you!

#SaklanGraduation #Classof2026