During March, all Saklan students are focusing on being curious and creative! Students are discussing what it means to show curiosity and creativity, teachers are posing lots of questions for students to ponder, and everyone is working on keeping an open mind when it comes to listening to others or trying new activities.
#SaklanSEL
Saklan is having a “March Madness” Pickleball Tournament! The tournament, open to those in 5th grade and up, will feature both a doubles bracket and a singles bracket with play beginning next week.
How to Sign Up:
Coach Rob will share the tournament brackets and rules to ensure everyone knows exactly how the games will play out. However, this tournament is all about having fun and enjoying some friendly competition. Good sportsmanship and high-energy fun are a must! Matches will occur during lunch, recess, LBD, LP, or whatever times work best for the teams.
Click here to learn about the rules of pickleball, and here to see how scoring works. We can’t wait to see everyone on the court!
#SaklanWellRounded
On Thursday, Saklan’s 1st – 8th grade students gathered with their family groups to discuss ways to be resilient, the February social emotional learning focus. After sharing what resilience means to each family group member and ways they hope to show resilience in the coming weeks, each group made a poster using flower cutouts noting things they are working towards accomplishing. Check out the posters in the school entryway!
Next, the families were on to showcasing their resilience through a series of challenges. First up was trying to get 1 – 3 ping pong balls into a cup using teamwork and a piece of string. Students enjoyed working together to find the best methods for success!
The second challenge was a game of Bam the Ram, which was also a ton of fun! Check out images of both challenges below.
#SaklanSEL #SaklanFamilyGroups
Charity scavenger hunts? A trombone stuck on a shoelace mid-performance? Our Kindergarten-8th grade music teacher, Dianne, is an expert at navigating the unexpected and problem solving on the fly both in and out of the music classroom. Scroll down to read more about the part of our upcoming March Spring Concert that she is most excited for and her love of creative pursuits!
What is one secret talent or expertise you have that you hope to one day include in your music classes at Saklan?
I used to participate in GISHWHES (greatest international scavenger hunt the world has ever seen), which was a weeklong charity scavenger hunt where each team completed as many curious, kind, and collaborative challenges as possible. This incredible annual event had me dancing in costume with friends in a supermarket, building a 4’ tall 120-sided die, and bringing eclairs with chocolate ladders to my local firefighters. One standout challenge for me was to play “A Little Help from My Friends” by the Beatles on four stringed instruments, but each instrument must be played simultaneously by at least three musicians. I rallied my summer camp crew, and we spent much of the time laughing through our creative struggles and successes. I would love to lean into this idea at Saklan, combining whimsy, compassion, large-scale building, and intense collaboration to make music in wonderfully weird ways.
The Spring Concert is a memorable Saklan event each year. What are you most looking forward to as you prepare to direct your first Saklan Spring concert?
To paraphrase Arlo Guthrie, “can you imagine 50 people singing in harmony; they may think it’s a movement!” I’m most excited to hear our whole school singing together in harmony.
With the MS musical, Shrek Jr. just around the corner, what is your favorite musical performance memory from childhood?
I was in a production of Guys and Dolls as a trombone player in the mission band. A small group of us would march down the theater aisle playing, while intentionally sounding like we couldn’t quite play. We then had a scene on the stage before we were meant to march and play off stage. During the scene I rested the slide of my trombone on my shoe, but didn’t notice the lever for the spit valve getting caught on my shoelace. When we were meant to play our way off stage, I couldn’t lift my trombone because it was caught on my shoe. I had to march off, keeping my leg aligned with my trombone while facing my friends off stage who were giggling hysterically at my comical walk. I love the unexpected challenges of live theater!
#SaklanStaff
Saklan’s Auction Committee is on the hunt for some razzle-dazzle auction items to make this year’s auction the real McCoy! We’re talkin’ about hot-ticket treasures that’ll have the crowd jazzed and ready to bid big. Here’s the skinny on what we need to bring the excitement and rake in the dough:
Got a genius idea for a show-stopping auction item? Don’t be shy—lay it on us! As our mission says, think creatively! Hit the button below to fill out the online donor form, or drop a line to ewilliamson@saklan.org to share your brilliant ideas with the committee. Let’s make this auction the cat’s pajamas!
Saklan’s 1920s-themed 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction will be held at Lafayette Park Hotel on Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m.. This adults-only shindig is always the bee’s knees—a roaring good time to toast our vibrant Saklan community while throwing some clams behind its ongoing success. Funds raised from the event support our top-notch programs like field experiences, guest experts, Project Based Learning, family groups, and primo training for our wonderful teachers.
#SaklanAuction
Save the date for Saklan’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction on Saturday, April 26th, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m., at Lafayette Park Hotel. Guests joining us for this 1920s-themed soiree will enjoy cocktails, live entertainment, a seated dinner, a live auction, and dancing!
Saklan’s Annual Auction is always a great community-building event. Saklan faculty, staff, families, and friends attend, and proceeds from the auction are invested directly back into your children’s educational experiences, in and out of the classrooms.
Tickets for this adults-only event will go on sale in March, but book your babysitter today. You won’t want to miss this event, as it is sure to be the bee’s knees!
A huge thank you to Lamorinda Printing for sponsoring our 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction!
Is your business or family interested in sponsoring or underwriting Saklan’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction? Underwriters and sponsors not only gain valuable exposure to the Saklan community but also demonstrate their commitment to education and community involvement. Sponsors receive benefits including exclusive recognition, tickets to the event, and more. All sponsors and underwriters confirmed by March 3rd will receive recognition on the event invitation.
The support of sponsors and underwriters allows more proceeds from the auction to directly benefit Saklan students. If you have questions about sponsoring the event please reach out to Emily at ewilliamson@saklan.org.
All Saklan students are invited to showcase their creativity by designing a cover for this year’s All-School Concert program. All covers are asked to incorporate the theme of garden, have a vertical orientation, and include the concert date “March, 21 2025.”
Program cover entries are asked to be turned into the main office by Wednesday, March 12th. If you have any questions about the Concert Cover Contest, please email Emily at ewilliamson@saklan.org.
As we look forward to the 2025-2026 school year, we want to share the important calendar dates so that you too can begin planning. 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.
2025-2026 IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES
| Aug 8 | New Parent Orientation on Zoom at 9:00 AM |
| Aug 15 | Welcome Back BBQ & Middle School Orientation |
| Aug 19 | First Day of School for 6th – 8th Grade |
| Aug 19-21 | Middle School Advance for 6th – 8th Grade |
| Aug 20 | First Day of School for PS – 5th Grade |
| Aug 22 | Middle School Rest Day (NO SCHOOL for 6TH-8TH GRADE) |
| Sept 1 | Labor Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Sept 15 – 19 | 6th Grade Field Experience |
| Oct 10 | Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Oct 13 | Indigenous Peoples’ Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Oct 16 – 17 | Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL) |
| Oct 31 | Halloween Parade at 8:35 AM (2PM DISMISSAL) |
| Nov 10 | Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Nov 11 | Veteran’s Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Nov 24 – 28 | Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL) |
| Dec 19 | Lower School Musical at 10:30 AM (NOON DISMISSAL, NO EXTENDED DAY) |
| Dec 22 – Jan 2 | Winter Break (NO SCHOOL) |
| Jan 5 | Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Jan 19 | MLK Jr. Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| Feb 13 – 16 | Presidents’ Day Weekend (NO SCHOOL) |
| Mar 5 – 6 | Parent Teacher Conferences (NOON DISMISSAL) |
| Mar 30 – Apr 3 | Spring Break (NO SCHOOL) |
| May 4 – 8 | Teacher Appreciation Week |
| May 8 | Teacher Appreciation Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| May 25 | Memorial Day (NO SCHOOL) |
| May 29 | Graduation, Last Day of School (NOON DISMISSAL, NO EXTENDED DAY) |
Saklan’s social-emotional learning topic for February is to be resilient. During the month, all Saklan students will discuss what resilience means and look for ways to show their resilience on campus and at home. At the end of the month, 1st – 8th graders will meet with their Family Groups to further discuss how to be resilient and participate in collaborative activities.
#SaklanSEL
Did you know that on Thursday, February 6th, Saklan students celebrated the 100th day of school?
The Owlets celebrated by making crowns and searching for 100 hidden pictures of themselves throughout the classroom.
The Hoot Owls celebrated by searching for 100 meteors around their classroom, making 100-day crowns, and counting to 100.
The Kindergartners celebrated by inviting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th graders to their classroom to make crowns with 100 stickers on them, write about what they would do with $100 and what they can eat 100 of, dance for 100 seconds, and make necklaces with 100 fruit loops on them.
It was a great day of celebrating 100 days of learning so far this school year!
FRIDAY BLOG 
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