Category: General

Engaging, Insightful Work

As we approach the end of the year, we would be remiss not to pause and reflect on the past two weeks. From the delightful and hilarious Middle School Musical and impressive and thought-provoking Art Show, to two PBL Culminations that showcased deep, authentic project work, our students demonstrated their creativity and courage. Their work has been engaging, insightful, and truly representative of who we are at Saklan.  

Our Hoot Owls shot beyond the stars with their Space Culmination exploration of the moon, sun, Earth, our solar system, space objects, and rockets! Meanwhile, our 6th graders designed and created a Museum dedicated to exploring how we are still connected to Ancient Greek culture, language, and mythology today. Thank you to our dedicated ECE team and Linda for providing our students with the invaluable opportunity to explore these topics in such depth.

Thank you to Lauren for bringing the Art Show to life. It was a fantastic event, showcasing the creativity and hard work of all Saklan students. Lauren’s dedication to the artistic process and her support in helping students explore their creativity shone through every piece. We also appreciate the time she took to meticulously organize the art, create engaging scavenger hunts, and manage all the details that made the event a resounding success!

Thank you to Grace for directing our middle school students’ wonderful performance of Into the Woods at Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette last Friday evening. For 16 years, Grace has directed extraordinary shows at Saklan, and this last one was no exception. Her hard work, dedication, and love for the students was evident throughout the show. Her casting created magic on the stage, allowing the students to shine brightly. Inspiring middle school students to share their creativity, compassion, and courage on stage is no easy feat, but Grace does it with ease year after year. Thank you!

None of these events would be successful without the help of our community. Teachers, parents, and administration all come together to support and make each one possible. Thank you to all those (too many to mention) helping hands.

Thank you to the Saklan students for sharing their work with us; it is inspiring for all of us to witness their voices and ideas reflected in these culminating events!

With gratitude,

David  

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 week and a half of school, please check in with your student to see if they have any library books at home. Meredith, Joy, and our newest librarian, Reva, request that all Saklan Library books be returned by next Tuesday, May 28th.

The library staff is busy sending emails detailing which books each student still has checked out. We appreciate your help in ensuring your student gets their books returned on time. Thank you!

2024 Art Show

All Saklan families and friends are invited to join us for The Saklan School’s 2024 Art Show next Thursday, May 23rd! The event will take place in the Holy Trinity Cultural Center and feature artwork from all of our Preschool – 8th grade students. To allow for better viewing for all, we have developed the following schedule for the show:

  • 2:00 – Show Opens to Owlet & Hoot Owl Families
  • 3:00 – Show Opens to All Families
  • 3:05 – African Drumming Begins in Front of Holy Trinity
  • 4:00 – Show Closes

We hope you will join us!

#SaklanArtShow #SaklanCreative

Too Many Items in Your Closet?

Moraga Rotary is collecting gently used adult-sized jeans through Memorial Day. Drop off your jeans in the blue bin located in the breezeway by the Saklan Office, and they will be delivered to Trinity Center in Walnut Creek to help the unhoused.

Questions about the jean drive? Email moragarotary@gmail.com and they will be happy to help you.

Thank you, Saklan!

Please Join Us

The Hoot Owls are getting ready to come back to Earth following their space exploration! They have been reviewing their notes from the Topic Web they started way back in March, gathered questions on their Wonder Wall, talked to experts, including astronomer Sophia Wallstrom and Saklan’s Science Teacher, Ms. O, and conducted research in the field at Chabot Space and Science Center. It’s been an out of this world journey for the Hoot Owls, and they now invite you to view their results! Please join us for the Hoot Owl Space Culmination next Thursday, May 16th at 9:00 a.m.

The Hoot Owls aren’t the only class with a culminating event this month. We invite all Saklan families and friends to learn more about the learning our students have engaged in by joining us for the following events:

  • Hoot Owl Space Culmination – Thursday, May 16th at 8:30 a.m.
  • 3rd Grade Saklan/Bay Miwok Culmination – Friday, May 17th at 9:00 a.m.
  • 4th Grade Gold Fever Culmination – Friday, May 17th at 9:00 a.m.
  • Art Show – Thursday, May 23rd from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
  • 6th Grade Museum of the Future – Thursday, May 23rd from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
  • Owlet Rainforest Culmination – Friday, May 30th at 9:00 a.m.
  • Kindergarten Community Culmination – Friday, May 30th at 9:00 a.m.

Peace, Love, Thank You

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Peace, Love, Saklan auction on April 26th. It was a fun event in support of an amazing cause – your children’s education! As a community we raised over $122,000, including $63,150 for the PBL-Centered Classroom Fund-a-Need. Thank you all for your generosity.

Special thank you to Emily Williamson, who worked tirelessly on the event, and to the auction committee: Vadim Alden, Yulia Goldshtrakh, Shana Hammers, Kristin Hubert, Etienne Lacrampe, Brian Lovrin, Darla Lovrin, Erin Moorhead, Tara Nemeth, Amy Perkins, David Shenaut, and Kendall Walker Koo for their help in planning a fun event, procuring auction items, and creating stunning centerpieces!

A huge thank you to Lauren Haberly, Meredith Avant, Linda Lathrop, and Kim Parks for their work on the collaborative art pieces, and to Eric Lompa and ScanArt for printing the posters and note cards. 

At the event – thank you to Shay Sager for welcoming all guests and checking them into the event, and to Linda Haukland, Jennifer Lettieri, Christina Nguyen and Yette Prizeman for selling wine raffle tickets. 

We had some very generous contributions from many families too. Thank you to everyone who donated auction items and/or bottles of wine, sponsored the event, and helped to procure auction items. It truly was a team effort!

View More Auction Pictures Here!

#Peace,Love,Saklan

Feeling Super Appreciated

Thank you, Saklan families, for a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week! It was a week full of kind notes, wonderful gifts, and delicious food. You definitely made all of the Saklan teachers and staff feel super appreciated!

We enjoyed tasting your favorite recipes! Each day of the week featured a delicious spread of appetizers, main courses and desserts. From the Super Salad Bar to the Superhero Sandwiches, and the Taco Bar to Special Family Recipes, there wasn’t a day when any of us left Saklan hungry!

The newspaper headlines and notes from the students, hung on the front of the school and on the classroom doors, were so heartfelt and made us feel seen and appreciated. Thank you to all the parents who helped with the printing of the posters and who helped the students add their kind thoughts to them.

Special thanks to Shannon O’Connor, Erin Moorhead, Makeda Assefa, Liz Goulding, Christine Jensen, Ginette Diaz, and the PA Board for organizing all the Teacher & Staff Appreciation activities. We are so grateful for your efforts.

Save the Date!

Save the date for our 70th Anniversary Welcome Back BBQ! On Friday, August 16th at 4:00 p.m. we will be welcoming all current and past Saklan students, families, and staff members to kick off The Saklan School’s 70th year of education.

What better way to kick off such a momentous occasion than with one of the school’s most beloved annual events! Additional details and invitation will be sent out in June. We hope you can join us!

Alums, excited to catch up with fellow alumni and their families? Join the Saklan School Alumni Facebook Page to start connecting today!

Be Resilient

Saklan’s final social-emotional learning topic for the 23-24 school year is to be resilient. During the month, all Saklan students are discussing what resilience means and looking for ways to show their resilience on campus and at home. On Friday, May 31st, the 1st through 8th graders will join with their family groups to participate in Field Day activities. Field Day activities allow the students to an opportunity to not only show how they can be resilient, but also to showcase many of the other SEL traits they have practiced this year

#SaklanSEL

Rainforest Scientists

The Owlets have been very engaged in learning about the rainforest!

Many Owlets were aware that a rainforest is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, as well as being damp and rainy. However, they heard in science class that scientists often pose questions about topics they are not previously familiar with. The Owlets got to practice becoming excellent scientists by brainstorming what they would like to know. These brainstorms were then added to their Wonder Wall.

The rainforest scientists began their investigation by learning that a rainforest is made up of various zones or “stratas” At the top is the emergent layer, followed by the canopy, the understory, with the forest floor at the bottom. After talking about the different zones, the Owlets looked at books showing pictures of the different animals that live in the various stratas. They learned that some animals travel between different zones in the rainforest, such as a macaw can go from the forest floor to the emergent layer because it has wings, and a snake can slither up from the forest floor all the way to the understory or even the canopy. 

Every Owlet was given the opportunity to choose animals to draw, and once they completed their drawing they read about their chosen animal to learn more about it. The Owlets picked up a very helpful skill: reading books can always teach you more! The class looked at the animals together to guess which strata they thought it lived in; most of the time the Owlets guessed correctly!

The Owlet classroom has slowly been turning into a rainforest. Next time you are on campus, stop by their classroom to see the animals and greenery inhabiting their space!