Category: General

On Monday, Saklan’s 1st – 8th graders gathered in Family Groups to discuss January’s SEL focus, being respectful. The students shared what being respectful feels, looks and sounds like.

Each family group leader placed a large R on a note card, representing Respect, and then talked about what respect looks like when it comes out of one’s mouth, including the words, tone, facial expressions and even body language. Next, a volunteer squeezed toothpaste on the R to help freshen it up. Then, the volunteer was surprised to learn that the R actually stood for Rude, and was asked to put the toothpaste back into the tube – a near impossible task, just as taking disrespectful and hurtful works back can be. The families then discussed how to clean up such a mess. Groups talked about making an honest apology, checking in with the person to see what they need to feel better, and finding ways to do better in the future.

The 8th graders then shared that respect often comes when people feel like they are seen and know one another. Students then each added items to a snowflake to represent them and their interests, and then shared them with their family group, to learn more about each other. The snowflakes are now hanging on the bulletin board by the entrance to Saklan; check them out to learn more about other members of our community.

#SaklanSEL #SaklanCommunity

On Wednesday morning, the Saklan preschool – seventh grade students participated in Moving Up Day. For the preschool – 5th grade students, they had the opportunity to move up to the classroom of their rising grade and spend time with the teacher, learning about what the next year holds and getting to know the teacher better. The 6th and 7th grade students (and a few 8th graders) helped host 5th grade students on the middle school side of campus and show them what a day in the life of a middle schooler is like. The students and teachers alike were buzzing with excitement!

This annual tradition allows the students to get a snapshot of what next year will hold. The teachers planned special activities that highlighted their grade level and enjoyed getting to know their rising students a little better. Morning meeting activities, awkward games, questions, stories, tangrams, classroom scavenger hunts, and enthusiasm for next year filled the classrooms! If you know a child that “moved up” on Wednesday, please ask them all about it. They will likely have something enthusiastic to share!

Sixth grade math students are exploring probability. They recently investigated the role that the number of trials plays in the relationship between experimental and theoretical probability.

Mr. Zippin started the lesson by telling the sixth graders that he would be spinning a mystery spinner. He asked, “What do you need to know to figure out what the mystery spinner looks like?”

They answered that they would need to know what colors were on the spinner and the size of each sector. Instead of answering, Mr. Zippin spun the spinner once and announced “Green!” and asked “Do you think you have enough information to draw the spinner now?” The consensus was no, unless the spinner was all green.

Mr. Zippin then spun the spinner 5 more times and had the students keep track of the results. They then drew what they thought the spinner looked like after 6 spins. He spun the spinner 6 more times and again stopped. The students discussed with their teams what the spinner looked like and then drew the spinner based on the new information they received.

As a class, the sixth graders discussed when they thought they would have enough information to draw an exact spinner. There was a large range of opinions from 24 to 100. Mr. Zippin spun the spinner 36 more times for a total of 48 and had the students draw their final predictions of the spinner.

Then, the class looked at the spinner Mr. Zippin had spun and the teams discussed which of their predicted spinners was closest to the actual spinner. They noticed how the actual occurrences of each color compared to their theoretical predictions. As they spun the spinner more times, the experimental outcomes got closer to the theoretical probability. Take a look at the included pictures and see if you can guess what the Mystery Spinner looked like!

#HandsOnMath

All 4th – 8th graders who are interested in playing basketball are encouraged to join the Basketball Club which will meet on the Sports Court from 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning next week.

The Basketball Club will participate in 2 games to be held in February:

• Tuesday, February 13th  against the Contra Costa Jewish Day School Grizzlies on the Saklan Sports Court at 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, February 20th at Contra Costa Jewish Day School at 4 p.m.

Students who want to play in the games are asked to attend as many Basketball Club meetings as possible.

Reach out to Mr. Crabtree with any questions you have.

#SaklanWellRounded

Receiving over 60% of the votes, Peace, Love, Saklan will be the theme of the 2024 auction! Thank you to everyone who participated in the selection process.

The Saklan faculty and staff are very excited, and we hope you are too! Peace, Love, Saklan pairs well with our focus on belonging, is a nod to the sixty-nine years that Saklan has been a school, and ties in nicely with this year’s concert theme of Love.

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of volunteers to help make this year’s auction successful. We have roles big and small, including:

• Picking up Items from Donors
• Auction Items Acquisitions
• Creating Event Decor
• Designing a Logo for the Event
• Event Set Up
• Communications

We would love your help; click on the button below to volunteer!

Save the Date!

Please save the date to celebrate our great school and community with our Peace, Love, Saklan auction on Friday, April 26th at The Garden in Walnut Creek. Book your babysitter now for this adults-only event; you don’t want to miss it!

Roots & Shoots Photography will be taking individual and class portraits of Saklan students next Tuesday, January 23rd. These pictures will be used in the yearbook and are available for purchase.

Pictures will be taken outside on the play yard during the school day. Please note that 1st – 8th grade students need to be dressed in uniform for the pictures.

For students who are absent on picture day, a make up day will be held on Tuesday, February 27th.

Portrait Ordering Process

Portraits will be available to order online approximately 4 weeks AFTER picture day. Complimentary proofs will be provided for every student, so you can decide whether you would like to order them. If you do order, all portrait packages will be shipped directly to your home (a $7.25 shipping fee will apply). There will be no school package drop off.

Questions? Please contact Roots & Shoot directly at grow@roots-shoots.com. They will be happy to assist you!

Dear Saklan Community,

Happy 2024! Seeing the kids return from Winter Break always brings a sense of joy and optimism for the year ahead. 🙂 

January marks a winding down of admissions activity, as our application deadline for new students is Friday, January 26th. Thank you for continuing to share wonderful information about our school and our program to the broader community. Most of the inquiries I receive come from friends of yours with whom you have shared your positive experiences. I feel your support and your partnership.

Friday, January 26th is also our deadline for families to apply for Tuition Assistance.This year we have moved to Clarity, a new and more efficient application provider. We are confident that this will improve your application experience.

On Thursday, February 1st, current families will receive an offer to re-enroll for the 2024-25 school year. Signed contracts are due by Thursday, February 15th. Please understand that we can only guarantee your child’s spot if we have your signed contract by the deadline. 

Your children are the heartbeat of our school. Thank you for your support, your cooperation, your trust, and your presence. 

In gratitude,

Mel 🙂

The winter session of enrichment classes will begin the week of January
22nd. Many exciting classes are being offered this session, including
Lego Brick Building, Basketball, Soccer, Chess and The Intuitive Writing Project!

Class descriptions and registration are available on the Saklan Enrichment Webpage.

#SaklanWellRounded

Saklan’s 2024 Auction will be held on Friday, April 26th. This year’s event will be at The Garden in Walnut Creek, but we need your help to determine the theme.

The Auction Committee brainstormed several possibilities, and narrowed them down to three choices:

• 1920s
• Peace, Love, Saklan
• James Bond

Voting will close on Thursday, January 11th.

Don’t forget to save the date for this adults-only event! Saklan’s Annual Auction is a fun, community-building event where parents, grandparents, alumni, friends, faculty and staff come together in celebration of our wonderful school.

Proceeds from the auction are invested directly back into your children’s educational experiences, in and out of their classrooms.