Category: General

During the month of April, all Saklan students are focusing on being curious! Students are discussing what it means to show curiosity, 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

What a wonderful experience to be back at the Lesher Center to watch our students shine with Joy! 

Thank you to all of the parents and guardians for making Wednesday’s logistics work in order to support the students and watch the performance. 

Thank you to the faculty and staff for all of the behind the scenes work to prepare for the concert, from your flexibility with the schedule to helping with rehearsals. Thank you also for your support of your students and encouraging them to get up on that stage!

Thank you to Lauren for working with the second and third grade students on the gorgeous backdrop that we got to see during the concert. Thank you for your continued collaboration with teachers, and for the inspiration you ignite in our students.

Thank you to Erin for preparing the Preschool and Pre-K students to be on stage for their first concert at the Lesher Center! The little ones were so excited and brave and shared their joy and love of music with the audience. 

Thank you to Isaac for continuing to share your knowledge of traditional Ghanaian drumming with our students. What a joy to see them drumming, singing and dancing together!

Thank you to Ashley, Hector and Isaac for sharing your musical talents and accompanying the students on piano, drums and guitar. Without you, the concert would have been a very different experience.

Thank you to Shay and Emily for behind the scenes work on the program, communication, transportation logistics, ushering duties, securing seats, and filling in all the gaps where they were needed. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you to Daisy Coby for beautifully photographing the concert.

Thank you to Javier for helping set up for rehearsals, for moving instruments all week, for moving artwork, transporting students, and for doing it all with laughter. 

Thank you to Grace for the vision of Joy, for teaching with purpose and for knowing what songs and parts to choose for whom. You create magic on stage and allow students to shine bright. What you do is invaluable and greatly appreciated. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Auction Fiesta on March 11th. It was a fun event with many guests walking away with bottles of wine won in the wine toss and photo booth pictures taken with friends old and new! As a community we raised over $63,000, including $31,200 for the Fund-a-Needs. Thank you all for your generosity.

Special thank you to Emily Williamson, who worked tirelessly on the event, and to the auction committee: Amy Perkins, Shana Hammers, and Darla Lovrin for their help in planning a fun event, procuring auction items, and creating event decorations.

Thank you to Makeda Assefa, Erin Moorhead, Amy Perkins, John Miazga, Hector Ramos Diaz , Mel Zippin, Javier Yacarini, Ester Vines, and Shay Sager for helping to set up the event and make the hall look so festive. 

A huge thank you to Lauren Haberly for her work on the collaborative art pieces, to Daisy Coby for photographing the Middle School art, and to Eric Lompa and ScanArt for printing all the posters and note cards.

Thank you to Zuly Zuleima for her help with decor, and to Ester Vines for her guidance of the lower school students in creating the papel picado that so beautifully decorated the room.

At the event – thank you to Linda Lathrop, Mel Zippin, Gina Gabriel, and Lisa Rokas for helping to sell raffle tickets, to Karen Catanzarite and Toshie Baba for helping check in guests, to Peta Wansbrough-Siacor for running the wine toss, and to Javier Yacarini and Shay Sager for tending the bar.

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

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