Category: General

#SaklanParents

Rakestraw Books in Danville is inviting all Saklan families to join them for a virtual event with award-winning and beloved author RJ Palacio (the author of Wonder). She will be introducing her newest book, Pony, which is a truly brilliant story for all ages, about family, loyalty, counterfeiting and ghosts. For this special event RJ Palacio will be joined in conversation by Josh Radnor (best known for his role as Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother).

This ticketed event will take place on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 5 PM. To join the event, the publisher requires that each attendee buy a copy of Pony. The first 30 people to purchase tickets will receive an autographed copy of Pony. Every ticket purchaser will also also receive a gift when they pick up their book in-store.

To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rakestraw-books-live-at-home-with-rj-palacio-tickets-169659055803

Please contact Rakestraw Books at (925) 837-7337 if you have questions.

This year, we have some new morning drop-off procedures. Along the curb directly in front of Saklan, we have a Preschool Parking Zone for Preschool and Pre-K parents to park and walk their children up to the classrooms, as well as a Drop-off Zone for Kindergarten – 8th grade parents to quickly drop off their children. For parents of Kindergarten – 8th grade students that would like to walk their children up to the front gate, we ask that you park in the Holy Trinity Church parking lot, next to Saklan.

For further explanation of the new morning procedures, please check out the video below, which was previously shared during the ECE and Lower School Back to School Nights.

Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe during morning drop off.

#SaklanCommunity

The Back-to-School Hopscotch Tournament is back!

After a year hiatus, the annual hopscotch tournament will begin in the middle of September and continue as a single-elimination tournament in the weeks following, until there is a champion. The competition is open to Saklan students in 1^st– 8^th grades and faculty. Those interested in joining the tournament should tell Mr. Crabtree they want to participate.

The game of hopscotch dates back to at least the 17th century, and different variations are played worldwide. For our tournament, we will use a nine-square layout and players are encouraged to make their own markers. Two players will “duel.” Both markers are placed on the first square, and the players rock, paper, scissors to determine who goes first. A player must hop over the marked square and complete the pattern without touching a line. When they return they must retrieve their marker without losing balance and clear the opponents marker. Once back to the beginning, the player tosses the marker to the next square and repeats the sequence. If a player makes a mistake or misses the toss, they lose the turn and it is the opponent’s turn to complete the layout. The first player to complete nine tosses and retrievals wins.

Hopscotch is a fun game that all ages can play against each other. The skills come down to an accurate toss of the marker, agility hopping on the squares, and balance and flexibility in retrieving a marker. The activity seems simple, but is deceptively hard.

Get your markers ready and start hopping!

Next Wednesday, September 1st, we will begin our weekly COVID-19 pool testing for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. We are asking parents to do a one-time consent form. If you are providing consent for more than one child, please complete the process separately for each child.

Click here to complete the consent form. The access code you will need on the second screen is SPOVM4. 

Additional instructions to guide you through the consent process can be found here.

Thank you, once again, for your support in keeping our community safe.

We are well into the fire season, and unfortunately, have already had our first bout of smokey air pass through Moraga. Our response to the smokey air is complicated by COVID protocols as well as the location of the high-quality EPA AQI sensors (Oakland and Concord). While we realize the Purple Air sensors are not as sensitive as the EPA ones, we feel using the sensors near the school is a better choice than relying on the distant EPA sensors. When using the Purple Air app, our menu settings are EPA PM 2.5 AQI combined with the US EPA conversion pull down.

Our protocols for responding to poor air quality are informed by the California EPA guidance. 

We monitor air quality throughout the day and offer these parameters according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) for some school operations:

Moderate (yellow 51-100)

• Avoid heavy exertion in PE. 
• Monitor students with sensitivities
  

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange 101-150)

• PE may be held outdoors with little to no physical exertion
• Outdoor recess will be offered with reduced time and low physical exertion.
• Preschool, Pre-K move indoors
• Students with asthma and other respiratory issues should be monitored closely and should stay indoors and not participate in physical activities.

Unhealthy (red 151-200)

• All physical activities moved indoors – we often use space at the Holy Trinity Church to move outdoor activities inside, including recess and PE.
• Lunch held indoors.
• Students with asthma and other respiratory issues should be closely monitored and should not participate in physical activities.
  

Very Unhealthy (purple 201-300)

• See “Unhealthy Red”
• Consider closing schools (COVID-19 considerations might require closing schools)
  

Hazardous (maroon 301 and above)

• See “Very Unhealthy Purple”
• Close School

We hope this brings you more clarity on how Saklan will approach any upcoming days with poor air quality.