Category: General

Summer Fun at Saklan!

A summer of creative exploration awaits your child during Summer@Saklan! Designed with curiosity and imagination in mind, this year’s summer camp promises to be a dynamic blend of art and science, giving campers the perfect opportunity to learn, play, and grow in a joyful environment.

Ages of Campers

Students entering Preschool through 3rd Grade are invited to join us for Summer@Saklan, and will be divided into two age groups:

  • Mini Campers: Age 3 – Entering Kindergarten
  • Explorers: Entering 1st – 3rd Grade

Session Dates & Themes

This summer, camp will run in one-week sessions from June 15th – July 31.

Session DatesMini Camper ThemeExplorers Theme
June 15 – 18 Dramatic PlayClaymation & Art
June 22 – 26SportsThe Art of Puppetry
June 29 – July 2 Bug ExplorationJewelry Making
July 6 – 10ScienceBookmaking & Printing
July 13 – 17Safari AnimalsLEGO Science
July 20 – 24CookingSpace
July 27 – 31ArtSTEAM

The camp day will begin with drop off from 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. and run until 2:30 p.m. Extended Day will be available until 4:30 p.m.

Whether your child loves painting, building, experimenting, or just having fun with friends, Summer@Saklan offers something for everyone. It’s the perfect way to keep young minds active and inspired during the summer months.

We can’t wait to see all the creativity and curiosity that unfolds this summer at Saklan!

End-of-Year Reminders

As we count down the final days of the 2025–2026 school year, we would like to share a few important reminders with families as we prepare for graduation and summer break.

Uniform Exchange

We are currently collecting gently used Saklan uniform and spirit wear items for our Uniform Exchange. Families are welcome to donate shirts, jumpers, sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, and other items featuring the Saklan logo.

Beginning next week, a plastic collection bin will be placed in front of the school for donations. Thank you for helping support other Saklan families through the exchange program!

Lost and Found

Our lost and found is overflowing with sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, and other items. Next week, all lost and found items will be placed outside at the front of the school for families to look through.

We encourage everyone to stop by and check for missing belongings before the end of the school year. Any unclaimed items remaining after school ends will either be added to the Uniform Exchange or donated to charity.

Graduation

All Saklan families and friends are warmly invited to attend this year’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 29, at 10:15 a.m. on the Sports Court. If you enjoy CLAS, you will LOVE Saklan’s Graduation!

As the ceremony will take place outdoors, guests are encouraged to come prepared for the weather. We recommend bringing sunglasses and water bottles in case of sun, as well as sweaters or jackets in case of cooler or breezy conditions.

We look forward to celebrating the close of another wonderful school year together!

Eighth Graders Put Physics into Motion 

The end of the year in Saklan’s eighth grade physics class is filled with hands-on science, engineering, and problem-solving. As the culmination of their physics studies, students recently worked in teams to design and build their own roller coasters for marbles to ride.

Each group created an eight-foot-long coaster that incorporated the major physics concepts they studied throughout the year, including force, momentum, motion, and energy transfer. To meet the project requirements, every coaster needed to include at least one loop, a slow-down stop, and creative decorations inspired by the themed roller coasters found at amusement parks.

Throughout the project, students relied on creativity, collaboration, math skills, and the scientific method as they designed, tested, redesigned, and refined their creations. Groups analyzed what worked, identified challenges, made adjustments, and in some cases started over entirely before successfully completing their final designs.

The project challenged students to apply their understanding of the four forces studied in class while ensuring their coaster had enough momentum to complete a loop and safely guide the marble to a stop. More importantly, it gave students the opportunity to experience physics in action through experimentation, teamwork, and hands-on learning.

The final roller coasters showcased not only impressive engineering and creativity, but also the persistence and problem-solving skills students developed throughout the process.

#SaklanHandsOn

Head’s Corner: What Kind of Childhood Are We Trying to Protect?

When I was a child, I routinely got into trouble. (Hard to believe, right?)

I grew up in a Detroit neighborhood with lots of friends and neighbors around. Most of the trouble we got into could best be described as “good trouble.” Staying out past the time the streetlights came on. Using the entire city block to play tag, running through neighbors’ backyards with friends, cutting across lawns. Nothing serious. Nothing mean-spirited. Just the ordinary trouble of childhood: testing boundaries, losing track of time, and discovering the world beyond adult eyes.

Looking back, I am struck by how much learning was tucked inside those moments. We were practicing judgment, negotiating with friends, taking small risks, and discovering what it felt like to be trusted.

I have been thinking about this because of two things I have been reading: The Amazing Generation and a new report from the Institute for Family Studies, High Tech, Low Play: The Life of American Children. Together, they point to something many of us sense: children need more than protection from the virtual world. They need more opportunities to experience the real one.

What struck me most in the report was a simple but unsettling idea: many children today are highly protected in the physical world, yet relatively unprotected in the digital one. They have access to screens earlier and more often, while having fewer opportunities to roam, play, take small risks, and build independence with friends.

That imbalance gives me pause.

Many children today can wander widely online before they are trusted to wander very far in real life. They may have access to enormous digital worlds before they have had enough practice navigating the physical one.

This is not to say we should simply recreate the childhoods we remember. The world has changed. But children still need opportunities to stretch, explore, decide, negotiate, and discover their own capabilities.

That is one reason I am drawn to The Amazing Generation, by Jonathan Haidt. Its invitation is not simply for children to put down their screens, but to imagine what they might pick up instead: more freedom, more friendship, more movement, more play, more responsibility, and more real-life adventure.

So what kind of childhood are we trying to protect?

One with enough safety to feel held, and enough freedom to grow. One with adults close enough to guide, but not so close that children never get to practice. One with room for play, movement, friendship, responsibility, and the small, good trouble that helps children discover their capacity.

And maybe that is the real invitation — not just to give children fewer screens, but to give them more childhood.

Sincerely,

David

Time to Return Library Books!

As the school year comes to a close, it’s time to start checking bookshelves, backpacks, and bedside tables for any Saklan Library books that may still be at home.

Meredith and Joy kindly ask that all library books be returned by Friday, May 22, so the library can prepare for the end of the year and get ready for another great season of reading ahead.

The Saklan Library has been filled with so many wonderful stories, discoveries, and adventures this year, and we are grateful to all of our students for making reading such an important part of their school experience.

Thank you for another fantastic year of book reading!

Class of 2026 Graduation

The Saklan School is excited to celebrate the graduating Class of 2026 with a commencement ceremony honoring their achievements, growth, and contributions to the community on Friday, May 29, at 10:15 a.m. on the Saklan Sports Court. This meaningful event will bring together the school community, as all Saklan students from Kindergarten through eighth grade will participate in the celebration in various ways.

Families and guests are warmly invited to attend, and we kindly ask that those planning to join us RSVP by May 22.

RSVP for Graduation

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2026 with you!

#SaklanGraduation #Classof2026

Wrapped in Gratitude

Teacher Appreciation Week left our faculty and staff feeling wrapped in gratitude, thanks to the generosity and thoughtfulness of our community.

The week kicked off with thoughtful gifts from the PA, including RUMPL blankets, Uni Body Glow Kits, fresh flowers, and coffee, all warmly received and deeply appreciated. From there, the celebrations continued with a beautiful brunch featuring bagels, donuts, and quiche on Monday, followed by a delicious spread of Mexican food and desserts on Tuesday, bagels and crowd-pleasing burgers and fries on Wednesday, and a delicious potluck of family recipes today.

The week also brought kind notes that brightened the campus and lifted spirits. Each moment reflected the deep appreciation that families have for the educators who support, challenge, and inspire students every day.

We are incredibly grateful to the parents who contributed their time, energy, and creativity to make this week so special. Your generosity not only honors our teachers and staff but also strengthens the sense of connection that makes Saklan such a unique and supportive place to learn and grow.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanPA

A Day in Charge: Head of School for a Day

Not many schools give you a privilege like being the Head of School for the Day, but Saklan just happens to be so awesome that it does. This isn’t even the best day I’ve had at Saklan! (It is up there, of course.) At the time I’m writing this post, I’m simultaneously thinking about the fun to be had before the day is done! I’ll still have free recesses, and not miss out on classes that give homework, so the schedule is clearly well thought through and meets the needs of me, my friends, and my teachers!

This isn’t the only way Saklan is amazing; I could name a hundred more ways! Here are a few:

  • Off-campus lunch on the last Thursday of every month
  • Free dress passes that reward good behavior with a day of your outfit of choice
  • A host of other great activities to be bought at the auction, such as bowling and smoothies, an escape room, and Librarian for the Day
  • Sisi’s is a popular reward for the students after a long project!
  • Teachers have fun, interactive activities that help students understand what they’re learning, and have fun with friends while learning it

And that’s just a few reasons that Saklan tries (and succeeds) to help its students feel like going to school every day, and looking forward to it. 

There’s something else exciting going on today as well: The opening of the Art Show! As a student in the classroom during – and participant in – the creation of the Art Show artwork, I can personally say that the students worked hard, every last one of them. No matter which ones are less than perfect, great effort was put into them, nevertheless! There were some off-topic conversations, so a HUGE shoutout to Lauren (the art teacher) for ceasing conversation not about artwork, because getting a room full of middle schoolers to sit down and quietly work on artwork is a gigantic feat, one that I could never even come close to accomplishing!

All in all, Saklan is an amazing school, and the Head of School for the Day is a fun thing to bid on for your (grateful) child at the auction. An Art Show only adds to the fun! If you or someone you know is thinking of sending your kid to Saklan, then you’ve/they’ve got good taste and probably love carrot cake. (Am I right? If not, then what’s the matter with you? Go have some carrot cake!)

Now craving carrot cake,

Makena

Head of School for the Day

Middle School Musical Tickets Now Available

The Saklan Middle School students are very excited for their culminating project for music class, a performance of Curtains Young@Part. Every student in the Middle School is participating in the production, whether performing in a lead role, managing props, supporting costumes, or working behind the scenes as a stagehand. The show is a true collaborative effort! 

On Friday, May 15th, the students will perform at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette. The entire community is invited to the show. Tickets are required for attendance and can be purchased by clicking the button below.

Curtains Tickets

We hope you can join us for what is sure to be a wonderful show!

#SaklanMusicals #SaklanCreative

Art Show Opening Reception

The Saklan School’s Annual Art Show will open on Friday, May 1, at the Moraga Art Gallery, located in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center. This much-anticipated event celebrates the creativity and artistic growth of Saklan students across all grade levels.

An opening reception will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., offering families and community members the opportunity to view the artwork, connect with one another, and celebrate the students’ accomplishments.

The exhibition will remain on display through Wednesday, May 6. Gallery hours are 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday, providing multiple opportunities to experience the collection.

In addition, Moraga’s Art Walk on Sunday, May 3, offers another wonderful chance to visit the gallery and enjoy students’ work as part of a broader community celebration of the arts.

#SaklanCreative #SaklanCommunity