Category: General

Although this fall has been challenging for many of our families with power outages and fires, it was the intense winds that changed the course of our Pumpkin Decorating and Carving Get Together last weekend. Moraga Commons was blowing too intensely to make it an enjoyable afternoon. We would still like to give much love and appreciation to Lori O’Keefe and the PA for organizing and planning an enticing fall gathering for our community. The number of RSVP’s is a great indicator that we would love to continue this tradition for years to come. Thank you again, Lori, for the inspiration!

#SaklanCommunity

We are pleased to introduce Kimberley Lloyd, our long-term substitute for Mrs. Chaffey. Mrs. Chaffey will be on Family Leave from October 21st until January 6th.

Kimberley is currently studying for her Masters of Music at Holy Names University in Oakland. She holds a Bachelor of Education Honours with a specialization in Music from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She has eight years of experience teaching music in schools. Before she moved to the Bay Area, Kimberley was teaching 5th through 12th grades in Australia using the Kodaly method.

Kimberley is experienced in chorale teaching and leading musical ensembles. She is very passionate about her choirs and she works hard to make sure that her students not only enjoy choir but that they produce quality sound. She has also led percussion groups and other small ensembles. Kimberley believes that the positive benefits of playing as a group are wide reaching; it boosts children’s confidence and enhances their aural skills. Engaging students in learning to read music notation and develop aural and practical skills is a basic and necessary skill that she is passionate about. She uses a variety of teaching approaches,materials and tasks to ensure that her students are engaged and motivated.

Kimberley has been here this week to meet the students and work with Mrs. Chaffey. We are excited to officially welcome Ms. Lloyd on Monday!

#SaklanWellRounded

Last week, we highlighted our parent volunteers and their work in the library. Last week, we received our READ poster from the printer featuring last year’s Auction winner Lilia Ghassemi. Lilia is an ardent reader who loves reading because it allows her to imagine herself in different situations. She is a fan of both comedy and drama.

One of her favorite books is Click’d by renowned author Tamara Ireland – a story of girls, coding and an ethical dilemma. Lilia is currently reading Switched at Birthday by Natalie Standiford. The novel is a story of two young girls who have the same birthdays but nothing else in common. Thank you, Lilia for supporting reading at Saklan!

#saklanreads

This summer, a few parents and the PA approached the school offering to dive in and help with a Library makeover. They have been busy since the start of the year thinking and working (even giving up a Sunday) on reorganizing and beautifying our Saklan Library. After consulting with teachers, they have started to revamp the library to look and feel more like a bookstore, making access and organization easy for students to understand. They have sourced a new cataloging system and digital check-out software. With those tools, we will be able to move forward with ordering new books that will fill some of the gaps our library has (especially in the areas of diversity and global thinking). Keep an eye on this spot as they have bigger plans for the library, including a Birthday Book Program and family discounts at local booksellers.

Dear Guardians, Saklan thanks you!

#SaklanVolunteers

If you missed this item at the Auction and still want to get it, then please sign up by Monday, September 30th.

#SaklanAuction

One of the many strengths of the Saklan community is the base of volunteers we have to help us with everything we do. While the school could most likely operate without volunteers, we would seriously be half the school with half the program if we did not have volunteers helping us. On that note, the Parent Association would love additional support in the following committees. If you are interested or have questions, please email Sandy Lo at sandralo@gmail.com!  Thank you for your time and energy!

• Uniform Exchange Committee – Need 2 more
• Lower School Musical Parent Committee – Need 1 more
• Middle School Musical Parent Committee – Need 2 more
• Auction Committee – Need 3 more
• Yearbook Committee – Need 2 more
• Book Fair Committee – Need 1 more
• Art Festival Support – Need 1 more

#SaklanCompassionate

One of the many strengths of the Saklan community is the base of volunteers we have to help us with everything we do. While the school could most likely operate without volunteers, we would seriously be half the school with half the program if we did not have volunteers helping us. On that note, the Parent Association would love additional support in the following committees. If you are interested or have questions, please email Sandy Lo at sandralo@gmail.com!  Thank you for your time and energy!

• Uniform Exchange Committee – Need 2 more
• Lower School Musical Parent Committee – Need 1 more
• Middle School Musical Parent Committee – Need 2 more
• Auction Committee – Need 3 more
• Yearbook Committee – Need 2 more
• Book Fair Committee – Need 1 more
• Art Festival Support – Need 1 more

#SaklanCompassionate

In conjunction with the Parents Association, Saklan is working to become more Sugar Aware.

What does that mean?

It means that when we as a school have events or parties, we will be more thoughtful about the sorts of snacks and treats we serve. We will also ask parents to be more thoughtful when they bring treats in for a class by making sure they are not loaded with sugar or unhealthy ingredients. To help with this, the Parents Association will begin posting recipes for classroom treats in their monthly newsletter that are healthier and less sugary. We appreciate everyone’s efforts in moving to a healthier environment here at school. To understand how sugar impacts the brain, click here.

#SaklanCreative