Category: General

Congratulations, Class of 2025!

This morning, we honored and celebrated The Saklan School’s Graduating Class of 2025. It was a heartfelt ceremony in which the middle school teachers introduced the graduates, and the graduates shared short speeches with their parents, teachers, and fellow students.

A highlight of the ceremony was a speech by Saklan alumnus Finn Anders. Finn graduated from Saklan in 2017 and has since completed high school at The Athenian School and graduated from Kenyon College earlier this month. The wisdom that Finn shared with the graduates about their time at Saklan and keeping their fire burning was inspiring! Equally heart-warming was Dianne leading the audience in singing “In My Life” by The Beatles.

We know the Saklan Class of 2025 will do great things as they move on to the following high schools:

  • The Athenian School
  • Bentley School
  • Bishop O’Dowd High School
  • The College Preparatory School
  • Head-Royce School
  • Las Lomas High School
  • St. Ignatius College Preparatory School

There are several people who made the graduation events possible this year. We would like to extend a special thank you to Mel Zippin, Emily Williamson, Kim Parks, Hector Ramos Diaz, and Javier Yacarani for organizing the graduation dinner and gifts. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, but the dinner was beautifully orchestrated. Thank you to Kim Parks, Vickie Obenchain, and Jennifer Lettieri for helping the students express themselves so eloquently in their graduation speeches. Additionally, a special shout-out goes to Dianne Hurvitz, Shay Sager, Kim Parks, Emily Williamson, Hector Ramos Diaz, and Javier Yacarini for all their behind-the-scenes work handling the logistics of the graduation ceremony.

#Classof2025

SEL in Action!

Saklan’s annual Family Group Field Day was a terrific day filled with exemplary sportsmanship, great team spirit, and tons of fun! Students in 1st through 8th grade kicked things off by performing creative and entertaining cheers in their family groups—each one judged by our enthusiastic panel of faculty and staff.

Following the cheers, the family groups faced off against each other as they rotated through the following activities:

  • Super Volleyball
  • Sponge Relay
  • Marbles, Marbles
  • Sack Relay
  • Charades

Next up was the water-balloon toss!

Finally, the family groups ended the day on the sports court where the top 3 teams were announced and popsicles were enjoyed by all.

This high-energy event wasn’t just about games and laughter—it was also a powerful culmination of the year’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) work. As students navigated relay races, team challenges, and friendly competition, they demonstrated the core SEL skills they’ve been developing all year. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of another wonderful year of family groups!

SaklanConnected #SaklanFamilyGroups

A Summer of Discovery

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.

From creating vibrant art masterpieces to diving into exciting science experiments, campers will explore the world through hands-on activities that spark creativity and encourage critical thinking. Alongside their artistic and scientific adventures, students will also enjoy fun games, engaging activities, and visits from special guests who will help bring learning to life.

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!

Summer Camp Registration

Session Dates & Hours

This summer, camp will run in one-week sessions from June 16th – August 1st.

  • June 16th to 20th – Session 1
  • June 23rd to 27th – Session 2 (No Camp on June 23rd for Mini Campers)
  • June 30th to July 3rd – Session 3 (No Camp on July 4th)
  • July 7th to 11th – Session 4
  • July 14th to 18th -Session 5
  • July 21st to 25th – Session 6
  • July 28th to Aug. 1st – Session 7

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.

Ages of Campers

Students entering Preschool through 3rd Grade in the Fall are invited to join us for Summer@Saklan. Students will be divided into two age groups again this summer:

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

Additional Information

Additional information on Summer@Saklan can be found on the summer webpage.

Filled with Gratitude

As we wrap up the 2024–2025 school year, we’re filled with gratitude.

Thank you to every Saklan family for helping make this year such a joyful, engaging, and meaningful experience. Your support, partnership, and enthusiasm have had a lasting impact on our students, staff, and community.

Thank you to all the family members who volunteered their time and talents. Your help was instrumental in making the following activities successful:

  • Back-to-School BBQ
  • Uniform Exchange
  • Annual Giving Fund
  • Parent Coffees
  • Grandfriends’ Day
  • Book Fair
  • Lower School Musical
  • All-School Concert
  • Saklan’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction
  • Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Middle School Musical
  • Yearbook
  • Field Experiences
  • Class Celebrations
  • Open Houses
  • Fall Festival
  • Taste of Traditions
  • Movie Night
  • Spring Service Social
  • Parent Education Events
  • Graduation Dinner

Additionally, thank you to everyone who cheered on and showed support for our students during the following events:

  • CLAS
  • Halloween Costume Parade
  • Fall Follies
  • The Aristocats Kids
  • Basketball Games
  • All-School Concert
  • Shrek Jr.
  • Annual Art Show
  • Presentations of Learning
  • Graduation

It was a wonderful year. Thank you, Saklan families, for your help and partnership in making the 24-25 year a success!

My Day as Head of School

Today I got to do something really special—I was Head of School at Saklan! From greeting families in the morning to handing out popsicles in the afternoon, the experience gave me a new way to see our school and helped me realize just how much I love being a Saklan student.

The day started bright and early with carline. I stood out front, smiling, waving, and helping students out of their cars—just like David does every morning. One of the best parts of the morning was getting to greet Penny, Vivi’s golden retriever, who came to school that day. She trotted right up to say hello and gave everyone a happy start to their morning.

I also visited classrooms and saw what students were learning. One of the coolest things I saw was the work the Hoot Owls and Owlets did for their Bug PBL Culmination earlier this week. Their projects were amazing!

Later, I surprised my class with a pizza lunch—everyone was really excited about that! And at the end of the day, I made one last big decision as Head of School: extra recess and popsicles for everyone!

Being Head of School for a day was very fun. It showed me how special Saklan is—not just because of pizza and popsicles, but because of the people, the learning, and the way we do things differently.

Here are my five favorite things about Saklan:

  1. PBL (Project Based Learning): Our projects are always fun and interesting. This year I really liked our Indigenous Peoples PBL. Last year, we did one on Adaptations, and in first grade, our Homes PBL was so much fun!
  2. Field Experiences: I love how we go on lots of cool field experiences. Some of my favorites were to Meredith’s Garden, the Pioneer Schoolhouse, and Chabot Space Center. I can’t wait for Coloma next year!
  3. Kind and Encouraging Teachers: Our teachers are always there to help us and cheer us on. They make learning fun and support us when we need it.
  4. Creative Students: The kids at Saklan are really creative. I see it in art, writing, and the cool ideas people have during class projects.
  5. Coach Rob: He’s the best! PE is always fun with Coach Rob. He teaches us to play fair, try our best, and work together as a team.

It was a great day.

Warmly,

Ruby

End of the School Year Reminders

As we count down to the end of the 2024-2025 school, there are a few reminders we would like to share with you.

Uniform Exchange

We are collecting gently used uniform shirts, jumpers, sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets (items with the Saklan logo on them) to be used in the Uniform Exchange. Next week there will be a plastic container in front of the school, please feel free to place any unwanted uniforms in it.

Lost and Found

We have many sweatshirts, jackets, and water bottles in the lost and found. These items will be placed out in the front of the school next week. Please look through them and take what is yours. All items left over after the school year ends will either be added to the uniform exchange or given to charity.

Graduation

All Saklan families and friends are invited to attend this year’s graduation on Friday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. The event is being held outdoors on the Sports Court, so if you are joining us, please prepare for potential sun (glasses/water bottle) or for breezier cool weather (sweaters/jackets).

You are Cordially Invited to Attend

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 with you!

Class of 2025 Graduation

You are Cordially Invited to Attend

We are excited to invite you to a graduation ceremony celebrating the Saklan Class of 2025! This year’s ceremony will be held on Friday, May 30th, at 10:00 a.m. on the Saklan Sports Court. We kindly request that those joining us RSVP by May 23rd.

RSVP for Graduation Here!

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 with you!

#SaklanGraduation #Classof2025

Drone Show on Tuesday

Saklan’s SIGMA Club invites all Saklan students and families to a special Drones & Robots presentation with FireBot Labs next Tuesday, May 20th, at 3:00 p.m. on the sports court. FireBot Labs founder and CEO Jonathan Collazo will be on campus to share a live demonstration of autonomous drones and robotics and to answer questions. We hope you can join us!

A Roaring Thank You!

We’re tipping our fedoras and feathered headbands to everyone who helped make Saklan’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction the bee’s knees! Whether you joined us for a swanky evening of celebration, placed your bets in the online auction, treated your youngster to a jazzy experience with a Saklan teacher, or generously contributed to our playground Fund-a-Need, your support was the cat’s pajamas!

Thanks to our dazzling community, we raised over $176,000 for our beloved school — with more than $113,000 earmarked for brand-new play structures that’ll have our kiddos jumping for joy!

The auction fun isn’t over yet! There are a few auction opportunities still available. Click on the links below to learn more!

Here’s to you, our fabulous Saklan community — you sure know how to throw a party and rally for an amazing cause. We couldn’t have done it without you!

#SaklanCommunity

Rounding Up Library Books

The end of the year is approaching fast, which means students are running out of time to return library books! As we head into the last two weeks of school, please check in with your student to see if they have any library books at home. Meredith and Joy request that all Saklan Library books be returned by next Friday, May 23rd.

Thank you for another wonderful year of book reading!