Category: General

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!

SIGMA: Fluffy Slime Finale!

At their final meeting of the school year, the students in Saklan’s SIGMA Club wrapped up with a hands-on science project that was equal parts fun and educational: making fluffy slime!

This gooey activity wasn’t just about creating something to take home—it was also a creative way to explore basic chemistry. Students learned that slime-making is a great introduction to chemical reactions. By combining everyday household ingredients like glue, shaving cream, and contact solution, students created a substance that behaves as neither a true solid nor a liquid, offering a fascinating look at how different materials interact.

The lesson was led by SIGMA Club founders Leo and Benji, who walked the club members through each step of the slime-making process. As you can imagine, things got very sticky! But the mess turned into a meaningful learning opportunity. Students were encouraged to problem-solve as they experimented with different ingredient ratios to adjust the texture of their slime. Through trial and error, they discovered how to balance the ingredients to get just the right stretch, fluff, or bounce.

To top it all off, students were given the freedom to customize their slime with vibrant colors and textures, making each one unique. Not only did the activity reinforce scientific thinking and experimentation, but it also provided a satisfying sensory experience that had everyone smiling.

What a fun and memorable way to close out the SIGMA year; great job, Leo and Benji!

#SaklanHandsOn #SaklanStudentLeadership

Saklan Student Art Shines

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Moraga Art Gallery last weekend for Saklan’s Annual Art Show! This special event marked the first time Saklan’s Art Show was held in an actual art gallery, but as usual, it was a fantastic event, showcasing the creativity and hard work of all Saklan students.

Your Feedback Requested

Since this was the first year of having the Art Show in an art gallery, we would love your feedback about the event (even if you weren’t able to attend). Please use the button below to complete our 1-question survey.

Art Show Survey

Appreciations

Thank you to Lauren for making the Art Show a reality. Her expert guidance and belief in the students through the art-making process, helping them to explore their creativity and express themselves, were evident in the art. We also appreciate the time she took to organize the art and determine the layout for the Art Show.

Thank you to David and Javi for transporting all the art and blackboards over to the gallery prior to the show, and back to Saklan after the show.

Thank you to Amy Schofield, Brian Lovrin, Javi, and David for helping Lauren arrange all the art for display.

Thank you to the Moraga Art Gallery for hosting the event and sharing their space with our student artists.

Thank you to the Saklan students for sharing their work with us. The time and detail that went into each of the pieces, as well as their propensity to think creatively, were on display during the show!

See You at the Art Show!

The Saklan School’s Annual Art Show opens this afternoon, Friday, May 2nd, at the Moraga Art Gallery in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center! We will be hosting an opening reception from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., and you are invited to join us. The students’ work will remain on display in the gallery through Sunday; feel free to stop by over the weekend to see it. The gallery hours are 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Thank you for helping us celebrate and support the talents of our young artists!