Category: Head’s Corner

Dear Saklan Community,

As we rapidly approach the end of this school year, I would like to share some important staffing news with you for the next year. First of all, I must announce the retirement of Carol Schofield after teaching 2nd grade at Saklan for these past 20 years. Retirement is naturally a great achievement and just reward after a long and successful career of teaching, and thus an event of joy and celebration. For Saklan, however, it represents the loss of one of its most accomplished and respected teachers. Having spent countless hours in the 2nd grade class, I can truly say that Carol is one of the most competent and creative teachers that I have worked with in my career. Saklan has been very fortunate to have had her services for these past 20 years.

There is, however, a silver lining to this announcement in that moving into 2nd grade for next year will be Yette Prizeman, who has been our Kindergarten teacher these past two years and whose previous experience was in the lower elementary grades. Having Yette take over 2nd grade will ensure for a smooth and seamless transition for next year. The open Kindergarten position will be taken over by Karen Catanzarite, our Hoot Owl teacher and Early Childhood Director. Prior to her work in the pre-kindergarten, Karen taught Kindergarten for 10 years and thus is more than qualified for this role.

We will also be saying goodbye to Ashley Jennings who has been with us for two years as an assistant teacher in the preschool and Kindergarten, and teacher in the extended program. Ashley will leave Saklan to finish her teaching credential. In light of the outstanding work and talent that Ashley has shown at Saklan, I would not be surprised to see her back in the near future in a teaching role.

Also leaving Saklan, after being in our community for many years, will be Christine Kuckuk, our Director of Marketing. Christine’s efforts in crafting, refining and promoting the Saklan image has helped establish the outstanding reputation and visibility that Saklan has today in the Lamorinda and surrounding areas. Our congratulations, mixed with a bit of envy, to Christine and her family on their move to the ever beautiful Lake Tahoe region.

This Saturday, May 12th is the date of the Moraga Community Faire and Car Show. Saklan will again have a booth at this fun event. Please drop by and say hello!

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

This past week has been one of the best weeks of school this year for all faculty and staff. All week long, we have been thrilled and pampered by the wonderful messages of appreciation, meals and gifts organized by our parents. All of the faculty and staff feel gratitude and thankful for the wonderful community that supports our efforts and inspires us to do our best in our work at Saklan.

On the theme of Teacher Appreciation Week, I would like to share with you a video clip by poet Taylor Mali titled, “What Teachers Make.” I shared this a few years ago but it is still relevant and very much sums up the complexity, passion and importance that the job of teaching entails. Please enjoy and share.

Next Friday, on May 11th, we will be holding our Saklan Arts Festival from 3:00-7:00PM. Please come and be astounded by the wealth of creativity that has come from our student body during their Art program this year. On the same evening, we will have our Family Fun Night with a movie and BBQ which makes this an event not to be missed.

Next Wednesday, May 9th, all students in Grades 3-5 are invited to participate in the annual Rotary Field Day. This event involves all schools in Moraga and is a fun event for our students. The event takes place starting at 3:30PM at the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School. Mr. Crabtree and I will accompany our students, and everyone is invited to come out and cheer for the Saklan team.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

We recently received a letter from an organization called Guide Dogs for the Blind thanking our 2nd graders for a donation of $343.00. This is a community service project that our 2nd grade class has been doing for many years. The money, raised through a bake sale, was used to buy and train a guide dog that would be given to a blind person. Congratulations to Mrs. Schofield and our 2nd graders for making a difference.

Community service is an important aspect of the educational program at Saklan and is an essential part preparing our students to take responsibility as open-minded, principled citizens in the local and global community. Moreover, it teaches students about people of all backgrounds, about issues and problems in our society, and promotes compassion and understanding. All of our middle school students engage in some form of community service. Activities range from coaching younger children baseball and taekwondo, helping animals at ARF, bagging food at the Alameda County Food Bank, or building backdrops and sets for school musicals and concerts.

Some classes, like the 2nd grade, do additional projects, which range from 4th grade doing book drives to 3rd and 6th grades helping with EBMUD to weed out non-native plants. Larger school-wide projects have included participating in the Monument Crisis Center Food Drive, helping at the Moraga Garden Farm, and last year raising funds to donate to the Moraga All-Access Playground Project.

This year, our 7th graders are participating in the World Citizen Essay Contest sponsored by the World Affairs Council. The goal is to promote discussion among students about the ways that individuals can effect positive change in the global community. This is great way for our students to learn about the 17 United Nations Development Goals and think about ways to address the global challenges that they will be facing in the future. I am happy to hear that this project will be presented at Flag next Friday morning. I encourage all parents to come out for Flag on May 4th and hear what our students have written about before the world contest winners are announced on May 10th.

Have a good weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

Today we had a very interesting Flag. Of course they all are. What stood out was the depth and variety of learning that occurs at Saklan on a daily basis. The spectrum of this was wonderfully shown by Kindergarten students presenting an analysis of the structure of the fairy tale, and then 8th grade students presenting an analysis of the algebraic function. Equally impressive as the depth of our curriculum, was the creativity of the presentations and confidence that the students demonstrated in speaking before the entire school community.

Thanks to our parents, their families and friends, The Saklan School has a long-standing history of being voted BEST OF in the annual contest put on by both the Bay Area Parent magazine and the Parents Press magazine. Please take a moment to vote for your favorite school.  Please note that there are separate categories for:

1. Preschool
2. Elementary School
3. Middle School
4. Summer Camp

Tomorrow night is our Annual Auction and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Lafayette Park Hotel. This is not only an important fundraiser for Saklan but a fun event that brings our community together. Please remember our fund-a-need project, which is in support of the Creative, Performing and Visual Arts.

Have a good weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

This morning at flag, our 8th graders presented their Legacy Baskets, which will be auctioned off next Saturday evening at our annual auction. I was very impressed by the amount of effort, thought and creativity that went into each basket. It was also interesting to see how each basket reflected the character and interests of each graduate. One can truly see what a group of dynamic individuals we will soon be sending on to a variety of high schools in the upcoming school year.

In addition to this, Carol Goldman, our Director of Development, presented two works of art that will also be auctioned off. They are a collage made by the Owlets and a painting made by our talented Spanish Teacher, Ester Vines. I look forward to seeing you at the auction, and if you haven’t already signed up, please do come and support the great education that we provide for each of our students.

This is the time of the year when our 8th graders have found out which high school they will attend in August. Finding the right high school is important and the middle school faculty at Saklan has worked hard over the past months helping our graduates make the right choice to match their skills, interests and goals. I am pleased to announce that this year’s graduates were accepted to the following list of high schools:

• The Athenian School
• Campolindo High School
• Bentley School
• Las Lomas High School
• San Ramon Valley High School
• St. John’s-Ravenscourt School (Winnipeg)
• De La Salle High School
• St. Mary’s College High School

Have a good weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

I would like to start by thanking all of the wonderful grandparents and special friends that came out this morning for our annual event celebrating this important aspect of our community. The day was truly enjoyable and our students were thrilled to show off their campus, teachers and classmates, and engage in a fun activity with their guests.

I am happy to formally announce a new scholarship program that Saklan has instituted in memory of Sharon Reichow.  Sharon, who passed away one year ago, was our 5th grade teacher for thirteen years and was one of the stellar teachers that contributed to the school’s growing reputation in the community. Much of the success of the Saklan middle school program can be attributed to the high level of preparation that was characteristic of the students that graduated from Sharon’s 5th grade class. In honor of her commitment and dedication to Saklan, we are launching the “Sharon Reichow Memorial Scholarship for New Middle School Students.” This scholarship will be available for new students who have not yet applied to the Saklan middle school for the 2018-19 school year, and who show high academic potential and commitment to the school’s mission.

We now go into our Spring Break, which I hope will be restful and re-energizing. Upon our return, we will have less than two months of school left, and in this time we have a number of big activities planned at Saklan. These include the Middle School Musical, the Spring Arts Festival, Book Fair, Family Fun Night, and Graduation.

Have a great Spring Break!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

In today’s Flag we recognized International Pi Day, which is March 13 (3.14).  This has become an annual Saklan tradition started by our Math teacher, Saul Zippin, and involves 8^th graders presenting inspiring poems about the Quadratic Formula and a competition to see who can memorize the largest number of digits for Pi. This year’s competition saw the establishment of a new school record. To the delight and awe of the entire school body, and many parents and friends in the audience, 8^th grader Brian recited the value of Pi to 95 digits and thus established a new school record.  It has been Brian’s goal to win this competition and for the past year and he has been preparing with the use of an online game called Pi Runner.  As the reigning champ, Brian’s advice to future competitors is:  Keep on Counting!!

Last Friday marked the end of our second trimester and report cards are being put in the mail today.  You will also have received an email today inviting you to sign up for our Parent-Teacher Conferences which are held on March 22nd & 23rd.  This year we will be doing all of conference sign ups on line using Sign Up Genius.  This is a great time to get an update on your child’s academic progress as we move towards the end of the year.

This week we sent out invitations to our annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day which will be held on Friday, March 30^th.   We look forward to honoring and celebrating our students’ grandparents or their special friends with a program of music, student presentations and fun activities in the classroom.  Please make sure you RSVP so that we can welcome you in the best possible way.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

This morning, the rain let up and the sun came out just in time for us to hold our first Flag of March.  Presenting today, were our 3^rd Grade class who shared information about their Native Americans projects.  Next week’s Flag will be a special day for all math fans.  Don’t miss this annual celebration of pi, with a special pi reciting competition, quadratic equations poems and a presentation of certificates of merit to our MATHCOUNTS Team.  The Mathcounts team, coached by Mr. Zippin, participated in the regional chapter competition last weekend, and while we didn’t win any prizes, our students did a great job and are setting the stage for even better results in the future.

Today marks the end of our second trimester and report cards will be put in the mail next Friday.  You will soon receive an email today inviting you to sign up for our Parent-Teacher Conferences which will be held on March 22 & 23.  We will again be doing all of conference sign ups on line using Sign-Up Genius.  This is a great time to get an update on your child’s academic progress as we move towards the end of the year.

Two exciting dates are on the calendar for March.  Our annual concert at the Lesher Center is scheduled for March 15^th and Grandparents and Special Friends Day is on March 30th.  I look forward to big crowds on these important and fun events.

Have a great weekend!

Peter