Category: Head’s Corner

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.

This is the time of the year when our 8^th graders find 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 College Preparatory School
  
• The Athenian School
  
• Monte Vista High School
• Campolindo High School
• Bentley School
  
• Las Lomas High School
• Orinda Academy
• Head-Royce School
  
• Benicia High School
• Concord High School
• Northgate High School

This is very much in line with the pattern of high school attendance for Saklan graduates over the past 10 years. Of the independent schools, the top destinations are Bentley, Athenian, College Prep, and Head-Royce. An important fact to note is that over 90% of our 8^th graders got into their high school of choice.

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, Graduation, and a number of interesting field trips.

Have a great Spring Break!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

Our Annual Concert at the Lesher Center for the Arts is truly one of the most exciting events of the school year. Yesterday, a big audience of about 570 parents, relatives, friends, staff, and students were treated to a program that was fun, engaging and instructive. I would like to highly commend our music teacher, Mrs. Grace Chaffey, for another outstanding Annual Concert at the Lesher Center. I would also like to commend Mr. Isaac Narell, whose work with the 4th and 5th graders was superlative. A big thank you to the band which featured Saklan’s own Mr. Sam Prestianni, Mr. Isaac Narell, Ms. Ashley Jennings, Mr. Javier Yacarini, and alumnus James Rokas. The theme of our concert was “Rise Up – Motown, Funk and Soul.” This show was the culmination of a year-long educational exploration of music that has shaped popular culture and left us a rich legacy of tunes that have stood the test of time over the decades. I am certain that the theater full of parents, relatives, and friends were as impressed as I was by the unique talent, energy, and joy that our Saklan students can pack into one show!

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

Last Friday marked the end of our second trimester and report cards are being put in the mail today. You will also receive an email today inviting you to sign up for our Parent-Teacher Conferences which are held on March 23 & 24. This year, we will be doing all of conference sign ups online using SignUp 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.

One of the important themes that we have been working on at Saklan has been generosity. This has clearly been embraced by our community at the Saklan Annual Auction, An Evening in Old Hollywood. This was not only a fun event but produced impressive earnings which will help us keep on track with our programs, and give us a tremendous boost in further developing our STEM program. A big thank you to Katy DeBasa, Tony Edwardson, all of the volunteers that worked on the auction, and all of the parents that donated and supported the auction, for a memorable evening. Our Fund-a-Need project was well supported, and we managed to raise over $50,000. As a result, this summer we will be able to renovate our Science Lab and purchase new equipments and materials to enhance STEM at Saklan.

Two exciting dates are on the calendar for March. Our annual concert at the Lesher Center for the Arts is scheduled for March 16th, and Grandparents and Special Friends Day is on March 31st. I look forward to big crowds on these important and fun events.

Have a great weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

Today, we had our fourth Family Group session of the year. This past month the theme has been Honesty and our students spent some time thinking, discussing, and reflecting on how this is an important topic. Many of you must have seen the cartoon where the student blames the family dog for not doing their homework. In one of the activities called “Oh! What A Tangled Web We Weave,” we used this classic age-old excuse to show what happens when you lie. In a role-play activity, a student gave false answers to a series of questions starting with “Why didn’t you get your homework done for today?” This was answered with a lie, such as “The dog ate my homework.” A follow-up question, such as “How did the dog get your homework?” took the lie to a deeper level. As the questions and lies continued, the idea of a tangled web of dishonesty emerged.

The Family Groups also watched a video on Honesty, and as a bi-product of the discussions, created a poster on reasons why one should always be honest. This will be on display in the notice board in the school entrance.

Tomorrow, March 4 is our Annual Auction and I hope that you will be there to celebrate an outstanding year, have fun, and support our students. STEM, which stands for the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, is the focus of our fund-a-need.  The project includes a redesign and upgrade of the entire Science classroom to foster greater collaboration, exploration, and allow for STEM related activities. The project also calls for the purchase of new technology and equipment, such as a digital microscope, 3D printer, robotics and coding resources, and tablets to name a few. This is a project that will impact all the students at Saklan and we hope for your support in achieving our goals.

Have a great weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

At Flag this morning, our eighth graders presented their Legacy Baskets, which will be auctioned off next Saturday night. 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. Our eighth grade students have been a remarkable group this year and have been outstanding role models to our younger students. 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.

The qualities, attitudes and leadership skills that our eighth graders show embody our school mission, and the ultimate goals of our Middle School program. The Middle School is a unique time of change, and at Saklan, we recognize that each student has their own learning style which is why we focus on each student’s individual needs. Our teachers use creative approaches in teaching so that each student discovers how to learn effectively. Through our small classes, distinctive teacher-student relationships, and genuine concern for each student, we emphasize social emotional growth, academic excellence through critical thinking, and commitment to community through leadership and extra-curricular opportunities.

Ultimately, Middle School is a time for personal discovery and learning how to become a positive member of the community. Our students are provided with opportunities to learn who they are, what makes them stand out, and most importantly, who they want to become. Each day is purposely blended with academic challenges and personal growth encounters to keep the teachers motivated, and the students focused on reaching their personal best. All of this is supported by our small class size which, like in our Lower School, allows teachers to go above and beyond academic excellence, and foster the confidence and habits of mind that will assure success in later studies.

Next Saturday, March 4 is our annual Auction and I hope that you will be there to celebrate an outstanding year, have fun and support our students. STEM is the focus of our fund-a-need and I will write more about that next week. I would also like to recommend an outstanding STEM event being offered at St. Mary’s College for our Middle School girls on March 18^th.

Have a great weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

We are in the midst of the enrollment season for next year and many parents have been thinking a lot about the best path for their children’s education.  A parent has recently asked me to summarize our our Lower School’s academic program and goals, so I thought it might be useful to share this with you in the blog this week.  Next week, I will write about the Middle School program.

The way that I think about our Lower School program is that it goes above and beyond academic excellence. With academic excellence being at the core of the Saklan Lower School curriculum, we offer a program that is rigorous and developmentally appropriate, and at the same time supportive and individualized. The Lower School academic program provides a strong foundation of concepts and skills in the core subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, and science. To this end, our teachers use a variety of instructional methods, mixing direct instruction, independent practice, hands-on learning, inquiry, cooperative group work, and individualization to help our students develop a deep knowledge base and a solid foundation in thinking and reasoning skills.

In addition to establishing a solid core academic foundation from Kindergarten onwards, we enhance the learning experience for our students with specialist classes in art, music, physical education, information technology, and Spanish as a world language. In all subject areas, our teachers provide dynamic and innovative lessons through integrated units, hands-on activities, simulations, field trips, student projects, and differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students.

At Saklan, our goal is to go above and beyond academic excellence. Our small class size allows our teachers to support individual learning styles, fosters a high level of student engagement, and permits each student to take risks and develop a strong sense of self-confidence. The Saklan mission infuses the classroom environment with students constantly encouraged to be creative, courageous, and compassionate with each other and the world around them. Developing leadership skills and learning effective study habits, helps students prepare for the academic expectations ahead.

In the Lower School, we provide many opportunities to support our student’s social, emotional, and ethical development. Our SEL (Social Emotional Learning) program fosters a deep understanding of themes, such as respect, honesty, empathy, perseverance, collaboration, and gratitude. Social and emotional themes are addressed in classroom, in weekly assemblies, and on the yard at recess. Mixed grade level “Family Groups” led by eighth grade students meet regularly to extend this work, develop caring and supportive relationships, and create a true sense of community at Saklan.

In our Lower School program, we are deeply committed to helping our students explore their creative potential across all the disciplines. We offer many opportunities for each student to develop presentation and communication skills. Annual concerts and musicals, as well as art exhibits which involve every student, add an element of excitement to the academic program. Field trips and experiences outside of the classroom make learning dynamic and connected. At Saklan, we feel that academic excellence is only the starting point of what we offer in the Lower School.

As you know, today is the deadline for the early enrollment discount and I hope that you will take advantage of this. Please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have and I will be happy to get back to you immediately. If by chance, you have forgotten about the deadline, note that we will honor the early enrollment discount for contracts returned before 8:30AM when school re-opens on Tuesday.

Have a great long weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

Following two weeks of almost constant rain, we finally had enough of a dry spell to hold Flag this morning. During Flag, we presented a check for $782 to Kevin Reneau, President of Rotary Moraga, in support of the All-Access Playground Project in Moraga Commons. The Rotary is the organization promoting this project, which ensures all children have access to playground structures, and has raised over $200,000 from many local community organizations and businesses. Our donation was the result of three bake and hot chocolate sales last month. A big thank you to the many parents, faculty, staff, and students that worked together to support this worthy endeavor.

In a few weeks, we will have our annual auction and as I mentioned in a previous blog, the Fund-A-Need proceeds will go directly towards enhancing our Science Program. The first goal will be to redesign and renovate our current science classroom to better facilitate STEM activities and collaboration. We also aim to incorporate newer technology and purchase equipment, such as digital microscopes with projectors, 3D printers, and STEM related building kits and activities. Future ongoing plans will be to send teachers to related educational conferences and adding more in depth STEM & design and coding projects. Our talented science teacher, Ms. Vickie Obenchain, is thrilled by this opportunity to take our current science program to a whole new level and further inspire and prepare our students for the future.

In the spirit of setting our sights high and in reflecting on what is made possible through collaboration in science, engineering, technology, and math, we are excited to be able to offer our donors at $10,000 or above, an absolutely priceless archival quality personalized, signed, and framed print of the iconic “Earthrise” photo taken by Saklan grandfather, astronaut Bill Anders on the historic Apollo 8 Mission in 1968. Our sincerest thanks to the Anders family for making this amazing gift possible. Please come to the auction on March 4 to have some fun and help us bring our science program to another level.

Have a great weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

We have moved into February and are now about one month away from our Annual Auction which will be held at the Orinda County Club on March 4. As I write this, our Auction Co-Chairs, Tony Edwardson and Katy DeBasa, together with Carol Goldman and the Parent Association are meeting to put the final touches to what is certain to be a fabulous evening.  A big shout-out to Katy, Tony and Carol, and all the auction volunteers for organizing this exciting event.

This year we have decided to focus our Fund-a-Need Project on renovating the Science Room with the goal of incorporating a more STEM-focused program. While STEM programs are more common at the high school level, a growing number of middle, and even elementary schools, are embracing the STEM movement. At Saklan, STEM is a natural fit with the school’s mission and educational goals and our Science teacher, Miss Obenchain, is already incorporating a STEM approach in her Science classes.

What defines a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program is that learning is collaborative and project-based. It allows students to work closely together in a hands-on way to solve real world problems. Learning problem solving skills and helping students develop into creative, critical thinkers is at the core of any true STEM program.  Teachers in a STEM program do not just tell students information, but rather allow students to use their own data and discovery to realize a concept. While all schools teach math and science, good STEM program connects and focuses deeply on these subjects in hopes of better preparing students for the high-demand tech jobs of the future.

Our Fund-a-Need Project of renovating the Science Room will involve a complete redesign of the room with new furnishings and purchasing STEM materials and equipment. This is an exciting project and will impact all of the Saklan community as every Saklan student has classes in the Science Room. In the weeks ahead, look for much more information about STEM at Saklan, and please support this project with your participation at the auction.

Thank you again to all the parents that attended the Town Hall last Friday. A letter with your free dress passes will be in the mail next week and slides from the Town Hall are available here.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

Yesterday, we held an all-school earthquake drill. Saklan students did an outstanding job of following the prescribed procedures of duck and cover and then evacuating the building in an orderly fashion. To simulate what might happen in a real earthquake, we had one student hide in the restroom, which required our search and rescue team to go back and find her.

Being prepared in an emergency is something we take seriously and practice regularly at Saklan. Every month we do an earthquake, fire or lockdown drill, and our faculty and staff have done an outstanding job in emergency preparedness. After every drill, we do an evaluation and look for issues and improvements. After yesterday’s drill, we discovered that a visitor had signed into the guest book but failed to sign out. In a real earthquake, this might have resulted in a team going back in to search for the missing person. This told us that we need to be more attentive with documenting visitors on campus.

Today, after school, we will run a bus evacuation drill. It is important for our students to also know how to exit from the bus in the event of an emergency. More information on our safety procedures can be found in our Crisis and Preparedness Plan, which is found on RenWeb.

Another safety issue that we are working on is the crossing from the parking lot at Willow Spring Church to the campus. The need for an official crosswalk has been brought to the attention of the town of Moraga, and we are working with Moraga Public Works to address this concern. Until we get this situation resolved, please be exceptionally careful when crossing School Street to and from the parking lot.

Many thanks to the parents that came out to our Town Hall this morning. My compliments to all the Board Members, PA Officers and staff, all of which made excellent presentations. The slides will be posted on our website next week.

Have a great weekend!

Peter