Category: Head’s Corner

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

Dear Saklan Parents,

Despite the abundance of rain, students have been having a lot of fun at Saklan. January is Spirit Month with a full schedule of different themes around which games and activities have been organized. Last week we had Sports Day and students came dressed in their favorite team attire. With this we had a very exciting three-legged race with lots of participation and laughter. This week was Crazy Hair Day, and the student body went……well crazy! My compliments to our Student Council and to Kim Parks for putting together this program.

Yesterday, we had our Moving Up Day for students in Pre-K through Grade 5. With the re-enrollment season ahead of us, students had a chance to meet their future teachers, see the next classroom, and get a taste of what it will be like at the next grade level. Next week, we will be sending out re-enrollment contracts. We have again built in an early enrollment discount, which effectively keeps the tuition at this year’s level. We are very eager to have all of our students back again next year, and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about our programs. Please share your experiences with your friends and neighbors who might be looking for an outstanding school with a supportive community. While we have been stepping up our marketing every year, your referrals are still our biggest promotional tool. So please continue to spread the word about Saklan.

This Sunday, our Parent Association is organizing a community dinner at Fuddruckers in Walnut Creek. It starts at 5:00PM and is for the whole family. Unfortunately, I will be away from Saklan for a couple of days, participating in an accreditation team visit to another independent school, and will not be able to participate. Please, also remember our Town Hall next Friday morning at 9:00AM. Besides hearing a wealth of information about the state of The Saklan School, Mrs. Chaffey and her students will give us a small taste of what will be presented at our annual concert.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Parents,

Happy New Year! I hope you have had a restful and enjoyable time with your family and friends. After two weeks of relaxation, it is great to be back at Saklan and start 2017 with a very enjoyable Flag and hear what our Grade 8 students learned from their week-long Washington D.C. field trip. We were also fortunate that the weather was dry and sunny, something that we have not seen much of this week. Next week, it looks like we will be having more rain, so for the days, and maybe weeks ahead, please keep an eye on the weather forecasts and make sure that your children’s rain jackets, hats and rain boots are ready to go.

Community service is a very important aspect of our program at Saklan. Each year our community and students engage in a number of activities that support our local community, both through direct involvement, such as volunteering at a food bank, or indirect involvement, such as raising funds for worthy causes. Starting this month, we will be supporting an important local project, the Lamorinda All-Access Playground. This project is being sponsored by the Moraga Rotary and is supported by many local schools, clubs, organizations, and businesses. The project involves the building of an all-access playground in the Moraga Commons that will provide specialized recreational equipment to benefit children of all abilities. Here is a link to a recent article about the project in the Lamorinda Weekly.

This is a community project that truly speaks to the Saklan mission and resonates with our educational philosophy of building an inclusive community and valuing the importance of play and movement. To this end, we will be running a series of bake and hot chocolate sales during the month of January with the proceeds being donated to the Lamorinda All-Access Playground Project. These will take place on three Friday afternoons, which are January 13, 20 and 27 from 2:00-3:30PM in the Hoot Owl room. Baked goods and hot chocolate will be only $1.00. A big thank you to the Student Council and to the many parents that are contributing with baked goods. Please support this important community project.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

We’ve come to the last act of the 2016 academic year and it’s hard to believe that this event filled year has come to an end. The final act has been the superlative rendition of Seussical KIDS by our Grades 3 to 5 students this morning. Thank you again Mrs. Chaffey and all the teachers and staff that helped, for creating the stage and the enthusiasm. Ending our year with such a showing of talent and passion is a fitting way to sum up the Saklan experience and underscore our mission of thinking creatively, acting compassionately, and living courageously.

With the start of 2017, we will continue our school-wide discussions around creating a vision for the future of Saklan. This will take place as a round table discussion on January 6^th at 9:00AM. Another important event in January is our Town Hall meeting on January 27^th. It will be at 9:00AM right after Flag. Please make sure you put this date on your calendar as there will be a full agenda of important announcements and news that will interest the entire community.

As I reflect on the year 2016, I am pleased to affirm that each student has tried his or her best and has moved a little closer to reaching his or her full potential. I am very proud of them all. I’d also like to thank each of you for your contribution to our community. It’s the people of Saklan that make it such a special place and I appreciate your support and positive energy. I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful break together and I wish you many blessings in the coming New Year.

Have a great holiday!

Peter

This week I had a most interesting conversation with the instructor of our enrichment chess activity. This is run by the Berkeley Chess School and they work with many schools in the Bay Area. The instructor, Victor, wanted to express to me how much he enjoyed working with the Saklan students and confided in me that of the many schools he has worked in, Saklan is one of only three or four that he would consider sending his own children to. He is getting married this summer and hopes to have a family soon. He went away with a school brochure and a promise to meet again in a couple of years.

The last few days have been very quiet with our eighth graders off in Washington for their annual trip to study the nation’s government and experience the feel and flavors of the capital city. A big thank you to Mr. Prestianni and Miss Parks, who have been running this trip over the years and give so much of their time and energy to make this happen for our students.

Overnight, multi-day field trips like this one, are a part of what makes the Saklan academic program so rich and engaging. Allowing our students to have hands-on and real-life experiences is a way that we broaden their understanding of the topics they study. We believe that these experiences are part of the curriculum, not add-ons, and as such, we build the cost of field trips right into the tuition. This is different from many other schools where overnight field trips are an additional expense. At Saklan everyone participates and field trips are part of the learning fabric. Other trips scheduled this year include the Grade 7 trip to Hawaii, the Grade 5 trip to the Marin Headlands, and the Grade 4 trip to Coloma. Throughout the school, overnight and local field trips enhance the learning experience of our students. The teachers at Saklan are to be commended for the extra effort it takes to make it all possible.

Lately, I have seen a variety of activities that have engaged some students or whole classes in community service or community support projects. Two students from Grade 6 (Isabel Darby and Abby Ruppert) promoted a collection of candy and tooth brushes for soldiers stationed abroad through Operation Gratitude. The Saklan Student Council is sponsoring a Holiday Toy Drive to benefit children who live in the Iron Triangle in Richmond, California. Our Grade 3 class did the Trick-or-Treat program for UNICEF and donated $180, and this morning the 3rd graders gave a presentation on activities they plan to do to make a difference. These included such things as bringing toys to a children’s hospital, sending goodies to soldiers, and even planting trees in Tilden Park to combat deforestation.

Another community based program that the Lower School classes will be supporting in the new year is the Lamorinda All-Access Playground Project benefiting all children of all abilities. This project is being promoted by the Moraga Rotary Club and supported by many Moraga community organizations and schools. This new playground will be built at Moraga Commons, a park that Saklan students are very familiar with. To support this project the Lower School classes will hold three bake sales in the new year and donate the earnings to the project. Look for more details in future blogs.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

There was no lack of excitement for the 60 parents, students and staff that attended the annual The Saklan School Night at the Oracle Arena to watch the Golden State Warriors play the Atlanta Hawks. The evening started with 15 Saklan students going on the court with the players as their anthem buddies. The basketball game itself was very exciting with the score being very close for most of the game and ended with the Warriors winning by a few points. This is the fourth year that a Saklan group has had a great experience at the Oracle Arena and helped the team to victory. We all hope for another great season for the Warriors.

As of today, we have two weeks of school left before the winter break and the end of 2016.  These will be a busy time at Saklan with a couple of important events on the calendar. Next week, our 8^th grade students will spend a week in Washington, D.C. with Mr. Prestianni and Ms. Parks for their yearly field trip to study US government. On Friday, December 16^th our Grades 3-5 students will put on the musical “Seussical KIDS” at the Willow Spring Church. This will start at 10:30AM and is open to the entire community. I highly recommend that you come out to see our very talented students, who will certainly send us off to the holidays with good cheer.

We will start the new year with another event that I would like you to consider attending. In collaboration with the Parent Association, and on the occasion of the first Friday Parent Coffee, we will hold a round table discussion on “Envisioning the Future of Saklan.”  As we look ahead to envision the long-term future of the school, a number of core questions and areas for deep exploration and clarity have emerged. These include, but will certainly not be limited to, such questions as:

What is the optimal size of The Saklan School?

What academic and enrichment programs will be relevant and meaningful in the future?

How might the campus support the size and program Saklan wants to offer in the future?

This event will take place on Friday, January 6^th, starting right after Flag at the Willow Spring Church and will be led by Saklan Board of Trustees member Robert Miller and myself. I look forward to starting the new year with a meaningful and engaging discussion with you about the future of our school.

Have a good weekend,

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

Today I had the pleasure of watching Saklan’s Fall Follies. This is a fantastic and fun event, and like every year, I was astounded by the students’ performances. Their singing, acting and performing was remarkable for their age, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Many of our students are truly in their element when on stage. It is impressive how each and every student was willing to take risks with their performance and showed their inner courage. I commend the students on their excellent performances and the audience on being supportive and compassionate. Mr. Prestianni has done another outstanding job organizing the show, auditioning the performers, and putting together the program. Hats off to Mr. P for putting together this stellar event for yet another year and providing our students with such an amazing learning opportunity.

Thanksgiving is on our doorsteps and this is naturally a time for gratitude. I would like to express my gratitude for the wonderful community that is our school and to the creative, courageous, and compassionate teachers, staff, parents and students that share and work towards our common goals. Please take a moment and think about what Saklan is doing for your children and, if you have not already done so, support our Annual Giving Fund.

Today we officially launch our new website.  Emoke Veres, our Communications Manager, and a team of staff, teachers and parents, have been busy during the last few months designing and putting together the website. Many thanks for all of the wonderful work and creative ideas that have gone into making this an effective and attractive tool for showcasing our school.  Click on www.saklan.org and have a look around.

Today is the last day of the first trimester and report cards for K-8 students will be sent home on the Friday after we return from the Thanksgiving break. Report cards are used to validate the growth and progress that each student has made on their educational journey. I encourage all parents to both celebrate the accomplishments that your children have made and reflect upon goals for the next trimester. This will also be a good time to plan to connect with teachers, to discuss any concerns or questions that may have come up as a result of the report cards. All K-8 reports will be mailed home.

Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday, and thank you for being a wonderful and supportive community!!!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

This has been a week of surprises. First of all, we had Nicholas Di Sessa (5th) winning the cross country meet at the Lafayette Reservoir, beating a field of about 40 students from four independent schools. Nick was one of the youngest contestants as this was mostly a middle school event. Standing at the finish line waiting for the runners to come around the 2.7 mile circuit, my jaw literally dropped when I saw Nick flying towards me with no other runner anywhere near him. Nick was hardly sweating!

Then there was the result of the presidential election. Another jaw-dropping moment. The months that have led up to the election and the final results have shaken many and have brought into question many core values. On Wednesday morning many faculty, staff and older students came to school distraught, confused and fearful for the future of the environment, a compassionate and inclusive society, and civil discourse to name a few.  Discussions have been happening both in and out of the classrooms and this is appropriate in light of such a historic moment. We must allow our students to speak their minds and at the same time assuage fears as much as possible, and ultimately reflect on the fact that we saw democracy in action. It is also important to revisit our mission as a school and to underline the core values, in particular respect and kindness, which we have been talking about since the start of school. No matter what our political affiliation may be, we know that as educators we have an important role to play in helping to make sense of what has happened, and to uphold our values and each other.

In order to start our Thanksgiving Holiday on a positive and happy note, we will be putting on our Fall Follies next Friday starting at 10:00AM at the Willow Springs auditorium. This is one of those Saklan not-to-be missed events. Next Friday will also be the last day of the first trimester. I am always amazed by how fast the school year moves along and how much we are able to pack into such a short time frame. Report cards come out on the Friday after the holiday. Different from past years, all report cards will go out in the mail.

Have a great long weekend!

Peter

Dear Saklan Community,

The big event of this week was undoubtedly the Halloween and Harvest Festival on Monday. This is the first time that we have put on this event and it was tremendously successful by all accounts. This event was sponsored by our Student Council and our students played a big role in running many of the activities. A big thank you to Kim Parks, who is our Student Council Advisor, to Hoot Owl parent Sarah Gray, who helped organize and marshal the efforts of our parents, and to all of the faculty, staff and parent volunteers who helped in many ways. Of the many activities that were organized, the haunted house was as big a hit as ever. The costume parade and competition was fun and colorful and our students enjoyed dressing up in unique and creative costumes.

Our Lower School students had fun going to the Aegis and Moraga Royale assisted living homes and singing their Halloween songs. And finally, the middle school deck was turned into a spooky disco which attracted students of all ages and parents as well. Here is what some of our students liked about the Harvest Festival:

Milo (Grade 3) – I liked the haunted house because it was scary and I got candy.

Natalie (Hoot Owl) – I liked the Frankenstein Bat in the Cave game.

Brooke (Grade 4) – I liked the dance party because the music was loud.

Sophia (Grade 5) – I liked the Harvest Festival because it wasn’t too chaotic.

Skyler (Hoot Owl) – I liked making the cookies.

Ysa (Grade 6) – I liked the freedom to go where you wanted, and the games were fun and creative.

Ruby (Grade 2) – I liked the mummy race because they wrapped me up in streamers.

Abby (Grade 6) – I liked the costume contest.

Chloe (Grade 3) – I liked the scary bowling because I like bowling.

Meera (Grade 5) – I liked everything because it was awesome.

In two weeks we will have our Fall Follies. It will be held at the Willow Springs auditorium and will start at 10:00. In the occasion of the Fall Follies, we will also launch our new website. I look forward to a big crowd on November 18 to experience this fun showcase of Saklan talent.

Have a great weekend!

Peter