Category: Head’s Corner

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

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