Category: Middle School

Mission: Save the Reef

As part of their Earth Science studies, sixth grade students have been exploring how pests and invasive species impact ecosystems. One focus has been the Crown-of-Thorns (COT) sea star, a species currently threatening the Great Barrier Reef. Students learned how the sea star’s rapid reproduction and lack of natural predators have led to significant damage in this delicate ecosystem. By feeding on coral, COTs are contributing to the reef’s decline at an alarming rate.

To better understand real-world solutions, students investigated how scientists are responding to this challenge. They explored using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to identify and inject vinegar into sea stars, a method that effectively eliminates them. These ROVs can operate continuously and in a variety of ocean conditions, making them a powerful tool for conservation efforts.

Bringing this learning to life, students worked collaboratively to design and build their own ROVs. Teams engineered frames, installed motors, learned to operate control systems, and added creative design features as they stepped into the roles of engineers and marine scientists.

On Tuesday, students put their designs to the test at the MCC Augusta Pool. Their challenge was to navigate their ROVs underwater and retrieve imitation Crown-of-Thorns sea stars, simulating the work of marine conservation teams on the Great Barrier Reef.

Students spent the first part of the session learning to maneuver their ROVs and coordinate as teams. Once they became comfortable operating the controls, teachers released the imitation COT sea stars into the pool for retrieval.

Armed with creative retrieval tools such as shovels, Velcro, and scoops, teams worked together to collect the sea stars from the bottom of the pool. By the end of the challenge, the class had successfully retrieved a record 38 Crown-of-Thorns sea stars.

This hands-on experience allowed students the opportunity to fully engage in the engineering design process while tackling a real-world environmental issue. Through collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation, students saw firsthand how science and technology can be used to protect ecosystems and make a meaningful impact on the world around them.

#SaklanHandsOn

Cross-Divisional Project Collaboration

Beyond reading buddies, Saklan projects are intentionally designed for meaningful student collaboration that authentically supports academic growth. This spring, middle school is using their music production skills for kindergarten’s fairy tale recordings, 6th grade helped 1st graders organize their expository writing, and 4th graders helped our Pre-K Hoot Owls refine their Venn diagram skills! 

Kindergarten and Middle School Music Production

How can we write and share our own fairy tales to spread magic and joy? Through answering this driving question, Kindergarten students have learned the elements of fairy tales and deepened their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills to write and record their own original fairy tale stories. 

In preparation for their readers-theater style culmination on May 15th, students recorded their stories, and middle school students are creating original backing tracks to support the narrative elements of the fairy tale. Sound mixing the Kindergarten stories gives our middle schoolers an authentic application of their digital music production skills.

6th Grade and 1st Grade Expository Writing

All year 6th graders have worked on expository writing in Humanities. Recently, while preparing to write artifact labels for their PBL unit culmination, the Museum of the Future, sixth graders reviewed structure and organization in expository writing. To practice this work, sixth graders analyzed 1st grade report writing drafts on extreme weather. They completed individual writing conferences to support improving the structure and organization of the first-grade reports. Not only did the first graders get to work with the big kids in a middle school classroom, but the sixth graders had the opportunity to grapple with the deeper cognitive task of teaching and explaining elements of writing to a younger child. This work improved the content of the first-grade reports and solidified the sixth grader’s understanding of writing structures and organization, while building community across divisions.

Hoot Owl and 4th Grade Venn Diagrams

Venn diagrams are a useful tool for many grade levels to demonstrate understanding of academic content. This spring, our Pre-K class has been learning all about oceans while their 4th-grade reading buddies have been working on a PBL unit about the California Gold Rush. Both classes planned to use Venn diagrams as a learning tool, and teachers needed an opportunity for some one-on-one teaching and practice. It was natural for these classes to connect and engage in some cross-divisional content learning! 

With fourth graders guiding the learning, the buddies made Venn diagrams all about each other! They chatted and recorded what they had in common and what was different about each other. As they got to know each other better by completing the diagram, both classes also deepened their understanding of how to use a Venn diagram. When each class returned to their own project work, they employed the same learning tool at different developmental levels with different content.  

If you want to see final products and culminating events, stay tuned for the next week at Saklan emails for updates on ways to come see and celebrate our students’ spring project work!

#SaklanProjectWork

Experiencing the Industrial Revolution

Eighth graders at Saklan are bringing history to life through an immersive exploration of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on American society in the early 20th century.

As part of their studies, students have been examining how rapid technological and social changes transformed the way people lived and worked. They learned how home-based craftsmanship gave way to factory systems, where workers performed repetitive tasks on assembly lines, each contributing a small but essential part to a larger process.

To deepen their understanding, the Humanities classroom was transformed into a bustling factory floor. Students took on the roles of assembly-line workers for the fictional “Get In Line Skating Company,” mass-producing inline roller skates. Each student was assigned a specific task: cutting out right or left boots and blades, assembling pieces with glue or tape, or adding color to the finished product.

Just like in real factories of the time, efficiency and quality were key. Each pair of skates had to pass a final inspection, and any that didn’t meet the standard were sent back down the line. Students also experienced the physical demands of factory work; they were required to remain standing and continuously engaged throughout the 40-minute production period.

In a moment that captured the tensions of the era, the simulation took an unexpected turn when a spontaneous “wildcat strike” broke out. Despite posted warnings discouraging unions, several student workers halted production, with some even lying down on the factory floor in protest. One student called for higher wages, echoing the real labor struggles faced by workers during this time.

Although production temporarily stopped, the class ultimately produced 37 pairs of roller skates. Following some negotiation and a boost in morale, students completed their work and proudly displayed their finished products in the Humanities Room.

This hands-on experience gave students a deeper, more personal understanding of the realities of factory life during the Industrial Revolution—highlighting not only the efficiencies of mass production, but also the human cost and the importance of workers’ voices.

#SaklanHandsOn

Up Close with Arthropods

Students across multiple grade levels at Saklan recently had a hands-on encounter with the fascinating world of arthropods, thanks to a special visit from guest experts from SaveNature.org.

Preschool, Pre-K, and seventh-grade students all took part in this engaging learning experience, exploring how different arthropods survive and thrive in their environments. The visiting experts introduced students to key concepts such as camouflage, defense mechanisms, and adaptation, bringing science to life in memorable ways.

The highlight of the visit was the opportunity for students to interact directly with a variety of live creatures. With a mix of curiosity and courage, students were able to pet, hold, and even smell some of the arthropods, including stink beetles, two types of walking sticks, grasshoppers, a whip scorpion, and an African millipede.

These up-close encounters sparked excitement and wonder, giving students a deeper appreciation for the diversity and ingenuity of the natural world. Experiences like this not only build scientific understanding but also inspire curiosity, encouraging students to ask questions and explore the world around them in new ways.

#SaklanHandsOn

Head’s Corner: 24 Acceptances, 1 Waitlist, and a Class Ready for What Comes Next

There are some years when the numbers tell a strong story on their own. This is one of those years. Saklan’s 8th-grade class submitted 25 applications to local independent high schools and earned 24 acceptances, along with 1 waitlist.

That is an outstanding result, and one we are proud to celebrate.

Our students received offers from an excellent group of schools, including Athenian, College Prep, Head-Royce, Bentley, Carondelet, De La Salle, and St. Mary’s. But as strong as those outcomes are, what matters most to me is what they reflect.

They reflect years of growth—students who are deeply known by their teachers and supported along the way. They reflect young people who have learned to think critically, speak with confidence, navigate challenges, and contribute meaningfully to a community. Most importantly, they reflect students who are not only academically prepared but ready to step into their next chapter with confidence, character, and curiosity.

At Saklan, we work hard to do both: challenge students and know them deeply. We want them to leave here with strong skills, certainly, but also with the confidence that comes from being seen, supported, and stretched over time.

Saklan alum Levi Kim, now at Brown, spoke at our auction about the impact Saklan had on him. He talked about the adaptability, critical thinking, empathy, and creativity he developed here — and how those qualities have mattered well beyond middle school. That is what we hope for our students. Yes, a Saklan education helps open doors. But more importantly, it helps students walk through those doors ready to thrive.

That is what makes these admissions results so meaningful.

I am proud of this class and of the way they represented themselves throughout the process. They showed who they are, and these results reflect that. We are excited to see where their journeys lead next.

Warmly,

David

A New Path to Solving Quadratics

Eighth-grade algebra students continued their exploration of quadratic equations with a recent lesson grounded in curiosity and discovery. They were presented with two equations:

x² + 4x + 1 = 0
(x + 2)² = 3

After solving both, students noticed something surprising: each equation led to the same solution. This prompted a class discussion about efficiency: which equation was easier to solve, and why? Students quickly recognized that the second equation was both faster and more straightforward, sparking interest in how more complex equations could be transformed into this simpler form.

That question led to the introduction of a new method: completing the square.

To build understanding, students began by working with algebra tiles on equation mats, physically arranging pieces to form perfect squares. This hands-on approach helped them see how a trinomial in standard form could be reorganized into a squared expression—and what adjustments were needed to make that transformation possible.

With practice, students transitioned from concrete models to abstract reasoning. As a class, they discussed how to generalize the process and apply it without tiles. They even developed their own formula for completing the square, deepening their conceptual understanding.

Through exploration, collaboration, and reasoning, Saklan’s eighth graders didn’t just learn a new method; they discovered it. This kind of learning empowers students to approach complex problems with confidence, creativity, and a strong sense of mathematical thinking.

#SaklanHandsOn

7th Graders Take on Single-Use Plastics

Seventh graders at Saklan recently completed an engaging Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit focused on one of today’s most urgent environmental challenges: single-use plastics.

The project began with a look close to home. Students explored the impact of plastic waste found locally in Moraga and also examined the debris that washes up on beaches in Hawai‘i while studying the Pacific ecosystem. These investigations were guided by the driving question: What can we do to help reduce single-use plastics in my area?

Working in teams, students combined research, creativity, and problem-solving to develop their own eco-friendly solutions. Their ideas included biodegradable straw wrappers, edible silverware, reusable snack bags made from sustainable materials, and renewable bamboo shopping bags.

Throughout the project, students followed the engineering design process: brainstorming ideas, building prototypes, testing their designs, and refining them along the way. The classroom quickly became a hub of experimentation, collaboration, and innovation.

The unit culminated in a lively presentation to the “Sharks of Saklan,” a panel that evaluated each team’s proposal in a real-world style entrepreneurial pitch. Students confidently presented their prototypes and explained the research and thinking behind their designs. The panel praised their creativity, teamwork, and thoughtful approach to addressing a global environmental issue.

Students also extended their work beyond the classroom by writing persuasive letters to companies, encouraging them to consider adopting their ideas—or similar environmentally responsible alternatives. Now, the class is eagerly waiting to see whether any companies respond.

This project beautifully highlighted Saklan’s commitment to learning by doing. By tackling a real-world challenge, students not only deepened their understanding of environmental science but also experienced what it means to think creatively, collaborate with others, and imagine solutions that could make a positive impact on the planet.

#SaklanPBL #LearningByDoing

A Musical Collaboration

It isn’t often that a class of middle school students gets to compose music for which second graders write lyrics, but that is exactly what our music teacher, Dianne, facilitated in her recent PBL unit. Many of you even witnessed the culminating moment of that collaboration at our all-school concert at the Lesher Center this past month! 

Guided by the concert theme of belonging and music content standards, Dianne developed the driving question, “How do we, as composers, express ‘belonging’ in song?” 

Middle school percussion students began by watching videos of composers. They discussed the process of composing a piece of music by themselves and as part of a collaborative team. With that wisdom in mind, they began to brainstorm ideas for appropriate instrumentation and dynamics to effectively communicate the concert theme of belonging. After experimentation and various rounds of sharing, feedback, and revision, they decided on disparate stormy sounds to start using tom drums and a brush along a cymbal. Student musicians then wanted the song to move to a cohesive driving beat highlighted by bright-sounding instruments such as djembe and bongos.

Both their music track and a chart of the song were then passed along to the second graders, who had been identifying words and phrases to express belonging. While listening to the middle school students’ track, they arranged their words and phrases on the chart while discussing the elements of song structure. Together, they built an intro, verses, and a chorus that further explored and communicated belonging. 

Both the music and lyrics explored the journey of not feeling connected to others before coming together musically and with lyrics that reinforced the theme. See the complete lyrics below!

As a teacher, Dianne’s real excitement came from watching the students support one another.

“The beauty of collaborating in composition is that middle school and lower school students got a chance to hear each other’s voices and ideas. The middle school musicians created a backdrop to lift up lower school voices while the second graders got a window into middle school music classes, which will hopefully inspire them in their musical endeavors.” 

This particular Project Based Learning unit is a beautiful example of what can happen when we blend high-quality project unit design with our Saklan values of thinking creatively, acting compassionately, and living courageously. Indeed, both groups of students needed to employ all three of these mindsets to complete this work together.

#SaklanPBL

Celebrating 100 Days of Learning

On Thursday, February 5th, Saklan students joyfully celebrated the 100th day of school, a milestone that highlights just how much growth can happen in 100 small, meaningful steps. The day was filled with math, movement, creativity, and laughter across every grade level.

The Owlets marked the occasion with a classroom-wide search for 100 hidden emojis. Many students arrived dressed as 100-year-olds, fully embracing their roles and staying in character throughout the day, adding an extra layer of fun to the celebration.

The Hoot Owls dove into hands-on activities centered around the number 100. They carefully counted out 100 Cheerios to create necklaces, participated in a 100-star scavenger hunt, and explored different ways to represent 100 using classroom materials. The celebration culminated in a special lunch party complete with photos and festive crowns.

Kindergartners explored the concept of 100 in playful and delicious ways. They created their own 100th-day snack by combining 10 different treats, 10 pieces of each, bringing math to life in a tangible (and tasty) way. Students designed colorful hundred grids, crafted crowns, and proudly wore 100-Fruit-Loop necklaces. Movement was also part of the fun, as students danced for 100 seconds and completed 100 jumping jacks.

Throughout the day, students from grades 1 through 8 joined the kindergartners in celebration, fostering a strong sense of cross-grade connection and belonging. These shared experiences foster confidence, joy, and a sense of community, reminding students that they are part of something larger.

First graders also embraced the milestone with engaging math and writing activities focused on the number 100. They counted, created, reflected, and celebrated how much they have learned and grown over the past 100 days.

The 100th day of school at Saklan was more than just a number; it was a celebration of perseverance, progress, and the vibrant community that supports every student’s journey.

#SaklanCommunity

Exploring Polygons Through Reflection

Last week, eighth-grade geometry students began a study of polygons and quadrilaterals using hinged mirrors, protractors, and colored paper to construct and analyze a variety of shapes. As they built regular hexagons, equilateral triangles in two different ways, and a rhombus that was not a square, students measured the angles formed by the mirror and noticed clear patterns, such as a 60° central angle for a hexagon and a 90° angle for a rhombus.

When students attempted to create a circle, they reasoned that a shape with infinitely many sides would require an angle of zero, leading to thoughtful discussion. Along the way, students made connections between reflection, congruent triangles, and perpendicular bisectors, strengthening their ability to observe patterns, explain their thinking, and build understanding through hands-on exploration.

#SaklanHandsOn