Category: Specialists

Head’s Corner: Learning to Listen, Together

Last Friday morning, a group of Saklan parents gathered with Isaac to experience our West African drumming program firsthand.

Isaac introduced us to movements from West African music traditions and explained what they communicate to an audience. For us, those first dance steps offered another lesson: learning very often requires a willingness to step outside your comfort zone.

Dancing (sometimes awkwardly) with other adults makes us vulnerable — and connected — through movement and laughter. It was a useful reminder of what we ask of our children every day—to take risks, try new things, and trust the people around them.

As we moved into drumming, Isaac emphasized the importance of listening. He remarked that in West Ghanaian culture, there is a strong emphasis on listening over speaking, and that our first responsibility in making music together is to listen to others before adding our own contributions.

That idea reaches well beyond music. Collaboration and learning depend on noticing what others are doing, making room for their contributions, and adjusting our own. In a classroom, a conversation, or a group of musicians, listening helps us find our place while staying connected to the whole.

We ended by talking about the many kinds of learning involved in making music: attention, memory, movement, coordination, and connection with others. We left with a deeper appreciation of what our students experience in the drumming program—and why it has a meaningful place at Saklan.

For me, the morning brought several of our beliefs about learning to life. We learn through experience. We grow when we feel comfortable enough to take a risk. And we contribute more thoughtfully when we first make the effort to connect and listen.

Isaac gave us a chance to practice all three, together.

#SaklanHeadsCorner #SaklanHandsOn #SaklanCommunity

Lines + Shapes = FUN!

Saklan’s Kindergarten through second-grade artists are off to a creative start! In art class, students began the year by sharing about two foundational elements of art: line and shape.

Going on a Line Adventure

Students discovered that lines can have personalities of their own. Some can be calm and straight, while others are bouncy and wiggly, wild and zig-zaggy, thick or thin, curvy or directional. Through experimentation, students explored how different kinds of lines can create different feelings and effects.

Playing With Shapes

Next, students turned their attention to shape. After reviewing basic geometric shapes, they began combining them in new ways to create compound shapes, pictures, patterns, and imaginative compositions.

Through these early explorations, students are discovering that lines and shapes are the building blocks of art. With just a few simple elements, they can create something entirely new. And there are endless possibilities for where their creativity can take them!

#SaklanCreative

Bravo to the Cast and Crew of Curtains Young@Part!

A huge congratulations to Saklan’s middle school students on their fantastic performance of Curtains Young@Part at the Town Hall Theatre last Friday evening!

From the memorable characters and energetic musical numbers to the heartfelt moments throughout the show, the cast and crew brought the production to life with incredible creativity, talent, and enthusiasm. Students impressed audiences with their confidence on stage, teamwork behind the scenes, and dedication throughout the rehearsal process.

Producing a musical is truly a community effort, and this performance showcased not only the artistic talents of our students, but also their collaboration, perseverance, and willingness to take creative risks. Whether acting, singing, dancing, managing backstage, or supporting technical elements, every student played an important role in making the production such a success.

Special thanks to the many people who helped make the show happen.

  • To Jayme Feldhammer for her time, sewing machine, and deep kindness.
  • To Javier Yacarini, for his work on the sets.
  • To the Middle School Teachers for their help with props and rehearsals, their willingness to share their class time, and their encouragement of all performers.
  • To the Middle School Parents for helping their performers run lines and gather their base costumes.
  • To the Middle School Students for their creativity, courage, and perseverance. Your performance was inspiring!
  • To Dianne for all the hard work, dedication, and passion poured into the show. Your vision and casting created magic on the stage and allowed the students to shine bright. Inspiring middle school students to share their creativity, compassion, and courage on the stage is no easy feat, but you made it look effortless. Thank you!

#SaklanCreative

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

All-School Concert – Today at 4:30!

Saklan students are very excited to share our All-School Concert with you this afternoon at the Lesher Center! This special event is free and open to all Saklan families and friends. We can’t wait to celebrate together!

Important Reminders

Student Arrival & Dress

Students need to be back at the front entrance of Lesher Center by 4:00 PM, dressed in all black with their grade-level color accent:

Parking

Please allow extra time, as the parking garage entrance can get backed up.

Student Location

Students will meet their teachers in the 2nd-floor lobby and remain with their class throughout the concert.

Tickets & Seating

Families and friends need to get their free tickets from the box office and hand them to the ushers as they enter the theater. Seating is first-come, first-served (there are no bad seats!). Please note: side seats in rows A–K are reserved for students.

Concert Time

The performance begins at 4:30 p.m. and will conclude by 6:00 p.m.

We look forward to an evening of music, creativity, courage, and belonging!

A Splashing Success

Congratulations to our third, fourth, and fifth-grade students on their fantastic performance of The SpongeBob Musical just before Winter Break!

From memorizing lines and stepping into character to finding costumes, designing sets, and applying makeup, it truly takes a village to bring a production like this to life. Our performers showed incredible courage, creativity, and teamwork on stage, and we could not be prouder.

A heartfelt thank you to the parents who supported behind the scenes by running lines, organizing base costumes, and helping with hair and makeup. And thank you to everyone who joined us for the performance and cheered on our talented cast. Your support made this celebration of creativity and collaboration even more special.

Additionally, we have a few special thank yous we would like to share:

  • To Dianne Hurvitz for directing the lower school students’ wonderful performance. Her hard work, dedication, and love for the students were evident throughout the show.
  • To Javier Yacarini for his hard work constructing the stage.
  • To Jayme Feldhammer for her work on the costumes.
  • To Sarah Gardner for her incredible help with providing and applying sparkly fishy makeup!
  • To Meredith Ware for sea anemone support and last-minute sewing on anemone accessories.
  • To everyone who joined us on our Saturday work day to build sets, props, and costumes.

It was a fabulous show! We hope you enjoy the photos from the performance below.

First Graders Design with Heart and Imagination

Over the past few weeks, Saklan’s first graders stepped confidently into the role of designers. What began as an exploration of shapes, colors, and feelings grew into a hands-on design project that blended creativity with meaningful self-expression.

The journey began with a close look at the vibrant artwork of artist Ashley Mary. Students noticed how she uses both geometric and organic shapes to tell what she calls “emotional stories.” This idea connected naturally to the book Exactly You: The Shape of Your Feelings, which affirms that emotions have their own colors, movement, and “feel.” Inspired by these ideas, students explored their own inner worlds through mark-making practice, experimenting with patterns, shapes, and color combinations that reflected their personalities and moods.

With these tools in hand, students took on their design challenge: creating a pair of expressive socks that reflected their unique selves. Like real designers, they brainstormed multiple ideas, sketched drafts, and made thoughtful decisions before committing to a final design. Each choice was deeply personal: blue wavy lines to show calm, tree motifs celebrating a love of nature, and playful “glob” shapes from students who see themselves as artists.

Excitement filled the room as students transferred their final designs onto real socks using fabric markers. Through this joyful process, students discovered that art can be a powerful vehicle for self-expression, one that invites creativity, confidence, and connection.

#SaklanCreative #SaklanHandsOn

The SpongeBob Musical

All Saklan community members are invited to join us for The Saklan School’s 3rd – 5th grade production of The SpongeBob Musical on Friday, December 19th at 10:30 a.m. The show will take place in the Holy Trinity Cultural Center (next door to Saklan). Doors will open at 10:15 a.m.

If you will attend and haven’t already done so, please RSVP here. There is no cost to attend; we want to ensure we have enough seats for all!

#SaklanCreative #SaklanCourage

Creating Together: Saklan Families Bring SpongeBob to Life

Last Saturday, our campus was buzzing with paintbrushes, cardboard, creativity, and a whole lot of teamwork. Over the weekend, students, families, and staff gathered for a Lower School Musical Work Day, transforming our school into a lively workshop filled with color, imagination, and community spirit.

From the moment volunteers arrived, the campus came alive with purpose. Laughter mixed with the sounds of cutting, painting, measuring, and building as teams worked together on the many props and set pieces that will bring Bikini Bottom to life onstage. Giant jellyfish, coral reefs, vibrant backdrops, and whimsical underwater details began taking shape as everyone, kids and grown-ups alike, rolled up their sleeves and dove into the fun.

What made the day truly special wasn’t just the art we created, but the connections we strengthened. Parents and students collaborated side-by-side, sharing ideas, solving problems, and celebrating each finished piece. Older students supported younger ones, families made new friends, and the room glowed with the feeling of creating something meaningful together. Events like this remind us that the heart of the Saklan community lies in our willingness to show up, contribute, and lift one another up.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time, talent, and energy last weekend. Your support makes all the difference, and we are so grateful.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanCreative

Exploring the Elements

In chemistry, eighth graders explored the periodic table of elements, often described as the ultimate map of matter. They learned to read the table like scientists—discovering how atomic numbers and atomic masses reveal information about each element’s structure, bonding potential, and the shared properties within each column. With each lesson, students grew more confident in understanding how the periodic table organizes and explains the world around us.

One question that sparked lively curiosity was: “How can an element have a negative boiling point?” To find out, students conducted a hands-on Dry Ice lab. Wearing goggles and gloves, they observed how this compound sublimates, changing directly from a solid to a gas at room temperature. They watched Dry Ice “boil” on the counter, producing dense vapor clouds, and experimented with how everyday objects reacted to the extreme cold. From squealing pennies to bubbling vapors, the lab brought to life the concept of boiling points and how temperature affects different substances on Earth.

To deepen their understanding, each student selected an element to research in depth. They created Bohr models, uncovered the discovery stories behind their elements, and explored everyday uses—from technology and medicine to construction and art. To showcase their creativity and knowledge, students designed custom T-shirts celebrating their chosen element. The results were as stylish as they were scientific!

#SaklanHandsOn