Category: Specialists

Arthropod Adoptions

The 7th grade has been learning about all the different kingdoms of life this spring. Currently, the 7th grade is in the middle of learning about animals, in particular invertebrates! They were excited to meet with guest experts from Nature.org, who brought some invertebrates that the students got to look at closely and touch. 

Afterwords, the students were asked to look at the Arthropod (jointed foot) Phyla and find an organism they found interesting and create a Bitmoji Adoption Ad for the Arthropod of their choice.

Students created themselves in Bitmoji form and shared why their invertebrate would be a great pet for your household!  Maybe you have been looking for the cutest caterpillar to be the envy of all your friends or a pistol shrimp that is so cute and cuddly but also breaks the sound barrier with its claw leaving you deaf. Another option is that if you are scared you will lose a small pet, a large Atlas Moth might be for you! Finally, you might even find a huge Robber Crab you might want to use to scare your children. There are many options to choose from for your next pet. Please find the arthropod of your dreams at the 7th Grade Arthropod Adoption event! Read some of their adoption posters below.

Congratulations Middle Schoolers

A big congratulations go out to our middle school students on their wonderful performance of The Drowsy Chaperone at Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette last Friday evening.

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

  • To Town Hall Theatre for their grace in allowing us to share their beautiful and historic space. We are so grateful to be a part of your community.
  • To Javier Yacarini, without whom nothing would ever happen. Special thanks for the refrigerator.
  • To Jayme Feldhammer for her time, sewing machine, and deep kindness.
  • To Emily, Mel and Shay for their help with the program.
  • To Kim Parks for all her help and organization. 💙
  • 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 Students for their creativity and courage. Your performance was inspiring!
  • To Grace for all the hard work, dedication and passion put into the show. Your 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 do it with ease year after year. Thank you!

If you missed the show, you can watch the video of it below.

#SaklanMusical #SaklanExperientialLearning

El Mar

In Spanish class, the third graders have been learning about the ocean, sea animals, and how they can help to keep the ocean and beaches clean. They learned vocabulary words related to the ocean, sea animals, cleaning, and recycling. They also learned how to answer the following questions in Spanish:

  • What are the five oceans of the world?
  • What is the difference between oceans and seas?
  • How many seas are in the world?
  • Which one is the biggest mountain in the world?
  • How can we help to keep the oceans and seas clean?

The class got extra practice with the newly learned vocabulary and ocean knowledge by sharing presentations in front of the class about ocean animals (in Spanish of course!). Presentations included questions like:

  • Which is your favorite sea animal?
  • How can you help to keep the oceans clean?

#SaklanSpanish

2023 Middle School Musical

The Saklan Middle School students have been rehearsing the junior version of The Drowsy Chaperone musical as their culminating project for music class. Every student in the Middle School is participating in the production, whether it is acting in a main role, taking care of props, helping with costumes, or being a stage hand. It is a true collaborative effort to produce an amazing final product.

On Friday, May 12th the students will perform at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette. The entire community is invited to the show. Tickets are required for attendance and can be purchased by clicking on the button below.

Middle School Musical tickets

We hope you can join us for what is sure to be a wonderful show!

#SaklanMusicals SaklanCreative

Creativity and Hard Work

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Art Show last Friday! It was a fantastic event, showcasing the creativity and hard work of all Saklan students.

Thank you to Lauren for making the Art Show a reality. Her expert guidance and belief in the students through the art making process, helping them to explore their creativity and express themselves, was evident in the art. We also appreciate the time she took to organize the art, determine the layout for the Art Show, create the scavenger hunts for the students, and take care of all the other details that made the event a success!

Thank you to the Saklan teachers and staff for their help in getting ready for the Art Show, guiding the students and grandfriends through the event, and helping with clean up at the end of the day.

Thank you to the Saklan students for sharing their work with us. The time and detail that went into each of the pieces was evident, as well as their propensity to think creatively!

#SaklanCreativity

Lunch Ordering

Taco ‘bout a great lunch!  Last week, the fifth graders took their Spanish class out into the field to put their classroom learning to real use! The class headed to a local Mexican food truck, where they ordered lunch for themselves – in Spanish! Next, they headed to the Moraga Commons for an out and about recess.  And the lunch verdict? Delicioso!

#SaklanFieldExperience

El Plato Saludable

In Spanish, the fifth graders have been learning about the food groups and what types of foods make up a healthy, well-balanced plate. They each created a slide of a healthy plate and then wrote sentences about the items that one should consume for a balanced diet. Check out examples of their slides and sentences below!

Debes comer bistec, pan, y arroz.

Debes comer muchas uvas, zanahorias, y fresas.

Debes beber agua y leche.

No debes comer grasas y mantequilla.

No debes beber chocolate caliente.

The Lion King KIDS Video

Before the Winter Break, we were treated to a wonderful performance of The Lion King KIDS by the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. If you weren’t able to join us for the show, or have been excitedly waiting to watch it again, check out the video of the performance below.

Thank you to our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students for the courage, creativity and dedication they exhibited throughout The Lion King KIDS production cycle.

#SaklanCreative #SaklanCourageous

The Lion King KIDS

For 30 years, The Lion King has been a cultural linchpin. Music and lyrics by Tim Rice and Elton John placed the movie firmly in our collective consciousness. The movie is accessible, and the story loosely based on The Epic of Sundiata-The Lion King of Mali, is well known and loved by Western audiences unfamiliar with African culture and stories. Then when The Lion King came to Broadway in 1997, the designers brought new elements from the story. Costumes, set pieces, makeup, and props all were inspired by elements of African folklore. What is more, The Lion King was one of Broadway’s first shows to openly advocate for conscious casting, and more songs were introduced.

Saklan’s production of The Lion King KIDS attempted to honor the Broadway tradition of the show. Our students’ goal was never to “pretend to be animals” or to hide their humanity, but rather to highlight how connected we, as humans, are to the animals that are portrayed. Their headdresses, designed by the students themselves in art class, took inspiration from real African masks and textures, and the choreography brought in the element of circles over and over again, reminding us that we are all a part of the circle of life, along with every animal on the savanna. Through their performance, our students claimed their place in this world as protectors of that circle of life. They spent hours learning lines, music, and choreography, but also discovered elements of the languages of Xhosa, Zulu, and Swahili. They know about the range of lions in Africa, and what role buzzards serve in the circle of life. They know that hyenas are social and deeply misunderstood, and so much more. They took that knowledge and used it to become advocates for the apex predator of the African grasslands, the African Lion.

Saklan students are remarkable because they care about more than themselves. This show was a vehicle to move forward their environmental advocacy, and their determination to do their best shows through in everything they do.

Thank you to everyone who donated cardboard, made masks, gathered costume pieces, painted faces, joined us for the performance, laughed and applauded.

Special thanks to:

  • Our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students for their courage, creativity and dedication to bring this show to life, to advocate for other people and animals, and for sharing their work with our community.
  • Lauren Haberly for her work with the actors on their masks and headdresses.
  • Javier Yacarini for his work on the set, and always saying “No problem!”
  • Joy Kim, Daisy Colby, Erin Moorhead and Toshie Baba for their ambition and creativity in creating and assembling Rhinos and Elephants.
  • John Miazga for carrying heavy things.
  • Astro Camacho and Jack Zippin for the gorgeous Elephant skeletons.
  • Every middle school student who painted, glued, and carried props.
  • And especially, Grace Chaffey for the vision, organization, confidence, patience, and inspiration she showed in directing the students to bring this wonderful story to life.

Task Party!

This week in art class, students in 4th – 8th grade got in touch with their creative sides by participating in something called a “Task Party,” where students draw and complete random tasks.

Fourth graders worked collaboratively in table groups to “turn a stool into a monster.”

Fifth graders worked collaboratively with their table groups to “design and create a themed Met Gala gown for a member of their group.”

Middle school students independently drew tasks from a box and either completed as many as they could, or chose to spend the entire time on one task. Tasks included: making a treasure map, making a robotic arm, making a musical instrument, making a parrot and wearing it on one’s arm, making puppets and putting on a puppet show, making an octopus garden, making everyone name tags, making a walled fortress, and more!

Task parties originate from contemporary artist Oliver Herring and are meant to build community, inspire creativity, critical thinking, and fun through the arts. Tasks can be building and creating art with crafting and recycled materials or can be performance based and encourage students to step out of their comfort zones. 

The best part about a task party is getting to know the students as makers, artists and creative minds in an open, stakes-free environment. Because there is no right or wrong way to perform a task, everyone is participating and engaged, as there is little judgment or fear of making mistakes. 

#SaklanCreative

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