Category: Specialists

My Summer In NYC

Creativity is such a difficult thing to understand. In education circles, we spend time debating about whether creativity can even be taught, and where in the brain it comes from. There are many who still think creativity is relegated to artists and musicians and actors alone; traditional thinking sometimes categorizes us into “right-brained” (creative) or “left-brained” (analytical). I don’t claim to have the answers to where creativity comes from, but I know places where it lives. 

Over the summer, Lauren Haberly (Art), Linda Lathrop (Project and Inclusion Integrationist) and I traveled to New York City for the Annual Broadway Teachers Workshop put on by the Broadway educators group. Over three packed days, we listened, danced, moved, and lived in the creative energy brought by professional actors, directors, educators, and set designers. The cultural and creative diversity in one space was inspiring and beautiful, and we left each day filled with so many new thoughts and ideas. Every morning we stepped into the streets to let those ideas float between us and the ideas from millions of other people around us. People serving really good coffee, people playing cello in the park, people sharing beautiful food from their heritage, people baring their soul through song, people marveling at bright lights, and people just being people. To be in a space where community is everywhere, and strangers are so close in every moment, is exhilarating. The creative energy seems to swirl through the city like ribbons woven through the streets; it fills your heart and fills your soul and stakes a claim there forever. 

All this being said, creativity is not exclusive to New York City. It is not exclusive to the arts, or right-brained people. Creativity lives in community. When we share ideas, thoughts, when we give each other space to explore and when we experience the world side by side with another human, creativity lives. Whether on a stage, a painting, a group project, or anywhere we listen to one another, creativity thrives. We hold NYC in our hearts, and the music and art we experienced there runs through my mind like a banner of inspiration. We hope to infuse that inspiration in every interaction with our students here at Saklan, and bring new energy and passion to every project that we are a part of. We know that creativity lives here, in us. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to be inspired by this experience. Thank you to all of our community for supporting us and your students. 

With gratitude,

Grace Chaffey

#SaklanCreative #SaklanCommunity #SaklanSummerReflectionFund

Awesome and Terrifying Moments

Auditions are both awesome and terrifying. As a young actor (and an adult actor too!) I can remember my whole body being tied up in knots and awash in emotions I couldn’t name in the days and weeks leading up to an audition. 

What finally helped me was the technique I learned, not just singing technique, but the practice of continuously putting myself in situations that were both awesome and terrifying.  Never being a kid who experienced a lot of inner peace, this practice of scaring myself and recovering was like lifting weights; it never got easier, I just got stronger.

Every student at Saklan in 3rd grade and older will audition at least once this school year. Together, we do the hard thing, and realize that even if everything doesn’t go exactly the way we wanted, we are still okay, and there are still many good things that can come from it. We talk about flexibility and open mindset, and even how to deal with disappointment in a healthy way. The students who have been through this process help the younger ones, and as they progress through grades, we can clearly see that this practice pays dividends in coping strategies and developing courage.  

This week, as the cast list comes out for our first production of the year, Frozen KIDS, congratulate our 3rd-5th grade students on the audition process as well as their roles, and take time to remember the awesome and terrifying moments in your life that helped shape you. 

Warmly,

Grace

#Saklancourageous

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