A Summer of Discovery

A summer of creative exploration awaits your child during Summer@Saklan! Designed with curiosity and imagination in mind, this year’s summer camp promises to be a dynamic blend of art and science, giving campers the perfect opportunity to learn, play, and grow in a joyful environment.

From creating vibrant art masterpieces to diving into exciting science experiments, campers will explore the world through hands-on activities that spark creativity and encourage critical thinking. Alongside their artistic and scientific adventures, students will also enjoy fun games, engaging activities, and visits from special guests who will help bring learning to life.

Whether your child loves painting, building, experimenting, or just having fun with friends, Summer@Saklan offers something for everyone. It’s the perfect way to keep young minds active and inspired during the summer months.

We can’t wait to see all the creativity and curiosity that unfolds this summer at Saklan!

Summer Camp Registration

Session Dates & Hours

This summer, camp will run in one-week sessions from June 16th – August 1st.

  • June 16th to 20th – Session 1
  • June 23rd to 27th – Session 2 (No Camp on June 23rd for Mini Campers)
  • June 30th to July 3rd – Session 3 (No Camp on July 4th)
  • July 7th to 11th – Session 4
  • July 14th to 18th -Session 5
  • July 21st to 25th – Session 6
  • July 28th to Aug. 1st – Session 7

The camp day will begin with drop off from 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. and run until 2:30 p.m. Extended Day will be available until 4:30 p.m.

Ages of Campers

Students entering Preschool through 3rd Grade in the Fall are invited to join us for Summer@Saklan. Students will be divided into two age groups again this summer:

  • Mini Campers: Age 3 – Entering Kindergarten
  • Explorers: Entering 1st – 3rd Grade

Additional Information

Additional information on Summer@Saklan can be found on the summer webpage.

Filled with Gratitude

As we wrap up the 2024–2025 school year, we’re filled with gratitude.

Thank you to every Saklan family for helping make this year such a joyful, engaging, and meaningful experience. Your support, partnership, and enthusiasm have had a lasting impact on our students, staff, and community.

Thank you to all the family members who volunteered their time and talents. Your help was instrumental in making the following activities successful:

  • Back-to-School BBQ
  • Uniform Exchange
  • Annual Giving Fund
  • Parent Coffees
  • Grandfriends’ Day
  • Book Fair
  • Lower School Musical
  • All-School Concert
  • Saklan’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction
  • Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Middle School Musical
  • Yearbook
  • Field Experiences
  • Class Celebrations
  • Open Houses
  • Fall Festival
  • Taste of Traditions
  • Movie Night
  • Spring Service Social
  • Parent Education Events
  • Graduation Dinner

Additionally, thank you to everyone who cheered on and showed support for our students during the following events:

  • CLAS
  • Halloween Costume Parade
  • Fall Follies
  • The Aristocats Kids
  • Basketball Games
  • All-School Concert
  • Shrek Jr.
  • Annual Art Show
  • Presentations of Learning
  • Graduation

It was a wonderful year. Thank you, Saklan families, for your help and partnership in making the 24-25 year a success!

A Shrek-Tastic Success

A big congratulations to our amazing middle school students on their wonderful performance of Shrek The Musical, Jr. at Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette last Friday evening. From the hilarious characters to the toe-tapping songs and heartfelt moments, the cast and crew brought the story to life with creativity, talent, and heart. Bravo to everyone involved for a truly unforgettable show!

Special thanks to the many people who 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, for his work on the sets.
  • To Jayme Feldhammer for her time, sewing machine, and deep kindness.
  • To Emily 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 Parents for helping their performers run lines and gather their base costumes.
  • To the Middle School Students for their creativity, courage, and humor. Your performance was inspiring!
  • To Dianne 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 did it with ease. Thank you!

My Day as Head of School

Today I got to do something really special—I was Head of School at Saklan! From greeting families in the morning to handing out popsicles in the afternoon, the experience gave me a new way to see our school and helped me realize just how much I love being a Saklan student.

The day started bright and early with carline. I stood out front, smiling, waving, and helping students out of their cars—just like David does every morning. One of the best parts of the morning was getting to greet Penny, Vivi’s golden retriever, who came to school that day. She trotted right up to say hello and gave everyone a happy start to their morning.

I also visited classrooms and saw what students were learning. One of the coolest things I saw was the work the Hoot Owls and Owlets did for their Bug PBL Culmination earlier this week. Their projects were amazing!

Later, I surprised my class with a pizza lunch—everyone was really excited about that! And at the end of the day, I made one last big decision as Head of School: extra recess and popsicles for everyone!

Being Head of School for a day was very fun. It showed me how special Saklan is—not just because of pizza and popsicles, but because of the people, the learning, and the way we do things differently.

Here are my five favorite things about Saklan:

  1. PBL (Project Based Learning): Our projects are always fun and interesting. This year I really liked our Indigenous Peoples PBL. Last year, we did one on Adaptations, and in first grade, our Homes PBL was so much fun!
  2. Field Experiences: I love how we go on lots of cool field experiences. Some of my favorites were to Meredith’s Garden, the Pioneer Schoolhouse, and Chabot Space Center. I can’t wait for Coloma next year!
  3. Kind and Encouraging Teachers: Our teachers are always there to help us and cheer us on. They make learning fun and support us when we need it.
  4. Creative Students: The kids at Saklan are really creative. I see it in art, writing, and the cool ideas people have during class projects.
  5. Coach Rob: He’s the best! PE is always fun with Coach Rob. He teaches us to play fair, try our best, and work together as a team.

It was a great day.

Warmly,

Ruby

End of the School Year Reminders

As we count down to the end of the 2024-2025 school, there are a few reminders we would like to share with you.

Uniform Exchange

We are collecting gently used uniform shirts, jumpers, sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets (items with the Saklan logo on them) to be used in the Uniform Exchange. Next week there will be a plastic container in front of the school, please feel free to place any unwanted uniforms in it.

Lost and Found

We have many sweatshirts, jackets, and water bottles in the lost and found. These items will be placed out in the front of the school next week. Please look through them and take what is yours. All items left over after the school year ends will either be added to the uniform exchange or given to charity.

Graduation

All Saklan families and friends are invited to attend this year’s graduation on Friday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. The event is being held outdoors on the Sports Court, so if you are joining us, please prepare for potential sun (glasses/water bottle) or for breezier cool weather (sweaters/jackets).

You are Cordially Invited to Attend

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 with you!

When to Speak Up, When to Let It Go

Over the past few weeks, the Kindergarten class has been engaging in thoughtful conversations and activities designed to help them understand an important social-emotional skill: knowing when to report a problem to a teacher and when it’s best to “let it go.”

The journey began with a classroom discussion about how the word “tattling” is often used to describe someone telling a teacher about a peer’s behavior. But terms like “tattletale” carry a negative tone, and at Saklan, teachers want students to feel safe and supported when seeking help. So, the kindergartners and Riva decided together to use the word “reporting” instead—a more neutral and empowering term that acknowledges that asking for help is never a bad thing.

However, the class also recognized that not all situations require adult intervention. Some students were beginning to feel like they were being “policed” by their classmates, prompting the need for clear guidelines around what situations are appropriate to report.

Together, the class created a simple, helpful framework:

  • If someone’s body or feelings are hurt, always report it to a teacher.
  • If there’s a conflict but no one is hurt, try to handle it on your own (and ask for help with conflict resolution if needed).
  • If someone is simply making a mistake, let it go.

Students practiced applying this framework by discussing different scenarios and categorizing them as “report it,” “handle it,” or “let it go.” The thoughtful conversations that followed showed how seriously kindergartners took their role in creating a safe and kind classroom community.

To make the guidelines even more accessible, especially for younger students and non-readers, students illustrated different examples to accompany the categories. These illustrations were compiled into a chart, now displayed in the classroom. If a student ever feels uncertain about whether they should report something, they can refer to the chart to help make the decision themselves.

This exercise not only supported the class in developing self-awareness and empathy but also reinforced problem-solving and communication skills that will serve them well beyond kindergarten.

#SocialEmotionalLearning

Exploring Energy: Cars, Cookies, and the Power of the Sun

Over the past few weeks, Saklan’s sixth graders have been immersed in an exciting unit on energy transfer. Their hands-on exploration began with a journey through the electromagnetic spectrum, recreated right in the classroom. Using tools like prisms to investigate light waves and tuning forks and whirly tubes to observe sound waves, students experienced firsthand how energy moves and transforms.

From there, the class explored the three modes of heat transfer: radiation, conduction, and convection. This led to a deeper understanding of how energy can move from one object or substance to another. Students connected these concepts to real-world examples, such as how chemical energy in fossil fuels transforms into motion in a car or electricity to power devices.

As their understanding grew, so did their awareness of the environmental impact of fossil fuel use. This naturally sparked an investigation into alternative energy sources, with a focus on the power of the sun.

In the final week of their unit, students harnessed solar energy in two creative and engaging projects. First, they built their own solar-powered cars, turning radiant energy into kinetic energy to drive tiny motors—and then put their creations to the test in a thrilling classroom race. Next, they constructed solar ovens designed to capture the sun’s rays and transform them into heat energy. Their goal? Bake a cookie using nothing but sunshine!

These activities highlighted the incredible potential of renewable energy and gave students a sense of innovation, teamwork, and scientific discovery. It’s safe to say that the sixth-grade classroom was buzzing with energy of every kind!

#SaklanHandsOn

Class of 2025 Graduation

You are Cordially Invited to Attend

We are excited to invite you to a graduation ceremony celebrating the Saklan Class of 2025! This year’s ceremony will be held on Friday, May 30th, at 10:00 a.m. on the Saklan Sports Court. We kindly request that those joining us RSVP by May 23rd.

RSVP for Graduation Here!

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 with you!

#SaklanGraduation #Classof2025

Drone Show on Tuesday

Saklan’s SIGMA Club invites all Saklan students and families to a special Drones & Robots presentation with FireBot Labs next Tuesday, May 20th, at 3:00 p.m. on the sports court. FireBot Labs founder and CEO Jonathan Collazo will be on campus to share a live demonstration of autonomous drones and robotics and to answer questions. We hope you can join us!

A Roaring Thank You!

We’re tipping our fedoras and feathered headbands to everyone who helped make Saklan’s 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction the bee’s knees! Whether you joined us for a swanky evening of celebration, placed your bets in the online auction, treated your youngster to a jazzy experience with a Saklan teacher, or generously contributed to our playground Fund-a-Need, your support was the cat’s pajamas!

Thanks to our dazzling community, we raised over $176,000 for our beloved school — with more than $113,000 earmarked for brand-new play structures that’ll have our kiddos jumping for joy!

The auction fun isn’t over yet! There are a few auction opportunities still available. Click on the links below to learn more!

Here’s to you, our fabulous Saklan community — you sure know how to throw a party and rally for an amazing cause. We couldn’t have done it without you!

#SaklanCommunity