A Whale of a Time

April brings the study of whales to the second graders. The first part of this unit is choosing a whale to research and using their ipads to look up information. They then met with their 7th grade buddies to look up more facts. This information was transferred to note cards for an oral report.

The second graders also made Save the Whale Posters and wrote a short essay on the importance of keeping our oceans clean, compared the sizes of different whales and charted it on a graph, looked up new vocabulary, used a Venn diagram to compare a whale to a fish, and read many additional books about whales. The highlight of this unit is when the second graders along with their parents go to MOCHA to make a model of their whale.

 

Practica tu Vocabulario

In Spanish class, students really enjoy using Quizlet. This web-based application has several study methods to learn new vocabulary at school or home. At school, they enjoy using Quizlet-live in which the teacher breaks their class up into teams. The teacher chooses whether to start with a definition or term. Then each team will have to choose the correct term or definition to win. The team with the most points wins!

Spring Arts Festival

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Friday, May 11th, 3:00-7:00PM

Students will participate in an Art Scavenger Hunt during school hours from 2:15-2:50PM.

ART WILL BE UP AFTER SCHOOL AND REMAIN UP FROM 6:00-7:00PM DURING FAMILY FUN NIGHT.

Please come see all the work your child has done this year! They are very excited!

Head’s Corner

Dear Saklan Community,

Today we had a very interesting Flag. Of course they all are. What stood out was the depth and variety of learning that occurs at Saklan on a daily basis. The spectrum of this was wonderfully shown by Kindergarten students presenting an analysis of the structure of the fairy tale, and then 8th grade students presenting an analysis of the algebraic function. Equally impressive as the depth of our curriculum, was the creativity of the presentations and confidence that the students demonstrated in speaking before the entire school community.

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Thanks to our parents, their families and friends, The Saklan School has a long-standing history of being voted BEST OF in the annual contest put on by both the Bay Area Parent magazine and the Parents Press magazine. Please take a moment to vote for your favorite school.  Please note that there are separate categories for:

  1. Preschool
  2. Elementary School
  3. Middle School
  4. Summer Camp

Tomorrow night is our Annual Auction and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Lafayette Park Hotel. This is not only an important fundraiser for Saklan but a fun event that brings our community together. Please remember our fund-a-need project, which is in support of the Creative, Performing and Visual Arts.

Have a good weekend,

Peter

4th Grade – Coloma

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Eureka! That means, “I found it!” The Forty-Niners used this word all during the Gold Rush of 1849. The Fourth Graders could be heard saying that as well numerous times during our trip to the Coloma Outdoor Discovery School, especially when they were panning for gold.

We spent two days and one night in Coloma immersed in all things Gold Rush. We learned how to make cornbread in a dutch oven over hot coals, how to build a structure, sew gold pouches, and square dance. We explored the city of Coloma, perused Sutter’s mill, visited James Marshall’s cabin, and much more. We would like to give a special thank-you to our chaperones. We couldn’t have done it without you! It was a great trip!

Miss O in Senegal

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Our Science Teacher, Miss Vickie Obenchain, arrived safely in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday evening. As we mentioned earlier this year, she was selected for the 2017-18 Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. As part of her field experience, she will be teaching and traveling in Senegal for two weeks. Click here to follow her adventures.

Just Added to Our Festival Des Arts Auction!

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Only 10 spots will be available for purchase for Paul Simon’s Farewell Tour on Friday, May 25. Enjoy this once in a lifetime experience with other Saklan parents from the comfort of an Executive Suite at the Oracle.

In case you missed it, our Auction Catalog is online!

If you see an item you want to bid on and can’t attend, it’s not too late to give an absentee bidding form to a friend who is going.

Thank you to all those who have helped make this event possible. We look forward to celebrating with many of you tomorrow night!