Middle School Open House
Friday, December 1, 2017
8:30 – 10:30AM
We invite all current and prospective parents to join us for an inside look of the highlights of Saklan’s middle school program. Whether you are interested in the lower school or middle school, hearing what our students experience by the time they graduate from Saklan will inspire you.
Head’s Corner
Dear Saklan Community,
The big event of this week was undoubtedly the Halloween and Harvest Festival on Tuesday. This is the second year that we have put on this event and it was tremendously successful by all accounts. This event was sponsored by our Student Council and our students played a big role in organizing the event and running many of the activities. A big thank you to Kim Parks and Lisa Rokas, who are our Student Council Advisors, to the team of staff and teachers, and to the numerous parent volunteers who helped in many ways.
Of the many activities that were organized, the haunted house was as big a hit as ever. The costume parade and competition was fun and colorful and our students enjoyed dressing up in unique and creative costumes. Our Lower School students had fun going to the AEGIS and Moraga Royale assisted living homes and singing their Halloween songs. And finally, the middle school deck was turned into a spooky disco which attracted students of all ages and parents as well.
Please remember that next Friday, November 10, the school will be closed in observance of Veterans Day. The day before, you will receive a text message reminding you about this holiday. As of this year, we have implemented a new mass notification system through Renweb that allows us to send emergency and non-emergency text messages in addition to emails. This will be the first school-wide test of the system, so please give us any feedback you may have.
Also, in two weeks on Friday, November 17, we will have our Fall Follies. It will be held at the Willow Spring Auditorium and will start at 10:30AM. I look forward to a big crowd to experience this fun showcase of Saklan talent.
Have a great weekend!
Peter
Autobiography Gallery Walk
Fifth graders have completed their Autobiography Projects. This project included six chapters detailing important information all about them. The students were asked to write a chapter on various parts of their lives. Each chapter included photos and captions that corresponds with the chapter. In addition, students organized and drew a twenty important events timeline of their lives. Lastly, we invited parents and family members to come and see all of the autobiographies during a gallery walk in fifth grade. Students also shared their projects with various classes that visited later that day. This project is a special keepsake for fifth graders, and we are all proud of their hard work and dedication toward their terrific autobiographies. Way to go fifth graders!
Second Grade Monster Stories
The second graders have completed a month long project. First, they read many books from The Monster Series by Ellen Blance. This monster is lovable and kind. The next step was to choose a title for their own “monster” story and map out the plot. They then wrote a rough draft, proofread and revised, recopied, illustrated, and finally designed a cover.
They have enjoyed reading their stories to the Kindergartners, Hoot Owls, and Owlets.
Middle Schoolers Volunteer At ACFB
On Wednesday, the middle schoolers went to the Alameda County Food Bank (ACFB). They worked for a little over an hour and a half and helped pack produce to go out to needy families in Alameda County. Our students helped package 6,119 pounds of onions for those in need; seniors, families and children.
As we are moving on to our next SEL topic next week on Gratitude, it was nice for our students to be able to give back to our community. Most people who receive assistance from the ACFB are people with jobs, who are having to decide between rent or food, or between medicine or food. One in six Alameda County residents receive help from the food bank, and of them children and elderly make up the largest group. In fact, one in every three children are getting help with the assistance of the food bank.
We were proud to help such a great organization and live our mission.
Constellations, What A Sight!
These creative constellations, fashioned from marshmallows and Q-tips, were made by the imaginative first grade class. The first graders presented all the facts and stories behind their individual constellations. The “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was a great tune performed by the class to wrap up their “out of this world” space unit.
Here are some of the pictures from their field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center.
Pumpkin Hunt
The Owlets and Hoot Owls had a pumpkin hunt last week. First, they searched for the pumpkins with their names on the bottom on the playground.
Then they had a party with delicious Halloween snacks.
Finally, the Hoot Owls carved their class pumpkin.
It was a fun day!
Mark Your Calendars!
Don’t miss this fun event. Come see our talented students perform.
Everyone is invited!
Head’s Corner
Dear Saklan Parents,
Last week, we held an all-school earthquake drill. Saklan students did an outstanding job of following the prescribed procedures of duck and cover, and then evacuating the building in an orderly fashion. To simulate what might happen in a real earthquake, we had one staff member hide in the restroom, which required our search and rescue team to go back and find her.
Being prepared in an emergency is something we take seriously and practice regularly at Saklan. Every month, we do an earthquake, fire or lockdown drill, and our faculty and staff have done an outstanding job in emergency preparedness. After every drill, we do an evaluation and look for issues and improvements. We have also improved our communications plan in the event of an emergency. Contacting parents during or after an emergency is critical, and we have recently implemented a new feature through Renweb which will provide a more efficient and broader range of contact options to include text messages in addition to emails. For this to be effective, all parents must make sure that their information on Renweb is up to date and all emergency contacts are included. More information on our safety procedures can be found in our Crisis and Preparedness Plan, which is found on Renweb.
Security is an important consideration at Saklan and we have recently changed our gate code. Please be very careful in sharing this code with others. In the next few weeks, we will be upgrading our alarm system and adding surveillance cameras. We will also be replacing the external door by the Admissions and Business Offices with one that is more secure.
Another safety issue that we have addressed this year is that of the parking situation. With the increase in traffic on School Street over the past few years, the crossing of the street without an official crosswalk has resulted in the need for a safer solution. Having negotiated a new parking agreement with the Holy Trinity Church, parents no longer have to cross the street to get to the school.
Another safety issue, which has come up a few times this year, is that of smoke from wild fires affecting the air quality. In these instances, the school evaluated the information provided by the EPA and followed the lead of the local school district in deciding on the need for school closure. This did, however, result in our decision to keep the students indoors for recess and PE classes, and advising parents to keep their children at home if they have respiratory problems.
We are all looking forward to our Halloween and Harvest Festival next Tuesday. The fun starts right away in the morning with the costume parade and ends after the Harvest Festival with an early dismissal at 2:00PM. Please note that extended care will be available on that day.
Have a great weekend!
Peter
FRIDAY BLOG 
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