Abolitionists Project

In our continuing “Democracy in Action” study of race relations in America, our stellar 8th grade class just wrapped up an immersive project about the Abolitionist Movement. I’m proud of their serious–and fun!–approach to this project.

The assignment first involved researching historical power players in the 19th century struggle to end slavery. Students then created class presentations addressing the various methods of activism (e.g., writing books, giving speeches, educating the public, working within the system, tearing down the system, being a conductor on the Underground Railroad, leading armed rebellions, etc.). Significantly, the kids were challenged to try to dig into the psychology and motivation of major historical figures like Sojourner Truth, Harriett Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. The students also had to work hard to make connections in effort to understand how backgrounds and life-changing experiences shape personality and actions. During their presentations and impromptu role play debates, the kids aimed to embody the distinctive characters of our nation’s preeminent freedom fighters. In this way, the kids gained insight into what it truly means to stand up for your beliefs against all odds and make a difference in the world.

Donation to a Worthy Organization

After learning all about the ear and how we hear the second graders began the study of color and sight. Once again, they did many experiments to see how light travels and how prisms work. They even learned how to write their names in Braille. The highlight of this unit was when members of the Contra Costa Dog Raisers visited our class. They gave us a short lecture about preparing puppies to become guide dogs for the blind. We also presented our donation of $355.00 which we raised from our school bake sale.

Moraga Gardens Farm

As we are in the process of starting a long-term collaboration with our neighbor, Moraga Gardens Farm, please support them in the coming weekends during their annual Plant Starts Sale!

The annual Plant Sale will start Saturday, March 25 (rain or shine) and will continue both Saturdays and Sundays through the following three weekends, ending Saturday April 15th. The hours will be 10AM-3PM. The farm is located at 1290 Moraga Way in Moraga near the Safeway, and just adjacent to the Fire Station.

They will be offering a variety of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, herbs, peppers and eggplants. All plants are grown locally from seed at the farm by the Moraga Gardens Farm volunteers.

Feel free to forward this to your fellow gardeners, friends, family and co-workers.

Head’s Corner

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Dear Saklan Community,

Our Annual Concert at the Lesher Center for the Arts is truly one of the most exciting events of the school year. Yesterday, a big audience of about 570 parents, relatives, friends, staff, and students were treated to a program that was fun, engaging and instructive. I would like to highly commend our music teacher, Mrs. Grace Chaffey, for another outstanding Annual Concert at the Lesher Center. I would also like to commend Mr. Isaac Narell, whose work with the 4th and 5th graders was superlative. A big thank you to the band which featured Saklan’s own Mr. Sam Prestianni, Mr. Isaac Narell, Ms. Ashley Jennings, Mr. Javier Yacarini, and alumnus James Rokas. The theme of our concert was “Rise Up – Motown, Funk and Soul.” This show was the culmination of a year-long educational exploration of music that has shaped popular culture and left us a rich legacy of tunes that have stood the test of time over the decades. I am certain that the theater full of parents, relatives, and friends were as impressed as I was by the unique talent, energy, and joy that our Saklan students can pack into one show!

Have a great weekend!

Peter

2017 Annual Concert

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Here’s to another inspiring performance by the Saklan students!

Powerful lyrics, beautiful voices, creative dance moves, and talented instrumentalists filled The Lesher Center with positive energy last night during the 2017 Annual Concert. Audience members felt compelled to get up and move to the music of Motown, Soul and Funk. Thank you to all who came out to support our community.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Saklan! We couldn’t catch the leprechaun, but at least he left some gold and sweets behind.☘️

Enjoy the slideshow from this fun day!

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