Save the Date for Movie Night

Saklan’s Parent Association invites you to our annual Movie Night on Sunday, January 25th, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. in the Founders Auditorium at the Orinda Community Center.

Popcorn and water will be provided, and folding chairs will be set up. Families are encouraged to bring a cozy blanket and a favorite stuffie for kids who want to relax on the floor. Feel free to bring additional nut-free snacks and water bottles as well.

We hope to see you there for a fun and cozy community evening!

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanPA

Head’s Corner: Celebrating Connection, Joy, and Learning

Just before the Thanksgiving Break, our campus was filled with joy, laughter, and heartfelt moments as we welcomed beloved grandparents, family friends, and special adults to celebrate Grandfriends’ Day at Saklan. It was a beautiful morning that highlighted the power of connection across generations and the vibrant learning that happens in our classrooms every day.

From the moment guests arrived, students were beaming with pride, eager to share their school, their work, and the people who guide their learning. The morning began with CLAS, where student voices, hard work, creativity, and compassion were showcased. 

After CLAS, grandfriends joined students in their classrooms for activities designed to spark curiosity, conversation, and connection. Some collaborated on art projects, others explored math games, science challenges, or writing prompts, and many simply enjoyed the chance to sit side-by-side and experience learning through a child’s eyes. Classrooms buzzed with energy as students proudly introduced their grandfriends to classmates and teachers, and shared their daily routines.

The magic of the morning wasn’t just in the activities; it was in the relationships. When students see someone they love and trust engaging with their school world, it deepens their sense of belonging and strengthens their emotional connection to learning. Grandfriends’ Day isn’t just a celebration; it’s an important part of how we cultivate confidence, curiosity, and community at Saklan.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make the day meaningful. Your presence enriches our students’ lives in ways that extend far beyond the classroom.

Thank you for being part of our community, and for helping us nurture joyful, connected, and courageous learners. We can’t wait to welcome you back next year!

Warmly,

David

#SaklanCommunity

Authenticity and Student Inquiry

Doing a project is not the same as Project Based Learning. The differences may seem minor at first glance, but the impact on student learning and engagement is tremendous. Two vital components that differentiate “doing a project” from Project Based Learning are authenticity and student-driven inquiry. 

High-level Project Based Learning has an authentic context. It involves tasks, questions, or ideas that connect to the world outside of the school walls: students’ personal experiences, concerns, interests, or identity. Student-driven inquiry means students are engaged in an iterative process of asking questions, gathering and interpreting data, and developing solutions or deeper questions to investigate. 

Two fantastic examples of these elements in high-level Project Based Learning at Saklan are the Kindergarten Names unit and the Owlet Leaf unit. 

Our Kindergarten names unit brings students’ family stories and cultures to the forefront of learning. The students investigate how to become better friends by learning about each other’s names. Closer bonds and deeper friendships are developed by bringing students’ rich family lives and stories into the classroom. They interview their families and each other about their names, learn to read and write each other’s names, explore ways to represent the meaning of their names together, and study how people share their names through picture books.

Our youngest learners, the Owlets, have been engaging in a deep exploration of leaves. For our ECE students, part of an authentic unit means pursuing a topic that they experience in their daily lives. During this time of year, when the trees are changing colors and leaves are falling to the ground all around us, student questions about leaves are abundant. They first began their study by sharing their own knowledge about leaves before generating questions. Next, the class engaged in experiences that helped them answer their questions, and then made physical representations of their growing knowledge of leaves. 

For both of these units, students engaged in multiple rounds of inquiry and had the rich opportunity to explore a topic with personal meaning while also tackling academic, social, and emotional learning goals. You are invited to join us on December 11th at 8:40 a.m. to celebrate the culmination of both of these project units. We hope you join us! 

  • One element of the Names unit included inspiration from artist Cindy Sherman.
  • Students designed costumes for portraits that communicated the meaning of their names.
  • See this work and more on Dec 11th!

#SaklanProjectBasedLearning

Spotlight on Riva: Guiding Kindergartners With Joy & Purpose

If you’ve ever stepped into Saklan’s Kindergarten classroom, you’ve likely felt it: the spark, the laughter, the hum of curiosity and care. It’s a space where little moments become big milestones, and where joy seems to live in every corner. That joy is no accident. It’s fueled, every day, by a teacher who brings heart, intention, and deep respect for childhood into everything she does.

Recently, we sat down with Riva, Saklan’s Kindergarten teacher, to learn more about what inspires her, what she loves most about working with our youngest learners, and why Saklan’s approach to Project Based Learning feels so special.

You bring so much joy to the Saklan campus- what fuels your joy and excitement the most when it comes to your teaching day? 

“My joy comes from the relationships I get to build with my students and their families. Kindergarteners arrive each morning with such openness and enthusiasm, and I love being part of a community that celebrates their strengths, quirks, and emerging identities. Saklan is a place where students are truly known, and getting to guide them through their first steps in school — emotionally, socially, and academically — is a privilege that motivates me every day.”

What do you love the most about working with Kindergarten?

“What I love most about working with kindergarteners is the unique magic of this developmental stage. Everything is new, everything is possible, and their sense of wonder is contagious. I get to watch them discover their own abilities, whether they’re decoding a word for the first time, writing a brave sentence, or learning how to take a deep breath and reset. Kindergarteners grow in such joyful, visible ways, and being part of those early milestones feels incredibly meaningful.”

She also shared a favorite program that brings this magic to life: Kinder Korner.

“One of my favorite parts of teaching kindergarten at Saklan is our Kinder Korner program. Our students become “big buddies” to the Hoot Owls, teaching them what life in kindergarten is like. It’s beautiful to see my students step into leadership roles with such care and pride. They show empathy, patience, and confidence as they guide their younger buddies through activities, routines, and little moments of discovery. Watching them light up when they realize they are the ‘experts’ is truly heartwarming. Those cross-grade connections deepen our community and remind me how capable and kind young children can be when given the chance to lead.”

You have had a lot of experience with projects at previous schools- what makes Saklan’s approach to PBL special?

“What I love about Saklan’s approach to Project Based Learning is the way it connects our standards to work that feels genuinely meaningful for young children. Our projects grow from what students are naturally curious about, and that makes the learning feel joyful and authentic for all of us.”

She highlighted The Names Project as a powerful example.

“The Names Project is one of my favorites for exactly that reason. Kindergarteners are already captivated by their own names, so it becomes a perfect entry point into letters, sounds, phonics, and even math as we compare and graph the number of letters in each name. But what makes this project so special to me is the sense of community it builds. As students learn to read each other’s names, discover the stories behind them, and create portraits inspired by their name meanings, they also learn about one another in a really meaningful way. The academic growth is wonderful, but the connections they build are the true heart of the project for me.”

You can see this joyful learning in action by joining the Kindergartners for their Names Project culmination on Thursday, December 11th, at 8:40 a.m.

From the joyful morning greetings to the thoughtful projects that build community and confidence, it’s clear that Kindergarten at Saklan is filled with intention, wonder, and deep care. And at the center of it all are teachers like Riva, who make learning feel magical—one moment, one question, and one joyful discovery at a time.

#SaklanStaff

Extraordinary Support

Thank you, Saklan, for your extraordinary support of this year’s Annual Giving Fund (AGF) campaign.

Our goals this year are to raise $230,000 and reach 100% participation from our Saklan community. To date, we have raised over $224,000 with 89% participation—a record for this point in the year! The chart below shows each class’s progress toward our 100% participation goal.

The outpouring of generosity from our community is truly humbling. Your support directly strengthens our ability to inspire students to think creatively, act compassionately, and live courageously.

If you haven’t yet made your AGF gift, it’s not too late! You can donate in any of the following ways:

  • DONATE ONLINE through our secure site; or
  • Write your check made out to The Saklan School with “Annual Giving Fund” written on the Memo line and deliver it to our office.

If you would like to discuss your gift further, please contact Emily at ewilliamson@saklan.org.

On behalf of all of us at The Saklan School, thank you for your incredible support. Your generosity makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our students every day.

#SaklanCompassionate #SaklanAGF

Cross-Age Learning in Action

Saklan’s cross-grade learning was on full display as the Owlet buddies and fifth graders came together for a hands-on science experience rooted in their respective Project Based Learning (PBL) units. The Owlets have been exploring leaves, while the fifth graders have been studying trees—making their recent research on Redwoods the perfect launching point for peer teaching.

The fifth graders were tasked with becoming “experts” on several big questions the Owlets had been wondering about: the difference between evergreen and deciduous leaves, why leaf colors change, and how fallen plant matter breaks down and becomes soil, including the important role earthworms play in decomposition.

Students worked in teams with real focus and purpose. They were given 45 minutes to choose a topic and collaborate on a mini-presentation that was both accurate and engaging. Each group created a visual or hands-on element to support their teaching. Another 45 minutes were spent practicing, presenting to peers, and refining their work with the help of candid “Dancing with the Stars-style” feedback. The growth from practice to final presentation was remarkable.

When it was time to meet with the Owlets, the fifth graders were ready. Their presentations were clear, lively, and thoughtfully geared toward 3- and 4-year-old learners. The Owlets eagerly leaned in, asking big, earnest questions such as, “Do worms have eyes?” and “Is that the head or the tail?” Fifth graders knelt beside tiny tables, held leaves up for close inspection, and invited younger students to touch, compare, and wonder.

Not only did the Owlets gain new insights through this joyful experience, but the fifth graders deepened their own understanding by explaining complex scientific ideas in simple, accurate ways—a skill that strengthens mastery and confidence.

Saklan’s PBL focus continues to create meaningful opportunities for students of all ages to learn with and from each other, building both knowledge and community along the way.

#SaklanProjectBasedLearning #SaklanGuestExperts

Student Council Spreads Holiday Cheer to Local Seniors

In this week’s Student Council meeting, the officers and reps in grades 1-8 wrote holiday greeting cards to the nearby senior citizen residents of Moraga Royale. They had voted unanimously in their previous meeting to spend one entire meeting sharing their holiday cheer with other community members.

The students colored in and decorated paper cards using templates or drew their own cards. Each card included colorful winter- and holiday-themed images and a warm greeting, such as these:

Dear Neighbors,
We hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Darcy, a 5th grader

Dear Neighbors,
Happy Holidays! I hope your holiday season is filled with smiles and cheer.

Aliya and your friends at The Saklan School

The holiday vibe was cheerful in the Humanities Room while the students chatted with one another over lunch while decorating and writing their cards.

Happy Holidays from Saklan Student Council!

#SaklanCompassion #SaklanStudentLeadership

Exploring Animal Care

Last Friday, the Hoot Owls proudly shared the culmination of their two-month-long Pets Project, inviting families and community members to celebrate their hard work. This project blended research, fieldwork, creativity, and expert guidance as students explored what it means to responsibly care for a wide range of pets.

The learning journey began with each student selecting a pet to focus on—either a dream pet or one they already have at home. As they learned more about different animals, the Hoot Owls designed and built homes for their chosen pets. They drew inspiration from books, videos, classroom experts, and their own imaginations to create thoughtful and detailed habitats.

A highlight of the project was a Spider Hunt. After learning about spiders, students ventured outdoors with Observational Notebooks in hand. Like true scientists, they sketched what they observed and took note of the spiders’ natural environments. These observations helped them better understand what spiders need to thrive.

The class also dove into learning about fish as pets. Students discovered that fish care is more complex than it first appears. They examined cleaning tools, water test kits, and a special bucket used only for tank maintenance. Conversations about the role of light in supporting aquatic plants sparked thoughtful questions—such as why fish don’t sleep with pillows! This curiosity inspired the creation of a life-sized fish tank representation to help students visualize a fish’s natural environment and daily needs.

As the culmination approached, the Hoot Owls worked diligently to ensure guests felt welcomed. They carefully wrote and decorated invitations for families and friends. Inside the classroom, they helped plan the layout of all their project representations—no small task given the limited space. They worked together to problem-solve, make signs, organize materials, and prepare the room for visitors.

Their excitement and pride were evident as they shared their learning with the community. The Pets Project not only strengthened their understanding of animal care but also fostered creativity, curiosity, and collaboration—skills they will carry into future explorations.

A Conversation with Sal Khan on Raising Future-Ready Kids

This past week, in collaboration with ParentMap, Saklan co-hosted a compelling conversation with author and progressive education leader Sal Khan. The event focused on the timely topic: “Raising Future-Ready Kids: What Every Parent Should Know About AI.”

Khan shared thoughtful insights not only into the challenges AI presents in education but also the exciting opportunities it offers for teaching and learning. As he noted during the conversation, “We’re at the cusp of using AI for probably the biggest positive transformation that education has ever seen.”

Many parents have expressed how valuable they found the discussion as they navigate the evolving role of AI in their children’s lives.

If you’d like to view (or listen to) the conversation, click here and use the access code: edTalks*2526

#SaklanParentEd #SaklanCommunity

Yearbook Cover Time!

All Saklan students are invited to show their creativity by designing a cover for this year’s yearbook. All covers are asked to incorporate the theme of Among the Redwoods, have a vertical orientation, and include the text “The Saklan School 2025-2026.”

If you have any questions about the Yearbook Cover Contest, please email Lauren at lhaberly@saklan.org.

#SaklanCreative