Growth Mindset

Saklan’s social-emotional learning emphasis for January is to have a growth mindset. Throughout the month, all Saklan students will be practicing how to embrace challenges and view them as learning opportunities.

At the end of January, the first – eighth graders will meet with their family groups and participate in cross-grade level discussions and activities to gain an even greater understanding of growth mindset. We value these opportunities to help our students understand and integrate new SEL concepts each month. Thank you to our 8th graders for leading these opportunities for the 1st – 7th graders, and to our SEL coordinators Vickie Obenchain and Lisa Rokas for organizing such a unique program for our students.

#SaklanSEL

Back by Popular Demand!

Every Saklan student knows how rewarding a snack can be at the end of a busy day of learning and having fun with one another here at school. Our dedicated and resourceful Student Council has been busy planning the return of Snack Shack this year!

Student Council officers and representatives in grades 1 through 8 decided on the final items for sale based on desirability, minimizing waste, and being able to set reasonable prices ranging from 50 cents to $2.00 per item. Yummy snacks for sale this year will include: goldfish, gummies, chips, Hello Panda, Pirate’s Booty, Rice Krispy treats, La Croix bubble water, Honest Juice, and Martinelli’s apple drink. 

Last year’s Student Council voted to spend some of the proceeds from Snack Shack for The Saklan School to participate in the Terracycle recycling program for markers, pens, glue sticks, and odd single-use products we use daily at school. Stay tuned for which charity or cause this year’s Student Council selects!

Snack Shack will open outside David’s office from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Thursday starting on January 16th.  Saklan students are invited to come by and purchase a snack from our hardworking Student Council members. Cash only, please. 

Thank you, students and parents, for supporting our Student Council.

Snack on!

#SaklanStudentCouncil #SaklanLeadership

Join Us on Jan. 26th

All members of the Saklan community are invited to join the PA on Sunday, January 26th from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the Founders Auditorium at the Orinda Community Center for a movie night! Popcorn will be provided for all attendees. Please bring your reusable water bottle with you, as well as nut-free snacks, blankets, chairs, beanbags, pillows, or other items to get cozy (limited folding chair seating will be available).

#SaklanCommunity

Spreading Holiday Cheer

The Middle School Choir musicians have been working on mastering the harmonies of “Happiness” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. They have also added a few more songs to their repertoire, including “Together, Wherever We Go” from Gypsy and “It’s Possible” from Seussical. In addition, the student musicians are learning choreography to enhance their song performances, as well as adding in handbell parts!

Their harmonizing, choreography, and handbell work came together on Wednesday when the choir shared a holiday performance with our neighbors who live at Moraga Royale (a senior living community). To prepare for the show, the students learned holiday songs that they thought the seniors would know. During the show, they invited the audience to sing along with them, and to their amazement, they did!

The heartwarming performance brought smiles to the faces of the Moraga Royale staff and residents and filled the room with great holiday cheer. We hope the video below does the same for you!

#SaklanCompassionate

Portraits of Kindergarten

In art class, kindergartners recently worked on representing themselves through portraits. First, students observed well-known self-portraits by Vincent VanGogh and Frida Kahlo, and then used the art elements of line, shape, and color to create their own self-portrait drawings.

Next, the kindergartners observed the artwork of contemporary artist Cindy Sherman, who photographs herself dressed up as different imagined characters. In collaboration with their PBL unit exploring the driving question of “How can learning about each other’s names make us better friends?” students planned their own Cindy Sherman-inspired photoshoot that visualized the meaning and stories behind their names. Each student posed for photographs wearing costumes and props that not only represented their names but that superbly matched their unique personalities. Check out their photos below! 

#SaklanProjectBasedLearning

Amazing Tour Guides

Last week, the preschoolers were very excited to welcome their parents, buddies, and other community members into their classroom for their Nocturnal Animal Project Culmination.

The Owlets spent two months learning about nocturnal animals after a student brought up the concept during circle time at the beginning of the year. The other students had a lot of prior knowledge about animals and were very interested in learning about animals that are more active at night, so the teachers designed a project based on their natural curiosities.

As part of their project, the Owlets took on the role of surveyors, going around the school to ask other classes an important question: Which garbage collector is your favorite—raccoon, opossum, or skunk? After gathering all the votes, they counted them together as a class. It was a close race, but in the end, the preschoolers discovered that Saklan’s favorite animal is… the raccoon!

During the project, the Owlets created an Owlet Wildlife Center, after learning about Lindsay Wildlife’s Rehab Hospital. During their study they learned an important lesson: once an injured animal heals, vets usually release it back into its natural habitat. With this in mind, it was time to return the now-healed animals in their care. Maggie’s hippo and Shay’s hairy cow were delivered with care back to their “homes.” Maggie and Shay were so happy to be reunited with their stuffies, and the Owlets were just as excited to see their hard work pay off!

To get ready for the culmination, the Owlets reviewed all the facts they had learned by creating colorful infographic posters. Their attention to detail was spot on as they helped color the giant animal drawings, carefully choosing the real-life colors of each animal. In addition to coloring the posters, they did some fun math with them, measuring the length and width of the animals using unit cubes.

Finally, all their learning and hard work came together for their Nocturnal Animal Culmination, which was a great success! Teachers, parents, and buddies were all very proud of the Owlets. They were amazing tour guides, confidently sharing everything they’ve learned.

Winter 2025 Enrichment Classes

As the fall session of enrichment comes to an end, we are excited to share the classes that will be offered during the second half of the year! For the winter session the following classes will be available:

Check out the class descriptions here. Classes begin the week of January 27th, and have limited space available. Registration for winter enrichment classes is now available on the Saklan Enrichment Webpage.

Join Us for Movie Night

All members of the Saklan community are invited to join the PA on Sunday, January 26th from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the Founders Auditorium at the Orinda Community Center for a movie night!

Popcorn will be provided for all attendees. Please bring your reusable water bottle with you, as well as nut-free snacks, blankets, chairs, beanbags, pillows, or other items to get cozy (limited folding chair seating will be available).

#SaklanCommunity

Head’s Corner: Saklan Tuition Assistance

At Saklan, we strive to make education available to families who share what matters most to us: a love of learning and love in learning. Our tuition assistance program is part of that commitment, helping to create a vibrant community that strengthens our school.

Families are often surprised to learn that tuition assistance isn’t just for families with a below-average income. Our tuition assistance supports a wide range of family circumstances and income levels. Whether you’re managing multiple children’s educational needs, working to support your parents, or experiencing an unusual financial event, we encourage you to explore your options. While we can’t guarantee assistance to every family that applies, we work diligently to support as many qualified applicants as possible.

Moreover, we understand the sensitive nature of financial discussions. All aspects of tuition assistance applications are handled with confidentiality. Only our financial aid committee has access to your information, and all applications and decisions are kept private.

We are dedicated to growing and fostering our community. Applications for Tuition Assistance for the 2025-26 school year are now available through Clarity. If you have any questions concerning your eligibility for tuition assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact Mylesa, Saklan’s Director of Admissions, at admissions@saklan.org.

Saklan Space Station

Fifth-grade students recently wrapped up their hands-on space unit with Ms. O by engaging in a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) rocket-design challenge.  When students work in teams, they learn and practice desirable “soft skills” such as active listening, clear communication, cooperation, and flexibility, while also learning the “hard-skill” academics – both are valuable for life, hence rockets were designed and built in partner teams.  Each team had access to a soda bottle, lightweight card, tape in about a million colors, markers, and scissors.  They also had two constraints: time and weight. Students had to make decisions around these factors while building a launchable rocket in under 30 minutes.  

Check out the pictures below of the teams, rockets, and smiles, following successful launches here at the Saklan Space Station! 

#SaklanHandsOn