Creative Middle Schoolers

On Thursday afternoons, Saklan’s middle school students participate in Learning By Doing (LBD) classes. These 45-minute classes expose students to different areas of interest, giving them an opportunity to take an active role in designing their education. LBD classes can be taught by middle school teachers or students, and cover a range of topics, including: poetry, art, music, drama, sports, technology, etc. These classes are meant to encourage creativity and collaboration for all members of the middle school community.

Saklan’s SEL focus for October is creativity, and the middle schoolers are using their LBD classes this month to take part in different creative, Halloween-themed activities. Last week they held a “Nailed It” challenge. Students, worked in family-group teams (with only the 6th – 8th graders) to recreate pumpkin themed art. They were given a picture of some painted pumpkins, and then worked together to recreate their masterpieces in only 30 minutes. Check out their amazing work below!

Being creative and having shared experiences helps our middle school create a cohesive community.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanCreative

Grandfriends’ Day

Saklan’s Grandfriends’ Day is on Friday, November 17th from 8:45 to 10:30 a.m.

Please remind your grandparents and special friends (a friend or family member that your child looks up to and/or has a grandparent-like relationship with) about this event so they join us! 

Rsvp for grandfriends’ day here!

Pathways to Success

“Do as I say, not as I do”

Betty O’Connell

As a child, I did not appreciate my mom’s words about the misalignment between her values and actions. It just sounded like a way for an adult to make a child do something they were not doing. After last week’s webinar by Challenge Success, I can see my mom was on to something many families struggle with. 

For those of us who attended The Well-Balanced Student workshop by Laura Easley of Challenge Success, there were some “ah ha” moments as many of us realized we are a bit like “my mother.” Our actions do not always match our “stated” values, and our children can be confused and stressed by this misalignment.  

One of my takeaways from the webinar was how much children believe the path to success is a straight line from school to a successful career and happiness. As adults, we understand that life is full of mistakes, and they help us grow as people, build resilience, and open new opportunities. Children overwhelmingly believe one must get good grades to get into an excellent university to have a successful and happy life. 

But life is more like the path below, failures, u-turns, and redo’s. 

80% of adults report that their path to success and happiness is similar to the squiggly line, but the message that children internalize is that the only way is the narrow path. 

More importantly, though, the webinar drove home the importance of PDF: Playtime, Downtime, and Family Time. Challenge Success does a great job defining what makes each of these “times” highly effective in creating a healthy family and children. Take a moment to check out their tip sheets here. 

Lastly, for further resources, you can check out the Challenge Success Resource Center, which has plenty of excellent tips and information on healthy children and families. 

In partnership,

David

If you would like to view a recording of the webinar, click here. 

The Role of the Library

The first graders recently visited the Lafayette Library as part of their community study. The students had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Alle, the head librarian, to tour the library and learn about the important role a library plays in the community by being a community hub that connects people to information. Additionally, they discussed the differences between public libraries and school libraries and talked about how borrowing a library book is different from buying books in a bookstore.

The students were especially excited to check out books using their brand new library cards!

The first graders had a wonderful time out in the field, learning about the important roles a library plays in a community.

#SaklanFieldExperience

Examining Kehinde Wiley’s Art

8th graders recently went to the de Young Museum to view Kehinde Wiley’s exhibit, Archaeology of Silence. Kehinde Wiley is widely known for his presidential portrait of Barack Obama, and his work featuring African Americans using the traditional styles of the old masters. Archaeology of Silence continues Wiley’s work of drawing attention to the value of Black lives through large scale paintings and an exquisite attention to detail. Through this field experience, students were able to see up close how artists are able to convey deep emotion and powerful ideas through visual imagery. 

Prior to the museum visit, students gained knowledge of Kehinde Wiley’s art style and visual tropes through viewing and analyzing his works, and comparing them with the 17th-19th century European paintings he has recreated. They watched a series of interviews with the artist to gain insight into his background and motivations, and discussed parallels between Wiley’s life and artwork with On the Come up, a book they were reading in language arts class. Students also viewed a video poem response to the Archaeology of Silence exhibit, made by an Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. 

Through these sessions, students developed a list of questions they had about the artist, and recurring themes and symbolism in his artwork. For example: Why does he use florals in his paintings? Are the figures sleeping or dead? Why are the colors unnaturally vibrant? Why are the figures all wearing name brand clothing? Why is the show called an Archaeology of Silence?

During their museum visit, students brought these questions with them, and used information from their observations, the audio guides, and museum labels to help answer them. Students also developed new questions, and were able to use the ideas and information provided in the exhibit to broaden and expand their thinking. Here are some quotes from student workbooks:

“[The florals] cradle the subject [and] create a comforting surrounding while still being sad.”

“What makes this figure special while still being ordinary?”

“How long did this take? It’s huge!”

“I connect the poses of the people in the images with depictions that I have seen of Jesus.”

“[Archaeology of Silence] refers to a phrase by Michael Foucault, talking about ‘making visible a socially repressed phenomenon.’”

“This show is moving, it makes you think about the effects of racism and discrimination against African Americans.”

“I used to think that the content [of Kehinde Wiley’s work] was mostly just brutal. Now I think that it’s more than that, it’s about both life and death and not just the latter.”

#SaklanFieldExperience

Open Houses

The 2024-2025 admissions season has officially begun! Saklan has several events planned to help prospective families get a better understanding of our programs and philosophy:

All prospective and current parents are invited to attend these events. Feel free to invite friends or family members to join these events as well.

We encourage Pre-K families to join one of our K-5 Open Houses and for our 5th grade families to join one of our Middle School Open Houses, to see what’s ahead during your child’s experience at Saklan.

If you can’t join us for one of the events listed above but are interested in learning more about Saklan, we will gladly give individual tours at a mutually convenient time. To schedule a tour or more about the admissions process, please reach out to the Saklan Admissions Office at admissions@saklan.org.

Be Creative

In October, Saklan’s social-emotional learning emphasis is to be creative.

During this month, all Saklan students are discussing what it means to be creative and looking for ways to showcase their creativity. On Wednesday, October 25th, the first – eighth graders will meet with their family groups and take part in cross-grade level discussions and activities to gain an even greater understanding of being creative.

#SaklanSEL

My Summer In NYC

Creativity is such a difficult thing to understand. In education circles, we spend time debating about whether creativity can even be taught, and where in the brain it comes from. There are many who still think creativity is relegated to artists and musicians and actors alone; traditional thinking sometimes categorizes us into “right-brained” (creative) or “left-brained” (analytical). I don’t claim to have the answers to where creativity comes from, but I know places where it lives. 

Over the summer, Lauren Haberly (Art), Linda Lathrop (Project and Inclusion Integrationist) and I traveled to New York City for the Annual Broadway Teachers Workshop put on by the Broadway educators group. Over three packed days, we listened, danced, moved, and lived in the creative energy brought by professional actors, directors, educators, and set designers. The cultural and creative diversity in one space was inspiring and beautiful, and we left each day filled with so many new thoughts and ideas. Every morning we stepped into the streets to let those ideas float between us and the ideas from millions of other people around us. People serving really good coffee, people playing cello in the park, people sharing beautiful food from their heritage, people baring their soul through song, people marveling at bright lights, and people just being people. To be in a space where community is everywhere, and strangers are so close in every moment, is exhilarating. The creative energy seems to swirl through the city like ribbons woven through the streets; it fills your heart and fills your soul and stakes a claim there forever. 

All this being said, creativity is not exclusive to New York City. It is not exclusive to the arts, or right-brained people. Creativity lives in community. When we share ideas, thoughts, when we give each other space to explore and when we experience the world side by side with another human, creativity lives. Whether on a stage, a painting, a group project, or anywhere we listen to one another, creativity thrives. We hold NYC in our hearts, and the music and art we experienced there runs through my mind like a banner of inspiration. We hope to infuse that inspiration in every interaction with our students here at Saklan, and bring new energy and passion to every project that we are a part of. We know that creativity lives here, in us. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to be inspired by this experience. Thank you to all of our community for supporting us and your students. 

With gratitude,

Grace Chaffey

#SaklanCreative #SaklanCommunity #SaklanSummerReflectionFund

Fostering Trust and Appreciation

Last Friday, the 6th graders came back from an amazing trip to Westminster Woods, an environmental education and character development program, nestled in 200 acres of redwood forest in Sonoma County.

During their 5-day experience, students were led through a series of adventures that left a lasting impression on all of them. From painting their faces with rock sediment to navigating challenging slopes and terrains, the sixth graders spent their days learning lessons about the delicate ecosystems that surrounded them. More importantly, they learned about their strengths and how they can rely on their community. 

One of the defining moments of the trip was the ropes course challenge, a true test of vigilance and courage. As a class, the students discussed how courage isn’t the absence of fear but the thoughtful action taken in the face of it. Students continued to face their fears by going on a solo night hike in the dark. 

What made these challenges special was the support the class provided to one another throughout the trip. While many middle school trips focus on learning about diverse cultures and community outreach, this trip was unique in how it fostered trust and appreciation among our students.

The lessons learned at Westminster will stay with the students for a lifetime, serving as a foundation for their continued growth and development.

#SaklanFieldExperience #SaklanCommunity

Why Is Accreditation On My Mind?

This past week, I was in Merced for three days, evaluating the work of a small private school. From going into classrooms or talking with parents to examining their financial practices and playing Dodgeball with their students- I (and a team of three others) were “in their business.” 

Our work was to examine every aspect of the school, assessing if they were in alignment with their accrediting body as well as fulfilling the promise of their mission. The school had submitted a 160-page report reflecting on its practices and culture. Our job was to see how accurate their self-reflection was, give feedback, and help them set goals for the next six years.  

Saklan is in the middle of that accreditation process right now. Over the past nine months, the faculty and staff have been working on our own California Association of Independent Schools Accreditation Self-Study. The report will be submitted in December, and there will be a team of 4-5 accreditation members visiting Saklan for four days in March. Once they visit, they will submit their report with “notable strengths” and recommendations for improvement. 

They examine not just how well we are doing in the areas of teaching and learning but also whether our culture is in alignment with our mission and core values. Do our financial practices and governance follow best practices? Do we have a process for continual improvement? And lastly, have we been honestly self-reflective in our self-study report? 

The process is intense and exhausting but also validating and rewarding. It helps us understand our strengths, but also where we need to improve. It is an exercise in self-reflection and learning- which is what we are about. I look forward to sharing our school with the visiting committee in March, as I am so proud to be part of this community.

Sincerely,

David

#HeadsCorner