The Saklan Parents Association is excited to host two events in the month of October. Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss them!
In addition to the monthly parent coffee, the PA will host a parent education evening in November. Here is a sneak peek at the events to come in November!
#SaklanParents
Rakestraw Books in Danville is inviting all Saklan families to join them for a virtual event with award-winning and beloved author RJ Palacio (the author of Wonder). She will be introducing her newest book, Pony, which is a truly brilliant story for all ages, about family, loyalty, counterfeiting and ghosts. For this special event RJ Palacio will be joined in conversation by Josh Radnor (best known for his role as Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother).
This ticketed event will take place on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 5 PM. To join the event, the publisher requires that each attendee buy a copy of Pony. The first 30 people to purchase tickets will receive an autographed copy of Pony. Every ticket purchaser will also also receive a gift when they pick up their book in-store.
To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rakestraw-books-live-at-home-with-rj-palacio-tickets-169659055803
Please contact Rakestraw Books at (925) 837-7337 if you have questions.
This year, we have some new morning drop-off procedures. Along the curb directly in front of Saklan, we have a Preschool Parking Zone for Preschool and Pre-K parents to park and walk their children up to the classrooms, as well as a Drop-off Zone for Kindergarten – 8th grade parents to quickly drop off their children. For parents of Kindergarten – 8th grade students that would like to walk their children up to the front gate, we ask that you park in the Holy Trinity Church parking lot, next to Saklan.
For further explanation of the new morning procedures, please check out the video below, which was previously shared during the ECE and Lower School Back to School Nights.
Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe during morning drop off.
#SaklanCommunity
The first few weeks of school are all about developing new routines and building relationships with teachers and classmates. During this time, each class works together to create a class agreement (also know as class rules). As part of the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching, the agreements are created collaboratively between students and teachers, focusing on what all members of the classroom community can do to help create a calm, orderly and safe environment for learning.
The agreements are phrased in the positive, offering clear expectations of behavior and how students can live up to those expectations. By including students in the process of creating the agreements, the students are engaged in their learning, feel a sense of belonging and safe in school, and view the rules in a positive light.
View some of this year’s class agreements below.
#SaklanCommunity #ResponsiveClassroom
In humanities class, the Middle School students have been creating identity circles. These circles allow the students to convey aspects of their identity that they might not otherwise get a chance to share with their classmates. The circles also allow the students to see identity traits they share with others. In addition to the personal identity circles, the middle schoolers are also creating class identity circles to post in the language arts/humanities classroom. The goal of the whole class posters is for all middle school students to see the identities of peers in other grades, who they may not have class with on a daily basis.
#SaklanCommunity
The Back-to-School Hopscotch Tournament is back!
After a year hiatus, the annual hopscotch tournament will begin in the middle of September and continue as a single-elimination tournament in the weeks following, until there is a champion. The competition is open to Saklan students in 1st– 8th grades and faculty. Those interested in joining the tournament should tell Mr. Crabtree they want to participate.
The game of hopscotch dates back to at least the 17th century, and different variations are played worldwide. For our tournament, we will use a nine-square layout and players are encouraged to make their own markers. Two players will “duel.” Both markers are placed on the first square, and the players rock, paper, scissors to determine who goes first. A player must hop over the marked square and complete the pattern without touching a line. When they return they must retrieve their marker without losing balance and clear the opponents marker. Once back to the beginning, the player tosses the marker to the next square and repeats the sequence. If a player makes a mistake or misses the toss, they lose the turn and it is the opponent’s turn to complete the layout. The first player to complete nine tosses and retrievals wins.
Hopscotch is a fun game that all ages can play against each other. The skills come down to an accurate toss of the marker, agility hopping on the squares, and balance and flexibility in retrieving a marker. The activity seems simple, but is deceptively hard.
Get your markers ready and start hopping!
Early Childhood Music Teacher: Annie McCune
#SaklanCreative
Dear Saklan Community,
What a fantastic first week! From our social gatherings to all the negative COVID tests to the countless emails to the safety protocols and new routines – THANK YOU for your compliance and understanding. Our community feels stronger than ever!
Thank you to those of you who joined us for CLAS this morning. This was the first time we gathered our entire community outside together in almost a year and a half, and it felt incredible! Your children are gracious, kind and so brave.
Thank you also to those of you who stayed for the PA social afterward. It is always inspiring to see the number of enthusiastic parents here to support the school. We welcomed 53 new students and 36 new families to Saklan this week! I appreciate the PA for being so proactive to connect our new families to the school community.
Some personal highlights from my week were seeing the faculty and staff jump into this school year with renewed energy and a collaborative spirit; hearing about the middle school students’ courageous experiences on the ropes course in Sonoma; being able to start the school year IN PERSON; helping the Kindergarten class look for Pete the Cat; enjoying the sight of students playing together during recess; and having my daughter on campus as a student for the first time!
I could go on and on. Having students on campus – laughing, playing, learning, sharing – is the life-blood of Saklan. The school is vibrant. I see the students connecting and the teachers fulfilled. And that, to me, is a sign of success and great things to come. I look forward to a year of tremendous growth and connection. Thank you all for trusting us with your most precious commodities and for supporting us along the way.
In gratitude,
David
#SaklanCommunity
Next Wednesday, September 1st, we will begin our weekly COVID-19 pool testing for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. We are asking parents to do a one-time consent form. If you are providing consent for more than one child, please complete the process separately for each child.
Click here to complete the consent form. The access code you will need on the second screen is SPOVM4.
Additional instructions to guide you through the consent process can be found here.
Thank you, once again, for your support in keeping our community safe.
We are thrilled to announce that The Saklan School will be bringing back after school enrichment classes for the 21-22 school year. For the fall session the following classes will be available:
Classes begin the week of September 13th, and have limited space available. If you are interested in signing your child up for one of the above classes, please click on the class name for additional information about the class and sign up options.
Saklan will also have enrichment opportunities for our Preschool and Pre-K friends that will be announced in the coming weeks. Our youngest students take a little more time to settle into the routines of coming to school, so we want to give them additional time before we introduce new classes into their day.
#SaklanHandsOn
FRIDAY BLOG 
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