Air Quality

We are well into the fire season, and unfortunately, have already had our first bout of smokey air pass through Moraga. Our response to the smokey air is complicated by COVID protocols as well as the location of the high-quality EPA AQI sensors (Oakland and Concord). While we realize the Purple Air sensors are not as sensitive as the EPA ones, we feel using the sensors near the school is a better choice than relying on the distant EPA sensors. When using the Purple Air app, our menu settings are EPA PM 2.5 AQI combined with the US EPA conversion pull down.

Our protocols for responding to poor air quality are informed by the California EPA guidance. 

We monitor air quality throughout the day and offer these parameters according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) for some school operations:

Moderate (yellow 51-100)

  • Avoid heavy exertion in PE. 
  • Monitor students with sensitivities

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange 101-150)

  • PE may be held outdoors with little to no physical exertion
  • Outdoor recess will be offered with reduced time and low physical exertion.
  • Preschool, Pre-K move indoors
  • Students with asthma and other respiratory issues should be monitored closely and should stay indoors and not participate in physical activities.

Unhealthy (red 151-200)

  • All physical activities moved indoors – we often use space at the Holy Trinity Church to move outdoor activities inside, including recess and PE.
  • Lunch held indoors.
  • Students with asthma and other respiratory issues should be closely monitored and should not participate in physical activities.

Very Unhealthy (purple 201-300)

  • See “Unhealthy Red”
  • Consider closing schools (COVID-19 considerations might require closing schools)

Hazardous (maroon 301 and above)

  • See “Very Unhealthy Purple”
  • Close School

We hope this brings you more clarity on how Saklan will approach any upcoming days with poor air quality. 

Saklan students participating in indoor activities due to poor air quality.

Saklan has CLAS

Students share appreciations during the first CLAS

Last year gave us time to think about some of the things we have done for years and how to do them better. One of those things is Friday Flag- a long tradition that we have held out in front of School every Friday morning. After conversations with parents, teachers and students, we will be moving to a new Friday morning assembly called CLAS (Community, Learning, Appreciation, and Sharing). 

The impetus to move to CLAS was to emphasize the aspects of Saklan we sincerely appreciate: our community, that love of learning is central to everything we do, that gratitude and appreciation is our lifeblood, and that sharing is how we all grow as individuals. 

CLAS will be held on the Saklan Sports Court every other week. This allows each division to meet on the off weeks and hold assemblies that bring them together as a smaller group; the Saklan Sports Court provides a more protected gathering space. 

Parents are invited to join us for CLAS by entering campus through the fire lane near the church right at 8:30 a.m.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning for our first CLAS! It was so wonderful to see our entire community in the same space and to hear the words of wisdom and appreciations that the students shared with us. Check out pictures from today’s gathering below.

#SaklanCLAS #SaklanCommunity

Head’s Corner

Congratulations, Class of 2021!

Dear Saklan Families, 

Saying farewell to our graduates is always bittersweet. Perhaps it was even more pronounced this year because the majority of them had been at Saklan since the lower school and because it was an extraordinarily difficult year. It was not just COVID-19 and everything that came with it (the masking, distancing, testing, etc). But for an age group that thrives on optimism, it was a challenging year politically, socially, and culturally.

But they persevered. They kept their heads up and did not complain. Forces out of their control threw them curveballs and they responded with compassion, courage, and creativity. Our graduates ended the year with grace and dignity, delivering some of the best graduation speeches we have seen in a long time. Thank you, class of 2021.

In case you missed it, you can view the graduation here. Two highlights of the ceremony were powerful, original pieces of prose by graduates Reese Kammerer and Levi Kim that sought to open our minds and challenge our beliefs.

Reese Kammerer – The Power You HaveDownload
Levi Kim – The World Through My EyesDownload

Each year we create a slideshow that highlights the memories of our graduates from their first years at Saklan all the way through the last week of 8th grade. Take a moment to watch this video and relive their journey. 

I would like to extend a special thank you to Lori Anders, Jenny Choi, Jen Cogen, and Christy Mack for helping to organize the graduation dinner and the ceremony. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, but both events were beautifully orchestrated and the perfect way to send off our graduates. Additionally, a special shout-out goes to Kim Parks, Shay Sager, Emoke Veres, and Javier Yacarini for all their behind-the-scenes work handling the logistics of the graduation. 

Thank you, again, for helping us all make it through one of the most challenging years in our memory. Our community moves forward to planning for the 2021-22 school year with so much strength, unity, humility, and hope.

I wish you all an incredible and rejuvenating summer.

Fondly,

David

#SaklanGraduation

Head’s Corner

Why We Do “Standardized’ Testing

In the middle of May, students in grades 3-8  took standardized math, reading, and language usage tests.  Traditionally, Saklan has used the ERB Test to measure the success of our students and program.  The ERB was a paper and pencil test that was the same for every student in their respective grade level.  The data gained from that test gave us information about how we were doing as a school against other schools, but little else. 

In September of 2019, we switched to the NWEA MAP test ( Measures of Academic Progress).  The MAP test is a very different tool from that of the traditional ERB test.  To begin with, the MAP test is dynamic, meaning that as a student answers questions correctly, the test adjusts. The student begins to see more challenging and complex questions, which often take them well beyond their grade level.  If a student begins to struggle, the test will start to ease up on the questions.  Through this process, the MAP test can determine exactly where a student’s strengths and challenges lie.   

The second significant differentiator of the MAP test is that it is untimed.  The actual testing is predicted to take 45-60 minutes, but students can take as much time as they need.  This approach emphasizes knowledge and ability over speed, giving a more accurate indication of what a student knows and taking away pressure that leads to mistakes and inaccurate data. 

Thirdly the MAP test does exceptionally well in giving parents and teachers useable data to help support students and take them to the next level.  Student progress is recorded year on year, giving a picture of a child’s overall growth.  That information is then used to predict future growth as well as college readiness. Moreover, the test breaks down each curriculum standard by what content and skills the student has mastered or needs reinforced.  This information helps teachers differentiate their approach and  individualize instruction.  It also can be used to connect students to educational software such Khan Academy or IXL, helping students narrow in on gaps.  

We will be sending out end of semester grade reports in the middle of June.  At that same time, if you are a parent of a 3rd -8th grade student, you will receive a MAP Growth Report. This report will give information regarding how your child did on the testing as well as next steps we all can take to academically grow.  

Have a great weekend
David

Ending the Year on a High Note…Literally

The return of school musicals to end the year has all of Saklan ready to break out in song! After so many months of uncertainty, Ms. Chaffey went above and beyond to make sure that musicals could happen in some form this year, and we’re so grateful for her creative thinking.

To start off, today the fourth and fifth grade classes performed Seussical KIDS, leaving all their hard work on the outdoor stage. Students, teachers, and the performers’ parents were treated to a spectacular display of singing and dancing, featuring favorite characters such as Horton, the Cat in the Hat, and the Sour Kangaroos.

Next week, the seventh and eighth grade students will have their chance to put their talents on display! Their film version of Into the Woods will be screened on campus for the rest of Saklan to enjoy. Stayed turned for more details on how the rest of the Saklan community can view this film as well.

Congratulations to all of our Saklan performers, and another huge round of applause for Ms. Chaffey for making this happen and to the entire Saklan faculty and staff for their support.

The show really must go on!

#SaklanMusicals

Saklan’s Annual Art Gallery

Saklan students have been working hard all year with Ms. Natalie, learning about different art mediums and styles and ways to express themselves through art.

The culmination of all that hard work is Saklan’s Online Art Gallery, which launches today. Like last year, the students’ artwork will be displayed on Artsonia, which all Saklan families can access. In addition to viewing art works, you can also comment on different pieces, or purchase commemorative items featuring your child’s artist masterpiece.

Students were able to select for themselves which pieces they wanted to feature in the gallery, continuing the focus on self-expression. We hope you’ll enjoy a taste of these pieces below, but please be sure to browse the full gallery on Artsonia.

A huge thank you to Ms. Natalie for making this happen, and to Kim Anderson and Daisy Coby for helping to photograph all of the student work. We’re so proud of what all of our Saklan artists have accomplished this year!

#SaklanCreative

Eighth Grade Goes for a Ride

Last Friday, the eighth grade class headed out for a field experience to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, where they put their physics knowledge to the test by riding roller coasters and other amusement rides.

While they were there to have fun, they were also there to determine speed, acceleration, and which forces were acting on them throughout the different rides.

Students applied Newton’s Three Laws of Motion to see how physics plays a key role in the design, fun, and safety of roller roasters. They timed the rides, wore accelerometers to test the amount of g-force the ride exerted on their body, and filled out a packet to record all of their physics observations.

It was a fun day for everyone, and a special final field experience for the eighth grade class.

#SaklanFieldExperience

Piñata Fun

As the academic demands of a challenging year begin to wind down, there is an opportunity to invite additional fun into classroom learning. For some lucky Saklan students, that meant exploring piñatas in Spanish class with Maestra Padilla!

Middle School students spent time making piñatas as part of their hands-on learning about Spanish culture. They used colorful crepe paper to cover piñatas made to represent familiar shapes and characters.

The fourth and fifth graders also got hands-on piñata fun! To end the day on Thursday, each student took a turn hitting the piñata in an attempt to get it to break and spill its treasures–snacks, beaded necklaces, and more–onto the turf.

While each student gave it a valiant effort–even breaking off the top completely– in the end, Mr. Crabtree had to step in to really break the piñata open!

#SaklanHandsOn

Ending the Year with Roller Coasters

It has certainly been a roller coaster of a year, so it only makes sense that the eighth grader’s final physics project would be to build roller coasters of their own.

Students were tasked with designing and creating a roller coaster for a marble that: utilized the forces learned about in class, had enough momentum to fulfill a loop, and had a slow down stop. The groups of students had to use their creativity, math skills, and the scientific method in order to design, evaluate, start over, redesign, and eventually finalize their coasters.

Before getting started, students found inspiration for their designs from informational video clips, where they learned the need for gravitational pull to power the coasters, centripetal force and air resistance to provide thrills, and of course friction to stop safely!

This project has its challenges, including aligning creatively with your design partners, troubleshooting problems with limited time, and getting the proper speed for the coaster to work.

We are extremely impressed the effort and enthusiasm the eighth graders put into this project, and are excited to see them using the skills they’ve learned at Saklan, which will serve them well as they head off to highschool!

#SaklanAcademic

Call for Library Books

The end of the year is approaching fast, which means students are running out of time to return library books! As we head into the last two weeks of school, please check in with your student to see if they have any checked out library books, and remind them to return any books before the last day of school.

Ms. Meredith and Ms. Joy will be sending out overdue emails next week, and we appreciate your help in ensuring your student gets their books returned on time. Thank you!

#SaklanCommunity