holidays – FRIDAY BLOG

Kind & Courteous Fun in Family Groups

This week, Saklan students gathered in their Family Groups for a joyful, laughter-filled Thanksgiving-themed SEL activity focused on kindness, cooperation, and creativity. With two tasks to complete before the big group sharing time, each Family Group worked together to celebrate our November SEL theme: Kind & Courteous.

Creating a Rhyming Poem

The first task was a poetic one! Students were given six words—Kind, Courteous, Turkey, Stuffing, Grateful, and Saklan—and worked together to craft an eight-line, rhyming holiday poem.

Groups brainstormed opening lines, found creative rhyming pairs, and practiced reading their poems aloud. Once the writing was complete, the fun continued as students came up with movements, gestures, or a mini-skit to bring their words to life. Whether performed as a group or with one reader and several actors, each poem became a cheerful expression of teamwork and holiday spirit.

Newspaper Costume Creations

The second task invited students to transform one group member into a Thanksgiving-inspired character—using only newspaper and masking tape! Creativity soared as students twisted, folded, layered, and shaped newspaper into costumes representing:

A turkey
Corn
A pile of leaves
A scarecrow

With laughter and collaboration, each group designed a costume that matched their chosen character or food item, showcasing not only imagination but also teamwork and courtesy in action.

The Grand Reveal

All Family Groups gathered on the sports court for the culminating celebration. Costumed characters stayed hidden behind the art room while groups circled the court. One by one, each group introduced their character, who stepped forward for the big reveal. Afterward, students performed their holiday poem for teachers and peers—earning smiles, applause, and plenty of festive cheer.

This activity beautifully blended creativity, community, and our monthly SEL focus. Students practiced kindness, cooperation, and communication while having a whole lot of fun. A perfect kickoff to the season of gratitude!

#SaklanSEL

Smiles, Songs, and Spooky Fun

What a fun and festive Halloween day we had at Saklan! From the moment students arrived on campus, excitement was in the air. The morning kicked off with our beloved Costume Parade, a joyful tradition that brought the entire Saklan community together. It was wonderful to see so many smiles, creative costumes, and parents cheering from the sidelines!

While the day was filled with laughter and fun, it was also infused with compassion and connection; two hallmarks of the Saklan spirit.

For our Kindergarteners, first graders, and 8th-grade choir members, the morning brought a visit to Moraga Royale, where they performed Halloween-themed songs for the residents. Their performance was met with warm applause and smiles all around!

Later in the day, our Middle School Student Council hosted a spooky celebration for Preschool through 8th-grade students, complete with Halloween story readings and trips through a haunted house they had designed themselves.

The afternoon concluded with classroom parties featuring food, games, and laughter.

A huge thank you to all our amazing families who helped make the day so memorable. Your time, creativity, and enthusiasm make events like this so special for our students, and remind us all what a strong, joyful community Saklan truly is.

#SaklanConnectedCommunity

Celebrating Lunar New Year

Saklan students celebrated Lunar New Year with some special activities on Wednesday. Lunar New Year, which celebrates the start of the lunisolar Chinese calendar, is celebrated in China, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore, among other countries.

Preschool students welcomed two guest experts to share about Lunar New Year. Samantha, an Owlet parent, read a book to the class and shared red envelopes with them. Sharon, an Owlet grandparent, shared Lunar New Year traditions that take place in China, told the story of The Great Race, and shared tangerines with the students. The Owlets also enjoyed making snake paper lanterns, Lunar New Year yoga, and listening to traditional Chinese music.

Pre-K students celebrated by welcoming Heidi, a Hoot Owl mom, into their class. Heidi shared that Lunar New Year is based on the Moon instead of the sun and talked about the Chinese word for fortune, 福, and its importance. Heidi shared pictures of her children wearing special Lunar New Year outfits and then treated the class to some bao filled with custard.

Maggie also taught the Hoot Owls about her family’s Lunar New Year traditions, including cleaning their homes and putting up Chinese sayings with good wishes for the new year. The Pre-K students enjoyed watching a video of a lion dance, as well as talking about and receiving red envelopes.

To help with the campus celebrations, the 5th graders put together a dragon which Peta hung on the pergola to welcome students to campus on Wednesday. The fifth graders also made lanterns and dragon drawings.

In humanities class, Christina shared some of her family traditions with the 6th graders, including the tradition of eating tangerines, which are believed to bring good fortune, and of giving red envelopes with money in them as a symbol of good luck. She also shared the proper etiquette for giving and receiving the red envelopes to show respect. The 6th graders also talked about the importance of the Chinese word for fortune and then learned how to write it.

The 6th graders then took their newly acquired skills over to the Hoot Owl classroom, where they taught the Hoot Owls how to write the word for fortune with brushes and ink.

May the Year of the Snake be prosperous for all!

#SaklanCommunity

Halloween Fun

On Thursday morning, the Saklan students were very excited to don their Halloween costumes and participate in our annual Costume Parade! The parade route took the students out the admissions door, through the front parking lot, and back to the sports court. The students and teachers waved to the onlookers, as families cheered and took pictures along the route.

Once on the sports court, Rob called each class up to show off their creative costumes and dance moves, and then Dianne led some Halloween songs!

Later in the day, the kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders walked over to Moraga Royale where they performed Halloween-inspired songs for the residents. The students were met with applause and cheering from the crowd!

In the afternoon, the middle school students hosted lower school students for some trick-or-treating and invited them to go through the haunted house!

A big thank you to all the families who participated in the day’s events. From cheering on the students in the costume parade to providing snacks and decorations for class parties, your involvement is greatly appreciated.

#SaklanCommunity

Join Us for the Costume Parade

On Thursday, October 31st Saklan will celebrate Halloween! The day will begin with a Halloween Costume Parade at 8:35 a.m. The parade route will lead the students out the Admissions door, through the parking lot, and down the fire lane to the Saklan Sports Court for singing, dancing, and another look at all the costumes. For safety reasons, the parking lot will be closed. Families are invited to join us; cheering, clapping, and taking photos are highly encouraged!

All Saklan students are welcome to wear their costumes to school on Halloween. Costumes need to be appropriate for a school and all grade levels, Preschool – 8th grade. No toy weapons, no gore, and no culturally, ethnically, or racially insensitive costumes. If you have any questions, please contact David.

If your child’s costume isn’t comfortable for all-day wear, please send them with a change of clothes for later in the day – no uniforms necessary. Please send your child to school with a normal pair of shoes for outdoor play.