news – FRIDAY BLOG

Creating Together: Saklan Families Bring SpongeBob to Life

Last Saturday, our campus was buzzing with paintbrushes, cardboard, creativity, and a whole lot of teamwork. Over the weekend, students, families, and staff gathered for a Lower School Musical Work Day, transforming our school into a lively workshop filled with color, imagination, and community spirit.

From the moment volunteers arrived, the campus came alive with purpose. Laughter mixed with the sounds of cutting, painting, measuring, and building as teams worked together on the many props and set pieces that will bring Bikini Bottom to life onstage. Giant jellyfish, coral reefs, vibrant backdrops, and whimsical underwater details began taking shape as everyone, kids and grown-ups alike, rolled up their sleeves and dove into the fun.

What made the day truly special wasn’t just the art we created, but the connections we strengthened. Parents and students collaborated side-by-side, sharing ideas, solving problems, and celebrating each finished piece. Older students supported younger ones, families made new friends, and the room glowed with the feeling of creating something meaningful together. Events like this remind us that the heart of the Saklan community lies in our willingness to show up, contribute, and lift one another up.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time, talent, and energy last weekend. Your support makes all the difference, and we are so grateful.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanCreative

Saklan Student Council at Work

Snack Shack

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 selected the final items for sale based on desirability, minimizing waste, and setting reasonable prices ranging from 50 cents to $3.00 per item. Yummy snacks for sale this year will include: Goldfish crackers, gummies, chips, Veggie Straws, Hello Panda, Pirate’s Booty, Rice Krispies treats, La Croix bubble water, Honest Juice, and Martinelli’s apple drinks.

Last year’s Student Council voted to allocate most of the proceeds from Saklan’s Snack Shack to support Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a non-profit organization. Their mission is to inspire communities to care about coastlines. Additionally, each February, our 7th-grade students have the opportunity to work with this organization to clean up a section of Waikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, helping to reduce the amount of microplastics in the local environment. Last year, our Saklan students sifted the sand and removed 30 pounds of microplastics! By purchasing snacks at Snack Shack, this money is converted into donations to support Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s vital work. 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. Saklan students are invited to come by and purchase a snack from our hardworking Student Council members. Cash only, please.

Food Drive

The Saklan Student Council is partnering with the Town of Moraga to collect food donations for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. All families are invited to contribute non-perishable food items (no glass, please) to support our local community. Here are the most needed items:

Nut butters (peanut, almond)
Jam/jelly/honey
Canned tuna and chicken (in water)
Boxed macaroni and cheese
Shelf-stable milk
Applesauce 
Beans/lentils (dry or canned)
Rice 
Whole grain cereals/crackers
Oat/oatmeal/farina
Whole wheat/grain pasta
Canned soups/vegetables/tomato products (low sodium, easy open)
Nonperishable ready-to-eat meals: chili, ravioli, meats, etc. (low sodium)

Drop off non-perishable food items in the containers located outside the Saklan office. All collection containers will remain on campus until Thanksgiving Break.

Thank you, students and parents, for your support of our Student Council.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanLeadership

Successful Community Spaces

As part of their Community Spaces Project Based Learning unit, 7th graders recently analyzed, brainstormed, collaborated and categorized to answer the focus question: What makes a community space successful and sustainable?

First, each student wrote a paper analyzing the successful and sustainable features of one space or structure in the Maya, Aztec/Mexica, or Inka civilizations. The spaces and structures they studied included the construction and urban design of Tenochtitlán, temples, marketplaces, ballcourts, observatories, homes, and palaces.

Next, the class brainstormed successful features of the places they visited during field experiences: Moraga Commons, the Wellness Center at Los Perales Elementary School in Moraga, the Oakland Museum of California, and Temple Hill in Oakland. The students also learned about contemporary sustainable low-rise buildings designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, such as the National Stadium built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

After they generated lists of the successful features of all of these spaces and structures, the students worked in small groups to place these features into categories. They used the below visual representation as a model. Next, the class narrowed down their successful space criteria into six categories. Working in groups, the class collaborated to create their own version of the diagram (click the arrows below to see their version).

To conclude the unit, the 7th graders applied the success criteria they developed to propose improvements to the existing Saklan School campus or a redesigned and rebuilt Saklan campus. The students presented their suggested improvements to members of the Saklan Board of Trustees and the administrative team on Thursday and Friday of this week.

To learn more about their campus improvement suggestions, please join us for CLAS next week, on Friday, January 31st, when the 7th graders will share an overview of their project with the community.

#SaklanPBL

Middle School Student Musicians

In middle school, student musicians move from a general music education program to an elective program. While all students still partake in the music program, they have a choice in their class each of the three years. This year, middle school musicians chose between choir, ensemble, and production. In choir, students focus on developing as singers; in ensemble, the focus is on developing as instrumentalists. Production allows students to develop skills in digital music production. All middle school students will be represented in the All-School Concert in March and will participate in the Middle School Musical in the spring.

In Choir, middle school students have been diving into the world of musical theater by exploring a variety of lively numbers. They’ve worked on “Good Morning” and “Moses Supposes” from Singing in the Rain, allowing students to embody different characters while singing. Students have also practiced “Little Shop of Horrors” in three-part harmony, working on blending their voices and mastering timing in this upbeat, fun piece. Also, they’ve explored “Happiness” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and “Green Eggs and Ham” from Seussical, both challenging students with dynamic vocal ranges and expressive storytelling.

Mondays in Choir are “Music Theory Mondays,” where students practice reading rhythms and melodies, building their foundational skills in music notation. This structured focus on theory helps students become more confident in sight-reading and understanding the technical aspects of the music they perform. Through these activities, students develop their vocal technique and ability to engage with different characters and emotions.

Stay tuned to see what students have been learning in the ensemble and music production classes!

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.