overview

Saklan Valley School distinguishes itself by the reconciliation we achieve of the two primary competing strands of contemporary education: high educational standards and rigorous academic challenges are harmoniously blended with a culture of support, encouragement, and nurturing for the individual student.  

		Where some schools promote academic intensity without compassion, and others make such a priority of consideration for the students’ emotional well being that academics are de-emphasized, Saklan instead achieves the golden mean of strong academics with deep concern and care.  It is not just our determined intent that allows us to achieve this synthesis, strong as that determination is.

Small classes make the difference.  Small classes provide the human scale and humane community wherein students quickly develop a sense of belonging, and where teachers, unharried by the demands of a crowd, can truly attend to children as individuals.  Teachers teach to the group without losing sight of each student’s needs, and elevate them all to the highest and best they can be.   

Research has established that small classes, classes of 15 or below, achieve nearly two months per school year of additional academic advancement when compared to classes of 20 students or above.    Saklan’s commitment to small classes and the advantages they provide is demonstrated by the fact that we have the smallest class size of any East Bay school accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools.

There is much more to be said and learned about Saklan’s educational excellence.  While we ensure students have many opportunities to investigate their subjects to construct their own ways of understanding material, we are committed to providing them a solid foundation of mastery for the skills required for academic success.    This orthodox approach gives students enormous confidence because of the great strength of their abilities, and also promotes high achievement in standardized testing as well.

A Saklan education is further enriched by the joys and delights the specialist programs provide.   Our foreign language program begins earlier in the grades and is provided more weekly minutes than at almost any other East Bay school more minutes a week: our students learn French in a way that stokes their love of the language and leads them to a terrific prowess in the tongue.  Art and Music programs have rapidly expanded in recent years, and now we can truly say students are enjoying a wonderfully rounded experience in the course of their school week.

Physical Education is consistentlypopular with our students, who enjoy that healthy experience three times a week. Visits to our Library, amazing preparation in Computer Skills, and specialist Science classes round out our enrichment programs.

Take some time to tour our academic programs in our three divisions: I know you will be impressed, and will wish for your children they have the opportunity to experience a Saklan education: it is truly a superior one!

Jonathan Martin,

Head of School