Fellow Parents:

 

This week we open the Annual Giving Campaign for our school to raise at least $150,000. 

 

Our priority is the future of our children.  The fact that they are enrolled at Saklan Valley School speaks that loud and clear.  Each year, like 99% of the other independent schools in America , annual donations (tax-deductible, we hasten to remind) are used to fund the enrichment classes and features that “juice up” Saklan’s program.  Funding these programs means we must ask Parents to contribute an average of $1,000 per student to our Annual Giving Campaign.  We fully understand that not every family can fully meet this goal - but we are fortunate that many in our community have in the past and once again this year will do more than their share.  What we do ask is that every Saklan family look at their individual situation, consider their capacity to give carefully and focus a significant portion of their charitable giving here where it really makes a tangible difference.  If we all do what we are able to do, we know we will meet our goal – and this can only work to the benefit of our children.  

 

This week you’ll receive your Campaign information and pledge card.  Your board has generously pledged $62,600 towards our goal.  Put another way, 10 families of the 112 families comprising our community have kicked off the campaign and contributed 42% of the total goal.  We are hopeful that all of our 112 families will enthusiastically follow this lead.  (Please remember that your employer companies may offer matching donation programs!) Our friends who have the responsibility to run our campaign are very eager to hit and exceed our goal before year’s end.  Join your fellow parents, be as generous as your circumstances allow, and if we exceed our target, we can do more for our children. 

 

Thank you for your generous support of our school

 Best to all,

Your trustees and fellow parents

Paul Felton, Chair

Ed Rice, Vice Chair

Paul Nathan

Betsy Hill

Marcela Salem

Ruth Bailey

Bett Tokar

Annie Barendregt

Jennifer Griessel

Dan Dahlen

Kate Dey

John Macauley

Maureen Gibeson

Jonathan Martin, Head of School

If you peered into one of our students’ backpacks on the first day of school you might be surprised at the contents. Instead of binders, paper, and pens you would find boots, water bottles, and a sleeping bag. On their first day of school our students come prepared for three days at a camp in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. This beautiful, isolated setting serves as an ideal location for our Middle Schoolers to establish positive connections with their teachers and peers.

Beginning our year outside of the school setting acknowledges the fact that many of the challenges faced by middle school students occur outside of the classroom. Middle School is, arguably, the most difficult time in a student’s academic career. Everything is in a state of flux. While there are obvious physical changes, middle school students are also re-defining and re-forming their social relationships with peers and adults. And these personal and interpersonal challenges are further intensified by a level of acute self-consciousness. Spending three days away from academic and familial expectations allows our students and teachers to advance a strong sense of trust, friendship, and purpose. In fact we describe these three days as “The Advance” rather than as “a retreat” to emphasize our goal of setting the tone for the year to come. Establishing Saklan as a safe and supportive environment gives our students the confidence to challenge themselves academically.

The Advance begins just after Saklan’s inaugural flag, when all of the middle school teachers and students load up into a large bus that takes us to Camp Loadstar, a quiet pine forest just outside of Jackson, California. The ride passes quickly as students become acquainted and share stories of the summer. Every time the bus stops, students are required to change seats and sit next to someone new. Upon arrival we work together to unload the bus, settle into our camp building, and claim our bunks. We reconvene for a brief discussion of the camp rules and then introduce Sunspots (index cards that students use throughout the Advance to write and post anonymous words of appreciation and support to other members of our community).

During the Advance the students’ days are focused on relationship and community building activities, interspersed with hikes, reflective time, and swimming. Each day students spend several hours in their advisory groups. These are teacher-lead, mixed-grade groups designed to support the social, emotional, and academic progress of the student throughout the year. The advisory activities on the Advance are designed to promote communication, establish trust, and celebrate the unique contributions that each student brings to the group.

A highlight of the second evening is a campfire sing-a-long. Students toast marshmallows for smores and each advisory group presents a prepared song. This year one eighth grade student rewrote lyrics to the song "I Can See Clearly". Together she and her fellow advisees sang out “It’s gonna be a bright-bright-bright/ nine months of school”. This night, like every night of the advance, ends with a quiet "epilogue". During epilogue everyone gathers in a dimmed room where students can reflect on their experiences of the day and share their thoughts in turn as a glowing light is passed from person to person. The evening ends with a sing along lead by Mrs. Ellis.

The focus of the third day is who we are and the year ahead. The culminating activity is the creation of the Saklan sun. The Saklan sun is a three-part collage composed of student, advisory, and community sections. On the last day individual student sections are combined with the advisory sections and, everyone works together to create a central core that reflects our middle school community. All too soon it is time to transition back to the school year. The final sharing of Sunspots reminds us all of the fun we have had, and there is a palpable sense of camaraderie as the students help one another clean and pack for the ride home.

The Middle School Advance is the foundation of safety, trust, and self-expression that supports a challenging and rigorous academic program. On the return trip, I reflected on the strength of this foundation as I listened to the conversations and easy chatter of friends anticipating a great year ahead. Perhaps inspired by the musical bravery of our 8th grader at the camp fire, another group of students used the bus ride home to rewrite the lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama". I can’t imagine a better way to start the year than to hear belted from the back of the bus….

Sweet School Saklan Valley

Sweet School Saklan Valley

Where learning is cool

We look forward to coming

Even though there is no pool…

Devin’s really into fashion

Basketball is Garrett’s passion

Andy is a big-time writer

Jesse is a blackbelt fighter

Airplanes are Andrew’s hobby

Evan likes corn on the cobby

Courtney’s really into hockey

Letty is a horse jockey

Nathan runs around the bases

Jamie’s cute making faces

Margaret’s home is in the water

Darian likes it when it’s hotter

[Chorus]

Jared’s really great at soccer

Alexandra is a talker

Cole is really into climbing

Emily is good at rhyming

Emma’s really, really funny

Andrew Green wants lots of money

Danny thinks legos are cool

We’re glad Scott’s back at our school

Allison’s certified in scuba

Dustin used to play the tuba

Grace really likes to write

Colin’s art is really tight

[Chorus]

Zach’s sword and mind are sharp

And Brianna plays the harp

Izzy’s into anime

Adam likes to sleep all day

Gaby likes to read the Hobbit

Lizz likes Wallace and Grommet

Tom can be quite mysterious

And the teachers can’t be serious… they’re delirious!

Sweet School Saklan Valley

Where learning is cool

We look forward to coming

‘Cuz we’ve got the tightest school!

My thanks go out to the middle school teachers who selflessly give their time, energy, and creativity to make this event successful and to Jonathan Martin for believing in the value of the program.

Christopher LaBonte

Christopher LaBonte has served as Middle School Director since 2003. Prior to coming to Saklan, he served as a teacher, department head, and dean of students. He holds a BA from St John’s College , and an MA, and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

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