Saklan Monthly - November 2007

Saklan students love learning as scientists. Our second graders, who have been learning about dinosaurs by role-playing paleontologists—a word which they can spell, by the way—conducted a 30 minute “dig” in our campus’s large sandbox.

Mrs. Schofield explained to them that this was modeled on what a true life dig would be like in the Utah desert. So exuberant were our students in their roles as paleontologists, and so sincerely did they explain their dig to their docent when they then visited UC Berkeley’s paleontology museum, that the docent remarked to our teacher, “Wow! I have never heard of a Second Grade class taking a field trip all the way to Utah before; that is great that you provide them that kind of travel program!”

Last month Dr. Allison Gopnik was our Parent Education lecturer at the Oakwood Athletic Center, telling us that children are naturally scientists (and please forgive me for repeating in this column some of the words I employed as part of my introduction for Dr. Gopnik). Gopnik, who is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology at UC Berkeley, spoke wonderfully for about an hour about how children learn. Her thesis is that young children are far more ready to learn, and learn far more, far faster, than most of us ever realize—it doesn’t just defy conventional wisdom, it blows it away.

In one of my favorite passages from Alison Gopnik’s wonderful book, The Scientist in the Crib, she explains that children don’t just play-act as scientists—they truly are scientists. “Children create and revise theories in the same way that scientists create and revise theories. We think that children and scientists actually use some of the same machinery.” At first glance, one imagines the book’s title to have just a single meaning: this is a report from scientists who got into a crib, metaphorically, to learn about children’s brains. But no, the book’s second meaning is just as important—children in the crib are themselves scientists, puzzling out how the world works by trial and error, by hypothesis and experiment.

We, the teachers of Saklan Valley School, are committed to the project of cultivating in our children their natural scientific mindset. Professor Gopnik says that “Scientists are simply big children,” and at Saklan, we like to think that our students are simply small scientists. The Kindergarten class is enjoying a three-week unit this month in the Science Lab. As is appropriate to Halloween season, they are learning about skeletons and bones. “Do you know why bones are round and not square?” was one question they considered carefully. They built spinal chords and backbones with wire pipe cleaners and round, wagon wheel pasta circles. Over the weekend after these lessons, one student went to Build a Bear, and after selecting her bear, and implanting its heart, she asked the Build a Bear staff attendant for a skeleton, because certainly her bear had to have a skeleton!

Professor Gopnik’s discussion of Foreign Language learning struck a very resonant chord among our Saklan parents. She mocked the American educational system, where she said most schools don’t even begin to teach foreign languages until early adolescence (6th or 7th grades) or later, which flies in the face of the brain research that teaches us that the brain’s receptivity to foreign languages sharply narrows just as students begin puberty! (Henry Kissinger, whose heavy Germanic accent is famous to us all, emigrated from Germany to the US at the age of 13; his younger brother was 9 they emigrated, and has no accent at all as an adult!)

To quote her book, “children who learn a second language when they very young, between three and seven years of age, perform like native speakers on various tests. If they learn after eight years old, their performance declines gradually but consistently, especially during puberty.”

One audience member at our event was a native of India; he asked Dr. Gopnik about his family in India, where children are exposed from a very young age to a multitude of languages—5, 6, even more. Would their language development be hampered by hearing so many languages, he asked? No was the answer—at a young age, children’s brains can process and learn many languages at once, so long as they are learned in an authentic, person-to-person way. To quote further from her book, “early in development we are open to learning the proto-types of many different languages.”

Professor Gopnik then went on to express her support for the growth of universal PreKindergarten education in California, but with an important caveat. “My fear,” she said, “is that if the state provides prekindergarten education, it will be offered in a way that resembles public elementary education—but I don’t want see early childhood education more like elementary, I want to see elementary education become more like the best early childhood education.” An ideal preschool environment, she explained, would include wonderful outdoor play environments, lots of emphasis on social and emotional growth, plenty of opportunities for children to discover, to take risks, and to be challenged. But, she fears, that the state will impose standards, testing, and a uniform approach to children, like she said happens in public schools for elementary students currently.

A Saklan Pre-Kindergarten parent had driven Dr. Gopnik to our event, and explained all about Saklan’s Preschool and Prekindergarten program on the drive, so at this juncture, she was kind enough to say to the audience that from what she understands, Saklan’s early childhood education is a great example of a developmentally appropriate, engaging, challenging, and enriching educational program.

Professor Gopnik’s speech and writings are wonderfully eloquent, conveying both a deep love of children and a profound enthusiasm for the work of educating children, things that we at Saklan strongly share with her. To echo Dr. Gopnik’s book’s conclusion, when we at Saklan take children on field trips to Mt. Diablo, Yosemite, Washington DC, or Quebec, when we get our hands dirty in the local creek or by planting flowers, when we use the internet to zoom cybernetically around the globe, we know we are participating in the awesome “experience of what is called Romanticism.” Educating our students awakens our own “continuing capacities for wonder and knowledge”—and we too believe that when we provide our students the opportunities to grow their brains and the vehicles to explore their community and their planet, we are also “helping the human species find the truth.”

Hello Saklan Families,

It’s that time of year again. The holidays are rapidly approaching and you know what that means…time for holiday shopping! We have a great opportunity for you to do your shopping and help raise funds for Saklan at the same time: the annual Barnes and Noble Book Fair! Please mark your calendars for the second weekend in December, the 8th and 9th. Come down to the Barnes and Noble in Walnut Creek and stock up on books, CDs and DVDs for everyone on your gift list. 20% of your entire purchase value will go directly to purchase books for the Saklan library. Saklan student artwork will be on display in the children’s section and there will be a presentation by Saklan students on Sunday afternoon. Also in the children’s section we will have an information table with book suggestions for all grade levels, and parent volunteers will be providing free gift-wrap as well. If you are interested in volunteering at the book fair, please contact Diane Faddis at difad@juno.com.

As this is the time of year to give thanks, I would like to recognize some parents who have been giving their time to support our parent association. Thank you to Veronica Rossman for lining up our two wonderful parent education speakers Dr. Allison Gopnik and Dr. Richard Freed. Thank you to Annie Barendregt for once again organizing the wonderful luncheon at International Day, and to all of the parents who helped prepare food, serve and clean-up. Thank you to Hillary Conlon for hosting the auction volunteer brunch earlier this month, and for the parents who have joined our auction team so far. And thank you to all of our wonderful room parents who do so many things, from planning Halloween parties to coordinating field trip drivers. You really are the heart of our parent association.

We have much to be thankful for here at Saklan Valley School…outstanding teachers and staff, supportive parents, and caring friends, just to name a few. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Fondly,
Lisa Rokas

New Programs in 5th Grade and the Middle School:
Teachers and Students share their thoughts.

5th Grade 1:1 Laptop Computer Program

On the first day of school, all of our fifth grade students entered the classroom to find a brand new laptop computer sitting on top of his or her desk. Each student personalized a laptop with colorful labels, and then put it to use for learning across the curriculum.. But let’s hear from the teachers and students.

Ms. Parks:
Laptop computers are such a useful and critical tool for students in the 21st century. I am a firm believer that the integration of technology into our classroom enhances curriculum, motivates students, provides the most current information to students, as well as helping them improve their basic computer skills. It has inspired and motivated my students to write more than they ever have!

Ms. Obenchain (Science):
In science, the laptops allow the students to make meaning of what they are learning and see how it applies in their own life. Right now the students are learning about weather, weather patterns and storms. The topics can be abstract if they have never experienced those conditions. The lap tops allowed them to visually see the storms we had discussed. They learned more about different storms that had occured in the past and they were able to understand what inhabitants of an area might have to endure living in an area that is exposed to those types of storms periodically. The lap tops were a huge asset to their learning, they were a tool for them to gain more of an understanding and make meaning.

Sam: Laptops in our classroom are so fun! Also, it is a lot better than writing. You can do more cool stuff.

Christine: Learning is way easier now. Ms. Parks lets us play educational games on the laptops.

Katie: I think having laptops in our classroom is so awesome and it is great being able to use them anytime. I also love the laptops because it makes school so much more interesting.

Lily: I love having laptops. It extends my knowledge in technology. I can stay interested in writing, and I learn something new everyday.

Clayton: I think we are very fortunate to have our own laptops and a digital projector. The laptops allow me to stay more interested and have fun with projects.

Middle School Learning Period

As an outcome of last school year’s thorough and comprehensive review of homework policy and practice in the middle school, we have initiated and implemented a new program whereby students can begin their nightly homework between 3 and 3:30 here at school, in a specially designated time called “Learning Period.” This not only gives them a head-start and reduces the amount of work they have to bring home, but it also helps them to clear the logjams, clarify the expectations, and get help from their teachers. Listen to what the teachers and students say:

Mr. Benin: The middle school learning period affords students the opportunity to revisit the idea, project, or inspiration they found most compelling during the day - but which the necessity of switching classes may have briefly interrupted - while the full compliment of the school’s resources are still at their fingertips. This academic and intellectual freedom is an invaluable way to end the formal learning day.

The middle school learning period promotes two pillars of the Saklan education: collaboration and intellectual freedom. Students are often seen “debating” the most compelling ideas of the day, before they collectively pursue further inquiry. The middle school students have enthusiastically embraced this measure of academic freedom, and often seem disappointed when their in-school collaboration has to end for the day!

Ms. Obenchain: The learning period has turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for the students to help each other with work and study, along with giving them an opportunity to talk to their teachers about problems they are having. It also seems to have helped with alleviating stress on having time to accomplish the homework.

Madame Amy: Learning period allows students to work independently or collaboratively, depending on their needs, with all the resources available within the school environment. It provides an opportunity for teachers to offer additional one-on-one instruction as needed, and to follow up academically or organizationally with students.”

Ms. Wegner: The learning period has been a bigger hit than any of us expected. The students, especially, were wary of extending their school day by 15 minutes, and teachers wondered whether the time would be productive. As it turns out, we are all huge fans. The students love the opportunity to get a jump start on their homework, with their peers and teachers at arm’s length if they have any questions. And as a teacher, I appreciate having the opportunity to clarify any questions that were left hanging after class, or even just to sit back and listen to the students teaching each other!

Lida Alegheband, 8th grade: It is really helpful because we get to start some of our homework at school, and we can ask our teachers if we need help.

Lauren Robinson, 8th grade: I like being able to ask my friends and teachers questions while getting my work done.

Brandon Ostrom, 6th grade: I like it because you can get organized and maybe when you are done you can get some homework done. The extra 15 minutes of school is really worth it.

Hannah Beckman, 7th grade: I like it because I can get a lot of my homework done, and it is 15 more minutes in a school day but when I have after-school or evening activities it is really helpful to have already done a lot of my homework.

The Board of Trustees is working on several interesting projects this month. Annual Giving, Master Planning and Marketing are three areas on which we are particularly focused. Additionally, we have reviewed the financial results from 2006-07, and we are exploring the potential for debt restructuring that would generate financial efficiency. The Board is enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead.

As always this time of year, Annual Giving is much on our minds. Our Development Committee has worked very hard to organize the campaign. The model for most independent school budgeting includes a revenue expectation from the generosity of our parent body. When we set tuition, we count on continued support from the community through their philanthropy. We are encouraged by the “early returns,” and are counting on the late returns to help up reach our target of $180,000. You have our profound thanks.

The Master Planning Committee has been working with our architectural design consultants at Ratcliff Associates to set priorities for improving our campus. Many parents and faculty met in October for a facilitated brain storming session. The ideas and identified priorities were taken back by Ratcliff. They are working in follow-up sessions to refine this information. We expect the Master Plan to be completed by Spring 2008.

Board members have been working with Jonathan Martin on his Marketing Task Force. The board supports the administration in its project of finding new, innovative ways to reach out to the broad community. An area in which the Saklan community can participate is in the neighborhood coffees, and talking to friends about our school. Again, we thank you for your support in this endeavor.

Finally, the audited annual Financial Statements for the fiscal year 2006-07 can be found on our web site. The following two paragraphs summarize the results of the numbers. Apologies to all of our right brains.

The school showed strong financial performance for the year. There was a resulting $238k in net assets on revenues of $2,575k. Net assets is the equivalent of net income in the for-profit world. These funds were used to purchase property and equipment ($103k), and pay the principal portion of our debt, deposits, and short term investments ($40k). Working capital required $310k. Our cash position declined by $156k. (Depreciation is a non-cash expense, which is included in the net asset number, it was $59k for the year.) The lion’s share of the working capital requirement was a timing event relating to receivables, which have since been collected.

One of the metrics used as a snapshot of financial strength is the current ratio. This ratio is simply current assets divided by current liabilities, and an indicator of liquidity. The Board is heartened to report a steady improvement in our current position which improved from 0.91 in 2006 to 0.99 in 2007, having reached a low of 0.66 in 2003. This result is indicative of the steady improvement in the financial strength of the school.

The Board is enthusiastic about the many opportunities ahead this year. We thank you for your crucial support through Annual Giving. We look forward to seeing the innovative ideas coming from the Master Planning process. We are excited about sharing our commitment to Saklan with the many new families we will meet because of the work of the Marketing Task Force. And we look forward to a continued strong trend in the financial position of the school.

Diane Wilcox,

Board Chair, for the Board.

Please click here to read the Saklan Independent Audit for 2006-2007