The Saklan School

This school is an absolutely gem. My child transferred here from a public school at the beginning of this year. After having two extremely difficult years in a public school system, where my child went from happy and thirsty to learn, to nearly hating school, we knew we needed a change. From the first conversation with Mel, to watching their open house video and hearing their viewpoint on learning, we instantly felt this could be the environment that our child needed.

As a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, I am consistently reminded the importance of a safe and nurturing learning environment for the overall well-being of a child. The Saklan School understand the importance of children feeling safe and connected in order to learn and grow. Today's parent-teacher conference confirmed everything that we had thought this school would be. My child is absolutely thriving. His teacher doesn't just tolerate his "all in" nature, she encourages and celebrates it, while pushing him to be his best self. The small class sizes allow for each kiddo to feel seen and be known, and project-based learning gets them excited.

We absolutely adore this school. Yes, it is a big financial investment, but we are already seeing the return in his growth and joy, and it is also having a huge impact on our entire family's quality of life. We're so thankful for The Saklan School.

The Saklan School offers a transformative educational experience, focusing on the whole child as an individual, project based learning, and a nurturing environment, with incredible teachers, and small class sizes. As a former public school teacher, in a Bay Area school rated a 10, I knew that the high rating was only representative of the best of a very low bar. I wanted something more for my own children. I wanted them to be excited for school, to develop a love of learning, to be seen as an individual, and cared for and nurtured at the highest level while away from home. My daughter started at Saklan last year and next year my other daughter will begin at the school. We could not be more pleased with the education, staff, and overall experience. Saklan focuses on hands-on, experiential, differentiated, child interest lead, project based learning. Project based learning is an enormous effort on the part of the instructor, but so beneficial for all learners. Saklan tackles this beautifully. The public school system that has 20-30+ children per teacher, sitting in desks all day, without individualized learning, with too many worksheets, and drill and kill to the state testing is dated and mediocre at its best. If you have the opportunity for your child to attend Saklan run at the opportunity! It is the best investment you can make for your child and family!

We gave the Walnut Creek public school system a try then decided to send our 1st grader to Saklan. It's been two months and we've seen a huge change in his attitude towards learning. You cannot beat the small class size and the personalized attention your child will get. We've noticed a renewed love of learning, more confidence and comfort in his skin. My husband and I believe that investing early in his education, creative expression and social emotional development will give him a leg up in life and a strong sense of self. We also love Saklan's project based, hands on approach to learning.

Focusing on the whole child is difficult to do when there are 23-30 kids in a classroom. In fact, studies show that learning outcomes diminish when there are more than 18 students in a classroom. When our son comes home excited about something he learned/experienced or tells us how much he loves to read, this warms our hearts because his teachers are getting through to him. We also love that he's learning a foreign language early (Spanish); you many not get that in public school. The public school system is a one size fits all mold. Everything is about meeting benchmarks/assessments and keeping the test scores high without looking at the whole child. At Saklan you have the luxury of knowing that your child's education is flexible enough to both challenge and support them where it's needed. We are thrilled with our decision to invest in our son's education at Saklan.

We are beyond thrilled with Saklan's quality and well-rounded education. Living in a great school district (Moraga) makes decisions like attending private school ever so much more difficult, but Saklan is an easy choice. Beyond academics, Saklan excels at social emotional awareness, inclusivity, compassion, creativity and courage. Additionally, the STEM science program and the music/theater program are the best available in this area by leaps and bounds. The administration are professionals who care. The faculty are always acquiring new state of the art skills. The leadership, David O'Connell, transformed the school into a vibrant and inspiring community of engaged parents, kind students and thorough faculty.

I believe education is the ONLY guarenteed return of investment. Saklan definitely has been amazing for our entire family the past three years our two children have been attending.

The Saklan School is amazing. Not only their curriculum is very good and well balanced but also the teachers and the other parents are great. The school has also been absolutely phenomenal in handling the pandemic and keeping everyone safe and informed, while allowing for our children to safely return to class.

Saklan is a school that weaves their message of "Think creatively, act compassionately, and live courageously" throughout the day while stressing the importance of education. The teachers are successful within their approach of education and always manage to go above and beyond with creativity, innovative projects while providing support to parents and their students. The Saklan staff has created a family that my daughter is so happy to visit everyday. Saklan has been a gift to our family after leaving the public school district and we are so thankful to have found Saklan.

There is so much that I love about Saklan. The feeling of community is very strong. The entire school gathers weekly for Friday Flag. There are class presentations, words of wisdom shared by students of all ages, a birthday song (with everyone identified by name), and a closing song. It is all presided over by a student, from the 3 year-old Owlets to the teenaged 8th graders. At our final one before the shelter-in-place, as the entire community (students, staff, teachers, parents) sang "This Little Light of Mine", I looked down at one of my lights, my Owlet. He was so shy when we started. He wouldn't talk to new people at all. I worried about him, how he would adjust to being at school, being around new friends and away from his parents and his sister (down the hall in kindergarten).

For his sister, I wanted to ensure an education suited to her unique needs. We found that at Saklan. The small class sizes enable the dedicated teaching staff to provide one-on-one attention, while also including her in the regular classroom group. And she has opportunities to interact with older kids as well, making friends across grades. Her curiosity, enthusiasm and outgoing nature are nurtured at Saklan.

Searching for a school, I hoped to find a place where the kids would engage in activities and have fun, and happen to be learning along the way. My kids are still too young to be sure that's the case, but it's the feeling I get at Saklan. What really blew me away though, is the social-emotional focus. These kids have amazing bonds with their teachers, especially striking in middle school. Every time I get to hear Ms. Kim talk about her middle schoolers, I am so grateful to have found a woman so totally invested in these kids! They learn to be kind to each other, and to themselves, to be self-sufficient, hard workers, and the pride of exceeding your own expectations of yourself.

As I looked down at my Owlet during that final Friday Flag, I watched him with his "light" (finger) up in the air, singing along with the rest of his community. He has truly shined at Saklan. He talks to everyone now, students, staff, other parents. I've had people I don't know come tell me stories about him! I couldn't have believed he would grow into this kid just 8 months ago. I was so overcome by the scene, I couldn't sing myself. I love Saklan. I love being with these people. And I didn't want it to end.

Now as we shelter-in-place, we all miss Saklan. It is clear that the teachers genuinely love and miss these kids! They have done a great job of trying to stay connected, and keep learning going, through this unprecedented challenge. But my kids are young, and the teachers are being realistic. I talk to the them about my specific kids, about how they're feeling and what the goals are. That it's not as important to get all the work done, as long as the love of learning continues. I don't know how they could do distance learning any better than they are.

But bottom line, my whole family loves and misses Saklan very much and can't wait to come back in person!

All three of our children attended Saklan, and one is a sophomore in HS now. Saklan provides a unique combination of a rigorous hands-on curriculum and incredible teachers who can truly connect and understand each student and create meaningful learning experiences. The music and performing arts program are beyond what you can find in most schools (public or private) and instills a high level of creative expression and confidence. We found that the opportunities to present, lead, and collaborate with other students helped build a level of compassion and self-awareness which we feel is so important beyond academic learning. The community at Saklan is connected and supportive. It has been a home for our children where they've grown, been supported, and learned and to become successful students who love learning and genuinely care about others.

Saklan has been a tremendously helpful and rich experience for our children. They have been a part of the Saklan curriculum since pre-school and we have seen them grow academically and personally. They are very curious, insightful, outspoken, polite, empathetic, confident and creative. As parents we cannot be more thrilled with the staff, curriculum, and community. Everyone has been supportive, insightful and most importantly thoughtful about our views and desires. This school truly partners with their families and it shows. We can not recommend them enough. We love them so much we have managed to get our extended family to attend and look forward to many years of being a Saklan parent!

Saklan is an all around wonderful school. It feels like a big family with how nurturing the environment is while also providing academic excellence. They have a growth mindset culture. They live their motto - "Think Creatively. Act Compassionately. Live Courageously."