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Aug. 28
Editorial Mission: As the Department's primary publication, we aim to live up to the meaning of ha‘aheo – to cherish with pride – by bolstering and sustaining pride in public education and touting the successes happening across our system.
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Aloha, HIDOE Community –
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.
Bus updates
This week, we restored 29 more bus routes in Central Oahu, East Hawai‘i and Upcountry Maui for approximately 804 student riders. Efforts to restore the remaining 84 suspended bus routes are ongoing. We have also been collaborating with the mayors of Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Honolulu counties to increase capacity on public transportation routes that students can use to get to and from school. Our bus contractors are currently in the process of onboarding new drivers and we are working to restore more routes as soon as possible. The latest updates on the bus driver shortage will be provided at Thursday’s Board of Education special meeting.
Public Safety Power Shutoff
Over the summer, Hawaiian Electric Co. announced a Public Safety Power Shutoff Program (PSPS) as part of its Wildfire Safety Strategy. During a PSPS, HECO may preemptively shut off power in areas during periods of expected high winds and dry conditions to reduce the risk of wildfires.
Power outages may occur during school hours. While it can be inconvenient, school administrators and Department leadership monitor local county alerts. If a power outage occurs, in most cases a school campus will remain open. Generally, keeping students on campus is the safest choice. In the event of a school closure, notification will be sent from the school directly to families and will also be posted to the Department’s website. Please ensure that your child’s school has your most up-to-date contact information.
According to HECO’s PSPS affected areas map, about 105 of our schools may be potentially impacted by a PSPS. Those schools will provide updates directly to families regarding any power outage notices that may impact the campus, and will include a plan for school operations.
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#HIPublicSchoolsProud
Social media highlights of the most engaging posts of the week.
Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!
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Mililani Uka Elementary
» We welcomed students and faculty from Shitennoji Elementary School, from Osaka Japan and shared with them many of Uka’s bright spots! #hipublicschoolsproud
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Nānāikapono Elementary
» Our 4th graders are having an amazing week with Bike Ed, learning valuable skills while having a blast on their bikes! 🚲🤩 Keep up the awesome work, students—stay active, keep moving, and most importantly, stay safe out there! ☀️
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Waiākea High
» A WIN FOR OUR WARRIOR ELITE FOOTBALL TEAM @808waiakeaelite! CONGRATULATIONS to our team, Coach Toa, Assistant Coaches, Managers, Family and Friends! This win is SWEET! 💙💙💙 MAHALO Kama Delfin-Galzote @unko_kama_808 for the post! LET’S GO WARRIORS! #waiākeawarriorstrong
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Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week
Niu Valley Middle School (NVMS) Principal Jeff Shitaoka, left, and Student Activities Coordinator Maika Nagata, bottom row, right, along with their students, hosted students and teachers from their sister school from the Sera Town School District in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture on Monday, Aug. 19. Sera Town students taught Niu Valley students how to make origami, do calligraphy and play Japanese games, and Niu Valley students shared with them how to pound poi. The Sera Town students received personal school IDs on a NVMS lanyard as their "omiyage.”
Credit: Joanne Imada / Niu Valley Middle School PCNC
Submit your public school-related image from this school year for a chance to be featured as next week’s Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week!
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Important Dates & Upcoming Events
- Aug. 29: Board of Education Special Meeting
- September: Suicide Prevention Month
- September: Attendance Awareness Month
- September: National Preparedness Month
- Sept. 2: Labor Day (HIDOE schools and offices closed)
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Līhuʻe English School was established in September 1881. The school changed its name in 1959 after a Senate Resolution. Today, it’s known as which Kaua‘i public school?
- Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary School
- King Kaumualiʻi Elementary School
- Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
- Kaua‘i High School
Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.
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HIDOE Headlines
A roundup of announcements, resources and shoutouts.
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» High school students from 28 schools across the state attended a training workshop to learn how to organize a blood drive on campus. According to the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i, high school blood drives accounted for 11% of the state's overall blood supply last year.
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» The University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly (UHPA) partnered with AFT and First Book to give away 5,000 new books through its Reading Opens the World program to Maui families at Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary School cafeteria in Lahaina.
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» Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross, a Hawaiian language immersion teacher for Molokai High School’s O Hina I Ka Malama program and a Hōkūle‘a crewmember, was selected as the only science communications fellow from Hawaiʻi this year for an exploration opportunity aboard the Nautilus vessel.
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What’s for School Lunch?
Did you know the Department’s largest locally sourced item in schools statewide is ground beef? It’s enjoyed by students year-round, thanks to our local farmers that include:
- Kipu Ranch (Kauaʻi)
- Kualoa Ranch (Oʻahu)
- Puʻu o Hoku Ranch (Molokai)
- Haleakala Ranch (Maui)
- Kahua Ranch (Hawaiʻi Island)
- IʻO Cattle Company (Hawaiʻi Island)
- MJ Ranch (Hawaiʻi Island)
- JB Ranch (Hawaiʻi Island)
*This list is not an exhaustive list.
Local beef is featured in school lunches in a variety of ways, including scratch-made hamburger curry and stew (pictured below at Kapolei High School). Other menu items featuring local beef that you can look out for this school year include:
- Chili cheese nachos (fan favorite!)
- Soft shell beef tacos (new this year!)
- Paniolo patty
- Creole macaroni
- Spaghetti
When students and staff eat school lunches featuring local ground beef, they are supporting the businesses of local families and ranchers, reducing environmental importing impacts, and helping sustain the development of local beef for our communities to continue to enjoy!
 
Mahalo to Kapolei High School’s school food services manager, Liza Canuela; baker, Hanah Kapea; cook, Maxine Leleo-Jacintho; cafeteria helper, Luwana Moniz; cafeteria helper, Lani Apana; and cafeteria helper, Jayde Tai (pictured, left to right), for inviting us into their kitchen.
“What’s For School Lunch?” is a monthly column coordinated by the School Food Services Branch that features a local menu item as part of the Department’s goal to incorporate more locally sourced ingredients into our cafeterias.
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Work With Us!
For more career opportunities in the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, please visit hawaiischooljobs.com
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Public School Pop Quiz! Answer: 1. Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary School
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HAWAI‘I STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Keith Hayashi
Superintendent
Heidi Armstrong
Deputy Superintendent
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Randolph Moore
Deputy Superintendent
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Tammi Oyadomari-Chun
Deputy Superintendent
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ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS
Sean Bacon
Talent Management
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Brian Hallett
Fiscal Services
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Audrey Hidano
Facilities and Operations
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Elizabeth Higashi
Strategy, Innovation and Performance
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Annie Kalama
Student Support Services
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Michael Otsuji
Information Technology Services
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Teri Ushijima
Curriculum and Instructional Design
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Ho‘oha‘aheo
PUBLIC SCHOOL PROUD
Nanea Ching
Executive Editor
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Kimberly Yuen
Managing Editor
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Sara Miyazono
Creative Director
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Contributors
Chanel Honda
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Derek Inoshita
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Kimi Takazawa
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Krislyn Yano
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1390 Miller St. Honolulu, HI 96813 | Phone: (808) 784-6200 | Fax: (808) 586-3234
Share your story ideas and feedback to newsletter@k12.hi.us
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Editor's note: A previous version of this newsletter incorrectly stated that 105 HIDOE schools could be affected by a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event under Hawaiian Electric's program. HECO recently revised the number of schools potentially affected by a PSPS event to 16 schools statewide.
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