Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter, Dec. 18

Hawai'i State Department of Education sent this bulletin at 12/18/2024 03:45 PM HST

Dec. 18

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.

Editor’s Note: Ho‘oha‘aheo will be taking a recess over winter break and will resume weekly editions on Jan. 8. Have a happy and safe holiday season and we’ll see you again in 2025!

KEEP In the Loop with SuperIntendant Keith T. Hayashi-Template

KEEP Superintendent Keith T. Hayashi-Template

Aloha, HIDOE Community –

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter.

Happy holidays
As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest aloha to each of you in our Hawai‘i public schools community. This time of year invites reflection and gratitude, and I am so grateful for the incredible ne'epapa effort that our community has shown this year. Together, we have worked tirelessly to create a nurturing environment that fosters growth, learning and support for our students.

Whether you're celebrating with loved ones near or far, I hope this season brings you joy, peace and rest. May your holidays be filled with laughter and aloha, and may you welcome the new year with renewed energy and inspiration.

Mahalo for your dedication and commitment to our shared mission to support public education in Hawai‘i. I am honored to be part of this HIDOE ‘ohana and I look forward to the many successes we will achieve together in the year ahead!

Here’s a video showcasing student and school highlights from the past year, inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas – Hawai‘i style.

Ho‘oha‘aheo Photo of the Week

Pa rum pum pum pum! Mililani High School senior and drummer Evan Murphy is all smiles as he and his fellow marching band members march through the Town Center of Mililani in the 37th annual Mililani Holiday Parade on Dec. 7.

Credit: Chris Aguinaldo / Mililani High School

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!

#HIPublicSchoolsProud

Social media highlights of the most engaging posts of the week.
Use the #HIPublicSchoolsProud hashtag for a chance to be featured!

Waiʻanae High School Searider Productions

» Searider Productions joined our founder Candy Suiso in the Waiʻanae Christmas Parade as she was named the Grand Marshal representing education. We had a great time giving out candy and seeing our community show up for the festive event. Happy holidays! #InSPireTheNextOne #SeariderPride #GoodToGreat #WaianaeStrong #WaianaeHighSchool #SeariderProductions

Kawānanakoa Middle School

» KMS students enjoyed a nature hike in a beautiful botanical garden to learn about native/non-native plants and pick ti leaves! Back on campus, our Micronesian Culture Club taught our GT/STEM class how to prepare ti leaves to make leis for the holidays. What a fun day of place-based learning 🤩💛 Mahalo @uhlyonarboretum for this wonderful opportunity!

Hawai‘i School for the Deaf and the Blind

» Our middle and high school students had an unforgettable experience with the Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy at He‘eia Small Boat Harbor! They learned about wayfinding, sailing, native plants, and the importance of Hawai‘i’s traditions and history. Students were especially thrilled to step aboard Hōkūle‘a and explore small canoes at the harbor. Mahalo to Kānehūnāmoku and the Polynesian Voyaging Society for making this incredible educational experience possible!

Family Focus

Navigating Educational Resources

As we meet with families across our state, we often find that folks do not know about resources that could be helpful to them!

For example, did you know that HIDOE students can get 24/7 tutoring online for free? Some schools are also transitioning into community schools, providing increased support and a broader range of resources for families.

These are just two resources we want to be sure families know about, so we decided to start a TV series in partnership with Ōlelo Community Media. “Navigating Education - ‘Ohana Knowing and Growing” will start broadcasting in January (dates below.)

Our episodes are in an interview format and will air on ‘Olelo TV, ŌleloNet on Demand, our PPS-Hawai’i YouTube channel, social media, our website and some of our partners’ websites.

The 28-minute videos will feature education leaders from non-profits, district leaders, and national innovators. We will also explore ways of teaching and learning that may be helpful to you or your children such as the science of reading, career-focused learning and more.

Do you have questions about how some subjects are taught?
Do you wonder about AI and digital media effect on your children?
Are there resources you want but do not know if they are available?
Do you offer resources you want families to know about?

Please tell us your interests and we will work on interviews to help!

Upcoming episode topics and Ōlelo airdates:

Tutoring For Your Child: Jan.1, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 2
High Dosage Tutoring for Your Child: Feb. 5, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 2
Hawai‘i Community Schools: March 5, March 9, March 16, March 23
Hawai‘i After School: April 2, April 6, April 13, April 20, April 27, May 4

We would love your feedback! Send us a note at: info@ppshi.org

Family Focus is a monthly column coordinated by Parents for Public Schools Hawai‘i, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of parents, educators, community leaders, policy makers, and other stakeholders in Hawai‘i public education.

Important Dates & Upcoming Events

Dec. 20: Quarter 2 Ends
Dec. 23 - Jan. 6: Winter Break
Jan. 6: Teacher work day (no students)

Every holiday season, ornaments from every state, territory and the District of Columbia are showcased in the America Celebrates display, which surrounds the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. On Hawai‘i’s tree this year, proudly displayed are ornaments created by students from which HIDOE school?

Lahainaluna High School
Roosevelt High School
Farrington High School
Konawaena High School

Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.

HIDOE Headlines

A roundup of announcements, resources and shoutouts.

» Students from five Hawai‘i public schools received $19,500 in awards for coming up with project ideas that utilize artificial intelligence to address real-world issues that students face today. Teams from Baldwin High, Palisades Elementary and ʻĪao Intermediate Schools each won the top prize of $5,000 in the Design Intelligence Lab contest. Hilo High and two separate teams from Kalani High School were each awarded $1,500 for their project ideas.

» Maui High School Principal Jamie Yap is retiring after serving more than four decades at different levels in the Hawai‘i State Department of Education. Students and staff shared their parting words for Principal Yap in this episode of their weekly student broadcast, Maui High FYI.

» McKinley High School broke ground last week on a $24 million state-of-the-art athletic complex. The new facility will include over 2,400 bleacher seats, modern restrooms, a ticket booth, a rooftop press box, a girls and boys shower building and new coaches’ offices. The project is estimated to be completed in Sept. 2026.

What's For School Lunch?

The holidays are in full swing at our schools and to help celebrate, cafeterias statewide were offered the opportunity to serve a honey butter roasted squash meal with kalua pork and cabbage, edamame, vegetables and fruits! Check out a video of the recipe from Kapiʻolani Community College.

Ingredients: (100 servings) Scale measurements accordingly for smaller or larger batches:

Kabocha Squash (27 lbs)
Honey (3 lbs)
Butter, unsalted, or substitute (1 lb, 12.5 oz (2 qts))

Instructions:

Gather ingredients: kabocha, honey, butter, cayenne pepper (optional).
Wash and remove the stem and seeds (if fresh) from the kabocha. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
Melt butter and add it into a mixing bowl. Add honey and mix until incorporated.
Once it is all coated, season to taste with cayenne pepper (optional).
Remove kabocha from the bowl and place on a foil-lined pan.
Bake at 400º F until tender and internal temperature is 135º F or higher

Happy holidays and a very special mahalo to our outstanding school food services staff statewide who make school meals both healthy and fun for our students year-round!

Photos credit: Derek Inoshita / HIDOE Communications Branch

Mahalo to Nuʻuanu Elementary School's cafeteria team Zaae Natividad, left, Micah Ikari, center, and food services manager Brandon Kakuda for inviting us into their kitchen to cover this special holiday recipe!

“What’s For School Lunch?” is a monthly column coordinated by the School Food Services Branch that features new and exciting school meal initiatives.