Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletter, Feb. 21

Hawai'i State Department of Education sent this bulletin at 02/21/2024 03:45 PM HST

Feb. 21

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.

In the Loop with SuperIntendant Keith T. Hayashi

Aloha, HIDOE Community –

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

Education data portal launched

The Department successfully launched our new public-facing education data portal — LEI Kukui. The newest dashboards include performance measures showing progress on the 2023-2029 Strategic and Implementation Plan’s three priorities and 27 desired outcomes.

The LEI Kukui portal can be accessed at hidoedata.org. The name of the portal combines LEI, an acronym for longitudinal education data, and kukui, which references the candlenut tree that Native Hawaiians used to fuel light in olden days. Kukui can also mean light or torch and symbolizes enlightenment and guidance. Mahalo to the HIDOE Data Governance and Analysis Branch for their hard work in leading this initiative.

DonorsChoose spring campaign updates

The Department kicked off #LoveTeaching week and Valentine’s Day with the launch of our DonorsChoose spring campaign. We’re proud to share that this campaign supported more than 3,000 teachers across the state!

While our spring campaign has ended, classroom teacher projects are still posted and eagerly await support to help our students have the tools and experiences they need for a great education. DonorsChoose is an education-focused crowdfunding platform created by teachers to support teacher-driven projects aimed at positively impacting student learning and engagement.

Vision event benefiting Waiākea Elementary students

I recently had the privilege of attending an awesome event that provided eyeglasses free of charge to students in need at Waiākea Elementary on Hawai‘i Island. Seeing the students' faces light up as they tried on their new glasses was incredible! The event was in collaboration with The Edmund C. Olson Trust, Vision To Learn and Project Vision Hawai‘i, which together have provided more than 50,000 vision screenings, 13,900 eye exams and 9,748 pairs of glasses at no cost to children and their families.

#HIPublicSchoolsProud

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

Hawai‘i Space Grant

» Hawaiʻi VEX IQ Championships qualified seven elementary and middle school robotics teams for the World event in Dallas, TX. A total of 59 teams competed and showcased their robots, gameplay, and strategy!

Kaua‘i High Athletics

» Kaua‘i High’s production crew put in work today at the inaugural HerbieGives All Position Football Camp hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers Nate & Nick Herbig! #HIPublicSchoolsProud #RR4L #GoBigRed

Lunalilo Elementary

»Programming their robots to go through the mazes they designed. #computerscience #coding #robots

Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i

Pepeluali (February) is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month. We’ll be sharing a new word or phrase each week in February on our social media platforms. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn to see more!

This week’s word is: waiū. Click the link to watch a video on pronunciation and use of the word in conversation.

Family Focus

Family Focus is a monthly column by Parents for Public Schools Hawai‘i.

Our Legislature determines so much for our Hawai‘i families. We thought you might want a summary of a few of the issues before our legislature this session. What do you think of these bills? Please tell us your views at info@ppshi.org! At Parents for Public Schools of Hawai‘i, we want to represent family views!

Constitutional Amendment; Public Education; Residential Investment Property Surcharge
Increasing funds for public schools from a surcharge on residential investment properties valued at $3 million or greater.
HB1537 HD2 (Companion bill SB2056)

School Psychologists
Creating a pathway to licensure for school psychologists to increase staffing.
HB1648 HD1

Universal Free School Breakfasts and Lunches
Requiring the Department of Education to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students enrolled in department schools.
HB1775 HD1 (Companion bill SB2327)

Executive Office on Early Learning; Early Learning Facilities
Providing more state properties for early learning centers.
HB1903 HD1

DOE; School Facilities Authority; Building Maintenance
Requiring the Board of Education to adopt rules for facility maintenance.
HB2527 (Companion bill SB2353)

Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program; Family and Medical Leave Insurance Benefits; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
Requiring the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to establish a family and medical leave insurance program.
HB2757 HD1

We will be following the status of these bills at https://ppshi.org/2024-legislative-bills/. Please send us your thoughts at info@ppshi.org. Mahalo!

Parents for Public Schools Hawai‘i is a nonprofit organization contributing to keiki and public school success through family and community engagement. Visit www.ppshi.org.

West Maui Updates

We will be providing relevant information on Lahaina schools in this space,
including updates on health and safety, construction and more.

Wipe tests

The Department continues to conduct bi-weekly wipe sampling in Lahaina classrooms to test for any particles settling on surfaces. The last wipe test on Feb 5. found no actionable levels of lead or arsenic, similar to previous samplings. Past results can be found here.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers update

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is putting the finishing touches on the temporary campus for King Kamehameha III Elementary at Pulelehua. This week they have been working on installing an irrigation system, conducting fire alarm testing, putting asphalt on the parking lot and more. The campus will have 30 classrooms, five administrative buildings and three standalone bathrooms in addition to some classrooms having bathrooms inside. The temporary site is scheduled to be handed over this week to the HIDOE for furnishing and telecommunication equipment. The first day of instruction at the new campus is slated for April 1.

Important Dates & Upcoming Events

Feb. 22 - Board of Education: General Business Meeting
Feb. 26-March 1 - Public Schools Week

Community Query

Today is the last day of #LoveTeaching week – a campaign that unites and invigorates educators all around the world. We wrap up the week with the last Wow Wednesday prompt below. Mahalo for following along and celebrating teaching, leading and learning with our 2024 Complex Area Teachers of the Year!

Share a story of how a student inspired you this year and reminded you why you #LoveTeaching.

“My kids inspire me every day, but some of my favorite moments are when I run into former students and get updates on how their lives are going. My first class will be graduating this year, and I’m so excited to see them walk across the stage and go on great adventures! Another reason why I #LoveTeaching!”

Topher Pike, Chiefess Kapi‘olani Elementary
Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area Teacher of the Year

“I received updates from two of my former students, both in their initial years at esteemed universities on the mainland. Hearing that their experiences in our classroom influenced their decisions filled me with immense pride. This inspires me to positively impact my current students, as they represent the potential future leaders of our society.”

Laura Cummings, Sunset Beach Elementary
Castle-Kahuku Complex Area Teacher of the Year

“Two years ago, I had an EL Marshallese student. She took advantage of the early college credit in linguistics and is now about to embark another journey as a translator intern. It is fulfilling to witness someone else’s journey to success, validating all my hardwork – the positive results may not just be seen immediately.”

Pinky Grace Francisco, Ka‘ū High & Pāhala Elementary
Ka‘ū-Kea‘au-Pāhoa Complex Area Teacher of the Year

HIDOE Headlines

A roundup of announcements, resources and shoutouts.

» Students from Waikīkī Elementary and Kīlauea Elementary advocate for more locally sourced foods in school cafeterias. They started by studying their school lunches, set up interviews with the school cafeteria managers and learned more about where their food comes from.

» 126 students, including Claire Masquida from Kealakehe High School on Hawai‘i Island, will receive expense-paid trips to the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., co-presented by EXPLR and the U.S. Department of Education.

» Krystal Estrada, a forensic anthropologist from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, visited Āliamanu Middle on Friday to participate in their second Student Summit Career Day and demonstrated how the agency identifies missing personnel.