Hoʻohaʻaheo Newsletter, March 27

Hawai'i State Department of Education sent this bulletin at 03/27/2024 01:15 PM HST

March 27

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.

Dedication of King Kamehameha III Elementary at Pulelehua

Our King Kamehameha III Elementary faculty and staff are busy preparing to welcome students next week to the school’s new, temporary campus at Pulelehua near Kapalua Airport in Lahaina.

On Monday we held a dedication ceremony that included remarks by Gov. Josh Green, M.D., Curtis Brown from FEMA, Col. Eric Swenson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and King Kamehameha III Elementary Principal Ian Haskins. Cultural practitioner Kaniala Masoe of Maui led a Hawaiian ceremony with pū and ‘oli.

The 11-acre campus has 30 air-conditioned modular classrooms in addition to an administration building, library, student support center, cafeteria and play areas. FEMA helped fund the approximately $78 million school while USACE handled construction and sub-contracted Pono Aina Management. The 95-day project — to temporarily replace the original campus that was damaged beyond repair in the August wildfires — was completed in just 85 days.

Teachers and staff, who had been co-located at Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena Elementary School since October, are moving into the new space this week, and the first day for students will be April 1. I look forward to Principal Haskins and our students and staff being able to fill this space with aloha and a love for learning for many years to come.

King Kamehameha III Elementary Dedication 2

Class of 2024 high school graduation ceremonies

High school graduation ceremonies have been scheduled for the Class of 2024 with date, time and location information listed here.

No matter how many ceremonies I go to each year, it’s always such a special moment to witness the enthusiasm and pride beaming through the students, families and teachers of each graduating class. We are so excited to watch our Class of 2024 graduates take the stage!

#HIPublicSchoolsProud

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

Pearl Harbor Elementary

» Education Day at the State Capitol was a success for our school today! A talented group of students represented us, sharing our school's achievements and innovative programs. #HIPublicSchoolsProud

Maunawili Elementary

» Mahalo Principal Tanaka and Mrs. Cao for representing Maunawili at the State Capitol for EdWeek. #HIPublicSchoolsProud

Kanoelani Elementary

» Public education was on display at the State Capitol. We had Student Ambassadors from 2nd and 4th grade share each of their PBL projects they have done this year. #HIPublicSchoolsProud

Family Focus

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

Summer is coming
Confer with your keiki and sign them up for some of the exciting, enriching, and strengthening summer programs while there is space!

Whether your child wants to explore a new area or catch up in a course - check out the HIDOE summer learning options and sign up soon!

Join the Keiki Rainbow Run to support your school
Check with your school to see if they’ve registered with the Keiki Rainbow Run which is taking place on Saturday, April 20th at the Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. If your school is participating, 50% of all of your students’ registration fees will be returned to your school. For more information, go to KeikiRainbowRun.org.

Free access to tutoring for 8th graders
Did you know all eighth graders in Hawai‘i’s public schools have access to 24/7 online tutoring? Eighth graders can login into their Clever account (https://clever.com/in/hawaii) and click on the Tutor.com logo. They can have 1-1 sessions on any subject, schedule an appointment with a tutor, as well as get feedback on their writing.

Sessions are safe. Tutors are vetted for knowledge and background. There is no limit on the number of sessions and students can request the same tutor again and keep a list of “favorites.”

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.

What’s for School Lunch?

Featuring recipes served in our school cafeterias from the Office of Facilities and Operations School Food Services Branch. Ingredient amounts have been scaled down.

March is School Breakfast Month!
Sweet Potato Yogurt Bowl
Serves 8

Ingredients

32 oz container yogurt of choice (recommend a yogurt with no more than 8 grams of added sugar per 4 oz)
4 cups of pineapple chunks or fresh local fruit of choice
1 lb of cooked, cubed, local sweet potato
8 oz of granola

Directions:

Steam, bake or air fry sweet potato unpeeled (cooking time can vary depending on cooking method)
Scoop 4 oz of yogurt in a bowl
Layer 1/2 C of fresh fruit and 1/4 C cooked, cubed sweet potato
Top with 1 oz of granola
Serve immediately or hold at 41˚F or below for cold service.

Recipe Notes:

1 lb of raw Okinawan sweet potato is approximately 3-4 whole pieces (Okinawan sweet potatoes vary in size and shape)
Serve with fresh local seasonal fruit to maximize the nutritional value.

Mahalo to Kahaluʻu Elementary's baker, Natasha Simeona; cook, Chris Ige; and school food services manager, Carmen Matsumoto (pictured left to right), for inviting us into their kitchen.

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 March 18 found no actionable levels of lead or arsenic, similar to previous samplings. Past results can be found here.

Air monitoring and sampling

The state Department of Health is conducting air sampling at stations around Lahaina, including at Lahaina Intermediate. The sampling is being conducted to ensure that USACE debris removal activities do not significantly impact air quality in surrounding communities and will continue throughout the debris removal work. While Hawai‘i soil contains nominal amounts of natural metals, the detection of metals has been low. Results are posted weekly on their website.

Important Dates

March 28 - Board of Education: General Business Meeting
March 29 - Good Friday
April 1-5 - National Assistant Principals Week

HIDOE Headlines

A roundup of announcements, resources and shoutouts.

» Middle and high school students from 10 Hawai‘i public schools across the state received 41 awards in various digital media and filmmaking categories at the Student Television Network competition that took place March 14-17 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif. Congratulations to all of the school teams!

» Despite the challenges that the class of 2023 faced related to the COVID-19 pandemic, recent data shows that Hawaiʻi high school students reached the highest marks in recent years while also earning more college credit, multiple language proficiency and Career and Technical Education honors.

» Students from 15 Hawai‘i public schools are creating products featuring locally sourced materials like coffee, lavender, macadamia nuts, butter, fruits, vegetables and herbs as part of an entrepreneurial program sponsored by the Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation. View their online marketplace to purchase products.