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Ma'ema'e October Parent Bulletin
2010
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Dear Parents/Guardians,
Two months of school has come and
gone and we are about to embark on a third very busy month. Friday, October 1, 2010 is the end of
first quarter (45 days). It
is a Waiver Day, a non-school day for students and a workday for teachers who
will be working on their math tasks in their grade level.
Our fall intercession begins
October 4-8. School will not be in
session during that time. The
entire school will be closed due to furloughs on October 8 and 11. Classes will resume on Tuesday, October
12.
October 12 is also the day we
will have the kickoff for our flu vaccine in the cafeteria. Ma`ema`e is one of two schools who is
having it on this day so the television media will be on campus to take
pictures and interview our students. A permission form will be sent home with 2nd grade students who are
taking the shot/mist because they will be featured for the kickoff.
On October 12 there will also be
an SCC informational meeting for parents and the community in regards to our
HSA test scores for school year 2009-2010. It will be held in the library from 6:00-7:00 pm.
Lifetouch makeup photos, retakes
and group pictures will be on Monday, October 18 from 7:30 am - 2:00 pm. Picture taking will take place in the
library.
Our PTSA kalua pig fundraiser is
in progress. The money for the tickets is due October 12 and pick up is Sunday,
October 24, 2010 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. If you want to win a prize, please continue to sell
tickets. Spread the good word and
sell, sell, sell!
Parent/Teacher conferences will
begin October 25-29 and November 1, 4 and 5 (8 days). There will be no conferences held on November 2 (Election
Day) and Wednesday, November 3. Please make an effort to meet with your child's teacher to find out how
your child is doing.
Kids Vote and the HSA (Hawaii
State Assessment) will also take place in October. This will be the first year
that we will be doing online testing.
Our Halloween Parade is the
culminating event for the month of October. It will take place on Friday,
October 29, starting at 8:30 in the morning. If you are planning to join us, the big field will be open
for parking but you might want to arrive a little early as parking is very
limited. I hope to see you at the parade.
Sincerely,
Pearlene Blaisdell,
Principal
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| Vice Principal's Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Traffic
The safety and well being of our children at Ma`ema`e is very important
to all of us.
Please obey all traffic signs and rules of driving as you drop off and
pick up your children. Rules, laws
and policies are made to be followed to protect our children from
accidents. Our junior police
officers (JPOs) volunteer their time in the morning and after school to assist
with the parking, crossing and traffic into and out of the school parking
area. This is all in the name of
"safety." We ask for your
understanding and cooperation in the following ways: Drop off and pick up your children in the
designated areas: bus shelter
fronting Wyllie Street and the Ma`ema`e lane crosswalk just before the
cafeteria. Slow down when you drive. This is a designated school zone. Stop
when the JPOs hold the "STOP"
sign out. Many cars have
refused to acknowledge the sign. Parking in the handicap zone is allowed for
cars with handicap permits. Inappropriate language or remarks are frowned
upon especially in front of the children. Please treat everyone with respect!
We the students, faculty, staff,
parents and community at Ma`ema`e School practice the Ohana Values. When it comes to the safety of everyone, let's take responsibility, be
cooperative, show our Aloha and be the best that we can be because it is " a
kakou thing!"
Thank
You! Traffic Reminder:The Kawananakoa Lane is a two way roadway to the residents of Kawanankoa
Place. Please show your Aloha to
our neighbors. Slow down as you drive down the lane and yield if you find a car
coming up the lane. It may just be
a resident trying to get to their home. We thank you for your understanding. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WANTED!
PAID
Classroom Cleaner
(Afterschool)
2 hours /day
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| From the Cafeteria
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Breakfast With Your Child
Parents/adults
are welcome to eat breakfast with their child but due to Federal Rules and Regulations, parents/adults are not allowed to eat from the student's plate. Adults may purchase their own breakfast
for $1.90. Thank you for your
cooperation in this matter.
MEALTIME REMINDERS
We would
like to extend our gratitude to parents/guardians who have been keeping track
of their child's Mealtime account diligently. We appreciate your support and cooperation!
Negative Balance Notices
Just a
reminder that our staff will continue to send home negative balance notices
through your child. If your
child's balance reaches an $11.00 negative balance or $2.00 negative balance for a child under the reduced lunch
program, he/she will not be able to purchase a lunch (in accordance with Hawaii
State Department of Education School Food Service Policy). We strongly encourage parents to make
regular deposits into their child's Mealtime account(s).
Cash Deposits
The cost
of eating lunch only for a month would be approximately $44.00 and the cost of
eating both a breakfast and a lunch daily in an average month (20 school days)
is approximately $63.00. We
strongly encourage parents to make regular cash deposits into their child's
Mealtime account.
Adult Breakfast
For
parents or other adults accompanying their child for breakfast, please bring
exact change with you to pay for your meal ($1.90 for adults) as we have a very
limited change fund.
Recess Juice/Milk Purchases
Also of
note, if your child is under the Federal Lunch program (free or reduced meals)
and he/she purchases juice or milk during morning recess, please make sure you
have sufficient funds in your child's account to cover these ala carte items.
WANTED: Adult Lunch Supervisors
The school is desperately in need
of both volunteer and paid adult lunch supervisors.
The work hours are from 10:45 AM
to 12:15 PM, Monday through Friday and 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM on Wednesday.
Please call Vice Principal Kobayashi for more information at 595-5400
extension. 224.
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| From the Library
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Book Fair
Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers at the
Book Fair! We had a fast and
furious three days of sharing books! Our next book fair will be in May; we'll see you there!
Celebration Books
The Library is ready to start celebrating birthdays! "Celebrations" is a book donation
program, in which parents can donate a book in their child's name to the
library. The cost of each book is
$10.00; each book will contain a book plate indicating the donor's name. Flyers will be sent home the week of
September 27th with more information.
Lifetouch Photos: Make-ups, Retakes, Groups
Picture-taking for those who missed the first
picture taking day, for retakes and for group pictures will be on Monday, October
18 from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM. For retakes, please send your child with the
original picture packet and order form that day. Flyers/order forms are available in the school office and
library.
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| Health Room
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We have had a
good return of the Flu Shot Consent Forms; over 450 students and staff have signed
up to receive the vaccine!
Remember the date - Tuesday, October 12. Any parents, aunties, grandparents who can volunteer some
time that morning to assist with ushering the students from class to the clinic
would be appreciated. Please
inform your child's teacher if you can help. The Clinic will run from 8:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Please
remember to encourage your children to wear shoes that offer good support and
protection for recess and PE activities. Fancy slippers and loose fitting "Croc" can be dangerous when students
are running, jumping rope, and climbing the PE Equipment. We want all our students to be able to
participate safely in these fun, physical activities.
Questions, please
call: School days
7:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Heather Bedford, School Health Aide
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| Gifted and Talented
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Gifted
and Talented Learn About Body Forward
Our Ma`ema`e GT students in Grade 1-5 have recently
learned the details of how this year First
Lego League Competition will be
accomplished. There are many challenges that lie ahead. The total robot mission
tasks amount to 400 points and involve such things as:
· Releasing a syringe filled with red and white blood
cells from a ramp
· Repositioning good and bad tissue samples into a variety
of color combinations
· Releasing a mechanical hand from its position in
order to pull back
· Collecting a "patent" from the board placement.
As we construct and program our NXT robot, we will
be considering how biomedical engineering and research are altering the way our
bodies are kept healthy.
All of the GT students are learning about the
variety of systems in their bodies.
Grade 1 - researching and doing projects
related to the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Grade 2 - basing their research and some
creative projects on the sense of touch and the uniqueness of each person's
fingerprint.
Grade 3 - considering new learning
related to the skeletal system and is investigating similarities and
differences between our bones and the bones of other living creatures.
Grade 4 - researching blood cells and
how to help people who have blood diseases.
Grade 5 - focusing on the brain and DNA
molecules (also involved in First Lego League as participants).
In addition, the GT classes have been investigating
recent research that suggests that relaxation (yoga and meditation) assist the
brain in higher-level thinking and responses such as long term memory. As a part of this research, students
have been participating in both yoga and meditation exercises prior to learning
each session.
We welcome you to feel free to stop by to learn
more about how reducing stress helps the brain learn better!
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| Technology Update
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Technology
Fundraisers
-
General
Mills Labels will be sent in November.
The last shipment will be in March. Please don't save them until the end of the year, as the box
tops have expiration dates.
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Recycling
Ink Cartridges and Toners - Intrade
(847-5300) will pick them up at your office and if you tell them, they'll
credit to Ma`ema`e) or send to the office or lab.
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Office
Depot - 5% back to the school (designate Ma`ema`e) on qualifying purchases (ask
Office Depot for a list of qualifying purchases) School ID Number: 70027176.
Ma`ema`e Web Pages
http://web.me.com/maemae3/Maemae_Elementary/Welcome.html
Kids Voting
Ma`ema`e K-5 students will be
participating in Kids Voting Hawaii.
Flyers have already gone out.
Teachers will be discussing the candidates, but it would be helpful if
discussions occurred at home also.
Sign up for Digital Version of Parent Bulletin
Parents signing up for digital
versions of the Parent Bulletin need to sign up for our mailing list at:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs046/1102482324905/archive/1103610283020.html
You will receive an e-mail where
you can confirm your e-mail address.
Your first digital bulletin will be the October issue. If you signed up to receive digital
copies in the e-mail survey, you will not receive a hard copy as of
October. So don't forget to join
the mailing list at the above URL.
If you did not have time to sign up, you can go to the Parent Section of
the school home page to see the Parent Bulleting Archive. |
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Student Council News: "It's A Kakou Thing"
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Project "Vote Kakou"
The Student
Council, along with some spirited 5th grade social studies students
were out in force on Sept. 17, urging drivers to vote in the Primary Election. Judging by the response (honks and
waves), many adults in our community exercised their civic duty and voted for
the candidate of their choice !
'Ohana Chip Donations
Thank you to
everyone who has made a donation of items for our 'weekly Ohana Chip redemption
"store". Your generosity and
aloha is greatly appreciated! Mahalo!
Here is a
list of students who have made a donation since the last parent bulletin: AS(K-25), BS (2-14), RG (K-24), MM
(K-25), CC (K-25), BC (5-39), DC (5-38), DH (5-39), JH
(3-18), CS (4-29), AH (4-30), CNi
(Preschool), CN (K-25), K-24 'ohana. LIl (K-21).
CE (K-23), NE(1-7), JP (2-15) & HP
(4-28). Thank you!
WANTED
New (or
gently used) items for the school's weekly 'Ohana
Chip redemption "store".
Small toys,
pencils, erasers, stickers, paperback books, sports cards, giftcards, etc. (latest hot item: fun bands!)
Also
wanted: (individually wrapped) healthy snacks
such as pretzels, raisins, fruit roll-ups, etc. (Hint: Costco currently has a discount coupon for "fruit by the foot" snacks) (sorry, no home-made
goodies and , please, NO nuts or peanuts)
Please send
your donations to the counselors (labeled with your child's name, grade and
room number).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Annual Halloween Parade: Friday Oct. 29 @ 8:30 am
This
year's theme: "Pumpkin
Party!"  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Upcoming Events
October 14: Hi5 Recycling Drive (7:00 to 8:00 am)
November: Holiday Food Drive
December: Lokahi Giving Project (collection of
new, unwrapped toys)
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| PTSA
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PTSA Membership
Mahalo to all of our new and returning PTSA members. Your membership support will help
ensure Ma`ema`e continued success as one of Hawaii's top rated schools. If you are not a PTSA member, it is not
too late to sign up! Simply
complete the PTSA membership form which was sent home at the beginning of the
school year or request a new form at Maemae_ptsamembership@hotmail.com. Forms will be accepted until October
29, 2010. Let's show our keiki
that we believe in them and their education!
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| Grade Level Events
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Grade 1
Grandparents enjoyed a special Grandparents' Day breakfast with our
first graders on September 10, 2010. The students performed songs and dances to familiar tunes and later
presented their grandparents with a gift. A big thank you to the administration, cafeteria staff, counselors,
volunteers, teachers and parents who made this event a huge success!
Grade 3
Third grade students will enjoy two health-based learning
opportunities on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 as they return from the fall
intersession. The Emergency
Medical Services (EMS) crew will be on campus with their ambulance from 9:00 AM
to 9:30 AM and 9:45 AM to 10:15 AM. The crew will provide insight into the situations health care emergency
specialists encounter and give the children the opportunity to examine the
ambulance.
During this time the third graders will also host representatives
from the Think First organization. Their primary goal is to educate people
about simple preventative measures that we can engage in to minimize the risks
of severe personal injuries, such as but not limited to brain and spinal
injuries. As part of the event,
the children will participate in a group presentation/discussion and will have
the chance to view a short video.
This event coincides with the Ma`ema`e School's Flu Shot
Clinic, which will enable the third grade students to experience a full and
varied health-oriented experience.
We are thankful to our Grade 3, Room 19 parent for planning
and coordinating this event.
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| Announcement
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HSA ONLINE TESTING
For the
first time, the annual Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) will be conducted online
(using our school computers). All third, fourth and fifth graders will be assessed in reading and math
(as well as Science for fourth grade only).
One
advantage of online testing is that each student can take the test up to three
different times throughout the school year (between Oct. 18 and May 20). Only the highest score will be
counted. The school will also
receive immediate feedback as to how a student performed on the test. This can help us to plan interventions
that can target students' weaknesses.
We encourage
ALL of our parents (Preschool to fifth
grade) to go to the HSA website
and examine the released sample items and take some of the practice tests and
tutorials that are available there. (www.alohahsa.org)
All of our
parents can also access the HSA tutorial and practice items by clicking on the
"third hibiscus" on the Ma'ema'e School website. This will connect you to the HSA training site. (Note: You do need to use the "Mozilla Firefox" browser to access the
items and tutorial. This is
available as a free download). Once you are on the HSA site, click on the "log in" button on the right
side to access the practice items and click on the "light blue square grid" on
the left to have your child practice answering the graphic-response questions. Even our youngest students can
have fun with this latter tool. An adult will have to
read the directions, but your child can have fun clicking and dragging the ball
into the square, etc.
Finally, we
encourage all interested parents to attend our community sharing meeting on
Oct. 12 (6:00 pm in the library). We will be sharing information about how the school is doing on the HSA,
as well as other new initiatives related to our use of technology and assessment. Please see the special flyer that will follow this bulletin.
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| School Calendar and Community Events
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10/1/10 -
End of
First Quarter
-
Waiver Day, no school for students
10/4/10 to
10/11/10 -
Fall Break, no school for student
10/12/10
Flu Shot Clinic, 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Gr. 3, 9:00 - 10:15 AM: Activity
2:30 PM - SCC Meeting in library
10/13/10 -
Kindergarten (Rm. 21, 24): Wyllie Fire Station, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
10/14/10
Gr. 1 (Rm. 6,7,8): Waikiki Aquarium, 9:15 AM to
12:30 PM
Gr. K (RM.25): Wyllie Fire Station
10/15/10 -
Gr. K (RM 22/23): Wyllie Fire Station
10/18/10 -
Lifetouch Picture-taking: Make-ups, Retakes, Groups, 7:30 AM to 2:00PM, library
10/19/10
Gr. 1 (Rm. 9,10): Waikiki Aquarium, 8:15 AM to
10:50 AM
Gr. 1 ( Rm. 6) Waikiki Aquarium, 9:15 AM to 12:30
PM
10/20/10 -
PTSA Meeting in the library, 5:30 PM
10/21/10 -
Gr. 4 (RM. 29/30 & ½ of 28): Kualoa Park, 8:30
AM to 1:30 PM
10/22/10
Gr. 4(RM. 26/27 & ½ of 28): Kualoa Park, 8:30
AM to 1:30 PM
Gr. 2: Kaimuki High School Performance of "Wolf
Tails", 8:15 AM to 10:30 AM
10/26/10 -
Grade 5: Art Academy, 8:15 AM to 10:30 AM and 9:45
AM to 12:00 PM
10/29/10 -
Halloween Parade, 8:30 AM
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