As I reflect on the past school year, I find that it is most important to be grateful to everyone who worked towards making the school year 2011-2012 a successful one.

I would like to thank the dedicated family members of the Ma`ema`e Ohana, who have played a role in the success of the school year.

A sincere Mahalo to:

• The teachers and support staff who stayed focus on student achievement, social/emotional and physical growth!

• The faculty who have dedicated their years of service to the students and the school. We thank Elaine Koanui and Sandra Vegas who are retiring at the end of this school year. Best wishes to both as they begin a new journey!

• The students who have worked hard to make the academic gains. We are proud of the many goals that they have accomplished and feel confident that they will be ready for next school year's challenges.

• The JPOs who have committed their personal time to keep everyone on campus safe by walking on sidewalks and providing safety to those who walk to and from school.
• The volunteers who have worked with the office staff, teachers, and students to support the school and it's efforts to be the "happiest and best school in Honolulu".

• The families who have supported Ma`ema`e by supporting the school's initiatives by cooperating, volunteering and helping their child(ren) to do their very best.

• The PTSA who have supported Ma`ema`e through the fundraising activities and school and community service. Their dedication to the school is unprecedented!

• The staff who have performed above and beyond their duty to keep the school environment a healthy, clean and safe place to live and learn in.

Ma`ema`e School possesses the spirit of teamwork . . .

We came together at the beginning

We kept together and progressed.

We will continue to work together to become more successful!

Thank you all for helping us to "Dream Big...Work Hard!" as we look forward to another year of success in the 2012-2013 school year.

Remember our goal is to develop Ma`ema`e School to be the "Happiest Place to live and learn in the Honolulu District!"

Have a fantastic summer vacation!

Sincerely,

VP Kobayashi

Adults, parents and guardians please be mindful of traffic signs and drive with caution in the school driveways and parking and drop-off areas. It has been brought to our attention that adults are not adhering to traffic rules. This is not safe for our students, faculty and parents!

This issue was brought to the attention of our JPO police advisor and we were instructed to do the following:

* Take down the license plate number and description of the car

* Friendly reminder about driving safely in the school environment

* Repeat offenders will have their license plate # submitted to the police

Please keep our school campus safe! Think about the safety of our children!

Thank you for your understanding and attention to this matter!

Thank you for supporting our spring book fair and making it a success. All prepaid orders should have been received. If your child did not receive a book they paid for, please let me know. We exceeded our goal and will be able to add many new books to the library for the upcoming school year.

Thank you to the volunteers who came and helped out! It couldn't have happened without all your help.

There are some great sites to keep up with reading over the summer. Please visit the library home page by going to the Ma'ema'e website and clicking on the picture of the library. On the library home page there are links to different websites. These websites are free for you to access.

Summer Reading Lists: A list from Scholastic that provides a list for ages 5-7 and 8-10.

Tumblebooks login: This is a direct link that does not require a password to access. There are animated books that read to your children. Certain books have comprehension quizzes available and there is also a book report format option. This is a nice way to sharpen the typing skills at home over the summer.

Tumble Readables: Username: maemae Password: login

This link leads you to a range of books that allows the reader the option of having the story read to him/her or reading quietly. Books range from early readers, chapter books, teens, classics, to graphic novels.

WeGiveBooks.org: This organization donated 500 free books to our school and continues to give to other organizations. The books have been sent out to the grade level chairs to divide the books as they see fit. Although the contest for our school is over, you can still read and donate to others in need. All you have to do is read to donate a book. You do not need to login to read, but need to be logged in to donate a book. Our school username: maemaees password: dolphins

Fall Picture Taking: August 13 and 20.

Celebrations book donations: $10 donates a new book to the library with a book plate in your child's name, a picture on our Celebrations wall, and a print of the picture for your child to keep.

Thank you everyone for a great first year! Please feel free to call or email me with any questions or comments you may have. Email: sandydomion@gmail.com. School phone: 808-595-5400 ext 233.

Student Council Election Results

Congratulations to all of the candidates who ran for office in both the Primary and General Elections.   The final results are listed below. The school would liketo acknowledge the outgoing current officers for their dedication and hard work this past school year.

Office              Current        New     Runner-up Candidates

President:          BS                WY                   AF

First VP:            CJ                 AM                   RM

2nd VP:             WY                KO                   AS

Rec. Sec.:         KY                 FK                    GL

Corr. Sec.:         AN                CC                    JH

Treasurer:         CN                VN                     KO

We'd also like to thank outgoing SCC student representatives NP and KY for their outstanding contributions. KO and MP will become the new voting members of the next year's SCC, while new fourth grade reps will be AS and NO.

Jump Rope for Heart

Thank you to all of the Ma'ema'e 'ohana for your support of this annual event. We were able to raise close to ten thousand dollars for the American Heart Association this year.   Our top classes were 2-11 (Yoshioka) with $ 1,450 in total pledges and 1-9 (Kano) with 40% of the class collecting pledges.   This year's TOP JUMPER award goes to MM (2-11) who raised a total of $1,125.

Memorial Day Lei

Thank you for honoring our fallen veterans by bringing flower lei to decorate their grave sites for Memorial Day.

Updated SY2012 - 2013 PTSA Board of Directors

We are proud to announce some exciting changes to our SY2012 - 2013 Board of Directors to complete our Board. Nicole Nagamine (NN - incoming 5th, JN - incoming 1st) will be our First Vice-President and Family Night Chair. Marisa Wong (KW - incoming 4th, KW - incoming 1st) will be our Fourth Vice-President and Ways & Means Chair. Leah Ildefonso (LI - incoming 1st) will be our Corresponding Secretary and Family Night Co-Chair. Last, but not least, Michelle Nagai who has an incoming Kindergartener will be joining us as Third Vice-President and Membership Chair. They will be joining Lori Katahira (EK - incoming 4th, SK - incoming 1st), Terri Miller (LM - incoming 1st), Melanie Kawai (KK - incoming K, IK - outgoing 5, JK), Eydie Nakasone (CN - incoming 2nd, LN - preschool), and Michelle Hashimoto (KH - incoming 3rd, TH - outgoing 5) on next year's Board.

We are still looking for project chairs, committee members, and helpers (i.e., Campus Beautification, Fall fundraiser, Family Night), so please do continue to volunteer and step-up to the opportunities available! Your contributions big and small will help us continue the great tradition of support for our school ohana. THANK YOU!!!

Please call or text incoming President Michelle Hashimoto at (808) 741-5854 or email shellhashi@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns. Have a GREAT summer!

YOUR INPUT WANTED

What would you like to see from next year's PTSA Board? How can the PTSA better support our students and Ma`ema`e families? The purpose of the Ma`ema`e PTSA is:

• To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, and community.
• To raise the standards of home life.
• To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
• To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
• To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.

Please contribute your thoughts! We need your help and input to better serve our stakeholders, which includes YOU! Please call or text Michelle Hashimoto at (808) 741-5854 or email shellhashi@gmail.com with your thoughts.

July 30, 2012 - 1st. Student day (Grs. 1-5)

Kindergarten Orientation Dates:

August 1, 2012 - K Orientation   (8:00 AM - 10:00 Am)

August 3, 2012 - Girls Only   (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM)

August 6, 2012 - Boys Only (all day)

August 7, 2012 - Girls Only (all day)

August 8, 2012 - Kindergarten 1st Full Day for all students