THOUGHTS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
KEEPING KIDS SAFE ONLINE
Earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation released the results of a survey of 2,002 people ages 8 to 18. This survey found "that with technology allowing nearly 24-hour media access as children and teens go about their daily lives, the amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically, especially among minority youth. Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because they spend so much of that time 'media multitasking' (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours."
The near-ubiquity of mobile devices has had a profound effect on kids' free time, filling up "the insterstitial spaces" in their daily lives, says Amanda Lenhart of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. She jokes that iPods and cellphones may be this generation's "magazines and chewing gum," harmless ways to fill time.
Although I appreciate Lenhart's perspective, I'm not sure about the "harmless" part. How much time should
children spend on line? What are the advantages? What are the risks?
What should you watch out for? How young is too young? As parents, we are
pretty much facing unchartered territory as we are the first generation to be parenting in the era of social networking.
Although it's tempting to limit access
completely, we must acknowledge that the prevalence of media and
digital tools is completely altering how we work, play, communicate and
create. Denying complete access may soon be akin to denying access to books
and encyclopedias. At the same time we must understand that greater access to the internet can also expose children to new risks:
- Inappropriate conduct - The online world can feel anonymous. Kids sometimes forget that they are still accountable for their actions.
- Inappropriate contact - Some people online have bad intentions, including bullies, predators, hackers, and scammers.
- Inappropriate content - You may be concerned that your kids could find pornography, violence, or hate speech online.
We definitely teach about cyber-safety here at school but this is one of those areas where parental guidance is imperative! About a month ago, I received a great link to a wonderful resource called, Chatting with Kids About Being Online. In fact, it was is so wonderful that I ordered a free copy for the entire faculty and every family in the school. We are sending it home Monday, February 1st. Please take some time to read it. I encourage you to maintain an open dialogue with your child about their online experiences. You can also check out Guarding Kids - another terrific resource. Even if your child is under 8 years old, it's never too early to start considering how you will work these issues out in your family.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO......- Kilauea Paint Store for donating some supplies to compete the bathroom repainting job!
- Pre-schooler Brayden Padilla for donating his garage sale proceeds to the annual giving campaign! His thoughtfulness and love for his school warmed all of our hearts.
- All of the parent volunteers who have agreed to teach electives for 3rd trimester! Thanks!
- Michael Locey for continuing to handle the HI-5 recycling on Wednesdays!
- Doran Smith for heading up the Search Committee for the new principal.
- All of the families who have contributed to the annual giving campaign. We are close to 30% now - remember we are aiming for 100%! THANK YOU!
- The several families who have already reenrolled for 2009-2010. Your confidence in the school is what keeps us going
- Healthy Hut for buying our excess greens!
- Jillian, Eileen and all the other parents who work the garden to make it such a wonderful experience for the children
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TALENT SHOW AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 2ND AFTER SCHOOL!
Talent Show Auditions are Tuesday, February 2nd at 3:00 p.m.. Sign-ups are now closed. Please be on time and bring your music/instruments/props. We still need one or two parents to help with students who are waiting for auditions. Below is the order:
Tahitian Dance - Brianna, Sadie and Emily Naturally - Brianna, Sierra and Kaitlyn The Climb - Malia Fireflies - Zara Tocatino - Noah Hoe Down - Ana Bella and Felix Puppet Show - Dylan Magic Show - Max Puppet Show - Foster Magic Show - Manule'a and Sophia Rock Music - Eli Smart Brothers Skit - Shannon & Shaughnessey
REHEARSALS - FEBRUARY 11TH & FEBRUARY 18TH at 3:00 P.M.
TALENT SHOW - FEBRUARY 19TH AT 1:30 P.M.
The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.
- Mikhail Baryshnikov |
 WEEKLY MARKET aka FRIDAY FESTIVAL - Hosted by Grades 3/4
Friday, February 5th After School!
Please remember to drop off any excess produce/baked goods and to stop by our Market on Friday afternoons. All proceeds go directly towards sustainability related class projects.
Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden. ~Robert Brault
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PRESENTATIONS OF LEARNING - FEBRUARY 26TH
KPS students have been sharing their projects with their parents and peers for a few years now. This year, we have decided to have a day when all the classes are sharing their projects on the same day. It will be a celebration of learning and we hope parents can stay and see the presentations from the other classes. So far it sounds like we might be treated to a Chinese Dragon Dance, a play and some psa's about Ocean awareness. Our plan is to invite the community in and combine this day with an Open House so others can share in the celebration and become inspired by our student work. So mark your calendars for Friday, February 26th for a Presentation of Learning. So far the schedule looks like this:
10:00- 12:00
PKK Class
Grade 3/4 Class
12:45 - 2:45
Grade 1/2 Class
Grade 5/6 Class
You will get more specific times and information closer to the event from your class teacher. We will also be having an open house on this day so if you can help Lisa out by greeting and touring prospective students around the school, please let her know. (We will have two sessions of open house so you can help during the block when your child is not presenting!)
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PREKINDERGARTEN/KINDERGARTEN NEWS
The Pre-K and Kindergarten classes went on a field trip to
Waipa Taro Farm as part of their unit From Field to Table. The kids were able to participate in the
making of poi from the beginning of the process to taking the finished poi
home! A big highlight was walking (and
falling) in the taro field to remove snails and their eggs. For those of you who have never seen snails
eggs, when they are squished they pop and turn into pink, gluey goop. Needless to say, several children found this
highly entertaining!
Also as part of this unit our class has been conducting
experiments, with the help of the fifth and sixth grade students, to learn
about the functions that different parts of a plant perform. The highlight this
week was watching the kids race to drink a cup of water through 1-4 straws
(roots ) and see how many "roots" were the fastest.
Touching quotes from the Pre-K class. During a Kindergarten math lesson about
probability the kids were asked to think of something they were "certain"
of. Haven responded with "I am certain I
love everyone in this class and my teachers."
Kala'i followed with "I'm certain we are all friends in this
class." I am certain they are right!
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BEGINNING UKULELE CLASS WITH
RYAN MCGILL AND KIRK SMART
Tuesdays after school (3:00 - 4:00pm) in the KPS Music Yurt,
February 16th thru May 4th, 2010 (10 sessions, 5 before Spring Break, 5 after)
$100 Pre-Paid for 10 Classes - only $10 a class!!!
Limited enrollment: Maximum 8 beginning ukulele players, for optimal teacher-student ratio.
Kirk Smart, musician and music teacher extraordinaire, will be mentoring Ryan McGill in the finer methods of music instruction for this course. We are gearing this program towards students of all ages who would like to play the ukulele, and who have little or no experience. The ukulele is an easy instrument for children to learn and play, and we can give them the musical fundamentals and the skills they need to begin playing and enjoying this fun Hawaiian instrument.
Ryan will be available to receive students at dismissal time (2:45pm), and will supervise a short snack and relax session before class begins (alternately, parents can pick up students and bring them back by 3pm for class). Class will go until 4pm. Each student should have his or her own ukulele to play and practice with. Please ask Kirk or Ryan if you have any questions about ukuleles, or have any other questions or concerns regarding this course. To sign up, call Ryan at (808) 639-6269, or email him at ryanmakai@gmail.com.
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 START TIME SURVEY FOR 2010-2011
As part of our School of the Future grant, we have been attending some very exciting workshops and networking with educators from across Hawaii and California. One thing we have learned is that some new research is showing that the quality of student learning is very much dependent on the quality of adult learning taking place on a regular basis in the school. To that end, many schools are developing on-site professional learning communities that meet daily using protocols to guide their examination of teacher and student work. This increased collaboration results in more learning for teachers and better instruction and learning overall. In order to provide for daily meeting times, some cutting-edge schools are now starting school at 9:00 a.m. and going a little later in order to allow for teacher collaboration meetings before school. Student learning is our primary objective here at KPS and we are always trying to refine our program model to be able to serve our students in the best way possible. The KPS teachers are very interested in switching to this model for 2010-2011 and we would like to get a feel for whether parents would support this model.
We have drafted a schedule where school would start at 9:00 and end at 3:15 everyday. We would possibly end at 2:30 on Wednesdays. We would also offer playground supervision starting at 8:15 a.m. for parents who have work conflicts. Please let us know your thoughts on this change for 2010-2011. We would like to get a majority of parent support before taking this to the Board for approval. You can voice your opinion by taking our simple survey before February 15th.You will be receiving a separate e-mail with survey instructions soon!
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SPRING FUNDRAISING PLANNING MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH
We are busy planning our Spring Fundraisers - please attend a meeting at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9th if you can help us out. It looks like we will have two events - a concert and a healing garden type spa for Mother's Day. We need people to chair committees for the following for each event:
Silent/Live Auction and/or Vendor Booths
Publicity
Food/Drink
Ticket Sales/Registration
Please let Lisa know if you can attend the meeting by e-mailing her at lisa@kauaipacific.org or by calling her at 828-1144.
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TESTIMONIALS DESIRED
We are working on updating our web-site and would love to include some short testimonials. If you have a moment, please send Lisa a short testimonial about how much you and/or your child are benefiting from the school. It can be one sentence or one short paragraph. Thank you in advance. You can send them by e-mail to lisa@kauaipacific.org. |
PLEASE RETURN REENROLLMENT FORMS
Please remember to turn in your surveys by February 15th and enrollment contracts/fees if applicable by March 15th! So far we have eleven current students re-enrolled, two new students enrolled and six new applicants. This is a good start but we are aiming for 60! Thanks for your cooperation.
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TRIMESTER 3 ELECTIVE TEACHERS NEEDED
Thank you to all the volunteers who have agreed to teach electives. So far we have Pottery, Multicultural Art, Japanese Watercolor, Creative Writing, Digital Media and Cheerleading. We would love one more class! If you would like to teach an elective during the Spring trimester on Wednesdays from 12:45 - 1:45 starting March 10th and ending on May 26th, please contact Lisa.
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 IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, February 2nd
Talent Show Auditions
Thursday, February 11th & Thursday, February 18th
Talent Show Rehearsals
Monday, February 15th
President's Day Holiday - No School
Friday, February 19th
Talent Show
Friday, February 26th
Open House for Prospective Students
Presentations of Learning
Tuesday, March 2nd
PKK Field Trip to Humane Society
Grades 1-6 Once Upon a Dream Dance Show - Tentative
Wednesday, March 3rd
Electives Session 2 End
Thursday, March 4th
Captain Andy's Whale Watching Excursion - Tentative
End of Trimester 2
Friday, March 5th
Trimester Break - No School
Monday, March 8th
Trimester 3 Starts
Wednesday, March 10th
Trimester 3 Electives Start
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