HE'E News

Civil Beat Education Series: FIRST EVENT, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1; SECOND EVENT, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8

Civil Beat is hosting two new Civil Cafes in October that will focus on education issues. Please click on link from Civil Beat here.  Sponsored by the HEʻE Coalition and the University of Hawaii College of Education, the first education conversation is slated for Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Orvis Auditorium on the University of Hawaii campus in Manoa, called "Public, Private & Charter Schools - How Should Parents Choose?" the featured panelists are:

• Tom Hutton of the Charter School Commission;
• Phil Bossert of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and
• Marguerite Higa of Parents for Public Schools.
• A high school student will join the panel as well. 

Click here to sign up for the Manoa event.

The second forum - "Should Local Communities Have Greater Control Over Their Schools?" is set for Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Ewa Beach Public and School Library. The participants will be:

• Al Nagasako of the Hawaii State Teachers Association;
• Suzanne Mulcahy of the state Department of Education;
• Catherine Payne, the former principal of Farrington High School, and
• Frances Tapiz, a mother of four children in public schools.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association is a co-sponsor of this event. Click here to sign up for the Ewa Beach event.

The talks will last 90 minutes with the first hour being moderated by Civil Beat education reporter Alia Wong and the last 30 minutes open for questions from the audience. These events are made possible by the generous support of the HEʻE Coalition, the University of Hawaii College of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association. HE'E was asked to sponsor the events because of the quality of the engagement our our membership.  These education Civil Cafes are free, and parents and educators are encouraged to attend and ask questions of the panelists. Please come and participate and if you cannot attend, we can collect comments and questions in advance. Please send any questions/comments to cheri@heecoalition.org.

Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) Federal Preschool Developmental Grant: DEADLINE FOR LETTER OF SUPPORT:  OCTOBER 2, 2014

EOEL is applying for a federal preschool development grant to create preschool opportunities for more of our children in Hawaii. Please see a summary of the grant and an explanation of the elements of the proposal to further develop high-quliaty preschool in Hawaii here. EOEL's plan is to enhance the State-funded pre-kindergarten slots with more comprehensive services, and also add more pre-school classrooms in the Department of Education (DOE). The plan also targets ways to enhance and build a quality workforce. EOEL, with the Early Learning Advisory Board and DOE will ensure quality. 

EOEL has asked the Coalition to write a letter of support to be included in their application. HE'E Coalition has had a history of supporting initiatives to build the early childhood system, supporting legislation as as well as advocating for family and community partnerships in the early learning arena. Please see a draft of HE'E's support letter here. Please send any comments on the draft support letter to cheri@heecoalition.org

EOEL has also asked if each member of the Coalition would be willing to write a letter of support. Please see a copy of the support letter template here.  We encourage our members to participate.  The one caveat is a tight deadline. EOEL humbly requests that letters be submitted by Thursday, Oct 2. Letters may be sent by email with an electronic signature. However, if there is no electronic signature, a hard copy is requested as well.  Please send electronic letters to cheri@heecoalition.org and hard copies to The Learning Coalition, 841 Bishop Street, Suite 301, Honolulu, HI  96813.

More HE'E News

2014 Children and Youth Summit: Friday October 10, 2014

The 2014 Children and Youth Summit, which will take place this year on Friday October 10, 2014 is an opportunity for youth to identify their priority areas and assist the Legislature in identifying key children and youth issues that need to be addressed in the 2015 Legislative session.  We invite adults and students to attend. Please see invitation here.  HE'E staff and members are participating in the panel discussions. Please join us for this exciting event! 

'Ike: Knowledge is Everywhere: Sequel to Ola-Health is Everything

Matthew Nagato, filmmaker of Ola-Health is Everything, is pleased to announce that the sequel- 'Ike: Knowledge is Everywhere - is an official selection of the Hawai'i International Film Festival and will be premiering on November 6th at the Dole Cannery Theaters.  More information on dates and showtimes can be found here.  

Trailer for 'Ike: Knowledge is Everywhere is here.

HE'E Member News

HE'E meeting notes posted on http://www.heecoalition.org/resources/hee-meeting-notes/