Kohala Middle School

May/June 2015 Parent Newsletter “Strive For the Highest”

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGEThere are so many things left to do!

We accomplished a lot this year but I have a difficult time putting all the things left undone out of my mind. Maybe you can help us during the summer.

Please take the time to help us help your kids by helping them to continue learning during the summer months. I realize TV and video games are fun but reading is what moves kids ahead academically.

As far as behavior goals, you will find none better the State General Learner Outcomes. They should apply to all of us in and out of school.

Self directed learner – The eyes watch and the hands perform

Community contributor – Care is given and care is received

Complex thinker – Don’t be busy with frivolous work; do what you need to do

Quality producer – Don’t fear work, fear laziness

Effective communicator – In the word is life, in the word is death

Effective / ethical use of technology – Where the adz goes, the hand goes

Have a great summer, full of work and learning and play and fun.

E kulia i ka nu'u

Strive for the highestPrincipal Alan Brown

Our School AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) college skills elective program for students in grades 7 and 8 is currently accepting nominations for incoming 7th and 8th graders for the 2015-2016 school year. AVID elective students must meet the following criteria: be of the first generation in the family to attend college, demonstrate potential to succeed in college level courses, and have desire and determination to attend college. Please call KMS at 889-7119 if you have questions and ask to speak to Wendy Nickl, AVID School Coordinator, or Jenny Stevens, AVID Elective Teacher.

Important Upcoming Events May – June - July 2015

Smarter Balanced Math and ELA Assessments May 12 – 228th Graders – High School Credit Union Presentation May 20Memorial Day – no school - Honor our military members May 258th Graders – HSA Science Assessment May 26 – 276th Grade Field Trip May 27Peer Mediators Field Trip May 28SB Assessment Fun Day May 287th Graders (selected students) Field Trip to Kohala Elementary May 29SpEd students Field Trip to Kohala Golf Course June 1KMS Ho’ike June 2Last School Day for students June 38th Grade Promotion, KMS Front Lawn, 5-6 pm June 3Report Card Pick Up June 126th, 7th and 8th Grade Registration July 16-17First Day of School for Grade 6 July 29All KMS Students in school July 30

SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION FOR 2015-2016

The Department of Education’s Student Transportation Services program is pleased to announce that your school will be a part of the DOE’s new transportation reform program called “Get On Board” beginning next school year. “Get On board” represents major reforms to improve school bus service, safety and efficiency through the use of GPS technology, automated bus routing software, increased contractual management and oversight, and video surveillance cameras on school buses.

Students who wish to ride the school bus next school year must submit a completed bus pass application form to the school office. Every effort will be made to maintain current service times and stop locations. However, some bus routes may have to be restructured. Parents and guardians are therefore urged to contact the school office to confirm the location and pick-up/drop-off times at their child’s assigned school bus stop shortly prior to the start of school. We will send an alert reminder of this via our school robocall system a few weeks before school begins in July.

For more information, please contact the DOE District Transportation office. For listings and other information, please visit us at:

http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/BeyondThe Classroom/Transportation/Pages/Home.aspx

Earth Day Celebration April 22, 2015Kohala Middle School

Kohala Middle School Students were asked - What kind of Change-Maker are you?

I am a person who wants to help change my community. One thing I can change is to plant more gardens. I could also pick up trash on the side of the road, and the beach so it does

not pollute the ocean Mia Fuertes6th Grade

I want to help the world by teaching people how to recycle and how to grow their own food. I can also teach them what to do with the food they don’t eat (compost).

Harley Yamasaki6th Grade

Kalani Fernandez shows Joseph Pasco and Skylar Sumic how to get it done! Macky Keawe lends a helping shovel with Kyle Seymour-Wilson

Cael, Treyson, Kane, Jena and Kamuela in the mulch! Kathe Anderson helps by hauling mulch

Jaime Cedillos, Brennan Asencion and Ashton Bolosan Clyson, Jeremy, and Christian observe Aunty Sam and Mr. Henderson

We would like to send a special thank you to the wonderful community members that made our Kohala Middle Earth Day events possible. Thank you, for helping us beautify our school!

Hawaiian Earth Products- Donation and delivery of mulch to our gardenCouncil Women Margaret Wille- $1,000 to our garden program for tools and suppliesPomaikai Plant Co. - flowers for our KMS gardenHPA’s Ulu Mau Garden- vegetable starts and soil amenities

I would like to personally thank all the faculty and staff that made Earth Day so wonderful and memorable for all our students and myself. Mahalo!

Sam RobinsonGarden and STEM Teacher 2015

Treyson, Aotealoa and Kane lay cardboard Jada, Hokani, and Kalia work on STEM projects Aunty Sam has a moment with Zhane and Darian

A beautiful planter box created on Earth Day outside the TB bldg Kayla Joy, Dayna, Kyle, Summer, Jada and Danyka show off the flowers

AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR VISIT KOHALA MIDDLE SCHOOL

Seventh grade students at Kohala Middle School enjoyed a one-hour presentation from author David Kawika Eyre and artist Brook Parker on Thursday, April 30th, who talked about the book they both worked on entitled “Kamehameha, The Rise of a King”. All students in that grade read this historical fiction novel earlier this school year to support both English Language Arts and their Hawaiian focused Social Studies classes.

Students were able to pre-submit questions to Eyre and Parker via community member Sharon Hayden, who worked with GPS Project Coordinator Randee Golden and Wendy Nickl, the school’s Curriculum Coordinator, to organize this visit.

Kawika Eyre began writing books to support his teaching of ‘Olelo Hawai‘i at Kamehameha Schools for more than 20 years. Topics for his 11 or 12 books evolved out of learning what students needed to know but resources were not yet offered.

Besides sharing that it took him over 20 years to create this historical fiction novel about Kamehameha I, he added that it really was a group project. As someone versed in Hawaiian language, he was able to do a lot of research in Hawaiian newspapers, and he also came to Kohala to interview kupuna. Eyre told students, “As a teacher, you spend the rest of your life learning.” He stressed how important it is for youth to know their family and community stories.

Brook Parker shared different stories about his life, including his lineage, the history and meaning of his Hawaiian name, and how he became an artist. His father was Kawika Parker, who also was an illustrator and writer.

Mahalo nui loa to these mentors for sharing with Kohala students, to Sharon Hayden for arranging this visit, to KMS educators Duncan Anderson and Chris Michaelis for using this book to teach, and to the students for being a good audience.

Kohala Middle School Principal Alan Brown poses with Illustrator Brook Parker holding one of his paintings and Author David Kawika Eyre, with his book about Kamehameha