Why We Celebrate Labor Day

Why We Celebrate Labor Day Assembly with Ms. Gabby

By: Lyric ’20

Today was our 3rd assembly! Today, our walk in song was I Am What I Am, followed by Makenzie and Ada sharing their birthday books. Our thought of the day was Pu Pu Kahi I Holomua - Unite To Move Forward. Ms. Gabby took over the assembly. First, we discussed what labor means and why we celebrate Labor Day. Part of why we celebrate Labor Day is to acknowledge that today children get to go to school and play during recess, but back then (early 20th Century and earlier) they had to work. We also compared the differences between a photo which took place in 1901 and a photo in 2019. After Ms. Gabby read a book called “Harvesting - Hope; A Tale of Cesar Chavez” it happens to not be a birthday book too. (It’s a good book to choose!). Harvesting Hope was about Cesar Chavez and having to move his farm because of a drought. After he quit school and had to work at a farm for money but didn’t get enough money. So he started a strike and many people joined as they were walking towards the California capital. Eventually they arrived with 10,000 people and celebrated that they would get a raise in pay and more freedom. We reflected on the story when Ms. Gabby finished reading. Then, as always, we sang our school song!

Mea Hawai'i Assembly with Uncle Blair Sataraka

Mea Hawai'i Assembly with Uncle Blair Sataraka
By Chris ’20

On Friday, we started our day walking into the pavilion singing Eia Makou. We had our daily birthday book sharing from Ms. Gabby. Today, two students shared their birthday books, Raiden who turned 8 and his brother Renyn who shared his FIRST birthday book as a Hanahau‘oli student! Following that a few teachers shared their birthdays, Mrs. Yamamoto, Mrs. Deluca and Ms. Lee Loy. Our second, and last announcement came from Ms. Lisa telling us about after school enrichment classes and sign-ups. Kukunaokalā had the task of leading thought of the day; they chose Kūlia i Ka Nu‘u - strive to reach the top! Uncle Blair chose to do assembly today and it also happens to be his birthday! Happy Birthday, Anakala! Uncle Blair chose to do the assembly about Mana‘o o Ka Lā which means Thought of the Day and had each class show their assigned Thought of the Day. 6th Grade chose to do Pūpūkahi i Holomua - Unite to Move Forward! Together we learned how to sing happy birthday in Hawaiian. We then closed with ‘Oli Mahalo and our School Song.

First Assembly of the School Year 2019-2020

First Assembly of the School Year!

By: Cary

The first assembly of the year is a success! On Friday the 23rd of August 2019 we had our very first assembly of the year. In this assembly Ms. Woo and other teachers/staff (Mrs. Lee, Mr. McGregor, Dr. Travis and Ms. Eldredge) read the book “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates.” This was a book about a T-Rex named Penelope who eats her classmates because she can’t help it. They taste too good. But after getting bitten by a vicious goldfish, she realized how her classmates felt when she ate them. So she stopped eating her classmates no matter how tasty they looked. A perfect book to start off the school year, and most importantly to remind us not to eat our classmates.  

The Power of Play by Lia Woo featured in Honolulu Family

August 19, 2019

honolulu family Education cheat sheet: The Power of Play

Don't put off playtime! Here is why we should all take it seriously for our kids.

As the head of an elementary school, I think about children and childhood extensively. I also think about my childhood and how I would play for hours in my room, running a pretend bookstore or reading aloud to my well-behaved and attentive class of stuffed animals. I think about my daughters today and how much joy they experience when creating an original play, complete with costumes and music, on an easy Sunday afternoon or catching a “party wave” in the Kailua shore break. I think about how my 9-year-old plays with my iPhone camera, working with different modes to create a great photo.

I also think about how difficult childhood is today. The accelerated and overscheduled pace of life, the intense expectations (which, for kids, often result in equally intense feelings of anxiety, fear and stress), the easy access to disturbing and inappropriate content, the public nature of social dynamics and the sometimes debilitating worry of parents that children cannot recover from feelings of disappointment, loss and failure.

At times it feels society fails to protect childhood. Exacerbating irony is the fact that recent research tells us so much more about the importance of this time in child development. Schools must intervene and persist in honoring our children’s younger years as its own distinct stage of life and valuing play as a child’s work.

I advocate that schools and parents take play seriously. In play, children explore their curiosities, develop initiative and problem-solving skills. They practice focusing attention and persisting in pursuit of their own ideas and goals. They learn to communicate, compromise, cooperate, empathize and self-regulate. They take risks, imagine, and most importantly, find and experience joy. It is also important for parents to join in. Observing and participating in play with our children helps us continually understand who they are, their unique interests and talents, humor and sensitivities, not to mention it brings us joy.

I hope the resources shared lead to many more minutes of reflective thought regarding how to prioritize play.

Parent Homework

In five minutes, you can review:

• A fun, beautifully designed poster of data and powerful quotes about the power of play.

• A thoughtful Washington Post column, “We Have Slashed and Burned the Core Features of Childhood.”

• A simple meditation aimed at getting adults off their technology in the spiritual-based On Being’s blog post, “Play Needs No Purpose.”

• The three different kinds of play and six things you can do to help in Harvard Graduate School’s Usable Knowledge piece, “Summertime, Playtime.”

Have 10 minutes?  

• On Being takes a longer view at the benefits of finding fun ways to fill open time and the potential dangers of idleness, “In Praise of Play and Idle Time.”

• Learn more about the long-term benefits of curiosity in the MIT Sloan Management Review article, “In Praise of the Incurably Curious Leader.”

Dive a little deeper in 30 minutes with:

• Harvard EdCast’s exploration of down time in “Kids Need a Break.”

• A thoughtful piece to help parents adjust their approach in National Public Radio’s “What Kind Of Parent Are You: Carpenter or Gardener?”

• The Education Hub’s “Designing curriculum: Effective experiences and environments.” (Don’t get scared off by the title!)

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