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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Spring Band Concert!

Assembly May 3, 2019

by Lila and Kamalei

This week’s assembly featured the Spring Band Concert. Hanahau‘oli has three band groups taught by Mr. Provencher: beginning band, concert band, and the brass ensemble. The concert began with the beginning band (third grade) performing five songs which included, “Listen To Our Sections” which features each section such as, brass, percussion, and bass. Next they played “Split Decision” followed by a beautiful Mozart Melody, or better known as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” They made a memorable finish with “London Bridge”, and “Lightly Row”.

Next was the intermediate band also known as the concert band. This band included the children from Po’e Ka’ahele (4-5 graders). They performed four different songs which included, the “Mexican Clapping Song”, “Variations on a Familiar Theme,” “Sword of Kings” and ended with the beautiful, and traditional “Banana Boat.” This group of musicians worked very hard, and it was all worth it with their extraordinary performance.

Finally, the Hanahau‘oli brass ensemble performed (5-6 graders). They began with the song “Wayfaring Stranger.” Next they played “Kilauea” which painted the picture of Kilauea’s eruptions. Next the ensemble performed “Seven Nation Army.” Hanahau‘oli’s band teacher, Mr.Provencher, then congratulated his graduating students Alex Feldman, Spencer Yamamoto, Broc Rousseau, Finley Razee, Kahn Ho, Shawn Loui, and Fisher Migita with a beautiful lei. Next week at assembly to honour the hundredth year there will be a complete orchestra combining Hanahauoli’s band and strings musicians.

Come and join us! It’s a show you don’t want to miss!

Ka 'Imi loa: All About Food!

Assembly April 26, 2019

by Fisher and Kyler

This week for our assembly, we had our Ka ‘Imi Loa students from Kukunaokalā share what they learned in their most recent unit about food. Also, this week for the first time this year, we had Sixth Grade students announce the birthday books. Good job, Aiden and Spencer!

Ka‘Imi Loa shared what they learned through songs and facts they learned. I think the whole school loved the videos that they shared of them cooking various foods like eggs, waffles, cookies, noodles, sushi and many more. With the help of Mr. Hirokawa, they created a food rap which included all the roles citizens play in our community to get food from the farms to your plate. Remember to eat local!

March Madness and 2018's winner, "The Day the Crayons Quit!"

by Kyler, Shawn, and Kaia

On April 12th, 2019, we had a assembly lead by Ms.Gabby about the March Madness winner. As we entered the pavilion the energy was super high while we sang “All I Really Need.” After that there were lots of birthday books. Then an important announcement from Kare Kids about people with leukemia. Next there was an announcement about the stream clean up and school camp. Finally the assembly was turned over to Ms. Gabby. She walked up to the stage and every step she took tension was building. The two final books for March Madness were, “Wonder” and “The Pigeon Series.” It was as if the books were giving each other stern looks. We had a little drum roll and the winner was… “Wonder!” Everyone went crazy and wild with excitement. Since “Wonder” was a chapter book, we read “The Day the Crayons Quit” which was the March Madness winner from last year. The book was very unique and everyone loved it.  

Po‘e Ka‘ahele's Mānoa Heritage Propagation Shed Project

By Matthew and Kyler

On April 5th, 2019, we all witnessed an assembly held by Po‘e Ka‘ahele. Their assembly was about their experience at Mānoa Heritage Center. Their goal was to create a plant propagation shed to give the children of Po‘e Ka‘ahele a chance to work in the community. Po‘e Ka‘ahele presented a slide show to explain their process in planning and how to make the shed. They also had an informational video to show us their work and process to make the shed. First, they decided to have six teams: Documentaries, Materials, Builders, Plants, and Budget Organizers to make the project successful. The students actually bought materials, figured out their budget, and even figured out what wood to buy in order to make the shed a standing, sturdy structure for the Mānoa Heritage Center. Next, instead of just showing us pictures of their experience to build the shed, they also explained their experience in words. Two members from every team shared how they helped to make the Propagation Shed a success.    

This assembly definitely provided information to every individual watching the assembly. We picked up fascinating ideas from the Po‘e Ka‘ahele kids that will definitely help us in the future and even in the present. This was one of the unique Fridays in the year 2019 at Hanahau‘oli School.