School news and events for the week of {date}
Dear Parents,
We would like to invite you and your family to join us for our first Presentation of Learning, this Friday, Dec. 14, from 12:30-1:40 p.m. Our first school-wide project is based around the creation of a school garden, with each grade choosing a different focus and driving question for their inquiry-based unit of study.
In Project-Based Learning (PBL), the culminating event of each project is a presentation in which learners present to audiences what content they have come to understand and apply during the project. Over the course of many presentations, our learners will develop a confident and polished speaking style that will translate well into many practical applications, including college and job interviews, public speaking events, and academic presentations.
We value Presentations of Learning at Alaka’i O Kaua’i because they allow us to teach and assess the learners’ 21st Century skills of critical thinking, collaboration and creativity, as well as written and oral communication. Presentations give learners opportunities to showcase their hard work, to teach other students, and to develop their presentation skills. The public nature of the presentations creates an extra level of accountability for learners to really learn academic content and make it their own. We hope to see you there!
Linda Krystek
Lights on Rice Parade
Alaka’i O Kaua’i participated in the Lights on Rice Parade on Friday, Dec. 7. We had a great turnout of families and staff draped in lights and wearing holiday apparel, with decorated scooters, strollers, and wagons, and the peace bus made an appearance, too, adorned with lights! It was great to see our school represented… Read more
School Garden
Our K-7th learners have been hard at work in the school garden this week in preparation for the Presentation of Learning on Dec. 14. Mr. Jon, our wonderful facilities manager, rototilled the soil, added amendments, and created rows so the ground was ready for our learners to plant seeds and plants. In the months to… Read more
Library Book Drive
We are actively working to expand our school and classroom libraries. We welcome new or gently used children’s books, ranging in level from kindergarten to middle school, of varying topics and genres. We are especially in need of chapter books. Just drop them in the designated box in the library!
The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree in our front office is to show our appreciation for all the hard work and time our facilitators at Alaka’i O Kaua’i invest with our keiki. In the main office, you will find a Giving Tree with paper ornaments that include teacher’s name and what they may be needing or hoping for… Read more
School Photos
School photos went home yesterday with our learners. If you ordered photos and did not receive your child’s packet, please let us know. Our Photo Retake Day has been rescheduled to January 17th (It is no longer on 12/12). If your child was absent on the previous photo day, or you would like a picture… Read more
Writers’ Workshop
Writer’s Workshop is the framework for writing instruction and practice that is used in our Alaka’i O Kaua’i K-7th classrooms. The curriculum that will be utilized is the Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing, where learners write frequently, for extended periods of time, and on topics of their own choosing. Using a… Read more
Volunteer Requirements
At Alaka’i O Kaua’i, we love and appreciate all of our volunteers! If you haven’t already done so, please get a volunteer application and fingerprinting/background check packet if you intend to continue (or begin) volunteering with us in the school. We ask that everyone please complete these packets as soon as possible! We will also… Read more
Seeking a Few Winter Break Volunteers
Hanging out on Kauai for winter break? Looking for a way to support your school? We are looking for just a few volunteers to help paint and reorganize a certain space in our school (what will become the new teachers lounge!) If you happen to have paint brushes, paint pans or rollers we can borrow,… Read more
