Attendance

We recently sent letters to every family regarding learner attendance. Please do not be alarmed if you received a letter concerning your child’s attendance. The purpose of the attendance letter is to bring awareness to the issue and remind parents/guardians that learners need to be at school every day, on time! Feel free to stopRead more

School Quality Survey

On Friday, the “School Quality Survey” form from the Department of Education was sent home with each child. The purpose of this survey is to provide the State Charter School Commission with one indicator of parent satisfaction with Alaka`i O Kaua’i Charter School. Please do your best to complete and return these surveys with yourRead more

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Jan. 7: No School Jan. 8: Classes resume Jan. 10, 2:45 p.m.: Ohana Network Meeting in the Library Jan. 17: Photo Retake Day Jan. 21: No School – Martin Luther King Day Jan. 31: End of First Semester Feb. 11: Reports cards sent home

A Few Reminders

When driving on our school road, PLEASE DRIVE 15 MPH! Although we are aware that everyone wants to make it to school on time, it is very important that we SLOW DOWN. We share our road with the Mount Kahili community as well as the animals, keiki, and staff who live there. It is understood that 15 mph isRead more

Volunteers

We greatly appreciate our volunteers! A HUGE MAHALO to all of you who have been helping our little school thrive. Your presence makes a big impact for our teachers, staff, and keiki! In this new year, we ask that all volunteers submit a volunteer application, along with background check and fingerprinting documentation to Claire or JoannRead more

Ohana Network

We are gearing up for some exciting new projects this new year, and would love your participation! Ohana Network participation forms will be sent home this week. If you are interested in getting involved in creating enrichment programs for our school, helping with fundraising or community outreach, we are forming committees in each area. If you areRead more

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Dec. 24-Jan. 8: Winter Break (no school) Jan. 10, 2:45 p.m.: Ohana Network Meeting in the Library Jan. 21: No School – Martin Luther King Day Jan. 31: End of First Semester Feb. 11: Reports cards sent home

Presentation of Learning

Thank you to all of the families who came out to celebrate our first Presentation of Learning on Friday, Dec. 14. Our facilitators and learners were so excited to show off all the hard work that has gone into our school-wide unit of study focused on the garden and sustainability here on Kaua’i. The learningRead more

Love and Logic

Discipline with Love and Logic

At Alaka’i O Kaua’i, our school-wide discipline policy is based on the foundational skills of Love and Logic. Love and Logic is a philosophy founded in 1977 by Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline, M.D. It is the approach of choice among leading educators, parents, and other professionals worldwide, as it is dedicated to makingRead more

Ohana Network Membership

We sent home Ohana Network Membership forms on Friday. If you would like to join our school’s first parent/family organization, please return this form to the front office. Meetings will be held regularly to support efforts in the areas of outreach, fundraising, and creating enrichment programs for our students. Our next meeting will be heldRead more

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Facebook Page

Did you know that Alaka’i O Kaua’i has its own Facebook page? We invite you to “Follow” or “Like” our page to get the latest pictures, videos, and information about what is happening on campus.  This is also a great way for everyone to share news about our wonderful school with their friends and community.

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 forRead more

School Photos

Our Photo Retake Day has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 17th. If your child was absent on the previous photo day, or you would like a picture retake, please put this date on your calendar. Order forms will be available at the front desk once we return from Winter Break.

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 alsoRead more

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Friday, Dec. 14, 12:30-1:40 p.m.: PBL Presentation of Learning (POL) – All Grades Dec. 24-Jan. 8: Winter Break (no school) Jan. 10, 2:45 p.m.: Ohana Network Meeting in the Library Jan. 21: No School – Martin Luther King Day Jan. 31: End of First Semester Feb. 11: Reports cardsRead more

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 representedRead more

Project Based Learning

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 toRead 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 forRead 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 pictureRead 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 aRead 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 alsoRead more

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Dec. 4: Coffee and Conversation, 8:15 a.m. in the library Dec. 5:  Alaka’i Ohana Network, 2:45 p.m. in the library Dec. 7: Lights on Rice Parade, 5:30 p.m. at Kukui Grove Friday, Dec. 14, 12:30-1:40 p.m.: PBL Presentation of Learning (POL) – All Grades Dec. 24-Jan. 8: Winter Break (no school) Jan.Read more

Take a Seat at the Buddy Bench

Our learners love hanging out together at our school’s buddy bench. A buddy bench is a simple idea to eliminate loneliness and foster friendship on the playground. Alaka’i O Kaua’i wants to spread the message of inclusion and kindness! Girl Scout Troop 823 helped make this possible, and we thank them for this generous gift!Read more

Walmart Foundation Grant

Alaka’i recently got a shipment of new iPads and Chromebooks for our keiki, thanks to a Walmart Foundation Grant of $32,500. We are so thankful for this generous gift, which has allowed us to purchase some much-needed technology for our school.

Top Ten Benefits of a Flexible Seating Classroom

Walk into any classroom at Alaka’i O Kaua’i, and you notice something is different. You won’t find learners seated in traditional rows of desks during instruction. Flexible seating helps create a more active, engaged, enthusiastic, and relaxed room of students! This article lists the top ten benefits for incorporating flexible seating into our classrooms.

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Nov 26, 2:45 p.m.: Alaka’i Ohana Network (Parent support organization) Friday, Dec. 14, 12:30-1:40 p.m.: PBL Presentation of Learning (POL) – All Grades Dec. 24-Jan. 8: Winter Break (no school) Jan. 21: No School – Martin Luther King Day Jan. 31: End of First Semester

Lights on Rice Parade

Alaka’i O Kaua’i will be participating in the Lights on Rice Parade on Friday, December 7th! Please join us for this fun event! We would love to have as many of our families possible walking with us to help spread the word about our school to our island community. We are looking for some donationsRead more

Alaka’i Ohana Network

We are very excited that our Ohana Network (our own version of a PTA) is up and running! We’ve had two productive meetings so far, and will hold our third on Monday, Nov. 26th, at 2:45 p.m., just after dismissal, in the library. We would love to have you join us!

Office Volunteers Needed

We are looking for office helpers! Parent volunteers would be greatly appreciated to  help answer phones, assist with student questions, pass out ice packs or bandaids, and provide general office assistance. Please contact Claire at cl************@al**********.org if you are interested in starting right away! A Sign-up Genius will also be sent out next week forRead more

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Wednesday, Nov. 21: Early Dismissal at 1:40 p.m. Nov. 22-23: Thanksgiving Break Friday, Dec. 14: PBL Presentation of Learning (POL) – All Grades Dec. 24-Jan. 8: Winter Break

Welcoming Our New Director

We are pleased to announce that our new director, Frederick Birkett, will be joining us this week. Mr. Birkett comes to us with many years of experience as a charter school leader. Mr. Birkett spent 15 years as a charter school principal in Massachusetts, New York City, and Hawaii. In addition, he has a Master’sRead more

Lessons from the Character Lab

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” At Alaka’i O Kaua’i, our goal is to make this vision a reality. Overwhelming scientific evidence now shows that character strengths like self-control, curiosity, and gratitude are critically important to social and emotional well-being, physical health, and achievement.Read more

The Importance of Learning Outside

I love to see learning “al fresco,” as I call it, at Alaka’i O Kaua’i. This week, during my “rounds,” I observed a class doing a writers’ workshop outside under the big tree by the playground, another class solving word problems during math with writing outside under the awnings, and several other classes composting, preparingRead more

MAP NWEA Computer Adaptive Testing

Our learners were able to begin MAP testing last week, which will provide valuable information about the skills and concepts they have already mastered and what they are ready to learn next. Alaka’i O Kaua’i partners with MAP NWEA to assess their learners three times a year. MAP, which is an acronym for Measures ofRead more

Heads-Up from the Health Office!

It’s uku (lice) season, and we wanted to share some information from the Hawaii DOE about prevention, identification, and treatment. The school health practice for ukus will include: Inspection by the school health aide of a student who may have ukus; Notification of the parent/guardian that the student has ukus; ​After the parent is notified,Read more

Multicultural Thanksgiving Feast

We will hold our first annual Multicultural Feast on Friday, Nov. 16, at noon. All families are welcome to join us for the festivities. This tradition will be a wonderful way to kick off the Thanksgiving week and allows us to build community and share foods that represent our unique family backgrounds. Sign up hereRead more

Upcoming Events

(Please see the school calendar for more information) Nov. 6: Election Day (no school) Nov. 8: 2:45 p.m., Launch of the Alaka’i Ohana Network (parent organization) Nov. 12: Veterans Day (no school) Nov. 16: Noon, Multicultural Feast (Family Potluck) Nov. 22-23: Thanksgiving Break

Halloween Fun at Alaka’i

We had such a fun Halloween at Alaka’i O Kaua’i. The 5th-grade learners put the finishing touches on the Halloween-O-Grams and personally delivered 171 treats to students and staff. Our costume parade started with Miss Casey’s class, and picked up each subsequent class until the whole school was circling the school. It was wonderful seeingRead more