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
A team of iLEAD students is preparing to send a science experiment aboard the SpaceX-16 Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled to launch on December 4. The project is part of a partnership between iLEAD and DreamUp, the leading provider of space-based educational opportunities. The students’ experiment, which will be on the… Read more
(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
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 donations… Read more
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!
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 claire.woolger@alakaiokauai.org if you are interested in starting right away! A Sign-up Genius will also be sent out next week for… Read more
We have several projects over the Winter Break (after New Year’s Day) around campus. We will be looking for volunteers to help paint, organize, and move furniture. Please let us know if you are willing to pitch in!
Please remember to DRIVE WITH ALOHA! As a community, we all share our school road. Please be mindful of your speed, passing with care (only if necessary), and practice patience in one-lane areas.
(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
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’s… Read more
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
It was the 50th day of school on Friday, Nov. 16, and what better way to celebrate than to dress up ’50s style and Rock Around the Clock!
Miss Frenette’s class is learning how to write friendly letters to their pen pals in Oklahoma.
Do you ever ask your child about how his or her day went and get a one-word answer? Read this article to find out 10 questions that are great conversation starters! “The trick is to ask about things that are specific, but still open-ended. Move beyond ‘fine’ and ‘nothing’ by asking your child to describe… Read more
Please remember to DRIVE WITH ALOHA! As a community, we all share our school road. Please be mindful of your speed, passing with care (only if necessary), and practice patience in one-lane areas.
(Please see the school calendar for more information) Nov. 12: Veterans Day (no school) Nov. 16: Noon, Multicultural Feast (Family Potluck) Nov. 22-23: Thanksgiving Break
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, preparing… Read more
Dr. Seuss sums up the magic of reading in the following quote: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Learning to read for a variety of purposes is essential to success in school and to learning in general. As an elementary… Read more
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 of… Read more
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
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 here… Read more
(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
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 seeing… Read more
Every morning, our learners gather together for Morning Meeting. It’s an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically. Each morning, students and teachers gather together in a circle for 20-30 minutes and interact with one another during four purposeful components: Greeting:… Read more
We are gearing up to start our parent organization, which we are calling the Alaka’i OHANA NETWORK. All parents or family members who are interested in joining are welcome! The purpose of this very important organization is to create community support for our school — organize events, plan classroom activities, fundraise for the school, etc.… Read more
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. Please bring a… Read more
Interested in being a “Class Parent”? We would love to have you! Anyone interested in helping support a specific class, please contact the facilitator. Class Parents are there to support by volunteering in the classroom, organizing special activities, helping coordinate field trips or class parties — whatever the facilitator and class needs! A huge MAHALO… Read more
Dear friends and supporters, This is a time of many firsts for Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i. The first day of school for students has been the big one so many have been waiting for. Over the years there were times it looked like it might never happen; we are used to setbacks and have gotten even… Read more
Mission: Possible! August 2018 UPDATE Dear friends and supporters of Alaka`i, Our mission to open a tuition-free project-based school is nearly accomplished!! In just a couple of weeks our classrooms and campus will be filled with the joyful sound of our learners’ voices as they experience a new and engaging way of education. The larger… Read more
A lot of great things are happening to get our school ready to open!! Last week our container of school furniture arrived and was unloaded thanks to the many parent & keiki volunteers that came out to help us. MAHALO for your support! This week our office is officially open. Everyone is welcome to bring their… Read more
Aloha, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Founding Families! What a great few days we’ve had! We received our first allocation of funding from the state on Friday! Our shipping container full of School-In-A-Box will be ready to unload Tuesday, July 24th. The fun will start at 9am and go until about 1:00pm or whenever we… Read more
Aloha, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Families, We are so happy and proud to inform you that on Thursday, June 28th, our school officially completed all of our pre-opening assurances and was given the final approval to open this August by the Hawai`i State Charter School Commission! The Commission acted on a unanimous decision of the Commission’s Application Committee… Read more
Aloha Families and Friends of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School! So much is happening quickly now that we are only 3 months from opening! But in just 6 short weeks, we have our final deadline with the Charter Commission. On June 28th, our governing board members and Denise Trentham, our school director, will travel back… Read more
April Showers…? To everyone that was affected by the devastating rains in April, we send our heartfelt wishes for the strength, determination and unification necessary for responding in times of disaster. Families lost their homes, cars, and beloved pets. Such trauma can make you feel isolated and helpless, while those unaffected mobilize out of compassion… Read more
First Meet and Greet A Great Success!!! Thank you ALL for attending our first Meet & Greet last weekend! We were thrilled to have such a great turn-out. The Poipu Beach Athletic Club was a gracious host despite the high numbers overflowing their restaurant! Thanks go to John Horwitz for sponsoring the pupus and refreshments!… Read more
Alaka’i O Kaua’i NEWSLETTER March 2018 Congratulations, Applicants! Congratulations to our early applicants who have officially enrolled as our founding students this August!! We did not have a need for a lottery by our January 12th deadline, and we are in the next stage of registration through our online system. Everyone who has applied through… Read more
Patience is a Virtue You have not heard from us in a while because sometimes big steps take more time to accomplish. The past couple of months have been a waiting game as representatives and lawyers from all the players involved have been busy in securing a home for our school and negotiating the many… Read more
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School Newsletter August 31, 2017 Facility Update Big strides are happening in relation to our future home! We are currently in the midst of lease negotiations with a special property we hope to secure soon. Out of respect for the property owners and management, as well as the nature of negotiations… Read more
Aloha Friends of Alaka’i O Kaua’i, Facility Update Our governing board has been very busy creating proposals for and having meetings with both county and state leaders. We are asking for help in securing a location, either temporary or permanent. We have been successful in getting some support in our search. We are also following… Read more
Aloha, Friends of Alaka’i O Kaua’i, Thank you to those who attended our Town Hall meeting last Monday, May 8, 2017. We presented an informative summary of our last year and our main needs moving forward this year to open in 2018. The Garden Island newspaper reported on it here. We stressed the importance of… Read more
“This playbook shares the findings of three researchers who set off to discover what K–12 schools can learn from the best-run organizations in America. Why are companies such as Zappos, Geico, and Google continually ranked among the best places to work if you want to be happy and successful? Could classroom teachers use similar strategies… Read more
Join us for a Holiday Dinner and Dance Party to raise funds for Alaka’i O Kaua’i Public Charter school. Our school needs to raise a minimum of $200,000 to get us going before Federal funds kick in in August 2017. Our Eastside school will be a highly innovative free public charter school, focusing on project… Read more
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School needs a home. Let’s help find it.
Kani “DrB” Blackwell, acting chair, is considering all options, including yurts and portables, instead of the usual brick and mortar school buildings, Blackwell said.
Donations to Alaka’i O Kaua’i are tax-deductible.
