A lush green field and scattered trees sit before forested mountains under a blue sky with clouds. The Alakai O Kauai Charter School logo appears on the left, highlighting Pauls Message from the Director.
29 Aug

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha e Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi ʻOhana,

Akahai and a Fantastic Fourth Week! I feel great gratitude every day for the opportunity to work in the best school on the island. As we wrap up our fourth week of school, it’s truly inspiring to see the incredible learning and growth taking place across our campus. The energy and positive spirit our learners, ohana, and staff bring each day make Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi a special place. Please read about recent highlights and upcoming events below:

  • This month, our school-wide focus is Akahai, which embodies kindness expressed with tenderness.
  • We continue to witness countless examples of our learners demonstrating Akahai in their interactions, showing empathy and respect to their peers and staff. It’s a joy to see these values in action every day.
  • To celebrate our commitment to Akahai, we are excited to announce our upcoming school-wide assembly on September 5, 2025, dedicated to this important ALOHA value. We look forward to gathering as a school community to recognize and reinforce the importance of kindness and compassion, while also recognizing everyone’s hard work in academics.
  • Get ready for our annual Jog-a-Thon! See the flyer below for details. The flyer is also coming home with learners.
  • Thank you to everyone making the drive in and out of school a slow, safe, and happy ride for our keiki, ohana, and community neighbors up here in Kahili Mountain.
  • Thank you, Alaka’i ohana, for your continued partnership and support. Your involvement makes a tremendous difference in fostering a nurturing and enriching environment for all our learners.

Remember it is the simple things that make us successful…eat well, exercise every day, get plenty of sleep – 8 hours for school-aged children, and be kind to each other – a heartfelt smile always works for me ☺️).

Have a great week.

Malama pono,
The Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Leadership Team

A colorful flyer for the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School Jog-A-Thon on September 19, 2025, featuring Director Paul’s Message, event info, donation instructions, and a prize list for top earners—including breakfast, tickets, tours, and grand prizes.

A collage with four images: teachers interact with students in classrooms, a sunset over the ocean with a rocky shore, and a colorful classroom bulletin board reading “Aloha.” A purple owl logo is in the center, highlighting the Director’s vision.
21 Aug

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha e Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi ʻOhana,

It is hard to believe we have already completed our third week of school! It has been wonderful to see our campus truly find its rhythm. Routines are becoming second nature, new friendships are blossoming, and our classrooms are buzzing with the happy energy of deep and engaged learning.

As our learners become more comfortable, we want to share a couple of friendly safety reminders:

  • Aloha value of the month – AKAHAI: Kindness expressed with tenderness. Let’s continue to find opportunities to showcase our Akahai, a strong thread that runs through our school community and culture. Our Akahai board is filling up with expressions of kindness more and more each day…we love it!
  • Academic Focus: Please check in with your child daily on their school work. All teachers are leaning into more academics, which can come with a need to balance some stress for learners. Reach out to your teacher should you see any need to support your child.
  • Love and Logic for Parents and Students: Review the links to our philosophy of behavior management at school. This is a great resource to support parents in addressing children’s behavior in a positive and empowering way.
  • Playground Safety: Mahalo for reviewing the seesaw guidelines with your children. Continue to talk about communication and teamwork will help ensure the playground is a safe and fun space for everyone.
  • Safe Driving: A reminder to please drive slowly and with extra caution on the private road leading to and from campus. Your mindful driving is essential for keeping our keiki safe during our busy drop-off and pick-up times.
  • Overall Wellness: We have noticed a bump in illnesses recently. Please take care of your family’s health and well-being. Eat balanced meals, get some exercise daily, and enough sleep (8 hours for children of school age). Most of all, please monitor screen time, especially social media, which can cause a great deal of anxiety for everyone spending too much time there.

Thank you for your continued partnership. We are building a fantastic year together!

Malama pono,

The Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Leadership Team

A classroom bulletin board displays “AKAHI: Kindness expressed with tenderness,” directors tips for a growth mindset, a clock showing 9:44, and a sign welcoming second graders. The school owl logo is at the bottom, echoing Pauls message of positivity.
14 Aug

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha e Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi ʻOhana,

As we move into our third week, the incredible energy and excitement from our learners continue to be a joy to witness. It is truly wonderful to have our school filled with the sounds of friendship and discovery every day. This past week was filled with exciting developments and a continued focus on building our vibrant school community:

  • Deepening Connections: We are deeply grateful for the dedication of our faculty and staff, who continue to prioritize building strong relationships with our learners and with one another. This commitment is the foundation of our supportive learning environment.
  • Digital Citizenship: Our facilitators have been diligently completing CommonSenseMedia.org lessons with their learners, fostering important digital literacy and responsible online behavior. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of the great guides offered to assist them with managing their child’s use of digital media at home.
  • Enrichment in Full Swing: This past week marked the start of our engaging specials classes, with learners enjoying Physical Education (PE), Art, Ike Hawaii, and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Mahalo to Ms. Jessica, Ms. Nicole, Kumu Noe, and Ms. Kate. The children love each of you and are always excited to participate in your classes!
  • Smooth Transition: My time in the role of Director continues to be smooth and rewarding. I am so appreciative of the warm welcome and am enjoying getting to know our school community more and more each day.

Friendly Reminders:

  • Our school-wide focus this month is Akahai, which means kindness expressed with tenderness. We are already seeing so many examples of our learners showing Akahai to one another, and we encourage you to talk about this value at home.
  • A friendly reminder to our ohana about driving on the private road leading to and from campus. For the safety of our entire community, especially our keiki, please drive slowly and with extra caution during our busy drop-off and pick-up times. Less than 15 mph on the road should feel extremely slow. We ask that you remain free of all distractions and be mindful of learners and staff who may be walking as you approach the school buildings. Your cooperation is essential in keeping our campus a safe place for everyone and being a great neighbor to everyone in the Kahili Mountain community.

Thank you, ohana, for your partnership in making this week so smooth and successful. We look forward to a fantastic year of learning and growth together, keeping each other happy and healthy along the way.

Mahalo and malama pono.

Paul Zina
Po’okumu / Director
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School

Collage featuring Alakai O Kauai Charter School logo, two men—one possibly the Director—holding a school banner outdoors, a man smiling indoors, and a hawk statue labeled “Ikaika,” highlighting Pauls Message of school pride.
08 Aug

Director Paul’s Message

Colorful hand-drawn poster for Alakai O Kauai Mission featuring a pink owl, floral accents, and text with the Directors message highlighting academics, project-based learning, social-emotional growth, and Hawaiian culture.

Aloha e Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi ʻOhana,

What an incredible first week back on campus! The energy and excitement from our learners have been a joy to witness, and it is wonderful to have our school filled with the sounds of friendship and discovery once again. We kicked off the year with a fantastic week of relationship building, plus our Welcome Back Assembly on Friday. It was a pleasure to introduce our amazing staff and celebrate our summer birthdays. We also had the chance to introduce important themes for the year: ALOHA Values, Kindness Matters, and Attendance Matters. A big mahalo to Ms. Malissa and Ms. Kate for leading these initiatives!

Our school-wide focus this month is Akahai, which means kindness expressed with tenderness. We are already seeing so many examples of our learners showing Akahai to one another, and we encourage you to talk about this value at home.
A sign with a message: Please Respect Our Neighbors – Slow Down. E Kalaiwa Mālie. An owl logo and ALAKAI O KAUAI CHARTER SCHOOL appear at the bottom, with the sign outdoors near a grassy area.A friendly reminder to our ohana about driving on the private road leading to and from campus. For the safety of our entire community, especially our keiki, please drive slowly and with extra caution during our busy drop-off and pick-up times. Less than 15 mph on the road should feel extremely slow with no dust trail behind your vehicle ☺️. We ask that you remain free of all distractions and be mindful of students and staff who may be walking as you approach the school buildings. Your cooperation is essential in keeping our campus a safe place for everyone and being a great neighbor to everyone in the Kahili Mountain community.

Thank you, ohana, for your partnership in making this first week so smooth and successful. From the Open House to the first day drop-off, your support makes all the difference. We are looking forward to a fantastic year of learning and growth together.

Malama pono,

The Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Leadership Team
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School

A lush, green mountain range under a partly cloudy sky, with dense forest in the foreground. A purple border frames the image, featuring Director Pauls Message and a circular owl logo at the bottom center.
01 Aug

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha e Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi ʻOhana,

Welcome back, learners! We hope you are enjoying the final beautiful days of summer! There is a wonderful sense of excitement on campus as we prepare to welcome our learners back to school this Monday, August 4th. Remember Monday will be a half day for students. Kindergarten will be on a modified schedule as well to support a smooth transition to school for our little ones. Ms. Ellen will contact parents directly for that. The campus feels quiet without the cheerful energy of our keiki, and we cannot wait to have everyone back to kick off another amazing school year together.

Our entire staff has been hard at work this week, diving deep into professional development to ensure we are ready to provide the best possible learning experience for your children. We were especially energized by our collaborative staff book study on “Love and Logic.” This approach helps us build positive relationships and foster a classroom environment where students feel empowered, respected, and ready to learn. We are all excited to bring these supportive strategies into our daily interactions.

As we count down the last few days, here is a quick checklist to help ensure a smooth and successful start for everyone:

  • School Supplies: Please double-check the grade-level supply list to ensure your learner has everything they need for a great first day.
  • Label Everything:Please label all personal items, including water bottles, lunch boxes, backpacks, and jackets, with your child’s name. It helps us make sure lost items find their way home!
  • Review School Procedures: Take a moment to review the drop-off and pick-up times and procedures (page 7 of the handbook) to help our parking lot flow smoothly and safely.
  • Update Information: If any of your contact or medical information has changed, please be sure to update it with the front office as soon as possible.
  • Healthy Fuel: Remember to pack a healthy, hearty lunch and a couple of snacks to keep your learner fueled for a full day of fun and discovery.

We are looking forward to a year of growth, discovery, and community. Thank you for your partnership in making Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Charter School such a special place. See you all on Monday morning!

Mahalo and malama pono,

The Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Leadership Team
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School

A charter school building with solar panels on the roof, green grass, and trees in front; a rainbow arcs over distant green mountains under a partly cloudy sky. A sign reads Alakai O Kauai Charter School—Director Paul shares a welcoming message.
26 Jul

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha e ka ʻohana o Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School,

Ke Ala o ke Kula (the path to school begins)! The quiet hum of summer is beginning to mix with a new, exciting energy on campus! While our haumāna (learners) enjoy their last few days of vacation, our kumu (teachers) and staff are returning, and the campus is buzzing with preparations. You can smell the freshly cleaned campus and hear the faint sounds of classrooms being lovingly arranged. This is the time of hoʻomākaukau – of making ready – and we are so excited for the journey ahead.

Based on the walaʻau in our email inboxes and the dates filling up our calendar, below you will find what you need to know as we prepare for a wonderful 2025-2026 school year!

He Lā Koʻikoʻi – Important Dates Ahead

Mark your calendars! The first couple of weeks are full of important events to ensure a smooth and positive start to the school year.

  • Monday, July 28-30: Kumu & Staff Campus Preparation and Professional Development Days (Campus closed to the public).
  • Friday, August 1: Meet Your Kumu & Campus Open House from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon. This is a wonderful, informal opportunity for all students and parents to see their new classroom, drop off class materials and connect with their teacher.
  • Monday, August 4: First Day of School for Learners! School begins at 8:45 AM and ends at 12:30 PM. This is a half day of school for students. Please plan accordingly to pick-up your child.

Ho’olaha No Ka Pule – Announcements for the Week

We’ve received many great questions from you all! Here are some key announcements to help you prepare.

  • School Supply Lists: For those of you asking, the 2025-2026 school supply lists for all grade levels are now available on our website. You can find them here: https://alakaiokauai.org/supply-lists/.
  • Finalizing Registration: If you have not yet completed your child’s online registration or submitted updated forms (e.g., health records, emergency contacts), please do so as soon as possible. Our office will be open Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. A big mahalo to the many families who have already completed this!
  • E Komo Mai! Welcome to our New Staff: We are thrilled to welcome several new members to our school ʻohana this year. This week, we want to give a special aloha to a few new educators: Ms. Jennifer Cain, our new 4th Grade Kumu, Ms. Ellen Wegner, our new Kindergarten Kumu, Ms. Pamela Tipton, our new Special Services Kumu, Ms. Nicholle Alfaro (EA), Ms. Brenda Kuwamura (EA). We know they will be a fantastic addition to our community!
  • Parking and Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures: A reminder that our drop-off and pick-up procedures will be the same as last year. A detailed map and instructions can be found here: https://alakaiokauai.org/opening-plan/. Please help us keep our keiki safe by following the established routes.
  • A special note: Please help us be a great neighbor in the Kahili Mountain Community by driving slowly in and out of campus on the private road. The acceptable speed limit is below 15mph. Enjoy the beautiful time to slow down. ☺️

Ka Manaʻo o ka Pule – A Thought for the Week

Our thought for this week is centered on the value of Kuleana (Responsibility, Privilege). As we begin a new school year, we are all reminded of our shared kuleana. Our teachers have the kuleana to create a safe and inspiring learning environment. Our students have the kuleana to be active and respectful learners. And as ʻohana, we have the kuleana to support our children on their educational path. It is a privilege to share in this important work together.

We are filled with anticipation for the year to come and can’t wait to see all of our students’ shining faces on campus again. Have a great week!

Mahalo and malama pono.

Paul Zina
Po’okumu / Director
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School

A wide, single-story school building with an American flagpole in front, surrounded by greenery and mountains under a blue sky. The logo “ALAKA‘I O KAUA‘I CHARTER SCHOOL” with an owl is in the top right corner, featured in Walaau Weekly.
16 Jul

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha kākou!

As we plan for the rhythm of a new school year, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for being an integral part of our incredible school community. Your dedication, enthusiasm, and aloha spirit truly make our school a special place for learning and growth.

Campus Clean-Up Day

We’re excited to announce our upcoming Campus Clean-Up Day! This is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together, beautify our school grounds, and show our collective pride. Please remember to sign up using our Sign-Up Genius link [1st Shift, 2nd Shift]. Your participation, big or small, makes a significant difference!

Mahalo to Our Board of Directors

We extend our heartfelt mahalo to our dedicated Board of Directors. Their tireless work and unwavering commitment are invaluable in supporting our school with all our governing needs. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a passionate group guiding us forward. Please be assured that our school community is truly represented in the best possible way by our diverse and skilled board members.

Welcome New Staff!

We are thrilled to share that we’ve been busy bringing on some amazing new talent! We’ve successfully hired a number of new teachers, educational assistants, and substitute teachers. This is a true testament to the high quality of our program and the vibrant learning environment we’ve cultivated, which continues to attract exceptional individuals to our team. We’re confident they will be wonderful additions to our ‘ohana.

Important Student Information Update

Parents, please take a moment to stop by or contact the office to update any new information that may have come up over the summer for your children. This includes changes to contact information, medical conditions, emergency contacts, or any other details that could affect our records. Keeping our student information current is crucial for their safety and well-being, and ensures we can reach you quickly if needed.

A Bright Year Ahead

With the continued help and collaboration of our entire school community—our students, families, faculty, staff, and board—we are confident that we will have a truly great year. Your partnership is essential to our success, and together, we will continue to foster an environment where every child can thrive.

Mahalo and malama pono.

Paul Zina
Poʻo Kumu (Director)
Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Charter School

image of beautiful mountain with a cloudy blue sky in the background
11 Jul

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha kākou!

As the summer days fly by, our campus is buzzing with activity, all thanks to our incredible staff who are diligently preparing for a fantastic new school year. Before diving into the amazing work happening around campus, I want to extend a heartfelt mahalo nui loa to our Vice Principals, Geordan and Nouveau, for their invaluable support in ensuring my smooth transition into the role of Po’okumu. Their guidance and collaboration have been truly appreciated.

A huge mahalo also goes out to our facilities specialists, Mr. Jon and Mr. Adam! They have been doing an outstanding job getting all our classrooms ready for the learners’ return. From making sure everything is in tip-top shape to tackling those last-minute fixes, their hard work will ensure a welcoming and productive learning environment for everyone. Their efforts also extend to the exciting early stages of securing contractors for our new art and Hawaiian studies classrooms. We’re thrilled to see progress on these vital additions to our campus, which will undoubtedly enrich our learners’ educational experience.

We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Patricia in the front office. Their tireless dedication is truly the backbone of our school operations. They’ve been working diligently on budgeting, ordering essential supplies, and expertly setting up classes. Furthermore, their invaluable support for our new teachers and Educational Assistants joining our ʻohana has been instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition for everyone.

It is through the collaborative spirit and hard work of individuals like Mr. Jon, Mr. Adam, Ms. Jennifer, and Ms. Patricia that our school continues to thrive. We are so fortunate to have such dedicated professionals on our team!

For this week’s image, I’m sharing a bit of the beautiful view of the drive to campus everyday. ☺️

Mahalo and malama pono.

Paul Zina
Poʻo Kumu (Director)
Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Charter School

image of Paul Zina, new AOK Director with AOK facilitators
04 Jul

Director Paul’s Message

Aloha mai kākou, Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Charter School ʻOhana,

It is with a heart full of excitement and gratitude that I introduce myself as the new Poʻo Kumu and Director of our wonderful school. I am truly honored to be joining this incredible community. From the moment I first learned about Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi, I was inspired by the commitment to project-based learning, the dedication to nurturing the whole child, and the strong sense of ʻohana that is woven into the very fabric of the school.

In the short time I have been here, I have been met with nothing but kindness and the most genuine aloha from everyone. The warmth and welcoming spirit of the staff, parents, and learners I’ve had the pleasure of meeting have already made me feel right at home. It is clear that this is a special place, built on a foundation of mutual respect, collaboration, and a shared passion for learning.

I am eager to get to know each of you and to listen and learn about all the things that make Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi a beacon of education on our island. I look forward to partnering with our Board of Directors, talented facilitators (teachers), dedicated parents, community business partners, and, of course, our amazing learners to continue the great work that has already been established.

Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome. I am thrilled to begin this journey with all of you and to support the continued growth and success of our school. My door is always open.

Me ke aloha pumehana (with warm regards),

Paul Zina
Poʻo Kumu (Director)
Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Charter School

4 images of AOK happenings. one of directors Paul Zina and DJ Adams
28 Jun

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we move towards the end of June.

Mahalo for your patience in the last year as we worked through the proper authorities to commence construction on the new building located on mid-campus. Our great gratitude to “Dr.” Jon (we are sure he has a PhD in Fixology) for his perseverance in obtaining all the needed permits and for his expertise during this lengthy process. All the permits are now in place and we have commenced the construction of the new building that will house both our Art and ‘Ike Hawai’i programs. We are currently searching for quality subtraders to work on the construction. If you know anyone interested, please have them contact “Dr.” Jon to submit a bid.

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, July 26th which will be our annual Campus Cleanup Day at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. This fun annual event gives everyone in our learning community an opportunity to come to campus and volunteer to help us make the last minute preparations for the start of the 2025-2026 school year in early August. A SignUp Genius will be distributed so you can find specific times and tasks that suit your ohana. It will also give you a perfect event to meet our new Director Mr. Paul Zina.

A warm welcome to Director Mr. Paul Zina who has already started on campus and helped ensure a silky smooth transition. It is wonderful to see our learning community come full circle as Mr. Paul helped write the original application to the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission for Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. Mr. Paul is a perfect addition to our school and will do a fantastic job as Director.

My great gratitude to you all for the opportunity to serve as your Po’okumu for the last five years to help us build the fastest improving public school in the state of Hawai’i. It is a great honor to move my service over to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School in an Advisory role on the Board of Directors.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK staff Ms Patricia working in the office and at AOK
20 Jun

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness during the annual Summer Break. While it may be Summer Break for most everyone at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, there are several dedicated 12 month employees who work diligently in June and July to keep our school operating at a high level. One such dedicated person is Ms. Patricia who looks after the challenging duel portfolio of Human Resources and Finances.

Ms. Patricia is a rare gem of a person and we are extremely fortunate to have her guidance at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. In addition to a highly successful multi-decade career in the banking system, Ms. Patricia has served our school in multiple roles over the years and she is a pillar of strength in building our school success. Most people probably are unaware that Ms. Patricia started at the school working as an Educational Assistant, specifically with a keiki with high needs. Ms. Patricia skillfully and patiently worked effectively in this role and brought great joy and success for this student.

In addition to her wonderful work with the keiki, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School also recognized the talent, experience, and precision in Ms. Patricia’s background and we asked her to fill a new role. At that time our school was moving away from off islands service providers to creating both Human Services and Finances on campus. Ms. Patricia once again stepped into a new role and basically built both programs from scratch into the high functioning operations that they are today. Much of Ms. Patricia’s work is used as a model for our colleague charter school as a true credit to the quality of her work.

Even with all this high level service, Ms. Patricia still finds the greatest joy being with the keiki. She routinely volunteers to come out front and help with the daily greeting our students. She is always willing to step in and volunteer with Special Events on campus and has been known to be the school mascot (Pueo), which is a prime example of her willingness to serve others.

Our great gratitude to Ms. Patricia for sharing her incredible array of skills and talents with our learning community. We would not be the fastest improving public school in the state of Hawai’i without her work.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.
DJ Adams

Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK staff Ms Jennifer working as various events
13 Jun

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we reach the midpoint of June.

Mahalo nui kakou to all the dedicated individuals who work at the school as twelve month employees. They are truly the glue that holds our school together. Their tireless efforts over the summer ensure that school is ready to roll once we arrive back in late summer.

Ms. Jennifer has been one of the steady pillars of strength throughout Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School’s history. Most of you know of her friendly and helpful disposition infused with a hefty amounts of perseverance and talent. Ms. Jennifer has skillfully supported our school through her amazing work in the Main Office. Early in the start of the school, Ms. Jennifer routinely worked 70-80 hours a week without extra compensation to ensure that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School remained viable. There is little doubt that our school would not have survived those early days without her dedication, professionalism, and commitment to improving education. Ms. Jennifer has successfully moved Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School from surviving to thriving and we are deeply appreciative of her work.

As we continue to move into our bright future the background historical knowledge that Ms. Jennifer has of our school has proven invaluable. Ms. Jennifer does an incredible job of connecting all parts of our learning community together and keeping us moving towards positive growth.

Next time you come to campus please consider taking the time and effort to thank Ms. Jennifer for her work in helping to build our unique charter school.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of "Dr." Jon working on various projects on AOK campus.
06 Jun

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and hope this message finds you all enjoying the first days of your Summer Break. Mahalo nui to the dedicated staff members who are 12 month employees as they quietly work on campus all summer to ensure that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is ready for the return of students and the rest of the staff in August. One of the people we wish to highlight this week is “Dr”. Jon.

The visionary and talented “Dr.” Jon was the very first staff member to walk on campus seven years ago. We understand that we have many doctors in our learning community from a number of varied backgrounds but we respectfully suggest that “Dr.” Jon has his PhD in Fixology!

Most people may not realize that “Dr.” Jon walked onto a campus that had sat vacant for over six years. The jungle had reclaimed much of the property. The rats and mice had moved into the vacant buildings and the toilets were literally falling off the walls in the bathrooms. “Dr.” Jon quickly moved into action working alone to get the school up to operational status for the start of school. Ironically, despite all his amazing efforts, the school started one day late due to flooding from Hurricane Lane. “Dr.” Jon was the steady pillar of safety as he guided people away from the massive flooding over the road to campus.

Over the next seven years we have seen Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School move from surviving to thriving. This remarkable transition would not have been possible without the skills, talents, and expertise of “Dr.” Jon and we wish to extend our greatest gratitude for his tireless contributions.

We are thrilled to share that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is in the final stages of the Building Permit process due to the leadership of “Dr.” Jon. We hope to commence construction this summer on the planned additional building that will house both Art and Hawai’ana classes.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK learners enjoying outdoor activities
30 May

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as you commence your summer break.

Mahalo nui kakou for your support of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School which has been the fastest improving public school in the state of Hawai’i over the last three years. This week’s photo collage goes all the way back in time to my modest start at our unique charter school. Coming to campus each and every day over the last five years to be with our incredible learners has been pure joy. It is simply so much fun to be with our learners!

In my role over the last five years as Po’okumu there have been hundreds of thousands of decisions that were made and I know that some of them may not have met your approval. My apologies to anyone in our learning community who felt that their voice was not valued or respected. At the front of any decision sat the moral compass of serving our keiki first while staying in alignment with our school Mission Statement. All the years, we have all come together to successfully create a top quality free public education for the keiki of Kaua’i and my great gratitude to you all for turning a dream into a reality.

Beautiful Kaua’i will continue to be our primary residence while my wife and I split our time here and with ohana on the mainland. My mo’opuna is almost one year old and love my new role as Tutu Kane. My service will now shift to remote professional triathlon coaching as my background is fortunate to include being a former Canadian National Triathlon Champion (Age Group) along with 16 World Championship appearances including the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

Additionally, deep appreciation to our Board of Directors for granting me the opportunity to remain involved in an advisory capacity as an Ex Officio member of the Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i Charter School Board. It will be a great privilege to continue to serve our learning community albeit in a much different role.

I look forward to seeing you around island and sharing happy stories about the success of our keiki. My sincere hope is my life will continue to mirror “E hele me ka pu’olo ” (Make Every Person, Place, or Condition Better Than You Left It Always)

Best wishes to you all for a splendid Summer Break. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 photos of learners at annual Hawai'iana wrap-up event, Ho'ike at AOK
24 May

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School and hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we enter the last week of the 2024-2025 school year.

Mahalo nui for your amazing support of our annual Hawai’iana wrap-up event entitled Ho’ike on campus last Friday. Once again Ho’ike served as a wonderful opportunity for our learning community and the entire island of Kaua’i to come together and celebrate the beautiful culture of the islands of Hawai’i.

The absolute stars of the day were our talented keiki who dazzled us all with their performances in front of a massive audience. As a socio-emotional learning school it is wonderful to see even the most shy keiki step up to the microphone. As a project-based learning school, it is fantastic to see everyone come together in collaboration to support the learning of our learners. As a school that celebrates perpetuating Hawai’ian cultural traditions and values, it is inspiring to witness the learners sharing their knowledge of the space we share on beautiful Kaua’i. Our deep gratitude to Kumu Noe for her dedication and leadership in teaching Ike Hawai’i again this year, and for her tireless efforts in putting together another incredible Ho’ike for our learning community.

A helpful reminder that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School will be closed tomorrow, Monday, May 26th, in observance of the federal holiday of Memorial Day. We applaud and appreciate the contributions of those selfless people who have served our country.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK learners enjoying various field trip outside
15 May

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you well and happy as we approach the last few weeks of the 2024-2025 school year.

Mahalo nui kakou for your support of our unique charter school, which includes the amazing adventures commonly known as Field Trips. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School deeply embeds Field Trips into the cultural fabric of our school. Last week alone, both Grade Three classes, Grade Four, Grade Five, and both Grade Six classes all headed off campus to explore new learning.

Over the school year, our students have headed over to Pearl Harbor for three days, staying two nights on the USS Missouri to learn about history in Hawai’i. Our students have traveled to Koke’e for three days and two nights to find out much more about the flora and fauna of beautiful Kaua’i. Our Grade Four students have continued our school’s commitment to help restore the Alakoko Fish Pond. We have even seen our students head off on a charter boat experience and interact with the creatures of the ocean. These are only a handful of the many Field Trips our learners enjoyed this year.

We offer our great gratitude to our dedicated staff for providing these opportunities for our learners. In addition, mahalo nui to the countless parents who volunteered to help during these exciting excursions. The supportive people on our Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network have generously donated the cost of busing to and from all these adventures, and we greatly appreciate their kindness.

We look forward to continuing the fun of Field Trips in our bright future, knowing that they broaden both the experience and learning for our keiki.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of learners participating in school activities outdoors
10 May

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and we hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we rapidly approach the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year. One of the supportive cornerstones of the incredible positive growth at our school has been our amazing parents. A happy example of the contributions from parents can be found by looking at the countless volunteer hours provided by our Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network.

The Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network supports our learning community throughout the school year. Their work begins with the energetic Campus Cleanup held in late July, marking the start of the next school year. Each month, this dedicated group returns to campuses to provide Hot Lunch Days for our school. These incredible individuals also donate a massive amount of time and energy to the annual “Lights on Rice” Christmas Parade entry. Remember Jog-A-Thon? Once again, the Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network helped run this lively event. Last weekend, the group stepped up again to help with our annual Keiki Activity Station at the Kaua’i Charity Walk. These are just a few examples of the many, many ways that the Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network supports our school community.

Ms. Kalina has been the diligent and enthusiastic leader of this group for the last number of years. She consistently goes above and beyond to provide support for Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We wish to express our great gratitude to all who have helped out at the school, and most notably Ms. Kalina, who has faithfully served as President of Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images AOK learners. 3 in classrooms and 1 decorating with chalk participating in Hawai'i Charter Commission visits.
02 May

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we enter the final month of the 2024-2025 school year. Mahalo nui for your incredible support of our unique charter school, especially as we prepare to celebrate the learning of our amazing learners.

In the last five years, we have witnessed continued academic success at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School as verified by the annual mandatory state of Hawai’i testing results. Each public school in our state is required to write the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) tests, which provide a direct comparison to other schools across beautiful Hawai’i. As you probably already know, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School performs academically above charter schools, public schools on Kaua’i, and public schools in Hawai’i in Science, Language Arts, and Math.

We wish to express our gratitude to our dedicated and talented staff for helping our learners create this amazing success story. Our staff consistently goes above and beyond to provide a top-quality free education for the keiki of Kaua’i. A perfect example of this work can be found through the tireless efforts of Ms. Malissa in her role as Assessment Coordinator. The positive energy and support she brings to our campus uplifts us all.

We look forward to sharing the results of the 2025 SBAC assessments. Please note, however, that this process may take several weeks. Each school in the state can choose to write tests on their timelines, meaning that statewide averages may not be available until late May.

We also wish to express our appreciation to you as parents for making the choice and commitment to attend our school. It is refreshing to work in a learning community that has such a strong bond of collaboration between the home and school.

Best wishes to you all for a marvelous month of May. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images AOK learners. 3 in classrooms and 1 decorating with chalk participating in Hawai'i Charter Commission visits.
25 Apr

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we quickly approach the end of April.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is a proud member of the state of Hawai’i Charter School system and we are deeply supported by the dedicated staff who work at the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission. In addition to our great gratitude for this helpful staff, we wish to share appreciation for the volunteers who serve as the state of Hawai’i Charter Commissioners. They selflessly give hundreds of hours to help improve education in the beautiful islands of Hawai’i.

The staff at the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission routinely visit our school to support our work in meeting the expectations of Charter Commission Contract 4.0. Last Wednesday we hosted Executive Director Dr. Ed Noh and Deputy Executive Director PJ Foehr at our school. They were eager to learn about the miraculous improvements at our unique charter school over the last five years.

The state of Hawai’i Charter Commission Frameworks Compliance Team visits our school in-person twice per year to work with us on meeting the expectations of Charter Contract 4.0. These dedicated professionals also facilitate an annual review complete with a scoring system for each of the 40+ charter schools in the state of Hawai’i.

We are pleased to share that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School earned a remarkable 109 points out of a possible 73 points on the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission Academics Performance Framework. That is not a misprint, our school earned bonus points based on academic success multipliers.

We are also pleased to share that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School earned an amazing 39 points out of a possible 42 points on the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission Organizational Performance Framework. These results are further verification of the fact that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School has been the fastest improving public school in the state of Hawai’i over the last three years.

Mahalo nui kakou to everyone who has contributed to this wonderful success story at our school. Let’s continue to work together to support a high quality FREE public education for the keiki of Kaua’i.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK learners playing spots in the AOK gym.
19 Apr

Director DJ’s Message

Hau’oli La Pakoa to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and I hope this message finds you enjoying the conclusion of the Easter Long Weekend.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is incredibly fortunate to have a dedicated and talented staff who go above and beyond to share their expertise with our learners. A perfect example of this work will be on full display on campus on Friday, April 25th, at our annual Sports Spectacular Showcase in the gymnasium. You may already be aware that our school offers girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball, and cheer teams to our learners free of charge. The showcase will feature volleyball this year since we added the Volleyball Club this winter. All these sports will be part of the Sports Spectacular Showcase this Friday.

Great gratitude to Ms. Kate, Kumu Nouveau, Ms. Cheyenne, Ms. Leia (Board of Directors Vice Chair), and Coach Dan (Board of Directors Treasurer) for their countless hours of volunteer service to these programs. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter Schools outperforms any other Elementary or Middle School on the island by offering these free opportunities for our learners.

Please feel free to come to campus and enjoy this special annual event with us. The games will begin at 11 am, and everything should conclude by 12:30 pm. Mr. Paul Zina, our incoming Director for the 2025-2026 school year, will also be in attendance, so you can have an opportunity to meet him as well.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 images of AOK learners participating classes and 2 images of recent improvements to AOK campus.
11 Apr

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and we hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we approach the middle of April. Mahalo nui kakou for your incredible support of our unique charter school and helping us become the fastest-improving public school is the state of Hawai’i over the last three years. There’s no question that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is gaining prominence as a school of choice with over 150 new learner applications for only about 25 available spots next year.

Ho’omaika’i to all of our amazing athletes who participated at the annual Mayor’s Track Day held on April 5th in Hanapepe. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Ms. Jesica, our dedicated Physical Education teacher, who taught the events to our learners then supported them on site that day. Great work by all involved!

It was wonderful to witness a wonderful virtual lesson on bees in the grade one class ALL the way from the east coast of the United States. Ms. Charton has done an outstanding job of bringing on-island experts in addition to accessing world class educators remotely to build deeper learning for her learners. We love that we now have active bee hives (located just off campus by the orchards) thanks to Ms. Charton’s work and leadership.

We greatly appreciate the terrific improvements we enjoy on campus that happen each and every day due to the talents of Dr. Jon and Mr. Adam. We have begun retiling the bathrooms on Main Campus- just one of their many meaningful contributions to improve our school.

Dr. Jon is also continuing his work on getting the required building permits so we can get started on the construction of the new building on campus. The new building will be located mid-campus between our Middle School located on lower campus and the Main Campus just north of the walkway. As you may recall, this building is going to house the Art and Ike Hawai’i programs that are currently push-in teaching in classrooms.

A helpful reminder that Friday, April 18th is Good Friday and our school will closed in observance of this state holiday.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK learners participating music and art classes.
03 Apr

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community. I hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we sail deeper into April.

Mahalo nui kakou for entrusting our unique charter school with the opportunity to provide top-notch FREE public education for your Keiki. In the theme of continuous improvement, we wish to share our intentional attempts to live our Mission Statement.

One component of the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School that we wish to examine is the teaching of the arts. Our school is extremely fortunate to have the ever-amazing Ms. Nicole as our incredible art teacher. We greatly appreciate her flexibility in teaching a push-into-the-classroom art program this year. We are excited to get started on the new buildings on campus soon, so that Ms. Nicole will have a dedicated Art Room once again.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School continues to work with outside organizations to bring a greater depth and exposure to music. Last Wednesday we were treated to a talented trio of musicians who shared their amazing musical skills on the violin, cello, and keyboard. We have been thrilled to have a drumming program visit campus and spend eight sessions teaching our learners about drumming from around the planet. We love when Kid Pan Alley comes for their annual work to support our learners in composing and performing their music. Heading into 2025-2026, we will continue to find greater opportunities to enhance all the arts on campus for our talented keiki. If you know of a community organization that could come and work with us at the school, please let us know how we can get connected.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

image of Paul Zina, new AOK Director
29 Mar

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and I hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we approach the month of April.

Five years ago to the month, it was my great fortune in the journey of life to join Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School as Director. Those were challenging times in the history of the school. The state of Hawai’i Charter Commission had just issued a Notice of Concern about closing the school due to financial instability and dwindling enrollment. Fast forward five years and we are now recognized as the fastest improving public school in the state of Hawai’i with strong financial health and waitlists to get into our school.

Mahalo nui kakou for the opportunity to serve as your Director and your support to make this amazing transformation together in the best interest of our learners. It was a great honor and privilege to work in this capacity and make transformational educational changes on Kaua’i and perhaps even in the state of Hawai’i. As some you may know my beautiful and talented wife, Pamela, has semi-retired and we welcomed our first moopuna into the world last year. Thus, the time has come for the torch to be handed to a new Director for our school.

Our dedicated and selfless volunteers who serve faithfully on the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Board of Directors have been diligently searching for a new Director for well over one year now, and have the following announcement to share with our learning community:
————————————————————————–
Dear Alaka’i O Kaua’i community,

We’re thrilled to share that Paul Zina will be the new director for Alaka’i in the 2025-2026 school year.

While we had many criteria that were important for the new director, the three things we aimed for were:

  1. A person on island who understands the culture of the school and our community
  2. A person who has extensive experience as an educator and administrator
  3. A person who can elevate our school to new heights especially around our burgeoning middle school program

After careful consideration, we found Paul to be the perfect fit.

With over 24 years of experience (as an educator, vice principal, principal and complex area superintendent) on Kauai, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to Alaka’i. Paul’s leadership will build upon the strong foundation previous Directors have laid, while also bringing fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to guide our school forward. He is passionate about fostering a collaborative and supportive environment where every learner will thrive. As parents, we’re excited about the future of our children’s education under his leadership.

The official handover from DJ to Paul will be on July 1st, but you may see him around before then. We will be organizing opportunities in the near future for you to meet him and to learn more about his vision for our school. Please join us in warmly welcoming Paul to our school and community.

Together, as a strong and supportive ʻohana, we will continue to empower our students to become lifelong learners and contributing members of our community.

Warm Regards,

The Governing Board of Alaka’i O Kaua’i
————————————————————–

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

A black-and-white portrait of a distinguished man in a suit with a cane stands on the right; an inset shows a colorized version. Behind him is the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School logo with an owl, highlighting Director DJs Message.
22 Mar

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we return from the annual Spring Break. We look forward to seeing everyone back on campus on Monday, March 24th, for a couple of days. We will then be away from campus on Wednesday, March 26th, in observance of Prince Kūhiō Day.

The incredible person Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole was born on March 26, 1871, right down the road from the school in the Kōloa District of Kaua‘i to High Chief David Kahalepouli Pi‘ikoi and Princess Kinoiki Kekaulike, the youngest daughter of Kaumuali‘i, the last King of Kaua‘i. By the age of 13, he was named a Prince by a royal proclamation from his Uncle, King Kalākaua.

Prince Kūhiō is best known for his work for the people of Hawai’i as he acted as the Republican candidate for delegate to Congress. He served as a non-voting delegate from Hawai‘i to the House of Representatives in Congress from 1902 until he died in 1922. As an active statesman, Prince Kūhiō shaped the foundation for Hawai‘i’s modern government structure. Prince Kuhio was responsible for instituting the county system still in place today, and he sponsored the first bill for Hawai‘i‘s statehood in 1919.

Just a few of his significant accomplishments include a $27 million appropriation for dredging and construction of Pearl Harbor, the establishment of the Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse, the build-out of the Territorial building, the Hilo Wharf, the establishment of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea National Park, and construction of a hospital at the Kalaupapa Settlement for lepers. To help further perpetuate and rehabilitate the Hawaiian people and their culture, Prince Kūhiō helped form the first Hawaiian Civic Club in 1918, a movement that now boasts over 50 distinct organizations across Hawai‘i and the United States.

Prince Kūhiō also re-established the Royal Order of Kamehameha I in 1903 and served as Ali‘i ‘Ai Moku until his death on January 7, 1922 at his home in Waikīkī. A few days before his passing, Prince Kūhiō urged his friend to continue fighting for native Hawaiian rights and “to stick together and try to agree to the best of your ability to meet the most important problem: the rehabilitation of our race.”

Hopefully we can all find some time on Wednesday to reflect on the many incredible contributions and accomplishments of Prince Kuhio.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images mourning the loss of AOK learner, Paxton
15 Mar

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School and hope this message finds you in a place of peace during some difficult times in our sphere. As many of you may know already, it is with a heavy heart that I sadly share the passing of Paxton, a learner in Grade Three. Paxton was an incredible young person who left us far, far too soon and he is deeply missed on our campus. We share great admiration for his strong battle against leukemia and he is a shining role model of courage for us all.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is incredibly blessed to be a Socio-Emotional Learning school where we live into our Mission Statement and sincerely care about each other. We are filled with sadness and grief because Paxton was loved at our school, as you can see in this loving memory video for Paxton.

We have come together as a learning community during this difficult time in IKAIKA (strength and power) for Paxton, his ohana, our keiki, our staff, and our learning community. Our creative learners named our school pueo mascot IKAIKA so it seems natural that we support each other with strength and power to move forward in this journey of grief.

Mahalo nui kakou for your amazing efforts to support our learning community. We fully respect and understand the difficult impact that this loss has had on our learning community. Please look after each other and seek resources as needed, especially when emotions seem too much to process. Below are a few suggestions to support challenging conversations:

1. Acknowledge and Validate Feelings:

  • Create a safe space: Let your child know it’s okay to feel sad, angry, confused, or any other emotion related to the loss.
  • Use open-ended questions: Instead of asking “Are you okay?”, ask “How are you feeling about this?” or “What’s on your mind?”
  • Share your own feelings: It can be helpful to share your grief or sadness, but be mindful of your child’s emotional capacity.
  • Reassure them: Remind them that their feelings are valid and that you love them no matter what.
  • Acknowledge the specific loss: Talk about the classmate and their relationship with them, and acknowledge the pain of the loss.

2. Provide Information in an Age-Appropriate Way:

  • Be honest and clear: Avoid euphemisms or vague language, especially with younger children.
  • Answer their questions directly: Address their concerns and questions with sensitivity and honesty.
  • Explain death in simple terms: For younger children, you might say something like “They are not here anymore, and they won’t come back,” rather than using complex language.
  • Reiterate the permanence of death: Make sure children understand that death is final.

3. Encourage Remembrance and Support:

  • Talk about the deceased: Share positive memories and stories about the classmate.
  • Attend memorial services or events: If appropriate, attend the funeral or memorial service with your child.
  • Create a memory box or scrapbook: Encourage your child to collect photos, drawings, or other items related to the classmate to help them remember.
  • Engage in activities that honor the memory: Consider planting a tree, donating to a charity in the classmate’s name, or doing something else meaningful.
  • Provide ongoing support: Check in with your child regularly and offer continued support as they process their grief.
  • Connect with other families: If appropriate, help your child connect with other families who knew the deceased.
  • Seek professional help if needed: If your child is struggling to cope with their grief, consider seeking professional help from a therapist or counselor.

Please reach out to us at the school if we can assist in any way. We are planning to plant a tree on campus in Paxton’s honor, and a Memorial Service is being put together for him in April.

Best wishes to you all for a peaceful Spring Break and we look forward to seeing everyone back on campus on Monday, March 24th. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK learners participating the outdoors Lunch on Lawn event
05 Mar

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we approach our annual Spring Break.

Mahalo nui kakou to everyone who graced our campus last Friday for the March School-Wide Assembly, Learner-Led Conferences, and Lunch on Lawn. We were thrilled to see the large number of people from our learning community who took the time and effort to celebrate the work of our students.

We are excited for our upcoming Spirit Week, celebrating “Aloha Across America”. Our great gratitude goes to Mrs. Shay and Ms. Kate who worked together to plan all the fun events. There is no question that one of the highlights from last year will be replicated this Tuesday with the creation of a giant lei on campus. We are asking all our learners and staff members to bring one carefully and respectfully harvested flower to school, and from everyone’s contributions, we will create one giant lei. Last year we placed the school lei on the school sign out front and finished by singing the school song together.

For more precise details, please check out the flyer that came home in the Green Folders and was also distributed via ParentSquare.

This is a helpful reminder that our annual Spring Break will be March 17th to March 21st, with no school for our learners during that time.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of AOK learners participating in school activities outside in the field
28 Feb

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we enter the month of March. Mahalo nui for your support of our unique charter school. It is hard to imagine that we sit a few short weeks away from the annual Spring Break from March 15th to March 23rd.

We hosted the delightful Makahiki Games on campus again this year under nearly perfect conditions. We are extremely proud of our learners for their active and enthusiastic participation in this fun event. Great to see our school move ever closer to embracing Hawai’ian cultural traditions in the beautiful space we share in Kahili Valley.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School will try a new concept in the theme of continuous improvement on our campus. On Friday, March 7th, we will experience a trifecta of fun at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School by offering three events on one day. We hope that by hosting three events on one day, more members of our learning community will be empowered to join us for the festivities on campus.

We will start with the school-wide Assembly for March in the Main Gym, starting at 9 am. The Assembly usually lasts around one hour, and then we will take a short recess break before starting the Learner Led Conferences at 10:30 am. Please reach out to the classroom teacher for specific details on this important sharing of learning by our keiki. We will conclude the day with another “Lunch on the Lawn” where everyone is warmly invited to enjoy your lunch together on the field.

We LOVE hosting our learning community on our campus and hope you can find some time on March 7th to join some or all of the trifecta of fun.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of learners participating in various AOK events
20 Feb

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness.Mahalo nui kakou for your contributions to our learning community and for creating a strong bond of collaboration in serving our keiki.

A perfect example of this positive relationship was the work together in the “Name the Pueo” Contest. We heard the voices of all of our learners in this process before announcing the winning name of IKAIKA brought forth by the Grade Four class. Translated from Hawai’ian to English the word IKAIKA means strength, power, mighty, and determined.

Please enjoy the photo from the name announcement from our last school wide Assembly where the learners (Orah and AJ the Spelling Champions), the Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network (Ms. Kalina-President), the Board of Directors (Mr. Bob-Chairperson), and the staff (Mr. Jon- Head of Facilities and Maintenance) are all represented.

Recently our Middle School learners participated in the first ever island-wide Makahiki Games in Lihu’e. We greatly appreciate Kumu Noe and kumu Nouveau for organizing this event and we are pleased to announce the following winners:

  • Wena’ula Naumu, 6th grade, 1st place, island-wide for HAKA MOA
  • Wena’ula, Sawyer, Orah & Zenith, 2nd place island-wide for KUKINI
  • Koa Shay, 8th grade, 1st place island-wide for O’O ‘IHE
  • Dustin, Tui, Stella, Aine, Makoa & Sierra, 2nd place, island-wide for HUKIHUKI

It was wonderful to see the Kindergarten class grow, harvest, and eat sweet potatoes here on campus under the steady guidance of Ms. Joeanne. We are also thrilled to see the Grade Two and one of the Grade Six classes continue their work together as Classroom Buddies to deepen their learning.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of learners participating in school activities, spelling bee and award ceremonies
14 Feb

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School and we hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we approach the midpoint of February. Mahalo nui for your continued support of our unique charter school.

This week we wish to share some happy success stories from our school dedicated to nurturing the young leaders of Kaua’i. Ho’omaika’i to Orah and AJ for their outstanding accomplishments at last week’s annual Kaua’i Spelling Bee Championship in Lihu’e. We are extremely proud to share that both learners achieved the top level of spelling and will head to the state of Hawai’i Spelling Bee Championship in Honolulu in March. Orah finished first place and AJ finished in second place outlasting every other participant from all the schools on Kaua’i.

Our great gratitude to you all for your generosity in supporting the events we hold on campus in collaboration with Kaua’i Charity Walk. Last week the 46th annual Charity Walk Kick-Off Breakfast was held. For the third year in a row, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School was recognized as the top not-for-profit fundraising organization on Kaua’i. This incredible accomplishment would not have been possible without your support and kindness.

We appreciate the leadership demonstrated by learners on campus every day. The Grade Eight leadership projects have evolved and developed this year under the guidance of Ms. Kate. One wonderful example is the Pueo Paper, a student newspaper published every several weeks.

Mahalo nui e Ms. Charton and the Grade One class for introducing bees back to Kahili Valley. We look forward to sharing future updates on this happy work.

A helpful reminder that Monday, February 17th is the federal holiday of President’s Day and the campus will be closed on that day.

Best wishes to you all for a fabulous February. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images of learners participating in school activities
07 Feb

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and I hope this message finds you all enjoying a fabulous February thus far.

Mahalo nui for your support of our unique charter school and it is wonderful to share some updates this week about emerging programs. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School continues to search for new opportunities to improve the quality of education to our deserving learners.

We greatly appreciate the hard work of our staff, especially Mr. Logan, with the expanded emergence of the Science program at our school. Mr. Logan has vast experience as a Science teacher and has taken over all the Science classes in Middle School. Mr. Logan has been a champion of our students being engaged in programs outside of the school and several of our students recently participated in the annual Kaua’i Finalists Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Two of our students presented exceptionally well and were each recognized for additional awards. Jack received a National Professional Organization Award from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for his research on the effects on the number of bird species (with a focus on Kaua’i native birds) numbers in golf courses with more water features. Max received a Regional Science and Engineering Fair Award, Office of Naval Research Award, and Top Project Award for his work on Acoustic Levitation. Ho’omaika’i to Jack and Max on this amazing news and we are incredibly proud of your accomplishments. We also understand that great scientists start early and love seeing many experiments at all levels on campus,s including a great lesson that involved cookies in Grade Two class.

After-school clubs are now in full swing this week, and I loved seeing the addition of the Cheer Team get started last Tuesday. We greatly appreciate Ms. Cheyenne sharing her skills and background with our learners and look forward to their performance in our annual Sports Spectacular Showcase in late April.

Our community work with Alakoko Fish Pond continues as the Grade Four students traveled there last Wednesday to help improve the infrastructure there.

This is a helpful reminder that the annual Hawai’i State Teachers Association (HSTA) Institute Day will be held on Monday, February 10th. This is a day set aside that our teachers are lifelong learners, and they go back to school to improve their craft of teaching. There will be no school for our students on that day.

Best wishes to you all for a fabulous February. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images, 3 images of AOK learners at various School Choice Week events. 1 image of the AOK mascot, a carved wooden owl.
30 Jan

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we step into a Lunar New Year. We share our great gratitude to you all for your support of the annual School Choice Week celebrated on campus last week. We appreciate all the creative fun we enjoyed due to the organization of the ever-diligent Mrs. Shay.

As part of School Choice Week, we witnessed the start-up of the after-school sports programs on campus. Thank you to all the selfless volunteers who coach these sports, ensuring that they are free of charge for our learners. Both girls and boys basketball resumed their fifth year of operations while volleyball made an appearance for the first time in the history of the school. Watch for upcoming information on the Cheer Team that will commence in the coming weeks.

The marvelous musicians from Kid Pan Alley returned to work with our learners again this year. It is wonderful to hear their creative ideas grow into beautiful songs. Additionally, the “Name the Pueo” Contest saw a massive response from our learners and we were thrilled with the quality of their ideas. The winning name will be revealed at our next school-wide assembly in February.

A helpful update for your planning purposes: the annual Hawai’i State Teachers Association Institute Day will be held island-wide on Monday, February 10th and there will be no school for learners that day.

Best wishes to you all for a fabulous February. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images, 3 images of AOK learners at various school events. 1 image of the AOK mascot, a carved wooden owl.
23 Jan

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we approach the end of January. We understand that attending Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is a choice and mahalo nui kakou for your support. This upcoming week is National School Choice Week, an annual event celebrated nationwide, including on our campus.

School Choice Week is time set aside for us all to reflect and appreciate that our school is an alternative opportunity for a high-quality free public education for the keiki of Kaua’i. Please accept our great gratitude for your support of our unique charter school that operates a touch differently than other schools. This is thanks to our commitment to follow our mission to teach the whole child by combining academics, project-based learning, socio-emotional learning, and the arts. Last week we enjoyed a site visit from the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission Frameworks Team who were immensely impressed with the congruence between our daily life on campus and our mission statement.

As part of School Choice Week, we are excited to see the creative names that our learners will submit for the “Name the Pueo” contest during School Choice Week. The beautifully wooden carved pueo that currently graces our front office is in search of a name and we are thrilled that our learners will be involved in the process. We will also enthusiastically welcome back Kid Pan Alley to our school for our students in Grades 3-5. Last year, the talented musicians from Kid Pan Alley worked diligently with our engaged learners to compose and perform a unique song per classroom. We immensely enjoyed the culminating concert where the songs were shared with the whole school.

After seven long years of continued efforts to repair the leaky gym roof, we are ecstatic to share a success story. Our talented “Dr.” Jon and Mr. Adam spent several days attempting to patch and seal the 15,000 square feet that make up the gym roof. When the rain returned to campus again after the work was complete, zero major leaks were found and the gym floor was dry. This work is transformational in our seven-year history of the school and creates much more usable space at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. Mahalo nui e “Dr.” Jon and Mr. Adam for your skillful contributions to improving the school.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful last week of January. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 side by side images of Martin Luther King Jr.
18 Jan

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and we hope this message finds you in good health and happiness on this long weekend.

On Monday, January 20th we will hopefully all take some time on a day away from school to reflect on the contributions of the remarkable Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. One of his immense number of powerful quotes that stands out is “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”

We greatly appreciate your support of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter where we choose to have the audacity to believe that all people can have education and culture for their minds. As our school continues to expand, evolve, and explore we see tremendous growth in our young learners and are excited to see where their bright futures will take them in the coming decades.

Last week we were fortunate enough to host the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission Frameworks Compliance Team visit our campus as part of our Charter Contract 4.0. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School has earned 127 out of 100 points on our annual MAI Report. I am happy to share that the remarkable 127 out of 100 is not a misprint as our school gained bonus points on multipliers as part of the performance equation. The Frameworks Compliance Team also left us with fresh ideas and challenges that we will cheerfully embrace in the theme of continuous improvement. One such idea that is exciting and informative is to track our learners after they leave our school in Grade Eight to see what amazing contributions they continue to make in our world.

Let’s all continue to have the audacity suggested by Dr. King and continue to advocate for a high-quality free public education for ALL the Keiki of Kaua’i.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images, of learners and staff showing off some project based learning programs
10 Jan

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and welcome to the fresh calendar year of 2025. Sincere best wishes to you all for a successful year ahead filled with health and happiness.

Please accept our great gratitude for supporting the numerous project-based learning activities we hold on campus. A perfect example is the Grade Two class project of creating soap. The learners, under the great guidance of Mrs. Shay, grew their loofah in their school garden, harvested the loofah, and incorporated the dried loofah into their newly created soap. As shown in the main image this week, the learners were happy to sell their soap and all sales will directly fund their future project-based learning activities. The other photos this week show several grades coming together to celebrate a project-based learning activity, in addition to the Physical Education classes enjoying parachute games.

We enjoyed a smooth return to campus last week and appreciate everyone’s helpfulness in settling back into our school operational routines. One area we are trying to improve in 2025 is tardiness. We ask that everyone be on campus and ready to participate in the Morning Piko that starts at 8:45 am.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is honored to be part of “The Thinking Classroom Hawai’i” cohort under the steady guidance of Harvard University. Last week, Ms. Tina visited from Massachusetts to work with our staff on protocols to help reach a deeper level of thinking for our learners. Then again this weekend a dedicated group of our staff members traveled to O’ahu for numerous sessions to gain a greater knowledge of the program. We are fortunate to have such an engaged group of educators who work at our school and are constantly looking for ways to enhance the education offered here. We also wish to acknowledge the generosity of the state of Hawai’i Charter Commission for their financial support of our involvement in “The Thinking Classroom Hawai’i.”

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School continues to grow and expand our program offerings. We are currently searching to fill two Educational Assistant positions that would be working in Middle School and Special Education. If you have any interest in working at the school, please contact us and we can share more details.

Best wishes for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images. top 2 of learners boarding a boat. bottom 2 of construction on campus.
03 Jan

Director DJ’s Message

A belated Hau’oli Makahiki Hou to all in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope this message finds you enjoying your annual Winter Break.

Even though we miss our engaged learners on campus during the Winter Break, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is still in operations due to the work of our dedicated twelve month employees. Mahalo nui to Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Patricia, Kumu Nouveau, Mr. Geordan, Mr. Jon, and Mr. Adam for their tireless work in keeping the school functioning at a high level. Our school has daily business and maintenance work that needs to be performed to prepare for the return of staff on January 6th, followed by our learners on January 7th.

An area of great impact for our learning community is the campus improvements that Dr. Jon (we have affectionally bestowed a PhD in Fixology to him) and Mr. Adam have been working on. As you can see from the photos from this week, both gentlemen have been diligently working on the leaks found in the roof of our gym. Additionally, Dr. Jon and Mr. Adam rebuilt the stairs to the stage and installed new carpet on the stairs. We feel these improvements will have a positive impact on everyone at our school. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School will continue to work with our landlords at Knudsen Trust on our lease, focusing on areas such as the gym roof and the maintenance of the gravel road that leads to campus.

In the days leading up to the Winter Break, our Grade Four learners took another Field Trip to the Alakoko Fish Pond. We are privileged to be part of this important revitalization which honors centuries of history on beautiful Kaua’i. It is wonderful to see our learners become deeply involved in respecting Hawai’ian cultural values and traditions as outlined in our school’s mission statement.

A helpful reminder that our school will be following the Hawai’i Department of Education 2024-2025 school year calendar with learners returning to campus on Tuesday, January 7th.

Best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2025. We are excited to see everyone back on campus this week. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images, learners playing outside, 1 facilitator in front of a tree and one image of AOK's food bank
26 Dec

Director DJ’s Message

An early Hau’oli Makahiki Hou to everyone in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and we hope you are enjoying your Winter Break. We appreciate our work together to provide a quality free public education for the keiki of Kaua’i and look forward to our continued collaboration in 2025.

Mahalo nui kakou for your generosity in supporting the annual Holiday Hamper program at our school.

Ho’omaika’i e Ms. Jenny for earning the prestigious honor of being named the top practitioner in the state of Hawai’i in the month of December. We greatly respect and appreciate her amazing work in keeping our precious keiki healthy.

It is hard to imagine but a bizarre weather pattern caused a Snow Day on campus as seen in our main image this week. We wish to recognize the Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network for causing this rare weather phenomenon.

It was magical to see Bottle Rockets being launched on campus last week. Our gratitude to Mark Howard who shared his rocket engineering expertise with our Grade Four students. This event on our remote campus is another perfect example of the reasons that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is incredibly unique.

Best wishes for a prosperous 2025 filled with health and happiness. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 image collage of learners at an annual PBL event
20 Dec

Director DJ’s Message

An early Mele Kalikimaka greeting to all in the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community, and we hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we enter the Winter Break. Mahalo nui for your wonderful support of all the recent festive activities on campus. We immensely enjoyed the added energy and enthusiasm that our learners exhibited this holiday season.

A perfect example of your support can be found by examining the annual Christmas Craft Fair. As a school that embraces project-based learning activities, we are proud of our creative learners and the artistic crafts they made again this school year. The annual Christmas Craft Fair is spearheaded by the Grade Five class under the leadership of Ms. Collette and included involvement from every single learner in our school. We love witnessing both the school wide engagement of all of our keiki and the support of our learning community.

This year’s Christmas Craft Fair raised over $5,300 towards the support of Not-For-Profit Organizations globally for their important work protecting endangered animals. A helpful reminder that not one penny comes to our school and all funds raised go directly to the organizations. A perfect example of this positive relationship created is that the Grade Five class has now adopted an orphaned African Elephant named Toto. Please accept our great gratitude for your generosity in the support of this project-based learning activity that has far reaching global impacts.

Winter Break at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School has begun. We hope that everyone enjoys a break filled with food, family, and fun. Learners will return to campus on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 to commence the second half of the school year.

Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

4 images. top 2 of learners and families at school events. bottom 2 of construction on campus.
11 Dec

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope that this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we enter the last week of school before Winter Break. Mahalo nui kakou for your contributions to a smooth and successful 2024-2025 thus far. It is hard to imagine that we are almost at the midpoint of the school year. We appreciate your unconditional support of our school and look forward to our continued collaboration to improve education in Kaua’i.

We greatly appreciate the good work of Mr. Jon and Mr. Adam who consistently repair and construct on campus to improve our experiences. Two small examples of their outstanding skills occurred last week when they welded the soccer goals on campus and constructed a concrete walkway to the field. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is fortunate to have two such dedicated staff members and we applaud their work.

Ho’omaika’i to everyone who participated in the annual school Spelling Bee where we witnessed over 20 rounds of outstanding spelling from our learners. We celebrate the school’s winners, AJ Gregorius and Orah McGee, and send them best wishes for the Kaua’i Spelling Bee happening in early 2025. We also wish to express our gratitude to Ms. Jynatha who organized this year’s event and to Ms. Patricia, Ms. Jennifer, and Mr. Adam, our talented judges.

Mahalo nui kakou to everyone who contributed to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School entry in the annual “Lights on Rice” parade. Once again it demonstrated the strong bond in our learning community between the learners, parents, and the school. The weather cooperated near the parade start time and we enjoyed a festive adventure being part of this great event on our island. We greatly appreciate all the hours of effort put into the float by our dedicated Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network and Mrs. Shay, who acted as our school liaison.

We are excited to celebrate another Spirit Week on campus starting on Monday so please check your previous ParentSquare messages for full details. The next school-wide Assembly is on Friday, December 20th at 9 am in the gymnasium. All members of our learning community are warmly welcome to attend.

A helpful reminder that the annual Winter Break will run from December 21st to January 6th inclusively. We look forward to students returning to school on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 for a full day of school.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

Learners with their crafts
04 Dec

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and I hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we sail into the month of December.

Mahalo for your support of our unique charter school, especially given all the extra programs, field trips, educational enrichments, and FUN events that we embrace at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School.

We are enjoying the transition over to the festive month of December and appreciate your assistance with all the extra excitement on campus this month. It is GREAT to see the robust response to our annual Holiday Hamper program and witness the happy participants in the annual “Lights On Rice” parade. A happy reminder that the Grade Five Presentation of Learning of the Christmas Craft Fair will be this upcoming Friday, December 13th, in the gymnasium along with the Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network Hot Lunch Day. This week’s photos give a sneak peek at some of the creative crafts that our students have made for the event.

In this season of giving, please accept my gratitude for the gift of you. For the last five years, it has been my great privilege and honor to serve as your Po’okumu at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and your unconditional support of our unique charter school is deeply appreciated. As many of you may recall, it was my intention to retire last year to spend time with my first mo’opuna. Despite great efforts by our Board of Directors, we did not secure a new leader for our school, and it is my great pleasure to continue as Po’okumu again in 2024-2025. The Board of Directors has already commenced the search to have a new Po’okumu in place for 2025-2026, and here is a message outlining the process.

Aloha Parents, Students, and Staff in the Alaka’i Community,

We understand that with DJ’s expected departure at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, there may be some concern and anxiety. We agree that he is incredible and impossible to replace. Our standards are set very high because of him and we don’t plan on anything less. The governing board of Alaka’i has been actively reviewing candidates for the last few months, and we plan to hold in-person interviews in early 2025. Our hope is that we will be able to introduce the next Director by the end of March 2025. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Bob Wu, the governing chair at bob.wu.board@alakaiokauai.org.

Mahalo for your time and patience with our process,

Alaka’i Board of Directors

Best wishes for a wonderful Wednesday. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

Alakai learners from multiple grades posing in front of a turkey cutout.
26 Nov

Director DJ’s Message

Hau’oli La Ho’omaika’i to everyone in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and I hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we conclude the Thanksgiving Break.

In this season of gratitude, please accept our appreciation for your support of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. It seems surreal that we have arrived in December.

With a new month, our next school-wide assembly will quickly come, and we will come together and celebrate the accomplishments of our amazing learners. We will be excited to award the top male and top female from each grade level from our fifth annual Turkey Trot that was recently held on campus. In this edition, we will share the photos of those winners from kindergarten to grade eight right after the Turkey Trot concluded.

As we move into December, it is time to commence our annual Holiday Hamper program. This festive event connects those in our learning community with abundance with those who may have a touch less. As with our usual practice, a table will be placed at the front entrance to Main Campus, where those with abundance are invited to drop off non-perishable food items anonymously. The table is intentionally not monitored so that those in our learning community with less are warmly welcomed to take from the table as needed. A new addition for this year is that the student-directed Kindness Club will be looking after the Holiday Hamper program.

If anyone in our learning community is in need, then please contact me directly, and we will make sure that you have food on your table for the holidays. Please know you have my professional and personal assurance that this information will be kept private plus confidential, as our endeavor is simply to ensure the sharing of abundance for all.

Best wishes to you all for a delightful December. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

Two photos of elementary students from Alakai O Kauai Charter School: one, shared in a Message from Director DJ, shows students drawing at a table indoors and the other shows them lined up to start a race outdoors on a grassy field.
22 Nov

Director DJ’s Message

Hau’oli La Ho’omaika’i greetings to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School. We hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we approach Thanksgiving. In this season of gratitude, please accept this message of appreciation for your support of our unique charter school. Some learners started with us when we opened seven years ago, and we greatly respect their patience as the school moved from surviving to thriving.

We also wish to recognize Ms. Kate and her excellent leadership. She hosts the Kindness Club, a fun group that gets together every Wednesday to promote kindness everywhere on our campus. The latest project that the Kindness Club has been working on together is “Kindness Rocks” in which learners decorate rocks with messages to spread kindness.

Last Friday we held our fifth annual Turkey Trot on campus. This cross-country physical activity was held on a new course for our staff and students. We are proud of all the participants and look forward to awarding the prizes to the top male and top female from each grade level at our next School-Wide Assembly.

A helpful reminder that Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday from Thursday, November 28th to Sunday, December 1st. We look forward to seeing everyone back on campus on Monday, December 2nd.

Best wishes for a terrific Thanksgiving break filled with food, fun, and family. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 side-by-side images of AOK community standing outside in during the winter holiday for annual "lights on rice" event
15 Nov

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and I hope this November message finds you all in good health and happiness.

In this season of gratitude, it’s important to reflect on the contributions of others who have graciously volunteered their time, energy, and enthusiasm to improve our school. Mahalo nui to the great people who serve on our Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network for your limitless work over the years to enhance the experiences for our learners.

A perfect example of their volunteerism is the monthly Hot Lunch offered by Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network. Hosting the Hot Lunch involves significant time and effort including ordering, picking up, organizing, and then distributing food to around 200 people. The service provided is quick, efficient, and greatly enjoyed by our learners each month.

The annual Lights On Rice Parade is approaching quickly and taking place on Friday, December 6th. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School has been fortunate to participate in this festive event under the guidance of the Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher in past years. We appreciate the hard work that goes into being part of the parade and look forward to this year’s entry. Please watch for additional details and information about this event in the coming weeks.

Our Na Hoa O Alaka’i Parent Teacher Network is always looking for new members so if interested please contact the school and we will cheerfully assist in connecting everyone.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 images, one the left is a large wooden owl statue and on the write is AOK learners playing volleyball in the gym
09 Nov

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we move deeper into the month of November. Mahalo for your support of our unique charter school and we wish to share an example of unconditional giving in our learning community.

Our former Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School Board of Directors Chairperson Nicola Sherrill recently stepped away after selflessly volunteering on our Board of Directors for TEN years. Under her governance the school moved from a dream to a reality and would not exist today without her guidance, direction, and support.

Ms. Nicola searched for a gift to leave behind that would enhance the campus after her departure. Her creative eye found an amazing wood carving of a pueo, which is the mascot of the school. She worked with our very own Dr. Jon to refinish this beautiful piece of art which is proudly displayed in our Main Office. Mahalo nui e Ms. Nicola and Mr. Jon for your vision and work on this amazing gift. The pueo wood carving is stunning and fits perfectly with our school but it is definitely in need of a name. We will be holding a “name the mascot” contest later in the school year with more details to come after Winter Break.

As the rainy season approaches we will need to move some of our recesses and Physical Education classes indoors during inclement weather. We greatly appreciate the good work of Ms. Jesica as our Physical Education teacher and we appreciate her efforts to introduce some new sports and activities for our learners.

We salute the contributions of our Veterans and deeply respect their service to our country. We recognize that our freedoms were built on the back of their sacrifice and service. Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School will be closed on Monday, November 11th in recognition of Veterans’ Day.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 side-by-side images of AOK learners working on project based learning activity with pumpkins
02 Nov

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School and welcome to the fresh new month of November.

Mahalo nui to all who contributed to all the festivities we enjoyed together during the month of October. The Spirit Week Dress Up Days demonstrated great creativity by all the students, staff, and parents who participated. The Middle School Halloween Dance was an outstanding success as the event was greatly attended by most of our Middle School students dressed in a wide array of costumes. The annual Trunk or Treat held last Thursday once again showcased the positive relationships in our learning community, and it was SO MUCH FUN!

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School intentionally connects the students in various grades together to teach socio-emotional learning. All of our Middle School students are assigned to Elementary classes for the Morning Piko and Assembly so they can foster friendly relationships with each other. Our classes are also connected through “Classroom Buddies” where two classes from different grade levels come together for a learning activity. A perfect example of this program can be found in the Wala’au Weekly image  where the Kindergarten class and the Grade Four class participated in a learning activity involving pumpkin seeds.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School wishes to express our gratitude to Mr. Jon and Mr. Adam for their incredible contributions to our school. As we can all imagine, there are always countless items that need to be repaired on campus. We embrace a continuous improvement mindset so Mr. Jon and Mr. Adam are consistantly adding improvements to our campus. They are currently working on the addition of two more banks of lights in the gym and repairs to the roof of the gym to address the leaking rainfall water issues.

Jon and Adam working on a project in the gym

A helpful reminder that Tuesday, November 5th is the Federal holiday of Election Day and there will be no school for students or staff.

Best wishes to you all for a phenomenal November. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 side by side images of the Annual Trunk or Treat event out in the field
24 Oct

Director DJ’s Message

Hau’oli La Heleui to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope this message finds you in good health and happiness as we cruise towards Halloween this week.

Mahalo nui kakou for making this school incredibly fun for our learners and working in collaboration with the school to bring entertaining events to our campus. One of the best examples of this positive relationship is our annual Trunk or Treat event, held on Halloween, rain or shine. Once again we warmly welcome everyone in our learning community to participate.

Last year over thirty vehicles joined the festivities. Mr. Jon and Mr. Adam will help vehicles park in a circle on the field anytime after 8:15 am so everyone can get set up early. Our learners will arrive at Trunk or Treat after our daily Morning Piko and Assembly, around 9:00 am and 9:10 am. For health and safety reasons we do ask that all distributed treats are store purchased and individually wrapped. Learners will stop by each vehicle in single file sequential order starting with our keiki in Kindergarten. Trunk or Treat is usually over well before 11:00 am for your planning purposes.

As Halloween tends to be a festive day for keiki on our island, Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School will have an early dismissal to allow everyone to get home early enough for personal activities. Some of our learners have upwards of a 90 minute trip to our campus which speaks highly of their commitment to a high quality education.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

side by side images of AOK learners gathered for Unity Day 2024
18 Oct

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School learning community and we hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness as we enter the back half of October.

We greatly appreciate your support of our unique charter school which features socio-emotional learning as one of the core components of our state of Hawai’i Charter Commission contract. We wish to express our gratitude to Ms. Kate who has stepped into the newly formed role of Socio-Emotional Coach on campus in addition to her halftime duties of teaching Middle School.

Last Wednesday, October 16th was Unity Day in the state of Hawai’i. This annual event is set aside for all of us to stand together in unity against bullying behaviors. We celebrated Unity Day on campus and were thrilled to see so many students, staff, and community members wear orange in support. We wanted the day to be an opportunity to more deeply explore the importance of uniting against bullying. After our Morning Piko the entire school came together in a large circle and pledged to stand together to address this issue in our society. Ms. Kate reinforced the significant impact that we can all have on one another in her Socio-Emotional classes this week. She also introduced a poster and poem contest to ensure that Unity Day will live far beyond a one day school event.

A happy reminder that with Halloween right around the corner also comes our annual Trunk or Treat event. This extremely fun activity will be held on Halloween, Thursday, October 31st on campus, in the field. Last year we had over 30 vehicles participate! As Halloween is an active day on Kaua’i, please plan for early dismissal that day to make sure everyone can complete their fun before dark.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 images of AOK community. left image families attend event in gym with learners. Right, learners and staff outside with mountains as a backdrop.
11 Oct

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the good people in the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and we hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Fall Break. We look forward to our students’ return to campus on Monday, October 14th for a full day of school.

Mahalo nui for your support of our unique charter school which features project-based learning as one of the key cornerstones of our state of Hawai’i Charter Commission contract. In support of this work, we recently hosted two Presentation of Learning events on campus and appreciate the robust turnout of people in attendance. The Grade One class learned about their brain and the importance of keeping it safe and healthy. The students were all given a brand new helmet free of charge to encourage helmet use when riding some methods of self-transportation outside. The Grade Three classes came together and hosted a Presentation of Learning in the gymnasium about communities. They created and built unique communities and then shared their knowledge with a large audience. Great work by all and we appreciate your support of these events.

Project-based learning is a vehicle of education used here at our school to help teach the state standards. Recently the state of Hawai’i Department of Education STRIVE HI results were released which compares schools in the state of Hawai’i in many key measures. We have placed the STRIVE HI results for our school here on our website for easy access.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School is outperforming the state of Hawai’i Department of Education in every single measure found in the SRTIVE HI Report. Although we are extremely proud of the work of our learners, staff, and parents in this outstanding result, we still have much work ahead in improving our offering of a high-quality free public education for the keiki of Kaua’i. Accordingly, we are offering additional support in the 2024-2025 school year for learners who are not quite reaching the standards plus the start of programs for those learners above the standards.

We look forward to our continued work together serving the important responsibility of education for our learners.

Best wishes for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

image of 2 AOK learners on the left, smiling in front of a painted mural. On the right, a picture of a large group of learners stage as assembly.
03 Oct

Director DJ’s Message

Ho’omaika’i to all in the learning community as we share this week’s edition celebrating the massive success of the annual Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School Jog-A-Thon. Mahalo nui kakou for your generous support of this fun event and we are thrilled to share that this year we set a significant number of benchmarks never before seen at our unique charter school.

This year’s edition of the Jog-A-Thon set a new participation record of over 200 learners actively involved in the event. The event also featured the highest number of staff participants and the most amount of parent volunteers helpfully volunteering to assist on this most active day.

We are very proud of each participant in the Jog-A-Thon. We wish to recognize the top course performers for 2024. Sawyer Kimball and Tate Schuler both ran an amazing ten laps in the ten-minute time limit which required a full-out sprint to accomplish such an incredible feat.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School expresses great gratitude to all of our generous 2024 Jog-A-Thon donors. This year’s event raised a new record of over $24,000 due to your kindness and thoughtfulness. These monies are spent directly on our learners in such areas as supplies for Enrichment classes, buses for Field Trips, and additional financial support for Project-Based Learning.

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School wishes to share our appreciation to Mrs. Shay for her leadership in the organizing of the 2024 Jog-A-Thon event and much of these successes are directly related to her efforts.

A happy reminder that we have now reached the end of the first quarter of the 2024-2025 school year. The annual Fall Break will run until Sunday, October 13th. We look forward to the return of our learners to campus for a full day of school on Monday, October 14th.

Best wishes to you all for a happy and healthy holiday filled with food, friends, and fun. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i

2 side-by-side images of AOK learners sitting around tables in classrooms
27 Sep

Director DJ’s Message

Aloha mai kakou to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School and hope this end-of-September message finds you in good health and happiness as we approach Fall Break.

Mahalo nui kakou to everyone who came to campus last Thursday and Friday for our extremely important Individual Learning Plan Meetings. These meetings connect the learner, home, and school together in collective collaboration in the best interest of quality education. Current research clearly indicates that student engagement is a key indicator of that student’s learning to the best of their ability. This forms a key component of the Individual Learning Plan. In addition, the academic benchmarks measured near the end of the first quarter certainly assist the individualization of education programs as we move forward into the 2024-2025 school year. Individual Learning Plan Meetings are another example of what makes our school unique and a touch different from other public schools.

Another area that makes our school unique is embracing project based learning as a vehicle of teaching the state standards. A happy example of this approach was found in Middle School Math where the Grade Six students created board games based on solving math problems. Not only did the students create the board games but they next had an opportunity to play the games with their classmates. This project-based learning activity was creative, educational, challenging, and FUN!

Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School wishes to express our gratitude to the good people at the Rotary Club of Poipu Beach for their generous donation of free dictionaries to our Grade Three students again this year. They have made an annual visit to our school for several years now and kindly give this gift of knowledge for each student in Grade Three. We greatly appreciate their support of learning at our school.

The next school-wide assembly will be held on Friday, October 4th starting at 9 am in the gymnasium and all members of our learning community are warmly welcomed to attend. A helpful reminder that this is also the last day of school before the annual Fall Break.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful week ahead. Malama pono.

DJ Adams
Po’okumu (Director)
Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School
Koloa, Hawai’i