A large group of children and adults, guided by Director Paul, stand in a wide circle on a grassy field outside a school building, participating in an outdoor gathering to share an important message on a cloudy day.
24 Oct

Director Paul’s Message

Weekly Walaʻau: Facilities, Focus, and Feeling Unified

Aloha mai Alaka’i O Kaua’i Ohana,

Welcome to this week’s Walaʻau, our regular conversation about the progress, plans, and priorities across our campus. It’s an exciting time as our commitment to our core values continues to translate into tangible actions in our learning spaces and classrooms.

🏗️ Facilities Update: A Growing Foundation

We are thrilled to announce that the foundation phase of our new classroom building is continuing to progress. Like with children, building a layered and strong foundation is key to all the skills you add to that foundation. Our foundation is strong and will be a great place to support our classroom building.

  • Next Steps: Once permit approvals are complete, we will proceed to construction, installing professional-grade components into the physical structure of the building.
  • Goal: The classroom building will serve as a venue for unique learning activities for our esteemed classes in Ike Hawai’i and Art. So exciting!

A construction site with a leveled foundation, wooden frames, and metal rods for concrete work. Trees and greenery surround the area, as the Director oversees workers and equipment visible in the background.

🧠 Project-Based Learning (PBL) & Mission Alignment

This month, we are deeply focused on ensuring every PBL unit directly reinforces our commitment to critical thinking and intellectual defense.

We are guiding students to move beyond simple compliance and rote answers by asking tough questions like: “How does this process work?” and “What evidence do you have to support that claim?” This emphasis is essential as we keep our curriculum aligned in all subjects to equip students with the intellectual tools needed for thoughtful citizenship and strong core values. We are seeing incredible student engagement as they learn to argue their points with evidence and integrity.

A teacher in an orange shirt leans over a table, engaging with five students working together. Behind them, a screen displays a message from Director Paul listing SEL Groups with students’ names and group categories.

🤝 SEL Focus: Emotional Resilience and Community Care

This week, we highlighted emotional literacy and inclusivity.

For Learners: Facilitators are consistently modeling the practice of using “I” statements to express needs constructively (e.g., “I feel frustrated when…” or “I need a 2-minute walking break”). This is a key resilience skill, especially for our middle schoolers.

For Staff: We encourage all staff to engage in the Culture of Gratitude, taking a moment to acknowledge a colleague daily to help build a supportive and unified school environment.

🧡 Unity Day Review: Reaching Out

Thank you to all the learners, staff, and guests who took part in our recent Unity Day observance, celebrating a culture of kindness and standing together against bullying. It was a powerful reminder of our commitment to inclusivity and empathy.

Our activities emphasized the importance of reaching out to others, especially those who are new or may feel isolated. We focused on the guideline: intentionally invite new learners or colleagues to join activities or conversations. Maintaining this sense of belonging is vital to our school’s mission. We choose to stand up for each other.

A large group of children and adults stand in a wide circle on a grassy field in front of school buildings, under a cloudy sky, listening as Director Paul shares an inspiring message during an outdoor gathering or activity.

We hope you have a safe and restful week ahead!

Mahalo Nui,
The Alakaʻi O Kauaʻi Admin Team