Monday Message – March 15, 2021

Aloha to the learning community of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School, and hope this message finds you in good health and happiness at the start of the annual spring break. The time away from campus gives our learners and facilitators an opportunity to recharge their batteries before we quickly head into the fourth quarter of the school year. In addition, after the rest during the break, we will quickly move to the extremely important Hawai’i Department of Education Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) measures for many of our learners.

The uniqueness of Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School was on full display again last week on campus. The learners continue to shine both inside and outside the classroom, the staff continue to offer programs that set us apart from other schools on Kaua’i, and the generous learning community supports all of these endeavors to make it work.

The annual Jog-A-Thon is a great example to demonstrate everyone working together collectively for the continued improvement of our school. Although the weather required us to move indoors for safety reasons with all the excess moisture in Kahili Valley, we still enjoyed an outstanding event that focused on the joy of participation, the importance of physical activity, and the building of confidence in completing a task that is perhaps new to us. All of the funds raised go toward project-based learning activities here at the school and empower our facilitators and learners to explore new driving questions.

Mahalo to Coach Kate for the gift of her time and expertise in providing a basketball club for the girls in grades 4-6 here at the school. It is my great fortune to offer a similar program for our boys in grades 4-6. Both of these free programs are found only at Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School as school-based sports clubs. We have witnessed significant growth in skill development and love the culture of team-building within both of these clubs.

We also wish to recognize Bandwagon and share our appreciation for their generosity in providing a top-notch free music experience for our participating keiki. Due to their kindness, we were able to offer two bands here at our school, and we do hope to host the Kaua’i island Battle of the Bands sometime before the conclusion of the school year. Through this program and our morning assemblies, we have seen countless learners shine and share their talents with others. With this in mind, we are hoping to host an Alaka’i O Kaua’i Charter School Talent Show during the last week of the 2020-2021 school year.

Mahalo for your support of our school, and best wishes to all for a healthy and happy spring break.

DJ Adams
School Director