Ka Malu o Kaimana Hila

Under the Protection of Diamond Head

Waikīkī School Parent Bulletin - March 8, 2022

Outdoor masking to be optional

Effective Wednesday March 9, 2022, outdoor masking at Waikiki School will be optional for students, faculty and staff. Indoor masking will continue to be required. This updated guidance takes into consideration the latest recommendations from the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s latest guidance for K-12 schools recommends outdoor masking not be required when community levels are low to moderate. All counties in Hawaii are currently designated as “low." The CDC looks at a combination of three metrics to determine the COVID-19 community level: new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.

“It’s encouraging to see our indicators trending in the right direction to allow us to make this change. We’re seeing COVID case counts at our public schools continue to decline for the seventh-straight week and weekly rates are down 98 percent from January’s omicron surge peak,” Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said.

“I want to thank our students, staff and families for being diligent with mask-wearing throughout this pandemic. That diligence helped get us to this point where we can start to ease restrictions in a safe manner,” Hayashi added. “While outdoor masking will be optional, indoor masking will continue to be required.”

Please continue to send your child to school with a mask (and a spare one) as it is still required for indoor school settings.

zoom_out_map

Managing Impulsivity - March's Habit of the Month

Thinking before acting; remaining calm; being thoughtful and deliberate. What Habit of Mind is Waikīkī School focusing on this month? You guessed it! Managing Impulsivity.

Many of us, especially when we are young, tend to be impulsive. We sometimes react immediately, rush, or act without thinking about what might happen. This can get us into trouble or lead us to make unwise decisions.

Managing Impulsivity is just the opposite of this tendency. It is to slow down. It is, perhaps by taking a big breath, to take a pause. It is to take some time to appreciate all of the nuances and complexities of a situation and also to give thought to the possible consequences of one's actions.

Third graders in Ms. Grace Giletti’s class shared that Managing Impulsivity means “Thinking about what you are doing before you do it.” The school day provides multiple opportunities to practice thinking before acting. When doing your schoolwork, it is important to take your time, work with precision, and strive for accuracy. When interacting with others, either in the classroom or during recess, it is important to be considerate of others, wait your turn, and think before impulsively reacting.

Regular p4c (philosophy for children) sessions also give students the chance to practice this Habit of Mind. British researchers report that p4c helps students to "learn to self-manage their feelings/impulsivity more appropriately." During p4c discussions, Waikīkī School students learn to be still, to carefully listen to their classmates, and to take the time to thoughtfully reflect on ideas. Using the p4c Good Thinker's Toolkit, they learn to consider implications and ask themselves "If...Then..." questions. "If I do this, then what might happen?"

Learning the habit of Managing Impulsivity is an important step in becoming an effective problem solver. Here are some practical steps that you can take in order to exercise Managing Impulsivity:

Slow down, give yourself time to think
Make a list of options and evaluate each before you decide
Check your thinking, check your work, check your editing
Ask a friend, is this a good idea?
Consider the consequences.

Adapted from Harvard's 'Visible Thinking Resource Book

When you learn the Habit of Mind of Managing Impulsivity, you learn how to be mindful of your surroundings, to be aware of others, to manage yourself, and to be a careful thinker. Knowing how to do these things helps one to be a thoughtful student, a helpful family member, and, ultimately, a responsible and empathetic citizen.