The Heart of Haleʻiwa

February 5, 2021

In this issue...

• Garden Party
• Meet our staff: Aunty Ryland and Mrs. Candy
• Reading Corner: Helpful tips about reading with your child
• Submit a Book Review and Enter to win 2 Free Books
• No, David! Read by second grader, Journey
• Hawaiʻi's Literacy History by PCNC Cyndy Sumbad
• Learn about Pōhaku O Lanaʻi - right in Hale`iwa's "back yard" by Kumu Kuʻuipo
• Essence Week is next week!
• Nurse Connie's Tidbit: The Heart an Science of Kindness
• Choose Love: Kupuna Love and Have You Hugged Your Child Today by PCNC Cyndy Sumbad

Last Wednesday, January 27th, Haleʻiwa Staff members spent their afternoon beautifying our campus by pulling out all the weeds from the garden beds around campus. Staff members then filled up the garden beds with soil. The soil was graciously donated by Kokua Foundation's ʻĀINA In Schools program. Most of the teachers will have students plant different items in the garden ranging from flowers to vegetables this spring. Our teachers and students enjoy working in the garden and we are excited to share their progress in the following months!

Our custodian, Ryland Skaggs is a proud graduate of Haleʻiwa Elementary and Waialua High School. She has worked at Haleʻiwa Elementary for 7 years. Aunty Ryland not only cleans our school, she helps to maintain the plants around campus. She enjoys working on the plants and takes pride in her work and tries to make the plants look nice, pristine, and inviting!

Aunty Ryland loves tropical plants and is trying to add more gingers and ti leaves around campus. She is looking forward to our upcoming school project to build a greenhouse.

Mrs. Candy has worked at Haleʻiwa for over 30 years as a preschool teacher! She loves to garden and you will probably find her on campus late into the evening and on weekends. She tends to the plants as if they were her own children. Mrs. Candy wants our campus to look beautiful. She enjoys teaching students how to make lei with the flowers around school. Mrs. Candy gets excited when she and her students find bugs since she uses them to teach about the life cycle. Mrs. Candy also leads our garden club at school where students learn how to cook recipes from fresh garden items and also learn how to care for our plants.

HELP US PROMOTE LITERACY WITH YOUR CHILD!

Choosing a Book

• Find a Book that interests you and your child
• Pick one that has interesting pictures
• Reread favorite stories
• Ask teachers for suggestions

Getting Ready to Read

• Find a comfortable spot
• Make sure that you and your child can see the book
• Sound excited about the book

Before Reading

• Show your child the cover
• Read the title and the author's name

During Reading

• Explain the meaning of new words
• Ask your child to predict what will happen next
• Have your child repeat familiar phrases or rhymes
• Use different voices and sounds to make the story interesting
• Move your finger under words as you read

After Reading

• Help your child recall what happened in the story
• Relate the story to your child's own experiences
• Some questions to ask: What happened in the beginning? At the end? Who did you like best? Why? What was your favorite part? Why?

After you read a book this weekend, fill out this form with a review of the book. Parents can help students fill it out, but should ask the students to help come up with the answers.

We will have a drawing in a week and the winners will win 2 brand new books to add to their family library.

Click on the link below to enter:

Click below to hear Journey read one of his favorite books, No, David!

It's true! Nearly 200 years ago, literacy in the Hawaiian islands exceeded 90%, making the Hawaiian Kingdom one of the most literate nations in the world. Today, according to an article in the Honolulu Civil Beat, one in six Hawaii residents struggle to read. While the reasons for this are many, "ranging from chronic absenteeism at school driven by poverty and homelessness to a high percentage of students who don't speak English at home," the issue has been worsened by the pandemic. You can check out the entire article by clicking on the button below, and yes, we encourage you to become a part of the solution as well by reading with your child!

Have you ever wondered what is the odd shaped rock formation located behind our school at Kaiaka Park? According to the late Kupuna Jimmy Awai, this rock was flying back to the island of Kaua’i at night, but the sun began to rise, so it landed where it remains today.

Pōhaku O Lana’i, also known as Bell Rock, was used to kahea (call) to the people when a school of fish were in the bay…Imagine if you will, rippling on the surface of the waters out at Kaiaka Bay. The Lawaiʻa (fisherman) peers out in excitement. He spots the movement, and right away realizes it’s a school of fish causing the movement. He makes his way to the limestone mushroom top shaped rock formation and begins to bang on it with a wooden mallet. The sound from the vibration of the rock can be heard miles away from Mokuleia to Waimea Bay. The sound reaches the ears of the kanaka moali (natives) as they hurry to jump in their canoes to paddle their way to Kaiaka Bay.

Once there, they swim out a long net (hukilau net) with ti leaves tied to the rim of the net. Many hands have answered the call to help pull in the net that now surrounds the school of fish. The call to “Huki! Huki! Huki!”, is commanded by the Lawaiʻa as many hands grip on the net, some on the shore, and some in the water, in unity, they pull until the net is brought up to shore. The bountiful catch is shared by all who’s hand’s laid on the net. Such a vision was a reality in the ancient days of life in Hawaiʻi.

Join us as we celebrate our ESSENCE... live life to the fullest with honor, respect, kindness, and love to make the world a better place.

Get your outfits ready and share your pictures with us!

February bring us not only Valentine’s Day, but it is also celebrated as the month for random acts of kindness. Science says that acts of kindness enhances the health and well-being of those who practice and observe kindness. The warm feeling after an act of kindness is a release of happy hormones that lower blood pressure and stress. Kindness enhances our general well-being by increasing longevity, calm, and boosting our immune system. To continue to reap these rewards, we need to only repeat the acts of being kind.

The three most powerful words in any language are, I Love You. Parents who understand the importance of these three words, and take the time to use them daily, will have mastered the single most important element of successful parenting.

Love and affection is the key to family communication and discipline. They also play a vital role in building a child's self concept. Sadly, older children often involve themselves in highly destructive behaviors because they do not believe their parents love or even care about them. Interestingly, the bumper sticker: Have you hugged your kid today?, was originally developed as a campaign to help parent keep their children from using alcohol and other drugs.

When parents are asked if they love their children, the usual response is, Of course I do. But, when asked, When was the last time you told your son or daughter that you love them? , parents' responses are mixed.

Simply loving children is not enough. Parents' love for their children must be expressed. Many parents, especially fathers, find it difficult to tell those closest to them how they feel. None-the-less, it is essential for children to know they're loved today for who they are and not for what they might become. Children are "now" focused.

From a Parent Project Jr. class workbook entitled "Loving Solutions: A Parent's Guide to Raising Tough Kids ages 5 - 10 years". For more information, call Cyndy Sumbad at Haleiwa Elementary School.

Email: haleiwaschool@haleiwa.k12.hi.us
Website: haleiwaelementary.com
Location: 66-505 Hale`iwa Road
Phone: 808-637-8237