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Ka Malu o Kaimana Hila

Under the Protection of Diamond Head

Ka Malu oKaimana HilaUnder the Protection of Diamond Head

Waikīkī School Parent Bulletin - January 2, 2022

Information on the Omicron Variant

Happy New Year Waikiki School Ohana. My hope is that everyone had a safe and restful winter break, whether at home, or on vacation out-of-state (see reminders below).


On December 29, 2021, the Hawaii Department of Education released a statement on the return to school from winter break. Here are some highlights from the message:


​The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) has been working with the state Department of Health (DOH) throughout the winter break to closely monitor the impacts of the omicron variant in preparation for the return of students and staff. With the continued support and guidance from DOH, the HIDOE remains committed to full in-person learning during the second semester that begins next week.


“We’ve seen the benefits of in-person learning for our students’ social development and academic achievement and while we remain vigilant due to the omicron variant, we have consistent safety measures in place that have proven effective at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our schools,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “Core safety protocols such as getting vaccinated and boosted, masking, social distancing and hand-washing have helped keep our positivity rates lower than the broader community, as well as our counterparts on the mainland.”


HIDOE teachers are scheduled to return from winter break on Jan. 3 and students are scheduled to return on Jan. 4. Over the break, HIDOE leadership and school leaders have been revisiting contingency plans and preparing for potential situations that may require modifications to in-person instruction. Should any transitions need to occur, schools will notify their staff and families directly.


Please be vigilant with regard to any symptoms presented by your child. HIDOE's wellness checklist is here. If your student exhibits any of these symptoms, please do not send them to school.


The CDC's Nowcast is a model that estimates more recent proportions of circulating variants and enables timely public health action. The screenshot from Nowcast was taken from https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions

Here are some working assumptions with Omicron.


  • Vaccinated and boosted individuals are susceptible to breakthrough infections. We will very likely see a higher level of COVID cases in our schools than in the past.
  • Vaccinated and boosted individuals, in the majority, present less severe symptoms when infected with omicron than unvaccinated individuals.
  • While this variant is more highly communicable than previous COVID mutations, the symptoms on average are described as “cold-like” for vaccinated individuals.
  • Unvaccinated individuals, however, remain at severe health risk from the omicron variant.

Updated Isolation and Quarantine Guidance

On December 29, 2021, the Hawaii Department of Health issued their new isolation and quarantine policy based on updated CDC guidance. These changes are effective Monday, January 3, 2022. Although not released in the most recent HIDOE Health and Safety Handbook, the working assumption is that it will come out shortly.


If COVID-19 positive regardless of vaccination status

  • Isolate for at least 5 days (starting from symptom onset) and until symptoms are gone.
  • Continue to wear a mask for five days after isolation.

If exposed to COVID-19

  • Boosted, or fully vaccinated within past six months (or within past 2 months if J&J)
    • No need to quarantine
    • Wear a mask for ten days
    • Get tested on day five
  • Neither boosted nor fully vaccinated
    • Quarantine for five days (after last date of exposure)
    • Wear a mask for five days after quarantine
    • Get tested on day five


Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even mild symptoms, need to stay home from work, school and other activities. Those with symptoms who have not been tested should be tested as soon as possible. You can look up test sites at https://www.oneoahu.org/covid19-testing

COVID Testing at Waikiki School

Waikiki School will resume its weekly PCR covid testing this Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Students who already received parental consent will be tested. You DO NOT have to register again. If you didn't sign up, but would now like to have your child tested at school, the registration link is below.


https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=HHS-WaikikiElementary-44-Adult-Students


For new registrations, please complete the link by 9 am Tuesday, January 4, 2022.


If you previously registered for testing, and asked to stop, but would now like your child to resume, simply respond to the parent bulletin email with your child's first and last name.

Travel Reminders

Student travelers must follow all applicable state and county rules at the time of the trip, including compliance with any required COVID-19 testing or quarantine periods. The Department’s protocol for students who travel out-of-state must comply with the following four options to return to school:

    OPTION 1. Be fully vaccinated before the start of out-of-state travel and show proof of vaccination to the school.
    OPTION 2. If participating in the Safe Travels Pre-Travel Test program or if under 5 years of age, obtain a COVID-19 test after returning to Hawaii and show proof of both the pre- and post-travel test results to the school (if the traveler is under 5 years of age, the adult traveling companion must show proof of a negative pre-travel test result). Waikiki School is asking that this post-travel test take place 3 days after arrival back in Honolulu.
    OPTION 3. Quarantine for five (5) days after returning to Hawaii. (Updated from 1/3/22)
    OPTION 4. Provide the school with proof of a COVID-19 diagnosis obtained during out-of-state travel and return is allowed upon completion of the 10-day isolation period, no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medication, and symptoms resolving (i.e., no COVID-19 test or quarantine required).

COVID Vaccinations

Based on data from Hawaii's Department of Health, 73.9% of Hawaii's population of 1,422,086 is considered fully vaccinated. The chart below shows that 19.6% of children in Hawaii between the ages of 5-11 received their COVID vaccination. Also of note, 23.9% of eligible individuals received a booster (third dose). The CDC recommendations for boosters is listed below.


Vaccinations for students and staff are considered a core essential strategy by Hawaii Public Schools. To find a location for COVID vaccinations, visit https://www.oneoahu.org/find-vaccine