Aloha mai kakou!
Mahalo to our ‘opio, kumu and ‘ohana for all their hard work so far this year, I am pleased with the way the school year is progressing and we are positioning ourselves for a strong completion of the 2009-10 school year. I am happy to highlight some areas of interest that we have been busy with.
HSA testing has been a topic of continuing importance and interest this year. HKM’s Math department has been pooling their efforts, working diligently to improve ‘opio comprehension and testing performance in Math, paying special attention to constructed responses. We are hopeful that the changes implemented this year, putting math back in the classroom has served to increase ‘opio performance in this area. It is through these combined efforts of hard work and attention to detail that we anticipate improvements across the board, but particularly in Math as another round of HSA testing is scheduled to begin this spring.
Administration has been busily incorporating the results of the two most recent NWEA tests. We are using this powerful information to identify opportunities for improvement on an individual student level. This valuable data is also being used to fashion educational instruction according to individual ‘opio needs, helping kumu to assist ‘opio to flourish in all areas. We are also pleased with the progress being made already in Reading and Language arts, particularly at the 6th grade level, where we saw noticeable improvements.
Na Ho'okele paddlers had a good season and made a valiant effort at Oahu Championships. We were just 2 seconds away from qualifying for the State Race, shaving an unreal 15 seconds off our best time. Out of 24 teams only 12 had the distinction to make it to our island round and the stakes were higher this year as the playing field was lowered to top six, verses top ten due to budget cuts. HKM is very proud to say that Na Ho'okele ranks 7th on Oahu and are runners up for State Championships. A very heart-felt mahalo to Sally and Kawika for their leadership this season!
And finally, in this year’s legislative session we have been focused on garnering support for charter school funding. It is likely that in the coming months we will be reaching out to parents and the community for support to further our efforts.
I am excited about the progress being made this year, and encouraged that we are moving in a positive direction. Mahalo nui loa for your continuing efforts and support.
Normadeene K. Musick
Executive Director
