• The club is mostly online, so it doesn’t take away precious school time like study hall and recess
• The book club members choose themes so that if someone is not interested in a particular book, they can find a plethora of other books in the same theme. (November’s theme is mystery)
• Members are able to form sub-groups around particular books so that they can have specific online conversations about what they’re reading
• The faster readers can jump from group to group and read more than one book a month
• There is no minimum amount of posting that students need to make, although they are encouraged to post a response to the regular discussions (What are you reading on Monday and Teaser Tuesday) as well as blog about a book they finished.
• The book club includes all three grade levels, so students meet students that are not in their grade level.
• The online site is private, secure and well-monitored, so our students are safe.

If your child would like to get involved with Hui Heluhelu, see any of the English teachers, or catch me in the hallway. Hope to see you in the technosphere.

Since we are an enrolled spelling bee school, we encourage our students and ohana to take advantage of all the resources available on the spelling website.

Site: http://spellingbee.com (on the top right will be a log in area)

log-in ID:  caikeda at ksbe.edu

password: ksmiddleschool

“Buzz” on over and check it out!

• must do. . .
• must read. . .
• must learn.  . .
• must implement. . .
• must revise. . .
• must reflect. . .
• must report. . .

Our own Liana Iaea Honda has a painless, fun way to increase our Hawaiian language learning (another “must”) through her blog: He Momi. Subscribe to her blog, put it on your feed reader and enjoy the stories that come from these words. From today’s blog:

Ōlaʻi

1. earthquake, tremor.
2. light porous stone or pumice, as used for polishing canoes or for scraping off hair of pig or dog to be roasted.

In light of the ōlaʻi that have taken place in the Pacific Ocean recently, perhaps you can find some use of today’s word in your daily practice.  Ōlaʻi (with a macron over the o for stress) is an old word, as ōlaʻi are not a new phenomenon to Hawaiians.  Many ōlaʻi occur in our islands, particularly because of the activity generated by the still active volcano on Hawai’i Island.  I find it particularly interesting this word has a smaller word in it, la’i, that actually means calm or peaceful.  Perhaps this refers to the calmness that follows an earthquake, when you experience it.  I’m only speculating and using this connection as a tool to help me better remember the ōlaʻi.  As we make connections to certain words, that’s how we remember them, right?

Ōla’i ikaika loa i ‘ike ‘ole ‘ia kona lua – very strong earthquake, the like of which had never been seen before.

Halulu ka honua i ka ōla’i ē – The earth resounds because of the earthquake (from a chant by Edith Kanaka’ole)

Nei ka honua, he ōlaʻi ia
When the earth trembles, it is an earthquake.
(We know what it is by what it does)

Ua loa’a ʻelua ōla’i ma Vanuatu i kēia pule. – There were two earthquakes in Vanuatu this week.

Aia ke ōlaʻi ma Indonesia. – The earthquake was in Indonesia.

Can I guarantee that they’ve read their prescribed 20 minutes, 30 minutes? No. But although I am not a math person, this mathematical parable of why kids MUST read for 20 minutes makes perfect sense to me. I’m sharing the link with you below, parent to parent.

Why it’s important to read for at least 20 minutes

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

President Obama’s message to the students was about working hard, despite the struggles and obstacles. The onus goes back to the students. If they work hard and succeed, we all succeed.

Some resources:

Full text of Obama’s speech

CNN video excerpt of Obama’s speech

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/blog/2009/100-most-educational-iphone-apps/

Of course I’m so pake, that I checked to see if they had free versions of any of the suggestions because that’s the only thing I was going to put on my own iPhone.

I think overall the reviews are pretty insightful on iTunes, and if it’s FREE99, even better!!

If that’s a concern for you, Mrs. Crystella Kauka, our middle school librarian has a wonderful online resource for finding the “right” book for your child.

Instructions:

Go to our middle school home page and click on the banner for the Charles Reed Bishop library.

On the left column of the home page, under “Online Databases” is the link Novelist

The database can find books by type (adventure, adventure comics. . .), author, age/grade level, etc. You’ll get a short synopsis of the book and it will even list similar books so you can plan ahead.

If students are visual learners this is a great site for learning vocabulary. Not only does the site give a daily word, it also gives a visual, a sentence, a definition and information on the root of the word.

Why I like this: the more exposure students have to vocabulary, the more chances they have to learn new words. Also, by giving a visual picture, students have more ways to learn a word.

Learning doesn’t stop on the last day of school. Encourage your child to continue reading, writing and thinking all year long. Besides the list of ways to get and keep your teen reading (in the May newsletter), here are some other resources:

Around the web:

• NASA has an interactive website for science buffs.
• Explore the world with Smithsonian. Their on-line resources will take you around the world.
• Tour the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
• Be immersed in art.  SmArtHistory is an award-winning website that functions like an art history book. Search by theme, style or artist, then listen to an audio discussion of the work.

Around town:

• Go to the library – This link will take you to the public library site where you can get audiobooks, e-books, and information on special programs as well as location and hours for your local library. The Hawaii Public Library also has summer reading programs for kids, teens and adult. Visit Mark Kishaba, young adult librarian for the Hilo Public Library.
• Participate in community service, gain self-confidence and self-esteem. Youth Service America offers the following tips: 100_ways_to_make_difference.pdf

Blue and Brush

T.A. Barron, author of The Lost Years of Merlin epic wrote an article in Parent Guide Magazine talking about raising creative kids (Oct. 2004). In an nutshell, here’s his top ten most important things anyone can do to encourage a child’s creativity:

1. Be creative in your own life. Be a role model by honoring your own creative impulses: read, sing, ask questions, scribble, paint, tell jokes, write poems, imitate a howling wolf.
2. Read aloud.This is one of the most powerful sparks of creativity.
3. Surround your kids with creativity. Make your home a place that invites creative play and exploration. Unstructured play materials (old magazines, modeling clay, colored paper, spare clothes) are easy to keep handy.
4. Fan those creative flames. Try not to judge, and encourage wild ideas now and then.
5. Record ideas and experiences.
6. Turn off the television.
7. Experience nature.
8. Talk about creative people.
9. Don’t overschedule.
10. Creativity is a way of life.