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Aloha mai kākou,

Welcome to our Papa Lokelani blog!  I hope that this will be another useful tool for communicating with you! I will try to enter new blog posts each week and look forward to your comments!

I will be posting copies of our classroom calendar, schedule, and homework on this web page throughout the year.  The page is meant to enhance rather than replace our Communication Log.  So, please remember to check your log daily for notes and updates!  You may also email me at [email protected].

Me ka ha‘aha‘a,

Ms. Dana

Happy Aloha Friday

Happy Friday!  Itʻs been a busy week that has just flown by.  October calendars were sent home this week and were also posted here on the blog (located under classroom information at the bar at the top of the page).  I will be sending home newsletters on Monday and be sure to mark your calendars for all the events in October!

Mahalo to everyone who attended the Munch on a Home Lunch workshop on Thursday!  We had a great turn out and learned quite a bit about healthy eating.  Participants got to taste test three foods: Beef Curry and Quinoa, Low-fat spinach dip with crackers, and nutritious fruit smoothies!  We also discussed food safety and introduced on-line resources for home lunch ideas. I recently started a class Pinterest account where I will be pinning various recipes, home lunch ideas, and various learning activities.  Please follow me!

Here are some great resources from the workshop:

Slow Cooker Recipes

Food Skills Cookbook

Have a great weekend!  Remember we have class on Monday and Tuesday only!  ʻOhana Conferences are held on Wednesday and Thursday with a Teacher InʻService on Friday.  Students will return to school on Monday, October 14 after the Fall Break!

Aloha,

Ms. Dana

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!  Itʻs nice to be back at school after a busy weekend at home.  My sister recently came home to get married and the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding events.  But it has been wonderful having my whole family home.  Since both my sisters live overseas, we donʻt get to spend as much time together as we would like so family time is precious.

This week we will talk about Kamehamehaʻs family, both immediate and hanai.  Our keiki will share about their own families and we will discuss similarities between ourselves and Kamehameha.  The homework for this week will be discussed at our ʻOhana Activity on Wednesday, but we will not add this to our Kukui tree until next week.

 

We look forward to our first ʻohana activity of the year on Wednesday and the opportunity to spend time getting to know you better!

Mahalo,

Ms. Dana

 

Get Notifications via Text Message

I recently joined a service called Remind101.  By signing up, you can receive text messages from me with reminders, important notifications, and other useful information.  For example, I will be sending Field Trip reminders, school closure updates, and Homework reminders to parents using this service.  Itʻs easy to sign-up and free!  Follow the directions below to enroll.Screen Shot 2013-08-27 at 1.38.46 PM

Beginning Our New Year

Aloha e nā ʻohana!

Friday was our first full day of school and we had so much fun together!  Our keiki are getting to know one anotherʻs names and are making new friends and renewing old friendships.  It has been so nice to see our big buddies mentor and care for our little buddies!

This week we will continue to work in our Centers and will introduce some new rules for Center Time.  We will talk with keiki to determine how many keiki should be able to play in each enter without overcrowding.  Keiki will then need to obtain a “clip” (clothespin) for the center they would like to play at to show that it is their turn to play.  When leaving a center, keiki will be responsible (kuleana) for cleaning up their area and exchanging their clip for a new one.

I have posted our September Calendar and Newsletter and will be sending home copies this week.  Have a wonderful Monday!

Me ka haʻa haʻa,

Ms. Dana

Getting Ready for a Full Class

We are so excited!  Tomorrow will be our first day with all 20 students!  We will end our fabulous week by spending a half day with all 20 keiki.  We canʻt wait for our returning students to finally get the chance to reconnect and for our new keiki to meet one another.

The half day / half class schedule has been a wonderful opportunity for keiki to become comfortable with our class rules, routines and structure.  They have done a fabulous job and have shown Aloha, Mālama and Kuleana throughout the day.  We are so proud of our returning keiki for taking a leadership role and mentoring our new students.  Our new four-year-olds very quickly learned our expectations and helped to be mentors as well.  A huge MAIKAʻI to our new little buddies!  We are so proud of they way you have entered the classroom full of smiles and eager to learn.

Tomorrow will be a big day.  Letʻs all make sure to get a good nightʻs sleep so we are ready to see all of our friends tomorrow!

A Hui Hou!

Ms. Dana

Our first half day

Another first for the school year!  Today was our first half day with the keiki in groups B & C.  The began the day with smiles and excitement as they completed their morning work and headed off to the playground.  During the Orientation period we will operate on our Wednesday (half-day) schedule until we graduate to a full day.

The keiki did a fantastic job throughout the day.  They practiced showing Aloha to their friends as they held hands and sang the song “Twinkle Friends”.  Keiki also demonstrated kuleana as they cleaned up their centers and cared for their toys.  The story, “Those Mean,  Nasty, dirty, Downright Disgusting, but Invisible Germs” taught us to show mālama for our bodies by washing our hands to get rid of germs.

We ended our day with lots of conversation and some ono food at lunch time.  Maikaʻi to the keiki in groups B & C!  We look forward to an equally wonderful day tomorrow with the keiki of groups A & D.

NOTE:  Please remember to check your Communication Log and initial all notes.  Keiki have a homework assignment that is due next week!

Orientation News

Wow!  We have had a great first few days of school!  First, I would like to thank Ms. Ramona for all her hard work.  She helped me to prepare our classroom, accompanied me on Home visits, and helped our keiki to feel welcome on their very first day of school. I would like to welcome Ms. Maddy as our new Teaching Assistant.  I have known Maddy for many years and am excited to have her with us.  She is an amazing teacher and we are lucky to have her with us this year.

Our returning four-year-olds have come back to school excited to get into the swing of things again.  They all matured over the summer and have shown incredible empathy, leadership and responsibility these past few days.  Our new four-year-olds quickly made friends and have also been such helpers in the classroom.

Our new “little buddies” have been so fun to get to know and are quickly adjusting to their new classroom and are making new friends.  They have LOVED playing in the Home Center, Water Table, and Music Center.  In fact, Ms. Maddy and I are full from all the delicious food they “cook” for us in the play kitchen!

Thank you all for your support during the first few days of school.  I am looking forward to a fun filled and successful school year.

NOTE:  Please check your Communication Logs daily for notes.  We were recently cleared to allow nut products at school and your log contains information about this change.