March 17, 2020
Aloha mai kākou,
Mahalo for your flexibility and patience as we strive to keep our haumāna, community and all of you safe and healthy during this rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. With every new development that emerges, we are all being asked to adjust not only the way we learn and work, but also the way we live. I want to reiterate how grateful and proud I am that our school ʻohana has shown itself to be adaptable, accommodating and, most of all, compassionate. Those qualities will help us all as we proceed through this unprecedented situation.
It’s within this climate that we announce that all three K-12 campuses and 29 preschools will implement their respective distance learning and educational support programs when school resumes after their respective spring breaks. During this period, there will be no on-campus student instruction or student activities.
We will continuously review the situation in the hope that we will be able to resume on-campus instruction and activities. We will provide you with updates at least weekly, as we consider conditions in the community along with guidance from state and federal health officials.
Students at all KS campuses will be receiving plans detailing their respective distance learning programs. KS-Hawai‘i, KS-Maui and all KS preschools have extended their respective spring breaks so teachers and administrators may complete preparations for distance-based education before they resume on March 30.
Our preschools will extend Spring Break for keiki through March 27. On March 30, our preschool sites and offices will close and kumu will begin to offer distance-based education to support your keiki’s learning at home.
You might be wondering what “distance-based learning” means for preschool since it is typically an approach used with older students. Distance-based learning for our young keiki means that our kumu will continue to support keiki’s learning while school is closed using a combination of online and offline learning tools and experiences. Our kumu will find ways using technology to connect with keiki and ʻohana and to offer educational experiences and activities during the closure period. This approach will require support and participation from a parent or caregiver.
We realize this is a different way of working with you and teaching your keiki. However, the current situation requires us to think beyond what we normally do and to discover innovative ways to continue our educational mission and serving our preschool keiki and ʻohana. We look forward to partnering with you in support of your keiki’s growth and development.
The following table summarizes changes to the academic schedule:
| KS-Hawai‘i, KS-Maui | |
| March 23-25 | Spring break extended |
| March 26 | Kūhiō Day holiday; no school activities scheduled |
| March 27 | Teachers will test the use of online instructional tools with students |
| March 30 | School resumes using distance learning |
| KS-Kapālama | |
| March 17 | Spring break begins |
| April 6 | School resumes using distance learning |
| Preschools | |
| March 23-25, 27 | Teachers and Teaching Assistants will prepare and plan for the use of online and supplemental learning tools |
| March 26 | Kūhiō Day holiday |
| March 23 – 27 | Spring break extended |
| March 30 | Distance-based educational support begins |
For all updates please visit www.ksbe.edu and click on “Coronavirus Updates.”
We are facing a community challenge and, therefore, it makes sense that the conversation around educational impact is dynamic and fluid. Each individual school, public and private, is weighing the unique opportunities and challenges that come with decisions about distance learning for their particular community. Simple solutions for some may not be options for others. Please remember that as information is shared from other schools, those decisions are made with the larger Hawaiʻi community in mind.
As I stated earlier, the resilience of our school ʻohana is inspiring. It would be easy for panic to take hold, but we have been preparing for this exact scenario for a while now. Use this time to connect with your loved ones in new ways and to discover the possibilities of this new arrangement.
E Mālama Pono,
Shelli Kim
Poʻo Kula
Kamehameha Preschools
