Mai Ke Poʻo Kumu

Aloha Mai Kākou e Ka ʻOhana Kula Waena,

Another school year has come to an end and our ʻōpio have grown as a result of many wonderful learning experiences they had throughout the year.  They have risen to meet the expectations of a rigorous program and have excelled in and out of the classroom.  It never ceases to amaze me when I reflect on how much our students have changed in just ten short months.  Their successes are a direct result of their hard work and perserverance, coupled with the commitment we as a school ʻohana have all made to their continued growth and development.  E hoʻomaikaʻi e nā ʻōpio, nā makua a me nā kumu i ko ʻoukou hana pono!

Nā ʻIʻiwi, this is it, your time in our kula waena has come to an end.  We have done all we could to prepare you for the next phase of your educational journey.  As you transition into high school remember all weʻve taught you; set goals and aim high!  Remember, YOUR individual success contributes to the success of our ENTIRE lāhui.  Make good choices!

Many of you may know that our beloved Kahu Gaymond Apaka transitioned home to our heavenly father two weeks ago. He was a steadfast disciple of Christ, encouraging students and all people he encountered to embrace the teachings and love of Jesus Christ. We are truly blessed to have had a gentle and loving Kahu as part of our ʻohana.  He will definitely be missed.  Please join me in sending prayers of aloha to the Apaka ʻohana.

As you know, I will be transitioning to the Associate Head of School position over the summer.  This move is a bittersweet one for me as I have been a part of the middle school since 2001; first as a 6^th grade teacher, then a curriculum and assessment coordinator, and most recently as poʻo kumu.  While my kuleana will still keep me connected to the middle school, I will certainly miss the day-to-day interactions with our students, ʻohana, faculty and staff.  Our kula waena is an amazing place, I send my sincerest aloha and mahalo for your support over the years.

I wish all of you a wonderful summer filled with rest, rejuvenation, and many wonderful memories.

Me ke aloha pumehana,

Scott De Sa, Poʻo Kumu o Ke Kula Waena

Aloha mai Kākou,

T1 seemed to start off slower than normal, but then someone turned a switch and suddenly it’s a thing of the past! So much has happened in the first trimester and last Pōʻalima was our opportunity to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of our entire kula.

Overall as a kula, our T1 data for academic achievement and behavior looks great! High numbers on honor roll, low numbers on AP and our discipline when compared to the last three years has improved as well.

Iʻd like to think that these results are a combination of three important factors…

FIRST, itʻs because we have an awesome group of middle school students! SECOND, we have very supportive parents. When we COMBINE those two with an amazing faculty/staff who go above and beyond to make this place what it is today, why wouldnʻt we have the results we saw in T1?! WE ALL have something to celebrate!

When we talk about the value of MAHALO, succeeding in school is how you students SHOW your gratitude to your mākua, your kupuna, your kumu, to Pauahi and to Ke Akua for the gift you have been given.

MAHALO to our mākua for your support and to our kumu and kōkua for all you do to make this kula a place of excellence.

Hoʻomaikaʻi to all of our award recipients and to our entire kula for your hard work.

Keep up the good work and I mua Kamehameha!

Mr. De Sa

Aloha mai kākou e ka ʻohana kula waena!

Kepakemapa (September) is almost over and so much has happened since the start of school! Iʻd like to send a huge HOʻOMAIKAʻI (congratulations) to our current Media Communications class on the publication of their first newsletter of the school year. This newsletter is student driven, student designed, and student produced (and can be found here).  Enjoy!

I am pleased to welcome several new faces to our kula waena ʻohana. Joining our faculty and staff are Mrs. Crystal Nicolas, Dr. Liam Conway-Nesson and Mrs. Holly Lee. Mrs. Nicolas is our new administrative assistant in our front office and replaces Dancynne Kama who moved to Kona over the summer. Mrs. Nicolas came to us from our Outreach Department and has been with us since the end of July. Dr. Nesson is our new 8^th grade English teacher and took over for Dr. Day who is now the kula waena instructional evaluator. Prior to KS, Dr. Nesson worked at the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo in the Kupa ʻĀina program, which helped to transition our local graduates into college. Taking on the kuleana as our kula waena literacy specialist, following Mrs. Makanui-Yoshidaʻs move to the high school, is Mrs. Lee.   She comes to us from KS’s Literacy Instructional Support Division where she worked as a resource teacher in our local public schools. Both Dr. Nesson and Mrs. Lee joined our ʻohana at the start of this school year. We are very excited to have these three very talented, committed, and hard working individuals as part of our kula waena!

For the month of ʻAukake (August), we focused on the value of kuleana to ground ourselves in the responsibility and privilege we have as students, kumu and kōkua when starting a new school year. ʻO koʻu kuleana nō ia (it is MY responsibility), reminds us that the responsibility to do well, no matter your role, is our own. Our individual success contributes to the success of our entire lāhui. This month, we are emphasizing the value of aloha. The significance of this value as a school ʻohana can’t be minimized in any way. The ʻōlelo noʻeau, aloha kekahi i kekahi, to love one another, sets the foundation for a safe and welcoming learning environment for our entire ʻohana. Learning canʻt occur in an environment absent of aloha.

 Our school year is off to a great start and we are already at the mid-point of the first trimester. Mid-term progress reports were mailed home on 16 Kepakemapa 2015. Everyone should use this time to check their progress and determine what actions need to be taken to maintain or improve their academic performance. Please reach out to your child’s teachers or counselor if you need kōkua.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 982-0407 or [email protected] should you have any questions, comments, or thoughts you’d like to share.

Me ke aloha pumehana,

Scott De Sa

Poʻo Kumu, Kula Waena

14 ʻAukake 2014

Aloha mai kākou e ka ʻohana o Kamehameha Kula Waena!

Gone are the days of sleeping in for our ʻōpio, or staying up late playing video games, watching TV or hanging with friends. Lazy days at home or at the beach are now a distant memory. Summer is and should be a time for our ʻōpio to “decompress” and recuperate from a very busy year of studying. I hope everyone had a relaxing summer vacation filled with laughter, laziness and lounging around!

Welcome to a brand new school year at Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi Kula Waena. After a slight delay as a result of TS Iselle, the school year has officially started. We welcomed 64 new students and three faculty members to our kula waena ʻohana on the first day of school. We had an exciting opening assembly which included important manaʻo (thoughts) about the year ahead and the faculty and staff welcomed back the students with our own rendition of the evolution of dance. It was definitely a highlight of the first day of school and allowed our students to see that we know how to have fun too!

A new school year comes with new goals. We will continue to focus heavily on student achievement and student support. Included in both of these areas is our focus on integrating technology, reading, math and culture across all content areas and support systems. Over the last two years, we have engaged ourselves in a reflective process called Huliau Hou, which means a new turning point. Our kula has been in existence since 2001 and we feel it’s time to reexamine who we are as a kula waena and what we provide for our ʻōpio.

We are very fortunate to have three new faces on our faculty and staff. Kumu Kealohamakua Wengler is our new 6^th and 7^th grade counselor and comes to us from Ke Kula Kaiapuni `O Ānuenue on Oʻahu. Kumu Kealohamakua took over for Mrs. Moran who retired at the end of last school year. Also joining our team is Kumu Pāhana Mandoe as our 8^th grade social studies teacher. Kumu Pāhana worked at Kua O Ka Lā New Century Public Charter School for many years before accepting the position here at Kamehameha. We also welcomed Mr. Alan Tamayose, our new Instructional Resource Teacher who will work alongside Ellen Cordeiro to ensure our kumu have the best support in technology instruction. Mr. Tamayose is not new to Kamehameha, but is new to our kula waena.   Mr. Tamayose spends part of the week at KS Kapālama and the other half of the week here with us. All three of these kumu have made educating and caring for our ʻōpio their life’s work and we are very grateful that they have chosen to join our KSH Kula Waena ʻohana.

We have an exciting school year ahead of us and we are happy to finally be on our way. Mahalo for your continued support and aloha! As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 982-0407 or [email protected] should you have any questions, comments or thoughts you’d like to share.

Please know that we are here to support you along the way!

Me ke aloha pumehana,

Scott De Sa

Poʻo Kumu, Kula Waena