Calendar for March February 29­March 3 Western Association of Schools and Colleges Visitation

March 9 Gr. 3 PBL­ Simple Machines at Room D5, D10, D11 at 10:45 a.m. ­ 11:15 a.m.

March 10 Gr. 6 Graduation Picture Taking

March 11 Field Trip: Gr. 2­ Hawaii Nature Center Gr. 4 PBL at Room D6, D8, D9 at 1:15 p.m. ­ 2 p.m.

March 16­24 No School­ Spring Break

March 25 No School­ Good Friday

March 28 No School­ Kuhio Day

March 29 Quarter 4 Begins­ Students return to school

RCA Schedule for March Grade K: 3rd Grade 4: 8th Grade 1: 1st, 31st Grade 5: 7th Grade 2: 29th Grade 6: 4th Grade 3: 10th

The Student Council attended a civics field trip to learn about the three branches of our government. They toured the capitol and visited with Senator Harimoto and Representative Takayama. It was explained how our elected representatives create laws to improve the lives of citizens in Hawaii. The tour of Washington Place highlighted the history of the Hawaiian Monarchy and the role of the current governors who make up the Executive Branch. The students also met our First Lady Dawn Ige. They were thrilled because several of their older siblings had Mrs. Ige as a Waimalu 3rd grade teacher. The students participated in a mini-workshop/tour of the Judiciary building. Supreme Court Justice Nakayama explained how the Judicial Branch is responsible for reviewing the laws created by the Legislative Branch to ensure a law is in line with our State Constitution.

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

Aloha Waimalu Families, The month of March has brought the long anticipated visit from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges to our school. As mentioned in last month’s bulletin, the accreditation process required all stakeholders at Waimalu Elementary to closely examine all that we do, from how we teach our students to how we prepare for emergencies. In examining all the evidence that we have gathered over the past two years, I have learned that at Waimalu Elementary, we have many very committed individuals that work together as partners for the sake of our students. I am asking all of us to work together to make sure all of our students are safe. Over the past month, we have noticed a large number of students on our campus well before 7:00 a.m. There is no supervision before 7:15 a.m., so please consider the following:

For a fee, we provide a supervised “morning care” program. Please inquire at the office if you need information about this program.

All expectations for appropriate student behavior also apply in the hours before and after school. If any student is in violation of our school rules before or after school, the appropriate referral will be made and that student may be subject to disciplinary consequences.

For student safety, we also require all students to be in uniform daily (with the exception of Wednesdays). Uniforms helps us to quickly identify who belongs on our campus and will be especially helpful in the event that we are required to evacuate to a second site. I welcome any suggestions you may have regarding student safety or any other concern you may have. My door is always open, so please feel free to drop by and speak to me. Mr. Iwamoto Interim Principal

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

Kindergarten Registration for SY 2016-2017 Effective February 1, 2016, we have been accepting Kindergarten registration. Your child needs to be 5 years old, on or before July 31, 2016. Please stop by the office to pick up a registration packet.

Meal Tracker Checks will be accepted up until April 30th for meal account payments. According to DOE Policy, all meal ticket payments beginning May 1st will be “CASH ONLY.” Please make sure your child has sufficient funds in their meal account to cover them for breakfast and/or lunch till the end of the year. Last day of school will be May 26th. Cost for additional items:

extra milk: $0.60 extra breakfast: $2.40 extra lunch entrée: $2.00

*Leftover balances will carry over to next school year 2016­2017.

Message for Students… Parents, please refrain from calling to leave a message for

your child(ren) and make your after school arrangements with your child(ren) before

school starts. Thank you!

Yearbook forms and $ deadline has been extended indefinitely! Until we sell out, ALL yearbook forms and $ are welcomed!

The Student Survey (SQS) for 4th and 5th Graders were sent out on February 2. Your feedback about our public schools (e.g. safety, academics, activities etc.) is important to the DOE. Please complete the form and mail in the prepaid envelope that was provided no later than March 15, 2016.

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

WASH YOUR HANDS: Parents, please help your children to remember to always wash their hands before they eat a meal or after they use the bathroom. And most of all, when your child has a cold or cough, or after sneezing remember to wash their hands.

NITS AND UKUS: Remember to do your once a week check for nits and/or ukus. Let’s help our school to be nit and uku free.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS: Reminder: Please make sure your child wears their school shirts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Thank you.

“I believe that I can even when I can’t.” The Habit of Mind for this quarter is: Persistence­ keep trying even when it is difficult. Students learned that the key to success is being persistent. The lessons have covered goal setting, trying multiple strategies to reach our goals, and actions that encourage ourselves and others.

“Annual Notification of Privacy Rights”

Know your privacy rights as they apply to 1) students record information; 2) directory information; 3) surveys and other information collection; and 4) military

recruitment information. For more information on your privacy rights, the laws that protect them, and how to exercise your rights, contact your school administrator or

visit http://bit.ly/FERPAHI”

Our school has a stormwater management plan that is available for review at the front office. It is part of the federal government’s effort to keep our streams and oceans clean and eliminate pollution discharge.

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

We are seeking PTO Board Members for the 2016­2017 school year…Interested candidates should call (808) 483­7210 or email waimaluwarriorspto@gmail.com. Thank you to our wonderful parents for helping out on our 1st ever “Service Project” that was held on Saturday, February 27th. Let the good times roll! Til next month, you all have a fun but safe Spring Break – Mahalo, Waimalu Elementary School PTO Board Waimalu PTO Federal Tax ID #: 99-0201519

Head’s up! Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 15th in room P2 (portable room ­ on the left from the cafeteria). We will be having “FREE Books” for the taking. The hours are before school starts and after school – from 7:15­7:50 a.m. and 2:10­2:45 p.m. Please bring your own reusable bags! We only have a limited amount on hand. Thank you to our students and families who have been dropping off their Box Tops & Labels for Education coupons to the office. Just a reminder, please label with your child’s name and room number so that we can drop off a little something for them. Thank you parents who attended our Waimalu Parent Coffee Hour last month – We had an “Awesome” time. Mark your calendars for the next Parent Coffee Hour which will be held on Friday, April 8th at 8:00 a.m. in the PCNC Room. We will be having our Career Day on Friday, May 13th. Are there any parent(s) who would like to be a guest speaker and share your career with our students? If so, please email me. Lastly, if anyone would like to sign up as a parent volunteer here at Waimalu, please feel free to see me in the PCNC Office located in the Library (doors closest to the cafeteria) or contact me. Aloha, Ale Anakalea Parent Facilitator Phone: (808) 483­7210 ext. 286 Email: Alejandra.Anakalea@hawaiidoe.org

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

Aloha Parents… Just wanted to share a little history on how School Community Councils began in Hawaii. In 2004, the Hawaii State Legislature took significant steps to ensure that school community members would have greater influence in public education. The “Reinventing Education Act of 2004” created Schools Community Councils (SCC) to support school improvement and the academic achievement of students through increased community involvement in the school. If you would like to be more involved with these efforts, I invite you to come to our next School Community Council meeting. It will be held on Thursday, March 10th in the conference room in the front office. Or feel free to send us an email as well. Mahalo! Waimalu SCC waimaluscc@gmail.com

ATTENTION PARENTS:

Whenever passing a parked school bus on campus, please drive slowly and

cautiously as you pass. Please be on the lookout for anyone who might be

crossing in front of the bus.

JPO COMPETITION:

The annual JPO competition will take place on April 15th at Central Oahu Regional

Park (CORP). We will continue to follow the old practice schedule until Spring

Break. Once we return from Spring Break, we will be following the new practice

schedule that was sent home at the beginning of the month.

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

During the month of February, we completed the WIDA ACCESS testing. This test gives us a better understanding of each active status ELL student’s English language development. The results of this test will be given to the school sometime in May and will then be sent home to families. This month we have many special days to look forward to and celebrate, including Read Across America Day on March 2nd. In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, we encourage you to pick up a book, read to your child, let your child read to you, or visit a library. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss “You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,

to pick up a book and read with a child. You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot, to pick up a book and share what you've got.” - (Read Across America poem written by Anita Merina)

Grade 2 celebrated their Project Based Learning, “Animals and their Habitats” on January 28th in our school’s library.

Thank you to our parents for taking time out of your busy schedules to share in our celebration. The students were proud to

showcase their work. A special “Mahalo” to the many people who helped make our presentation a success!

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.

On February 10th, Preschool had their Project Based Learning Presentation (PBL) titled “Our Cultures.”

Through the PBL unit, students were able to understand and appreciate their own culture and the

culture of their classmates. Students learned many different cultures such as Samoan, Filipino, Japanese,

Mexican, Micronesian, and many more through music, dance, food, customs, and art.

Who’s paying attention? We have 3 curriculum coaches. What are all 3 of their first names? Email me your answer at

Alejandra.Anakalea@hawaiidoe.org and you’ll win a prize for the month of March.

‐ Ale Waimalu PCNC/Parent Facilitator & PTO President

98‐825 Moanalua Road Aiea, HI 96701 Office Phone: 483‐7210 Office Hours: M‐F 7:30 a.m.‐4:00 p.m.