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November 29, 2012
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“Other” field. After Please Specify, note “Santa’s Workshop.”
Slipper Tree Needs Slippers
Mahalo to all who made the Kauaibots’ imu turkey fundraiser a success. Almost 200 turkeys participated!
Santa’s Workshop
Student Government is hosting their annual child care event on Thursday, Dec. 6, during the first day of conferences. Santa’s Workshop is open to children in grades PK-5, and begins at 11:10, when school is dismissed. Children will be treated to lunch, arts and crafts, a holiday movie, and a special visit from Santa. Cost is $10 for one child, $15 for two, and $20 for three or more in the same family. To sign up, look for the registration table in front of the first grade classroom or stop by the Office. Deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 3:30 p.m. Online registration may be done at http://diamondmindinc.com/island. html. Scroll down toward the bottom to the payment section and use the
Each year, the Island School ‘ohana donates new slippers to decorate our Norfolk pine in the elementary courtyard. This idea came to Joan Shaw from a friend back east whose school collected mittens in a similar way. Slippers can be of any size or color and will be donated to Hale Ho‘omalu for distribution to needy families. Slippers may be dropped off in the front Office.
Trimester 1 Report Cards Emailed Tomorrow
Parents should check their email boxes tomorrow for links to their students’ report cards. Middle and high school students will also receive theirs via email. We suggest using Mozilla Firefox to print these reports, especially for grades PK-5, as the shaded areas do not always print well on other browsers. These links will be open for two weeks only. If you have questions or would like to request a printed report card, please contact Katie Magoun at katie.magoun@ ischool.org.
Baseball Clinic & Showcase Sunday December 30, at Hanapepe Ball Park ~ Clinic for players ages
Click HERE for important dates 7-14; Showcase for high school players. See attached flyer for more information.
Pinhole Photography for Adults, Middle & High Students
Join Mr. Dean for a workshop where you will make some of the most complex photos with the simplest of cameras. Using long exposures, multiple exposures and multiple lenses, you will create unusual, large format negatives with film and photographic paper. No experience needed. Saturday, December 1, 8:00 a.m. - noon in the Art Room. $85, adults; $65 students. Tell your friends! Sign up in the Office.
Kountry Kitchen Supports Robotics
Thunder Chicken Coffee, specially created by Lapperts, Hawai‘i will be served at Kountry Kitchen in Kapa’a this weekend, December 1 & 2. Proceeds from all coffee sales will benefit our FIRST Robotics program. Please visit Kountry Kitchen and enjoy their wonderful breakfast selection along with a delicious cup of Thunder Chicken coffee. Service hours from 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Scholastic Book Fair
The fifth grade’s annual Scholastic Book Fair is open today and tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 30, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Stop by for your holiday shopping needs and check out the teachers’ and students’ Wish Lists.
To contact the publisher of Island School’s Parent Connection, email peggy@ischool.org
I.S. Chronicles from Kapa‘a Elementary and our Lego Master team. All eight of our team members will attend the tournament accompanied by their parents and coaches Sue Macklin and Nathaniel Evslin: Colby Barth, Lucky Bonanno, Ethan Inanod, Sydney Jona, Kainoa Merano, Tiago Morgado, Makali‘i Oliveira and Ka‘ohu Ranis. The competition is based on the same criteria as in the Kaua‘i tournament. We wish them luck! Kindergartners enjoyed a tour of Grove Farm Homestead. They especially liked meeting the farm animals.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Students in grades 4-7 will be triking and land paddling (with helmets) until December, then transition into basketball or volleyball. Third graders are being introduced to Ultimate Frisbee. In grades K-2, students will work on their hand-eye coordination and practice throwing overhand and catching properly. They will also be introduced to variations of Ultimate Frisbee and basketball.
The entire elementary and their parents enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving buffet on Friday, Nov. 16.
FOURTH GRADE – Students have been motivated to read through the Star Incentive program. Two students reached 100 stars, representing 5,000 pages of reading in just one trimester! The class will begin a new reading routine this trimester where the required reading time matches the date. For example, tonight, November 30, students are assigned 30 minutes of reading.
HAWAIIAN STUDIES – Capt. Steve Soltysik is giving a lesson on the World Wide Voyage of Hikianalia and Hokule’a this week. Each student in grades K-5 will assemble a little canoe model that he cut and prepared. SENIOR UPDATE –Philipp Zaviryukha has been accepted at University of Nevada, Reno. Joy Claypoole has been accepted to Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. LEGO LEAGUE – Our elementary Robotics Club travel to O‘ahu this weekend to compete in the state FIRST Lego League Tournament against 54 other Hawai‘i teams. Three Kaua‘i teams qualified for states: the home school Señor Team, a team
Fourth graders visited Limahuli Gardens this week. Above, Tiana Kamen, I.S. class of 2004, gives an overview; below, Master Hawaiian mason, Palani Senenci, instructs them in the art of building traditional hale (houses).
Heads up, parents, students will be asked to keep this up over Christmas Break! KIF SOCCER – Soccer season begins Saturday with boys varsity playing Kapa‘a here at Island School at 10:00 a.m., followed by the girl JV team at noon. CHEMISTRY – Students in Conceptual Chemistry are studying the electromagnetic spectrum and how atoms can be identified by the light they emit. They used spectroscopes to view the atomic spectrum of helium. The atomic spectrums for hydrogen, nitrogen, and neon were also viewed. DRAMA – Fifth graders began work on their play, Treasure Island, which will perform March 1 & 2. The play, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 19th century novel, is full of pirate talk and sailor songs. Auditions are scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 4. All students will be cast in a role.
Parent Page Mahalo to Parent Association
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♥ ♥ ♥ Corina Potter and Suzy Olson for organizing and managing the chorus fundraiser at KCC and to the chorus parents who donated food items.
Next PA Meeting Tuesday, December 4 1:00 p.m. Teachers’ Workroom
Classified Ads ‘TIS THE SEASON: All four of Island School’s choral ensembles team together to present their fifth annual Christmas choral concert on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at the KCC Performing Arts Center. Features Island School students on violin, piano, drums, handheld percussion and, of course, ukulele. “‘Tis the Season!” sets the mood for the yuletide by sharing traditional Christmas classics and contemporary favorites. This year’s chorus, comprised of the Island School Alaka’i Chorus, Island School ‘Ōpio Chorus, Island School Keiki Chorus, and the Island School Singers, is the largest in Island School’s history, with over 140 students in grades 4-12 participating. Island School students in grades 9-12 are admitted free at the door with their official Island School student ID card. Tickets on sale in the Office. KAUA‘I SINGS CHRISTMAS: Saturday, December 8, at 7pm. Get tickets or tables by calling 2469577 or emailing barbara@malama-pono.org. Other ticket outlets include: The Hawaiian Music Kiosk in Princeville, Kauai Music and Sound in Kapaa, and Scotty’s Music in Kalaheo. Some highlights... • Mayor Bernard Carvalho is singing! • The theme is “Christmas Around the World!” (Do you know how to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays in another language?) • Kauai Voices and conductor Randy Leonard are debuting two fabulous favorites. • Many of your favorites are singing-- Karen Dickinson, Thom Newman and many others. Plus some fabulous newbies: Sean Texeira, Tawna Bledsaid, and more! It will be a night to remember and it’s for a great cause - Malama Pono! Come one, come all!
♥ ♥ ♥ Monica & Alan King and family for the costume donations. ♥ ♥ ♥ Stacey Wong for generously donating the salads for College Night. ♥ ♥ ♥ Mel & Pauline Ventura for a gift to the tuition aid program. ♥ ♥ ♥ David & Lisa Breen, Peggy Kemp & Matt Miller, and Lighthouse Bistro for donations to the Alaka’i Chorus. ♥ ♥ ♥ KIUC for supporting the Kauaibots. ♥ ♥ ♥ Ed Eaton & Jessica Silver, Sierra HamptonEng, Kauai Dermatology, Kaipo Kealalio, Richard Papa, Melissa Riopta, Kat Rogers, Ita Rubio, Elizabeth Scamahorn and Mariko Strickland for contributions to Annual Giving! ♥ ♥ ♥ Monica King, Valerie Rivera and Sarah Shaw for helping with the auction save-the-date mailing. CHRISTMAS CONCERT: The KCC Vocal Ensemble will perform their Christmas concert on Sunday, December 2, at 4pm at St Michael and All Angels Church in Lihu‘e. Admission is FREE. Please come and get into the Christmas spirit. CHRISTMAS VIOLIN CONCERT: “Christmas Gifts,a Serenade by String Students of Helen Sina,” featuring: Ethereal Harmony • Magic Violins • Amoroso with guest performances from Ballet Kaua‘i, directed by Daniel Nelson. With Island School senior, Kimberly McDonough and first graders Savannah & Maddison Hubbard and PK student, Ryan So. Monday, December 10, 6:00 pm. Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center. Enjoy a rich mixture of music, song and dance by talented young performers from Kaua‘i. $8 general admission. For more information or tickets, call 652-0706, or contact Liz Hubbard at liz@ischool.org. LEGO WATER BOTTLE SALE: Water bottle fundraiser for Elementary Lego Team - $6.00 each BPA Free - 21 oz. Available for purchase in the IS Logo Store. Perfect stocking-stuffers! USED REFRIGERATOR WANTED: Good condition. Reasonably priced. Contact Becky at 517.376.0335.
Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences Conferences are next week - Thursday, December 6, and Friday, December 7 On Thursday, students will be dismissed at 11:05 (grades 6-12) and 11:10 (grades PK-5). School lunch will not be served on Thursday and the buses will depart on at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday’s lunch will be Pizza Day for those who have purchased school lunch.
You and your child’s school have something in common: We both want your child to learn and do well. When parents and teachers talk together, important information about the child is shared -- likes and dislikes, strengths and areas for attention, perceptions and expectations. When the conversation is two-way, new understanding about the child by both parent and teacher is the result.
What to expect
The format of conferences differs according to the grade of the student. Like all good conversations, S/P/T conferences are best when people hear what each other has to say. In elementary school, 30-minute conferences are scheduled in the child’s homeroom. Children first take their parents through their portfolio, explaining what they have learned. The portfolios contain samples of the child’s work and show improvements over time. Then parents and teachers discuss their observations about the student and his or her progress. For middle and high school students, separate 15-minute conferences are scheduled. Students are invited to attend.
How should I prepare?
To get ready for the conversation, look at your child’s homework, tests and report card before the conference. Think about
your child’s strengths and challenges. Ask your child how he or she feels about school and his/her own learning. Be ready to ask questions that will help you understand how your child thinks about his/her school experience. Some questions you might ask are: • How is my child doing academically? • What about his/her adjustment to the new school year? • How is my child doing socially and emotionally? • What changes do you observe in her or him?
How should I follow up?
After the conference, there should be time for you to reflect on what was discussed. You might want to converse with your child about goals he or she has for the second trimester and challenges he/she will face. Conferences build relationships among families and Island School, especially teachers. The next formal conference period is in March. Additional conferences may be scheduled as requested.
What if I can’t attend?
Schedule another time to talk, if desired. Close communication is key to supporting the student in her/his efforts to acquire an education that will serve him/her well in the years ahead.
Island School 3-1875 Kaumuali`i Hwy Lihu`e, Kaua`i, Hawai`i, 96766
November 29, 2012 A weekly publication We’re on the web at www.ischool.org