Expanded Hybrid Learning Beginning March 29

High school haumāna have been participating in on-campus workshops since October. Just some of the experiences we've had that ready us for this next step.

Mar. 3, 2021

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

Aloha nui e Nā ʻOhana o Kamehameha Hawaiʻi ē,

It’s hard to believe that Spring Break will be upon us soon! As we look forward to the last few months of the school year, we want to share important updates for our kula.

Starting March 29, we are excited to take the next step in our hybrid learning model to provide the most robust student experience possible within leading health and safety practices. Returning students safely to campus life and fostering their well-being continues to be our sacred kuleana. We believe it is the right thing to do at this time and are confident in our ability to do so. This adjustment to our hybrid learning model will not have an impact or change for students who selected distance learning for the second half of the year.

Since the start of the pandemic, Kamehameha Schools has researched and established multiple safety protocols layered one upon another that allow us to continue to evolve our hybrid learning model responsibly. Examples include adding on daily wellness check-ins, our travel policy, and most recently our testing program. All of these layers coupled with the experiences of bringing students back gradually since October, inform and assist us with how we can move forward safely.

There is also good news with the community data we have been tracking. Since February 6, Hawaiʻi County has met Kamehameha Schools’ thresholds to indicate the lowest risk of transmission in our community. We have met the test positivity threshold of less than 2.5% for lowest risk since October 28. Using a seven-day average, as of February 28, the rates for our island were at .4% test positivity rate and 1.1 average daily new cases per 100k. The positive downward trend of these metrics over the past few weeks is a reflection of our personal and collective actions. We will continue to closely monitor community conditions and remain vigilant in adhering to health and safety protocols.

PROGRESSION OF OUR LEARNING MODELS IN SY2020-2021

As we announced earlier, in the week following Spring Break, we will be in distance learning. Upon our return from distance learning on March 29, our hybrid learning model will evolve further to meet the unique developmental and programmatic needs in each division.

Kula Haʻahaʻa 100% daily
Kula Waena 100% daily
Kula Kiʻekiʻe A/B cohorts

Your keiki’s poʻo kumu will be sharing specific adjustments to the learning environment and what that means for your keiki and ʻohana soon.

Mahalo nui loa for your resilience, patience, and aloha through all of the changes this school year. We are grateful for your partnership and look forward to finishing our school year with hope and joy.

‘O au iho nō me ke aloha kauhale ē,

M. Kāhealani Naeʻole-Wong
Poʻo Kula, Kamehameha Hawaiʻi

Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi continues to utilize a number of layered safety protocols including five key mitigation strategies recommended by the CDC.