Planning underway for second half of the year

6th graders participate in a huakaʻi to the Kumuola Marine Science Center as part of a hybrid learning opportunity offered in-person.

Nov. 6, 2020

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

Aloha nui e ko Kamehameha Hawaiʻi ē,

Mahalo nui loa for your individual and collective efforts to make hybrid learning a positive experience for our haumāna. From the return of our youngest learners in our kula haʻahaʻa, to kula waena families driving through for yearbook photos, to providing students with focused learning supports through kula kiʻekiʻe’s Hoʻokanaka Educational Centers, every day that we see students safely interacting with kumu and each other, our hearts are warmed and our spirits are lifted.

EXPANDING HYBRID LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Kamehameha Schools has begun planning for January 2021. Our preparations and experiences thus far have positioned our kula well in our hybrid learning model of both distance learning and face-to-face learning. We will continue in that model, and as conditions allow, we envision even more opportunities for face-to-face learning as we proceed through the second half of the school year. Our learning environments have taken on creative and new looks, and we will continue to explore and engage with you on aspects of our plans as they are developed.

Concurrently, as we gradually grow the frequency and types of hybrid learning opportunities, we are continually assessing and improving our protocols to create a campus community that maintains the safety of our haumāna, kumu, and staff at the forefront of all that we do.

CONNECT AND SELECT

Your voice is critical as we plan forward. Our second pulse-survey of the school year will be administered in the coming weeks. We humbly ask for your continued participation to inform our planning efforts to best serve the needs of your child and ‘ohana.

We will also be asking for your learning model selection for the second half of the year. We are planning to offer two options for your keiki: hybrid learning which includes elements of both distance learning and face-to-face learning or full distance learning. Your poʻo kumu will email important information and also offer virtual ‘ohana sessions about these learning models in each division during the following periods:

Kula Haʻahaʻa - week of November 9
Kula Waena - week of November 16
Kula Kiʻekiʻe - week of November 23

VOLUNTARY TESTING ADDED TO OUR SAFETY PROTOCOLS

We have added new protocols like our daily wellness checks, and continue to adjust and evaluate existing protocols based on the research and recommendations of our enterprise safety leaders. While the main strategies remain the same—wear a mask, keep a safe distance and wash or sanitize hands frequently—we closely monitor trends to design effective practices that keep safety as our highest priority.

What we know and have seen from communities where students have returned to campuses is that testing is a strategy in managing spread. Our newest precaution includes COVID-19 testing to monitor how the virus is impacting our school community and to quickly address any testing results so that we can continue operating our kula with the least disruption possible. We have learned so much about COVID-19 over the past several months—that many show no symptoms. Through testing, we may be able to early identify adults or keiki who might have COVID-19 and would otherwise not know.

Testing will be free and voluntary. We hope that testing will offer our haumāna and ʻohana peace of mind and valuable information to keep those around them safe.

Voluntary testing will begin as soon as next week with community pop-up testing held on-campus on back-to-back Saturdays (11/14 and 11/21). We are planning to make available other types of voluntary testing on a more regular basis, especially for anyone who is identified as a close contact or may develop symptoms while on-campus for quick and appropriate response.

Supporting the well-being and safety of our kauhale will always be our highest priority. As we implement new measures, our continued partnership and shared kuleana, ka pono o kākou, will keep our campus community healthy and safe.

‘O au iho nō me ke aloha kauhale ē,

M. Kāhealani Naeʻole-Wong
Poʻo Kula, Kamehameha Hawaiʻi

Kula Haʻahaʻa K-2 students began a once-a-week rotational on-campus experience this month as they kicked off a new trimester.