Apr. 7, 2020
Contributed by Communication Group Staff
Mahalo to our Kamehameha Schools staff for your continued commitment to serving our students and their ʻohana, as well as one another. Though the COVID-19 pandemic persists, we appreciate everyone’s work to advance our educational mission.
We continue to monitor closely guidance from health officials, including our own medical staff, and elected leaders. In the interest of protecting the health of our students, families, staff and the public, we believe the safest thing for our community is to continue distance learning and remote work through the end of the current school year.
The following information provides updates about the remainder of the PK-12 school year; campus and preschool graduation; campus summer school; and community summer programs.
Preschool and K-12 Campus Programs
Distance learning and educational support programs are underway at KS Hawaiʻi, KS Kapālama, KS Maui and KS’ 29 preschools. Today, our Poʻo Kula announced that these programs will continue at all campuses and preschools until the end of the school year. During this time, there will be no on-campus student instruction or student activities.
Graduation Exercises
Despite the rapidly changing situation, KS intends to honor the Class of 2020 and is considering alternatives to traditional graduation ceremonies at all three campuses to recognize the achievements of our seniors. KS campus teams will obtain input from students as various plans are considered. Similarly, KS preschool leaders are considering how they will honor the achievement of our youngest haumāna. We will provide you with updates as soon as possible.
Summer School
We have also made the difficult decision to cancel in-person, on-campus summer school at all three campuses. While we understand these programs offer enriching experiences and provide students with opportunities to make academic progress, the uncertainty of the current situation prevents us from making the necessary preparations for our normal summer school programs.
As an alternative, we plan to offer distance-learning education programs during the summer at all three of our campuses, focusing on incoming grades 9–12. These programs will allow students to earn and recover academic credits. We will provide information about course offerings and registration as soon as possible.
Community Education Summer Programs
We are also regrettably canceling all in-person community summer programs, including Hoʻomākaʻikaʻi and Kilohana. We are, however, actively working with our partners to innovate and make available other exciting learning opportunities and resources for our keiki and ‘ohana in the summer months and beyond.
Our faculty and administrators will be hard at work developing these online programs. We will provide you with additional information about course offerings and any additional registration opportunities as soon as they become available.
KS will continue to provide regular updates from a broad perspective concerning conditions in the community along with guidance from health officials and government leaders.
For updates, visit www.ksbe.edu and click on “Coronavirus Updates.”