Preparing for special December events

Even though we’re coming up on the last day of November, and the turkey leftovers are still in the refrigerator, we can tell that the Christmas season is already here at MPI. The maintenance crew has strung multi-color lights on the Wilcox roof, and there are two Christmas trees in the dining room for our children to enjoy. The sweet sound of children’s voices dance through the office hallway as students rehearse for the Christmas program. And in my office, I’ve placed lights on the potted Norfolk pine, which is decorated with Christmas ornaments 365 days a year. Ahhh, Christmas.

Congratulations to our MPI Choir, which has been selected to perform in the Honolulu City Lights Concert Series at Honolulu Hale (City Hall). The choir performs at 7:00pm on the following days in December: 2, 8, 9,14, 15, 16, 21, and 22. As part of your family's holiday tradition, plan on attending a choir performance (under the direction of Diane Koshi) and taking in the holiday display of community-decorated trees and wreaths.

But this is also the busiest time of the semester in the classroom! The students are preparing for the end-of-semester conferences on December 13 and 14 by reviewing items from their collections of work that best represent growth in learning over time. In addition, students are writing reflections of how they perceive their growth based on criteria determined by them and their teachers. In next week’s letter, I’ll spend more time reviewing the conference process and provide suggestions for ensuring a productive meeting. As a reminder, students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade are expected to attend the conference (referred to as a “three-way” conference, that is, a meeting among parents, student, and teacher).  If you would like to meet with any of the specialists in art, character education, music, and physical education, please phone or email them directly, or call the school office (441-3800) for contact information.


If you ordered gift certificates through the MPI Scrip Program, the pick-up is this Saturday, December 1, 9:00am-1:00pm, in front of Bakken Auditorium. Just drive through the circle driveway for convenient pick-up. After December 1st, you’ll have to go to the Office of Institutional Advancement by the Chew Technology Center to pick-up your order. Thank you very much for your participation in the program (offered only once yearly). Proceeds go to the MPI Parent Community Association (formerly Parent Teacher Organization). Hope this takes care of some special people on your holiday shopping list.

We are thrilled to be working with early childhood educator Sydney Gurewitz Clemens in the preschool this Thursday and Friday. She will be observing and interacting with the preschoolers and teachers then meeting with the preschool team to share her observations each afternoon. There will be special presentations on Saturday, December 1, 8:00-11:30am, in the dining room, for all early childhood educators and parents (your child’s first teachers!). Leslie Gleim, one of our preschool faculty, will be sharing work from the classroom, and Sydney Clemens will address the value of documenting children’s learning.

Students needing a second dosage of the flu vaccine will be taking their shots on
December 5, beginning at 8:00am. You should already know if your child requires a second dosage because you would have signed a permission form. If you have any questions, please call the school office. The shots will be given in our Epiphany Room (main office).

Some of you have been inquiring about the annual Christmas performance, December 19, 6:00pm. The performance will be held in Bakken Auditorium, not Mills Gym as indicated on the December calendar because of sports scheduling. Due to limited seating in Bakken, every preschool and elementary family will be given 2 tickets only in next week’s Thursday packet. It will be a simple, yet lovely 45-minute evening performance featuring every preschool and elementary student. I’ve been hearing the students rehearsing their numbers, and their singing just puts everyone in the holiday spirit.

With the exception of students already in the afterschool program, all other children should be picked up at the regular time between 2:30 and 3:00pm to get ready for the performance (rest, shower, early dinner). Students in the afterschool program will be provided with a light dinner or may bring something to eat. All students must report to their respective classrooms at 5:15pm already dressed in their performance attire (see the Thursday packet for details on what your child should be wearing). Students and their teachers will walk down to Scudder Dining Hall for a warm-up. If you have any questions about your child’s attire, check first with the classroom teacher.  

You’re more than welcome to join us for the Manoa Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 8, beginning at 5:00pm. The preschoolers and their families, representing MPI, are forming a wagon brigade decked out in Christmas lights and would love to see you waving at them! Information about the parade route is in the Thursday packet.

Just a reminder about saving those box tops for education! Check out www.boxtops4education.com for a list of box top products.

So now, I’m off to enjoy the Lion King!  

For our children,

Edna L. Hussey
Principal

Posted on November 29, 2007 5:49 PM | Permalink