http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/ en Copyright 2008 Fri, 16 May 2008 09:57:08 -1000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 41 + 21 = a lifetime of commitment and dedication to serving young children. Mrs. Gail Fukumoto and Mr. Louis Rivera served most of their years at Epiphany School, continued their work at Mid-Pacific Institute, and will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Gail began as a substitute teacher in 1966, was hired as a third grade teacher the following year, and continued in that grade level (with a few years as fourth grade teacher) until we began multiage instruction in 1990. At Epiphany School, she served as director of summer school, vice-principal, dean of faculty, interim principal, and director of the afterschool program (which she has also continued to oversee at MPI). She is a strong proponent of reading and writing.  She will be best remembered as the no-nonsense teacher with the big heart, who helped give birth to our children-first philosophy, and who has been a supportive, trusted colleague.


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/05/aloha-to-mrs-fu.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/05/aloha-to-mrs-fu.php Fri, 16 May 2008 09:57:08 -1000 Kahalaopuna. You already know that this original opera, written by Dr. Neil McKay, will be performed May 9 and 10, 6:00pm, to celebrate MPI’s 100th year in Manoa.  It’s been somewhat a leap of faith for all the children, who’ve been practicing their numbers pretty much in isolation without fully comprehending the opera in its entirety.

Well, today the pieces all fit together to create a wondrous tapestry of song and image. What talent abounds in the school! And I was amazed by the students’ sense of space and how they were able to adjust from practicing in the dining room or on the courtyard lawn to practicing in a space three to four times the size of their practice areas. They were focused on their cues and didn’t seem to skip a beat.  This opera, from the very beginning we began on this schoolwide journey, has been integrated into classroom curriculum through the production aspects. The children read James Rumford’s book, discussed the plot and themes, researched life on the ahupua`a (food production, Hawaiian pastimes), and read the libretto.  As I compose this letter, the performance is less than 24 hours away. Based on today’s preview for the middle school and high school, I’d say you’re in for a very special treat!


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/05/curtain-calls-a.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/05/curtain-calls-a.php Thu, 08 May 2008 21:12:02 -1000 Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height,
Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring,
Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear. . .

(If you’re recalling the words and melody to this song, you’ve watched too many re-runs of Mary Poppins.)

But fly a kite is exactly what each child did— all 251 of them from preschool through fifth grade. Every student fashioned a kite from plastic bags or paper and skewers, drew a personalized design, added lengths of tail, attached string, and presto — a kite! Pam Jenkins, our K-5 physical education teacher, provided students with some kite-flying strategies, such as running with their backs to the wind to give their kites “lift” or tugging on the line to catch the wind. At the assembly this morning, she explained the history of MPI’s Kite Day, which began in 1910 as one of the favorite pastimes of the Chinese boys who attended Mills Institute. The activity was quickly adopted as a way to build school spirit and community. Playful competition emerged — the highest-flying kite, the smallest, the largest, and the most beautiful design. And what a perfect site for kite flying where the Manoa winds frequent the campus.  For reasons unknown, Kite Day ceased around 1934 — until May 1, 2008.


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/05/bringing-mpi-to.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/05/bringing-mpi-to.php Thu, 01 May 2008 19:30:05 -1000 http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/volleyball-vigo.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/volleyball-vigo.php Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:01:54 -1000 Waves crash on the shore
Wind washes all the colors
Gently on the shore.
                  -- Trisha Hirano, 5th grade

Congratulations to Trisha for her winning haiku, which was also illustrated in stunning watercolors. From 2,004 haiku entries in the 10th World Children Haiku Contest 2008 sponsored by Japan Airlines, Trisha’s piece was selected as one of 50 outstanding finalists.  The judges were two scholars from the University of Hawaii and two executives from Japan Airlines. Trisha will receive a certificate, a book, a small gift, and the honor of being one of the outstanding finalists. Congratulations also to Mrs. Hoddick, fifth grade language arts teacher, and Tracey Stewart, UH-Manoa student art teacher, who is being mentored by Ms. Brooks, grades 1-5 art teacher.

The MPI Boys’ Varsity Volleyball Team (8-3) joined us at our assembly in the dining room this morning to introduce themselves and talk briefly about volleyball. They asked the preschool and elementary students to attend the big game versus Kamehameha on Friday, April 25, 6:00pm, in the MPI gym.  We hope that you and your family will join us at the volleyball game to cheer our team. (There is no admission fee for MPI students. Tickets are available at the box office outside the gym.)  The volleyball team will be having lunch and recess with the students on Tuesday, April 22.  When Coach Bill Villa, MPI’s athletic director, asked the children how many would like to play volleyball in middle school or high school, nearly the entire student body eagerly raised their hands.  Looks like we have a school filled with future athletes!


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/waves-crash-on.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/waves-crash-on.php Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:41:50 -1000     To. Ms. Husse Plez dont put fak gras becau we dont like the idea .We want to find crystals fire wth stiks and       bfs. 0 fake from presol.
Translated: Mrs. Hussey, Please don't put fake grass because we don't like the idea. We want to find crystals, fire with sticks, and bugs. 0 (zero) fake (grass). From, Preschool

One member of the group presented me with the signatures they had garnered from their classmates, friends in the adjacent three-year-old class, and even the preschool teachers. I learned from Ms. Leslie, one of the teachers, that the children mustered their best handwriting because they were aware that I needed to be able to read their names (and I did!).


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/every-week-as-i.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/every-week-as-i.php Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:55:03 -1000 Travel — Washington, D.C. Disneyworld. Malaekahana. Disneyland. Camping. Seattle. Japan. The beach. Mexico. Maui. The Big Island. Whistler. Kauai. San Francisco. Play dates.

Question: What did you do during spring break?

And so the children emerged from their cars Monday morning, some bright-eyed and cheery, some yawning, and some teary-eyed at having to leave parents. I know many parents have also been re-adjusting to regular work schedules! Many students swapped spring-break adventures with one another, eager to get back into the rhythms of learning. It was good to hear the voices of your children on campus again.  

During the two-week interim, we were able to do some deep cleaning in classrooms and offices. We also began an improvement project in the play structure area. The preschool sandboxes now have a concrete apron onto which the children can step without getting muddy on rainy days. We also reinforced the area behind the tire swing with a CMU wall and new fencing to prevent runoff during heavy downpours. There should be a new water fountain by the Character Education House in the next week for children coming from the play structure or ball field.  During the first week of June, we will resurface all the dirt areas around the play structure with high-quality turf. Apparently, little or no grass can grow in these patches due to the lack of sufficient sun. And we’ll be placing more benches for seating.


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/trekking-back-f.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/04/trekking-back-f.php Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:07:52 -1000 Kahalaopuna, Princess of Manoa, commemorating MPI’s 100th year in Manoa. Spokespersons from classes doing set design, costume/wig/makeup, props, development, publicity/tickets, and program provided status reports of their progress. Two classrooms are working together on various aspects of the production. What became clearer at today’s assembly was the fact that the opera is indeed a schoolwide collaboration, which entails the thinking and creativity of many students. The “first thoughts” of our production process are posted in the dining room. The Leadership Team, organized by the fifth graders, will be composed of two representatives from each committee who’ll report on their respective committees. The meetings will be every Friday in April.  We’ll try to provide updates via the classroom weblogs on our production process. And then, to the amazement of every teacher and parent who attended the assembly, the students sang the “setting” number, which in an opera provides a summary of the plot, main characters, and problem to be resolved. We’re even more excited about the opera and can see it slowly taking shape.
]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/03/giving-birth-to.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/03/giving-birth-to.php Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:22:18 -1000 We are honored to have Dr. George Forman — well-known author and specialist on Jean Piaget’s theories of early childhood education, former research psychologist at Project Zero at Harvard University, and consultant to Reggio Emilia (the model of learning that has inspired our MPI preschool)  — working with our preschool team this week Thursday and Friday. He will be observing the work of the preschool team with the children and discussing how children learn and think as they work with many different materials. Today he met with the K-5 faculty, and together they discussed the inquiry-based approaches in the elementary school. Dr. Forman is impressed with the faculty’s efforts in using constructivist approaches of instruction.  “Constructivism,” a view of learning based on the theories of Piaget, means that learners construct understanding through an active, mental process that allows them to wonder, ask questions, hypothesize, predict, investigate, imagine, and invent. Constructivist approaches foster critical thinking and creates active, motivated learners.  ]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/03/thinking-to-lea.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/03/thinking-to-lea.php Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:55:20 -1000

]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/poppa-linscott.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/poppa-linscott.php Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:29:58 -1000
At the assembly, a group of sixth graders and multiage 1-2 graders took center stage to share an oli (Hawaiian chant) about the waters of Wailele that run through our campus and the aumakua, the pueo, sacred guardian of Manoa Valley and MPI. The sixth-grade students of Riane Graves, who teaches Hawaiian language and history, had been teaching this oli to their multiage 1-2 friends in Donna Revard’s class because the students had begun an inquiry about Wailele.  Every classroom adopted an `olelo noeau (a Hawaiian proverb or wise saying) when we first moved into our new facilities on this campus (these sayings are posted in each classroom).  The sixth graders worked with 
]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/under-brilliant.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/under-brilliant.php Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:50:36 -1000 Ahhh. Sweet sentiments and chocolates in the air. Students exchanged valentines and indulged just this one day in sugary treats. I did see in some classrooms healthier choices such as melon and strawberries, but overall it was a surge of sugar. While it’s often difficult to swim against this tide, moderation helps. So now that Valentine's Day has come and gone, it’s time for the sweet treats to remain at home! Many thanks to the children whose handcrafted valentines decorate my office window.

A group of twenty student teachers from Shukutoku Vocational College in Tokyo, Japan, visited us this morning and were particularly taken by the preschool, kindergarten, and first-second multiage classes. The student teachers are in their first year of a two-year program specializing in early childhood education.  After a full morning of classroom observations, they shared a storyboard of square-faced zoo animals, which the children had to guess the names of. The student teachers sang riddles and rhymes in Japanese.  On the playcourt, another group of student teachers engaged first and second graders in a game of hand motions. You’d never guess that there was a language barrier because our children played and sang along, quite enamored with their new friends.  In the Q & A session after their classroom observations, the student teachers commented on their amazement in seeing first and second graders doing research from websites and on the low teacher-student ratio here at MPI.  It seems that in preschools in Japan, the student-teacher ratio can be thirty children to one teacher!  We were happy to host the student teachers, who are thinking of returning next year.


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/sweet-indulgenc.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/sweet-indulgenc.php Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:38:34 -1000 Gongs! Cymbals! Drums! Together, the clash, boom, and clang of these instruments created boisterous music for the trio of lions that danced onto our campus!  Gung Hee Fat Choy!

There should be animated discussion at the dinner table tonight as your children share the highlight of the day— the traditional lion dance to bring good luck during Chinese New Year.  This tradition goes back over a thousand years in China, and the lions’ dance expresses joy and happiness. Performers from Gung Yee International delighted the children as they maneuvered about the campus with graceful, animal-like movements synchronized to the rhythmic beats of the instruments.  Imagine the children surrounding each lion, bravely offering a red envelope or attempting to touch the lion’s head. Several preschoolers were able to get fairly close to the “baby” lion because it mostly lay prone so that the children were gently encouraged to approach it. A few children and I coaxed the lions to “eat” a head of lettuce and red envelope (lay see) attached to a long bamboo branch.

A few classes continued their cultural learning in the classroom, where volunteer parents organized activities such as calligraphy, making a dragon’s head, or sampling Chinese delicacies like gau, sweet pretzels, and coconut candy. Many thanks to parent Dr. Theresa Kuo for helping to organize the school event. This was certainly a high-energy day!

]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/lion-dance-stir.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/02/lion-dance-stir.php Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:53:31 -1000

]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/01/how-many-ways-c.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/01/how-many-ways-c.php Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:40:05 -1000 School spirit is alive and well! Many of our students attended the boys’ varsity basketball game this past Tuesday, January 22, at 5:00pm, and were thrilled by the nail-biting excitement.  In the game against Maryknoll, both teams played point-for-point in an evenly matched game.  Although MPI lost by 3 points in overtime, the team displayed winning stamina and sportsmanship.  The preschool and elementary students, parents, and staff made thunderous noise, truly a strong demonstration of their school spirit. Many thanks to the MPI athletic department for the pizza snack and to Wilfred Tochiki (MPI alumnus and middle school parent), who got the noisemakers and pompoms for every student.  

We kicked off our 2008 100th-year-in-Manoa celebration with a special morning assembly in the dining room. Children’s author and illustrator James Rumford visited us and read his re-telling of the Hawaiian legend Kahalaopuna, which explains how beautiful Manoa Valley and its breathtaking rainbows came to be.  He brought his original watercolor paintings, which were reproduced in the book published by Houghton Mifflin Company, and read his words.  The preschool and elementary school will be producing the original opera Kahalaopuna in May to commemorate this centennial year in Manoa. We hope to invite Mr. Rumford back to MPI so that he can share more of his other published work with us (Seeker of Knowledge, Calabash Cat and His Amazing Journey, Beowulf — A Hero’s Tale Retold, Nine Animals and the Well, The Cloudmakers, and many more).  


]]> http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/01/happy-birthday.php http://www.midpac.edu/elementary/2008/01/happy-birthday.php Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:31:11 -1000