Invitation to Open House

In last week’s blog, I focused on this phrase from the school’s revised mission statement — “a place of belonging” — and provided several examples of community gatherings as places of belonging. This week, parents will participate in another community gathering at the annual Open House. Schools across the nation share in this practice of inviting parents to their children’s school to visit classrooms, meet the teachers, and learn about the curriculum.

In meetings this past week with grade-level faculty teams, we discussed the kinds of information to be shared with parents. With a little over an hour in each classroom, it’s challenging to share everything we know about teaching and learning! Consider the trove of experience alone. The average number of years of teaching experience for the elementary faculty is 10 years. Many teachers have 20+ years of teaching experience. The faculty are “generalists” — they need to not only understand the curriculum and “speak” the languages of reading, writing, math, social studies, and science, but also how to teach the content effectively. The art of teaching (pedagogy) is the ability to integrate content and skills and help students integrate their learning in order to apply knowledge to other contexts.

In their limited time with parents, the faculty will share about their professional background, a typical day in the child’s grade, key aspects of the curriculum, daily procedures, homework, and learning expectations. You should be able to go to the teacher’s myPueo class page for additional information, which is why access to myPueo is essential. If you have any questions specific to your child, you are welcome to contact the teacher via email to request a meeting time. There should be time for parents to meet other parents who are part of the classroom community. Just as the students become friends, so do parents whose interactions, via their children’s activities, develop into lifelong friendships.

Here’s what to expect on Wednesday, August 28, Open House for Kindergarten, Multiage grades 1 and 2 and on Thursday, August 29, Open House for Multiage grades 3-4 and grade 5:

• 5:45 p.m. Pick up light refreshments at the outdoor stage on your way to the elementary dining room.
• 6:00 p.m. We begin with introductions to the classroom faculty, followed by a video of the specialists in art, music, character education, physical education, learning support, and counseling. These specialists’ knowledge of children across the grade levels forms a deep well of
• 6:20 p.m. Proceed to your child’s classroom for the meeting with the classroom teacher.
• 7:30 p.m. Time to get back to your children!

While it’s ideal to have both parents at Open House, one parent should attend if there are issues with child care. This school event is for parents, so thank you for keeping your child home.

We look forward to welcoming parents/guardians to this parent-community event.

E Kūlia Kākou! Let’s strive and aspire together!

For our children,

Edna L. Hussey, Ed.D.
Principal