HA‘AHEO KAKOU www.haaheo.org

August 2017

Principal’s Message Aloha Ha‘aheo Community, Family & Friends, Welcome back to the 2017-2018 school year! I had my first opening of the school year as principal and it was great! I am so excited to be working with the students and families as we strive for another successful school year. We will be incorporating 4 core values this school year, one per quarter. Our first quarter core value is Hōʻihi which means respect. We will be practicing and focusing on this value. Please talk about this value in addition to academics with your child/children at home as we are in school. This reinforces the home/school engagement and relationships. To further our practice of our core values, we will now be having morning mound on Wednesdays in addition to Mondays. Please feel free to call or stop by, as my door is always open. I am looking forward to working with all of you this school year!

Mahalo,

Mrs. Jennifer Sueoka UPCOMING DATES NO SCHOOL (Statehood Day)

Friday, August 18

PTO Meeting

Tuesday, August 29 5:30pm • Cafeteria

Picture Taking

Thursday, August 31

NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Monday, September 4

SCC Meeting

Tuesday, September 12 2:30pm • Room A-11

Wellness Policy & Healthy Snacks Because a number of students on campus have severe food allergies, students are not to share snacks or lunch at school. Please remember that all snacks should be healthy (non sugary) snacks. Sugar/fructose syrup should NOT be the first item on the ingredients list. Candy and gum are contraband items and should not be brought to school at all. Soda and caffeinated drinks are also contraband items so students who want to bring a drink to school should bring 100% juice or water. Healthy snacks can include fresh fruits, vegetables, popcorn, pretzels, crackers, granola bars, etc. Students may eat their snacks during recess in designated areas. They should not consume their snacks anywhere outside of these areas, including in transit to their area. Should they choose not to abide by the rules, snacks will be confiscated and students may retrieve them at the end of the day. Help to support us by packing your child/children healthy snacks and 100% juice or water to consume during recess. These can include fresh fruits, vegetables, popcorn, etc. Please also remind him/her to eat them at the appropriate time and place. Thank you for your cooperation!

Farm to School We are very excited to announce that the Hawaii Farm to School Initiative is coming to our school this semester. The pilot phase of the program took place last semester in Kohala and was very successful. The Farm to School program is a statewide initiative focused on improving student health by utilizing more locally grown foods within public school cafeterias, reducing processed foods & serving highly nutritious meals cooked from scratch. In the classroom students will learn how their food choices as consumers impact their health, environment and community. The Farm to School program supports growing minds while expanding the relationship between Hawaii public schools and local agricultural communities.

Title I Update Ha‘aheo Elementary will once again receive school-wide Title I funding for the 2017-2018 school year. The eligibility of a school to receive this type of funding is based upon current subsidized lunch counts. The purpose of the Title I program is to ensure that all students have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education. At Ha‘aheo, the funding is used to supplement our school's curriculum and increase parent involvement. This past school year, we have purchased curriculum materials and resources and provided supplies for classroom and family night project activities. In addition, we also utilize Title I funding for personnel to reduce class size and provide support during reading instruction. If you're interested in learning more about our Title I program, please see Ms. Williams.

Reminders 1) Please return the signed and completed forms from your child’s first day of school packets. 2) Contact our school office with any changes to your address, phone number(s). E-mail(s), etc.

T-E-R-R-F-I-C Attendance Program Once again, Ha‘aheo Elementary School is focusing our efforts on improving our school-wide attendance with our TERRIFIC Attendance Program. Grade levels can earn a letter in the word TERRIFIC everyday their ENTIRE CLASS is in school and on time. When a class completes the word, they will receive a picnic lunch supervised by a teacher on campus and extra recess. The class will also be recognized for their excellence on our morning mound. We also have drawings for small incentives on a weekly basis. Individually, students can earn quarterly and yearly perfect attendance awards. In order to communicate attendance concerns with families, we will also be sending home letters to parents/guardians if there are more than 5 absences When students have more than 10 infractions, a meeting will be scheduled with parents to discuss ways in which attendance can improve. Please refer to the parent handbook or attendance program handbook for more information. The first step to accessing standards-based education is being in school and being on-time. The sooner that children learn these habits, the more likely they are to practice them for the rest of their lives. The Department of Education is also looking very closely at attendance rates in schools as it is one key factor in student success. Please help us to improve our school-wide attendance this year. If you have any questions, about attendance procedures, please contact Mrs. Young, School Counselor at 974-4111.

Student Planner: A Tool For College and Career Readiness College and Career Readiness is the State of Hawaii Department of Education's goal for our public school students. One of the ways that we support college and career readiness is to provide planners for our students in grades 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This is an organizational tool that students will be using daily. It is also a communication tool between school and home. Most classes write their homework assignments in their planners daily. Depending on the teacher, students may be asked to have their parent sign their planners to make sure that they are taking it home and letting their parents know what is expected for homework. It is also a place where parents can communicate with our teachers if you have any questions or feedback. Please look through the front and back of the planner as there is information about our school and other helpful resource pages. We will also be going over this information with your child(ren) throughout the school year. If you have any questions about our school planner, please contact Mrs. Young, School Counselor at 974-4111.

Annual Notification of Privacy Rights Know your privacy rights as they apply to you: ‘

1. Student record information 2. Directory information 3. Surveys and other information collection 4. Military recruitment information For more information on your privacy rights, the laws that protect them, and how to exercise your rights, contact your school administrator or visit http://bit.ly/FERPAHI.

PICNIC LUNCH We at Ha‘aheo School encourage and welcome parents & ‘ohana to have lunch with your child and his/her friends. However, when having a picnic lunch, please be reminded of the following: • Students need to bring a note in the morning (before school starts) to the office that they will be having a picnic lunch. • Parents/‘Ohana members who will be purchasing school lunch ($5.50), need to call our office by 8:15am, as we need to submit our lunch counts to Kalanianaole School. • Due to food allergies and restrictions, please DO NOT bring outside food for children other than your own. • Remember to sign in and out of the office. • One adult may take one student out, who may invite two guests to join them. Please encourage your child to choose different friends each time. • Parents/‘Ohana members are responsible for the supervision of the children in their care during picnic lunch. • If students finish their lunch before the period is over, they may sit quietly and talk while they wait to join their class. Students should not rush through lunch to play, as this can be disruptive to classes in session. • Remind students to walk when coming and going from the cafeteria. • Students need to clean up their area before emptying their trays in the trash cans outside the cafeteria the last five minutes of lunch. • Have a great time eating together! • Please contact your child’s teacher should you have any concerns.

Back To School Maze

Help the children to catch their bus!

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KinderKamp We at Ha‘aheo School were very excited to welcome our new kindergarten students and their families into the 2017-2018 school year. KinderKamp was held on July 19th and everyone had lots of fun. The goal of KinderKamp is to support our families in every way possible to make the first school experience a positive one. Thank you to all the supporting staff and families that participated.

Ha‘aheo Kākou! MISSION: To provide a safe and nurturing learning environment where high quality, relevant and engaging instruction will prepare all students for the opportunities of the future.