Programs
Mālamapōkiʻi – Taking care of your youngest siblings
As we begin our second quarter, KANU’s K-1 staff looks forward to the upcoming academic session. We are excited to continue to working with parents and keiki as we prepare for our accreditation visit. We were thrilled to have 100% participation in last week’s student led conferences. Some keiki even brought their whole ‘ohana and were eager to show their work and favorite activities. Nā makua were delighted to see the progress of their keiki. Many commented on the growth they have observed at home as well. Our recent student-led conferences focused on things learned by nā haumāna o Mālamapōki’i during the first quarter of the school year. This included getting to know one another and settling into the daily classroom routine.
Students also worked on their first ‘ohana project of the year, which they were eager to share recently. With the kōkua of their ‘ohana, each keiki created a poster about themselves. They were encouraged to include pictures of family and pets, as well as favorite hobbies, food and places to go.
Students were also encouraged to use the following Hawaiian phrases: ‘O____ ko‘u inoa, ‘O kēia ko‘u ‘ohana, and ‘O _____ka‘u mea ‘ai punahele. Through this activity nā keiki were able to make connections with each other. At the end, the keiki took turns sharing their posters and were asked many questions by the other haumāna. These posters are now proudly displayed in our Mālamapōki‘i classroom.
In order to assure a safe, loving, positive and orderly learning environment and help nā haumana to perpetuate KANU’s school wide expectations, we also introduced our first cultural value – ALOHA - during the first quarter, focusing on the ‘Ōlelo no‘eau Aloha kekahi i kekahi. After reading and discussing the book Aloha is… by Tammy Paikai and Rosalie Prussing, nā keiki created water color paintings illustrating what aloha means to them.
The K-1 keiki, ‘ohana and kumu are eagerly anticipating our first overnight huaka‘i to the district of Ka‘ū. This huaka‘i will allow the keiki to gain a deeper understanding of our yearly theme, Hahai ka ua i ka ulula‘au. (Rain always follows the forest). Our first stop will be at Mauna Ulu, located within the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, where we will be presenting our ho‘okupu. We will also explore the Ka‘iholena forest and the keiki will be able to compare and contrast Kaiholena and Kalopā, which we visited in August. During this huaka‘i we will also be participating in various service projects to mālama our ‘āina.