ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AKAHAI

When I was growing up back in the 70s, my mom was on a health food kick and switched from making Bisquick pancakes to only feeding us ones made from whole wheat. To adults, I’m sure those pancakes tasted nutty and earthy. As a kid, it tasted faintly like walnut skins that even when doused with maple syrup seemed bitter. They weren’t my favorite, but I still ate a ton when the plate was placed in front of me. I definitely preferred them to our regular breakfast of  of grapes and unsweetened whole wheat cereal with skim milk. On weekends, when my dad had time to eat with us, we were treated to Spam, eggs, Vienna Sausage, or fried rice. I wished everyday could be a weekend. But favorite or not, I loved my mom’s cooking and felt thankful she regularly prepared us hearty meals. 

Later as a parent, I followed in my mom’s footsteps albeit far less healthy. On weekdays, with the rush to get to work, my children’s typical breakfast comprised of grapes and Cheerios from a zip-lock bag which they ate in the backseat of the car. But on the weekends, they got to choose what they wanted me to make. Their top choice was a steaming pile of buttery, crispy chocolate chip pancakes made with all-purpose flour. I got a basic but delicious recipe from Martha Stewart Living before her legal woes and used it as a base to add-on my kids’ favorites: chocolate chips, bananas, strawberries, powdered sugar and peanut butter. Regardless the topping, I wanted them to feel what I felt when I ate my mom’s fried rice – my love baked into each pancake.

5 PURSUITS of AKAHAI:

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch Going Down Home with Daddy written by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Daniel Minter, and read by Jeffrey Wright.  Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Ask your kūpuna or makua to share stories about their kūpuna, their ʻāina, and what made them special.
• SKILLS: Using evidence from the text, why do you think the author wrote this book?
• INTELLECT: Lil Alan’s ancestors were enslaved people who were captured and shipped from Africa to work the plantations growing cotton and tobacco. Working and living conditions were harsh as they lived under constant fear of being punished and separated from their families – even at the plantation owned by our first president. Learn more about the conditions under which they lived here.
• CRITICALITY: Lil Alan finds a way to give a gift to Granny that is from his heart and is filled with meaning and love. One of the items he held was a pecan. See how the pecan is a symbol for black resilience in their fight for freedom. 
• JOY: With your ʻohana, gather items that are special and symbolic of your kūpuna and their ʻāina and find a way to display them.

READ FOR THE GOLD – 2026 WINTER READING CHALLENGE

Hawaiʻi’s public libraries are teaming up with Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream to celebrate the 2026 Winter Olympics with a special Read for the Gold | Winter Reading Challenge. Every 50 minutes you read earns you a chance to win:

• A limited edition READ poster autographed by Kristi Yamaguchi
• A special edition Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie Doll
• A special virtual meet and greet with Olympic Gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi

To get started, sign up or login to the Beanstack website or via the Beanstack app, join the challenge and log your reading! 

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Celebrate Black History Month with a poignant poem by Langston Hughes. Playing off of Walt Whitman’s most famous poem “I Hear America Singing,” Hughes wrote “I, Too.” It served both as  a response to Whitman, whom Hughes was a fan, and protested the plight of Black Americans.

MAHINA ʻŌLELO HAWAIʻI

Along with Black History Month, February is Hawaiian Language Month. Celebrate ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi by learning the language and checking out the numerous activities planned for the month. See this website for a listing of activities.

SCHOOL QUALITY SURVEY

Every year, we ask our parents and guardians to assist in providing us feedback that reinforces the good work we’ve been doing and lets us know how we might improve. Please help us once again gather this feedback by taking this year’s School Quality Survey found at this link. The survey will remain open until March 12. We look forward to hearing from you.

CONTINUED PRACTICES:

NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA

See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.

WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.

WEEKLY VIRTUAL PIKO

Our Weekly Piko, has changed to twice-a-week. In-person on the first day of the week and virtual on the last day. At piko we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.

If you’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of our students outside of the school day. Please use this link to share a brief shout-out for your child that we can share at piko.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AHONUI

5 PURSUITS of AHONUI:

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch Salt in his Shoes – Michael Jordan: In Pursuit of a Dream written by Roslyn Jordan and Deloris Jordan. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.  Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Discuss with your kūpuna or makua about a time where you needed to be patient. What happened? What would’ve happened if you weren’t patient?
• SKILLS: Using evidence from the text, how did Michael practice ahonui?
• INTELLECT: Michael’s father advised that it’s not enough to be tall but to also have determination. What does determination mean? What are synonyms for determination? What is an antonym?
• CRITICALITY: Michael’s nemesis kept putting him down for being short and tried to discourage him from playing. How did Michael overcome this boy’s bullying? Provide examples from the text.
• JOY: With your ʻohana play one of these fun basketball games

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Celebrate Black History Month with a poignant poem by Langston Hughes. Playing off of Walt Whitman’s most famous poem “I Hear America Singing,” Hughes wrote “I, Too.” It served both as  a response to Whitman, whom Hughes was a fan, and protested the plight of Black Americans.

MAHINA ʻŌLELO HAWAIʻI

Along with Black History Month, February is Hawaiian Language Month. Celebrate ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi by learning the language and checking out the numerous activities planned for the month. See this website for a listing of activities.

SCHOOL QUALITY SURVEY

Every year, we ask our parents and guardians to assist in providing us feedback that reinforces the good work we’ve been doing and lets us know how we might improve. Please help us once again gather this feedback by taking this year’s School Quality Survey found at this link. The survey will remain open until March 12. We look forward to hearing from you.

CONTINUED PRACTICES:

NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA

See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.

WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.

WEEKLY VIRTUAL PIKO

Our Weekly Piko, has changed to twice-a-week. In-person on the first day of the week and virtual on the last day. At piko we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.

If you’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of our students outside of the school day. Please use this link to share a brief shout-out for your child that we can share at piko.

UPCOMING EVENTS

E hoʻāhonui aʻe ā pau kēia pilikia
Be patient until this trouble is over.

     Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1965). Hawaiian Dictionary

ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: AHONUI

As it is becoming my New Year’s tradition, I reread Amanda Gorman’s ʻNew Day’s Lyricʻ and reflect upon her sagacity during the days of the pandemic:

This hope is our door, our portal.
Even if we never get back to normal,
Someday we can venture beyond it,
To leave the known and take the first steps.
So let us not return to what was normal,
But reach toward what is next.

Amada Gorman, ʻNew Day’sʻ Lyric

As a vocal school leader, I would have been justified to be very fearful for my future and that of our school given the events of 2025: eduction funds slashed; celebrating diversity demonized; elevating ʻike Hawaiʻi thwarted; striving for equity denigrated. Much of what we value as an inclusive, innovative school seemed to targeted.

Yet, we did our best to reach forward and not be hindered by fear. We planned ahead so that we may venture beyond these times and ensure these threats do not become normal. We practiced and will continue to exercise ahonui.

On one of the first mornings of winter break, I stepped out onto the cold, wet tile of our apartment balcony and into the velvety dawn to admire the sunrise. A fiery hue quietly peaked over Leahi and mottled the otherwise dark horizon. Once orange rays reflected off of the mirrored surfaces shielding downtown Honolulu, I walked back into the apartment and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my big toe. Expletives about getting old immediately littered my brain. What could it be now? But then I thought to look at the underside of my foot. To my surprise, there was a bee struggling to free itself from my sock. I carefully removed it, attempting to completely extract its long, mucous-y stinger.

As the day wore on, the sharp pain below my big toe dulled. The next day, I still felt sore, but could ignore it with the busy-ness of end-of-year tasks. That evening, while showering, I lifted my foot to scrub its underside. A throbbing, quarter-sized purple sore seemed to be consuming my toe. I asked my girlfriend to inspect it and confirm if a portion of the stinger remained in my foot. After digging around with a pinpointed tweezer, she pulled out a minuscule filament. My foot immediately felt better as the purple dissipated.

It’s difficult to conceive how something so microscopic could cause such a great pain. Yet, it is part of the bee’s defense and has made me be more observant stepping out onto the balcony. As agonizing the experience and cautious it has made me, I would not say it has made me fearful. Instead, I use it as a metaphor for how I may look at the present with the following lens:

Bees are avoidable;
Budgets buttressed;
Inclusivity empowers student achievement; and
Aloha can never be extinguished.

5 PURSUITS of AHONUI:

Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad

Please watch Just Kidding written by Tracy Ludwig and illustrated by Adam Gustavson.  Then with you child, answer the following:

• IDENTITY: Share with your kūpuna or mākua if they joke around with their friends or ʻohana. If they do, what does it look and sound like.
• SKILLS: Use evidence from the text, how does the author differentiate between kidding and hurtful teasing?
• INTELLECT: In the book, how does Mrs. Winter describe the difference between tattling (or snitching) and reporting? How might reporting be a way of showing aloha to someone else?
• CRITICALITY: In the book, DJ’s father teaches him how to respond when Vince uses words and actions that are hurtful. Like DJ, practice with your kūpuna or mākua responding to hurtful comments by not saying/doing anything mean back to the teaser.
• JOY: With your ʻohana or a group of friends, check out this game that asks participants to tell the difference between“Friendly Teasing vs Hurtful Teasing”

30 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR KIDS

Speaking from experience, the start of a new year often brings lofty resolutions and great intentions that are too often short-lived. Yet, setting goals and sticking with them are vital skills for our students to learn. By setting realistic, age-appropriate, manageable goals, kids learn the importance of perseverance and experience the joys of making tangible progress. Read more here for helpful suggestions on setting resolutions with your children. 

CONTINUED PRACTICES:

NOʻAHUNA OF ALOHA

See Uncle Pono Shim explain the Noʻahuna, the esoteric meaning, of Aloha as taught to him by Aunty Pilahi, the Keeper of Secrets.

WEAR KĀNEʻOHE SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

Help us build unity and show our lōkahi by wearing a shirt that celebrates Kāneʻohe on Wednesdays. Wear any previous Fun Run or grade level shirt.

WEEKLY VIRTUAL PIKO

Our Weekly Piko, has changed to twice-a-week. In-person on the first day of the week and virtual on the last day. At piko we share thoughts on the Aloha value for the week which helps us become centered and ready to learn. We begin at 8 AM everyday except Wednesdays when we meet in-person. If you would like to share your reflections on the week’s Aloha value, please contact me.

If you’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of our students outside of the school day. Please use this link to share a brief shout-out for your child that we can share at piko.

UPCOMING EVENTS