Lōkahi: To be connected or undivided (already whole)…the practice is in recognizing the connection and expressing through storytelling. To look for and/or recognize the connections we have (which may not be readily recognizable) and then find the story which unveils the connection. It also conveys a desire for harmony from within and from that peaceful place looking for the “one story” or the “story from heaven’s perspective” where there are no sides (walls, prejudices, biases, silos, agendas).
Pilahi Paki as shared by Pono Shim to The Mānoa Heritage Center.
ALOHA FOCUS FOR THE WEEK: LŌKAHI
What do 50 active duty service members from the military, a group of 20 juniors from Kamehameha that created their own nonprofit, a collection of parents and their children, and a core team of Kāneʻohe Elementary staff have in common? With such a disparate assembly of folks spanning a wide age range, ethnic backgrounds, religions, socioeconomic situations, and an abundance of distinctive categories that set us apart, commonalities might be difficult to find. Yet, we were all gathered in one place, at the same time, and working towards one outcome.
Queen Liliuokalani once said, “To gain the kingdom of heaven is to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable — that is Aloha. All things in this world are two; in heaven, there is but one” Our eyes and ears often deceive us. We judge, applying our own narratives, colored by our own experiences. We think our memories are infallible, yet time twists and degrades those recollections to fit the stories we tell. The first fish we caught gets bigger over time. Our first kiss, lasts longer and feels more fraught the farther away from it we get. Even with a historically traumatic event such as 9/11, years later witnesses will dispute what they wrote a week after the attack.1 What we hear, see and think are flawed. But when we can haʻahaʻa, set aside our ego and judgements, we can know aloha. When we take a heavenly perspective, we can perceive lōkahi and understand how we are connected.
So what did we have in common? What connected us this past Saturday? We were all there to help. We gave up a fraction of our precious weekend to show akahai to Kāneʻohe Elementary. That was our lōkahi.
Mahalo nui loa to all who generously gave of their time and efforts to mālama our campus including our ʻohana, staff, military partners, Pencils for People, Sustʻāinabilty club and Rep. Scot Matayoshi. Mahalo Piha to Jolyn Kresge, Wali Camvel, Kalei Tim Sing, and Dee Fujinaka for organizing this amazing event that activated over 100 volunteers.
1 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/911-memory-accuracy/
5 PURSUITS of LŌKAHI:
Inspired by Gholdy Muhammad
Please watch Eyes that Weave the World’s Wonders written by Joanna Ho and Liz Kleinrock, with illustrator Dung Ho. Then with you child, answer the following:
- IDENTITY: Talk with your kupuna about what they see when they look at you.
- SKILLS: Point out the many examples of descriptive language the authors use to illustrate the connections the main character feels with her parents.
- INTELLECT: Adoption is a common way in which families are brought together. In the Hawaiian culture, to hānai a child was a regular practice. Research about hānai here or learn from a kupuna familiar with the practice.
- CRITICALITY: The authors wrote this and other books because growing up, they never saw themselves represented in any book. Thinking about those in your life, whose stories might still be underrepresented in books?
- JOY: Do something with your family that they find joyful.
MAHALO PIHA KES OHANA FOR STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK
On behalf of the faculty and staff of Kāneʻohe Elementary, we are so thankful for the gifts appreciation, kind words, and expressions of aloha you’ve shown over the past week. We truly treasure our families and feel so blessed to be teaching your children. Mahalo piha for helping us feel valued in return.
THE DANGERS OF DISTRACTED PARENTING
I recently read an article posted in The Atlantic that built upon research asserting children using phones harmful to their development. It maintained that parents incessantly using phones are also negatively impacting children. Educational research has already shown that the language and conversational exchanges between adults and children are the best predictor of achievement in school. So when that communication is stunted or interrupted by notifications and texts, then children lose the chance to develop their language.
Further, when parents becomes so distracted by their phones, they “not only miss emotional cues but actually misread them.” They also inadvertently communicate “through his or her non-engagement that the child is less valuable than an email” (Or text, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc). The article further explains that children will naturally attempt to regain the parent’s attention, including throwing tantrums – a behavior we are seeing with greater frequency here in school. Consequently, this and the previous article make a strong argument for putting our phones down and keeping them out of our children’s hands for as long as possible.
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 PINK FOR MAUI WEDNESDAYS
Join us in letting “that light, that divine inspiration that Aunty Pilahi Paki says is given to you at your very beginning, come through and let your ALOHA join with the ALOHA of the collective to bring about healing.”
DAILY VIRTUAL PIKO
At the Daily 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.
UPCOMING EVENTS
| Wed, May 15, 6:30 PM | KES Ohana Mtg – Hybrid Attend in-person at the library -or-Attend via Zoom |
| Fri, May 17 | May Day |
| Wed, May 22 | Fun Run Rescheduled |
| Wed, May 29 | School Ends at 2 PM (Switch with 5/30) Gr 6 Promotion Ceremony |
| Thur, May 30 | Awards CeremonySchool Ends at 1:15 PM Last day of school |