A Hui Hou!
Well, we are nearing the end of the school year, and so it is a time for reflecting on all that we have accomplished and dreaming about the lazy days of summer ahead. The children have finished compiling evidence of their learning in their portfolios. I will send them home on Monday, May 19, for you to look over and discuss with your child. Please bring them back to school with you on your conference day, after which you may take them home for keeps.
Our class won a Pizza Party for decorating their Pennies for Patients box as an awesome owl! So we will have pizza lunch next Wednesday, May 21. I have asked Mrs. Washio to ask for a couple of volunteers to donate drinks or fruit as well. Please contact her if you can help.
Today, at an all-school assembly, we remembered two long-time friends, Mrs. Gail Fukumoto and Mr. Louis Rivera. Both are retiring at the end of May. Mrs. Fukumoto has been teaching at Epiphany-MPI for 41 years! And Mr. Louis has been serving the children for 21 years! They were celebrated with lei, gifts, song, and fond remembrances by students, faculty, and staff. It was a very heartfelt gathering. We will miss them. Please give them your aloha when you see them again.
I want to sincerely thank Sheila Washio for her wonderful job as room mom for our class. She has helped me in numerous ways and has always been so gracious. I hope you will also thank Sheila for all her efforts on behalf of “The Bailie Bunch,” as she has christened us.
Keep in mind that there is no school tomorrow as teachers prepare for student conferences. Next week Thursday, May 22, and Friday, May 23, are Student/Parent/Teacher conferences. I look forward to meeting with each family again. There is so much to share. There is also the sad business of saying good-bye to some of you. What a wonderful group of children and families I have been blessed to know. Thank you for your help in the classroom and at special functions, gifts to the class, books, food, crafts, encouragement, and kindness. You’re the best!
Posted at 1:20 PM| Permalink
Kahalaopuna News
Congratulations to Mikayla, whose entry in the Kahalaopuna art contest has been used on the publicity flyer and poster distributed throughout the school.
Here is the information you have been waiting for regarding arrival times and costume requirements for your chlldren. On both Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10:
• All children will report to their classrooms by 5:00 pm.
• They should be dressed in board shorts or surf shorts, a t-shirt, and slippers.
• Girls should have their hair in a ponytail.
• In the classroom the children will receive their costume bag. They will change their t-shirts into the official program t-shirt provided by the school and their capes or other costuming. They will place the t-shirt they wore to school in their costume bag (with their name on it).
• The teacher will walk the students down to Scudder Hall for warm-up. The children will bring their costume bag with them.
• Upon completion of the opera, the children will return to Scudder where they will change back into their own t-shirts (girls will change in the kitchen area), neatly fold their performance t-shirt and cape or other costuming, and replace it in their costume bag.
* Children will be dismissed from Scudder Hall after their change and parents have signed them out.
Below is a letter sent by the Fifth Grade Leadership Team that I thought you’d like to see.
Aloha kakou!
Hey! Have your heard? Our school, Mid-Pacific Institute, is celebrating 100 Years in Manoa. As a part of our year-long celebration, we are putting on an opera production called Kahalaopuna, Princess of Manoa (this cool opera was written especially for youth by Manoa resident and Professor Emeritus of the UHM Music Department, Dr. Neil McKay).
This opera is really special. The entire production has been managed by us – the students of MPI (with a little bit of help from the teachers and parents)! Our entire elementary school has been working hard for months pulling everything together. We have been involved in rehearsals, costumes, ticket sales, set design, prop making, production, marketing, public relations, and advertising. Plus, the Hawaii Opera Theater has been helping us learn about how a real opera works. They are helping to train the principal singers, which are all played by students. In fact, some of the bigger roles are being performed by our high school students from the MPSA (Mid-Pacific School of the Arts). They’re awesome!
We invite you to attend and tell your friends about our special performance. Our shows are on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, at 6:00 pm in the MPI Mills Gymnasium. If you would like free tickets for either night, please feel free to call 441-3806.
We really hope you can join us for our special night.
Mahalo nui loa,
The 5th Grade Leadership Team
The MPI Opera Company
Posted at 12:16 PM| Permalink
Kite Day in Manoa
Today 1 was Kite Day on campus with the entire student body participating. However, days before, we had parents and children busily making and decorating kites, which was surely half the fun! Early on Thursday morning, Mrs. Jenkins provided a slide show for the elementary students regarding the history of Kite Day on the MPI campus. By 10:00 am, hundreds of elementary students were set loose on the football field to try out their new kites. We were blessed with gentles gusts of winds and light cloud cover. What a beautiful site for flying kites. Thanks again to parents who volunteered to provide support and kite first-aid if needed.
Please check the class gallery for new pictures, including some from Kite Day.
Posted at 12:15 PM| Permalink
We Are Scientists!
Thanks, everyone, for a very successful Family Science Night and Potluck. Fun was had by young and otherwise! We couldn’t have done it without a strong group of parent volunteers. Thank you for rearranging your schedules for this event. I also want to acknowledge the hardworking education staff from the Bishop Museum who brought their wonderful program to our school. It’s always so exciting to watch young children as they explore, discover, and learn about their world.
Posted at 12:14 PM| Permalink