The Heart of Hale'iwa

• Important Dates in January 2024
• Educator of the Year
• Canefire Robotics
• WHIS Winter Activity
• Kindergarten: Dolphin Quest Field Trip
• First Grade: Kokua Learning Farm
  
• Second Grade: VEX123 Parent Activity
• Fifth Grade: Research Projects
• Sixth Grade: Cultural Exchange
• Cup of 'Iwa
• Literacy Corner: "Daisy the Duckling: A Heart of Compassion" and Family Literacy Night
• Informational Open House: Hawaiian Immersion Kindergarten
• Mahalo North Shore News

Mr. Jared Haiola was recognized as the 2023 North Shore Chamber of Commerce Community Educator of the Year Award! This is the blurb that was in the North Shore News:

Jared has been a teacher at Haleʻiwa Elementary for 22 years. He is a Special Education Teacher. In addition, he heads the Haleʻiwa VEX Robotics Program for 5th and 6th graders ... the only such program in the North Shore Elementary School System. His team has competed at the VEX Robotics World Championship (in Louisville, Kentucky and Dallas, Texas) several times.

Jr. Seariders Tournament at Waianae Intermediate School:

Congratulations on an amazing day at this tournament! It had everything from drama to nail biters. Despite all the challenges that this event brought, both teams showed so much more than just their awards...they showed "Haleiwa Heart." Seeing both teams use their precious practice time or even some of their lunch time to help other teams fix their machines was a reminder of what Haleiwa Robotics is all about. I know these selfless acts of service were witnessed by parents, students and other coaches.

The 6th graders receive the Excellence, Teamwork Champion, and Robot Skills Champion awards:

The 5th graders earn the Create Award:

Mele Kaliki-biotics Tournament at Ewa Makai Middle School:

Congratulations to both teams!!!!!! This event brought tears of joy, excitement and suspense. It also brought the fifth graders the Teamwork Champion and Design Awards while bringing the Build and Teamwork 2nd Place Awards to Grade 6. With the 5th graders taking the teamwork champion award, they have officially qualified for the state championships on February 17th.

For the third year, the Waialua High leadership students have come to our campus to put on a winter activity with our students. This year, the students were able to create an ornament, eat popcorn, and shave ice. The lower grades were also able to take pictures with Santa. We are grateful for their generosity and look forward to keeping this tradition going!

Kindergarten got the opportunity to go on an exciting field trip to Dolphin Quest thanks to a grant. The students learned about marine mammals and were able to get close and personal to dolphins! Here are some quotes from our kindergarten students about what they learned.

1st graders went to Kokua Learning Farm in Haleiwa for a field trip on December 8th. They had fun harvesting flower seeds, planting the seeds in the garden bed, harvesting green beans, and acting out the life cycle of a sunflower. They took a tour of their agroforest and got to do a scavenger hunt of the different plants and trees. They even got to cut flowers from the garden to create a flower bouquet for their teachers. The best part was petting and feeding their 2 goats! Thank you Kokua Learning Farm and the fun visit to your farm!

For our parent activity, second graders and their families worked together on a sequencing activity to the story “How to Catch a Reindeer.” Families worked together to code their VEX123 robots to move from one event to another in the order that it happened in the book.

This quarter the fifth graders have been working on a research project. Students developed a list of about twenty topics they were interested in and then chose their top three. They were assigned one of these topics to research with a partner. Students have been able to use many skills to research and start writing their essays, including synthesizing/combining their research, paraphrasing, and writing paragraphs with topic sentences, transitions, and elaborations. This project will be completed in January. You can see the beginning of one student's writing in the photos. Ask your children what topic they are researching and what they have learned. They have become experts on lots of interesting topics!

The sixth graders participated in a cultural exchange with fellow sixth graders from Presidio Knowlls School in San Francisco, California. Together they worked in the loʻi, did a hula, sang songs, and learned some mandarin words.

The Speech Pathology team (Ms. Marthalou and Ms. Sharrisse) have teamed up with a couple teachers (Ms. Sam and Ms. Jes Fernandez) to facilitate student’s real-world learning and communication by offering hot beverages for sale to teachers and staff at Haleiwa Elementary School. The students are learning life skills, such as, health and hygiene, measuring and following a recipe, sequencing, money, reading order forms and speaking to “customers” (our teachers and staff) with appropriate social skills and etiquette. Our sixth graders even got in on the business venture by assisting with our naming (“Cup of ‘Iwa”) and our logo design. Students rotate working shifts taking orders and handling the money once a week, while the teachers help to fill the orders. We are excited to offer this as a fun opportunity for our students to learn and grow.

In a quiet corner of a vast, shimmering pond, there was a duckling named Daisy. Daisy was not like the other ducklings. She had a heart that was heavy with sadness, and she often watched her brothers and sisters frolic and play with a lonely longing in her eyes.

Daisy didn't know how to join in their games, and this made her even sadder. But deep down, Daisy had something special - a heart full of compassion.

One sunny morning, Daisy saw a turtle named Timmy struggling to reach a delicious bunch of water lilies. Without hesitation, Daisy paddled over and used her beak to pick the lilies and bring them to Timmy. She could see the gratitude in Timmy's eyes.

The next day, she noticed a family of dragonflies trying to build a nest but failing. Daisy gathered twigs and leaves, creating a safe place for the dragonflies to lay their eggs. They buzzed around her in delight, their tiny wings shimmering like jewels.

Every day, Daisy's acts of compassion grew. She helped a snail find its lost shell, comforted a crying baby frog, and even sang songs of encouragement to the saddest fish in the pond.

Daisy's kindness had a magical effect. The animals of the pond began to notice her warm heart and kind actions. Slowly, her loneliness faded away.

One evening, as the sun set and painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, the other ducklings gathered around Daisy. They quacked and flapped their wings, inviting her to join their games. Daisy felt her heart swell with happiness.

As she splashed in the water with her newfound friends, Daisy realized something important. Her compassion and actions had not only brought her happiness but had also connected her to the wonderful world of the pond. She had made friends, not by fitting in but by reaching out.

The moral of Daisy's story is that compassion and kindness can light up even the darkest corners of our hearts. Daisy's courage to overcome her sadness and her compassion to help others made her the happiest duckling in the pond.

Daisy showed children that by being kind and compassionate, they can create a world full of friendship and joy. Just like Daisy, they can change their world with a heart full of love and action.

Mahalo to North Shore News for delivering presents for some of our students and families. We appreciate your generosity and support.

Email: haleiwaschool@haleiwa.k12.hi.us
Website: https://www.haleiwaelementary.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleiwa_elementary/

Location: 66-505 Haleiwa Road, Haleiwa, HI, USA
Phone: (808) 637-8237