November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 3

Keone’ula Elementary
School
Parent Newsletter

A M essage from the Principal:

I went shopping at the Pearlridge Shopping Center this past weekend and saw the
beginnings of Winter Holiday decors! My gosh, and at this writing, we haven’t even
celebrated the Annual Costume Parade yet and the stores are putting out holiday season
“warnings.”

This tells me the school year continues to move along and the first school quarter has
ended! While we have just begun Quarter II for this school year, we have also begun the first
year of the online Hawaii State Assessment. The students have three opportunities to meet
the criteria for achieving proficiency; we’re pleased to have that. The pace for this online
assessment is slow at this time, but I anticipate the students will be more comfortable with
the process and procedures by their third effort.

Our October calendar is absolutely full! We’re hosting the Board of Education Dinner
Meeting, there’s Kid’s Voting, the Annual Canned Food Drive, the complex area elementary
school basketball tournament, the annual Flu Vaccine Clinic, and the Annual Costume
Parade. We also, once again, were honored with the Kapolei Rotarians Dictionary Project
where each 3rd grade student received a dictionary to keep.

Looking at the month of November, the Hoakalei Cultural Foundation is holding their 4th
Annual Arbor Day Project on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at our school cafeteria. This
 November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Looking at the month of November, the Hoakalei Cultural Foundation is holding their 4th
Annual Arbor Day Project on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at our school cafeteria. This
year they are holding an hour-long mini workshop so that you may receive a free kit of three
Native Hawaiian plants, the ‘Akia, the Kulu`i and the Na`u gardenia tree. Go to the website
to register for the mini-workshop: kupuna@hoakaleifoundation.org.

And remember our school’s first Fun Fair scheduled for Friday, November 12, 2010 from
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. We’ll have games, food, entertainment and FUN!! What’s the cliché,
“Be there or be square!” There is an upcoming Parent Coffee Hour scheduled for Tuesday,
November 16, 2010, 8:15 am in the school cafeteria. Hope to see many of you there!

Please notice as you pass the Administration Building’s front door, an “Academic
Achievement Award” banner we are proud to display! We earned this banner for having
met Adequate Yearly Progress for the Spring 2010 Hawaii State Assessment. The teachers
continue to work diligently with your child and look towards meeting the criteria once again!

Until the next newsletter!

Principal’s PCNC Corner Counselor’s VP Corner 3rd Grade 6th Grade Appreciation &
Corner Acknowledgements
Message

Page 3
Page 4 Page 7-8 Page 9
Page 1 & 2 Page 5 Page 6
Calendar of Storm Drain Parent Letter Family Fun Fair

Events Info

Page 10 Page 11-12 Page 13 Page 14-22

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 2

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 November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Our first Family Fair is coming up soon and some of our grade levels need some help with their
booths. Please check out the list of items that our teachers need to complete their game booths
and check at home if you may have some of these things that you may be able to donate:

Gr. 1:
• brand new 2-liter soda bottles

Gr. 3:
• large and small buckets (coffee cans or narrow bottles to make things challenging)
• pennies
• blindfolds (or cloth to cover eyes)
• poster boards

Gr. 5:
• ping pong balls
• glass cups

Gr. 6:
• pingpong balls
• balloons
• colored plastic cups (Red, blue, etc.)

Please turn in any of these donations to the front desk in D building. Please label the items with the grade
level you are donating.
Vote Today

Help our school win $20,000 today. Go to

www.care2.com/schoolcontest/ and vote for
Keone’ula Elementary School. Voting begins
on September 20 and ends on November 12.
Tell your family and friends to vote too!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Campbell‘s Labels for Education Box Tops for Education 

Help us earn money for the school. We
are still collecting Campbell labels. Visit
Campbell’s website at
www.labelsforeducation.com for a list of
products that qualify for the program.
Students should submit labels to the
front office.
Here’s another opportunity to help us 
earn money for the school.  Simply clip the 
Box Top logo stamp.  For more 
information visit  
http://www.boxtops4education.com.  A 
collection bin is available in the front 
office. 

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 3

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 November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Helping your child succeed on tests

Throughout the school year, students in grades 3 through 6 will have multiple opportunities to take the
Hawaii State Assessment. This assessment is just one of the many ways for our school to measure
academic growth. The Hawaii State Assessment is also used by the state to measure a school’s
adequate yearly progress. Listed below are ways you, as parents, can help your child prepare for not
only the Hawaii State Assessment, but with all school-based tests in general:

How can you help your child prepare?

Teachers tell us that successful test-takers tend to be students with good attendance, homework, and
study habits; therefore, your daily assistance with homework and attitude toward school have the
biggest impact on your child's performance. However, there are key ways you can develop test-taking
ability:

• Optimize brain power.

Teachers say the students who struggle the most on testing days are the ones who didn't have enough
sleep or a good breakfast the day of the test. Also, students who are physically or mentally unprepared
often encounter problems. Make sure she has every tool she needs — pencils, an eraser, paper, a
calculator, etc. laid out the night before, as well as any preliminary paperwork filled out, if possible. If
she isn't feeling well on the test day, it's better to keep her home and let her make up the test later
rather than risk poor performance.

• Encourage good study habits and challenge critical-thinking skills.

Reviewing test-taking strategies is important, but monitoring overall academic progress and staying in
good communication with the teacher will help you ward off potential problems. Good reading skills
factor heavily in a timed test, so encourage reading (consider magazines, newspapers, or even comic
books if he shies away from books) as much as possible. Testing also measures critical-thinking ability,
so ask him to discuss ideas or voice his opinion often to stimulate these thought processes.

• Relax and remain positive.

The best test-takers are confident, committed, and at ease. Even if you are nervous about her
performance, be wary of transferring that concern to your child. You never know, some kids actually
enjoy tests! If she is likely to get nervous, practice a few relaxation techniques, such as counting from
one to ten or taking deep breaths, which can help her relieve tension during the test.

If you have any questions regarding Hawaii State testing, please feel free to contact your child’s
counselor.

Taken and adapted from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1403

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 4
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 November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Dear KES Parents & Guardians,

I am truly amazed at how quickly the school year has gone by! We are already into our second quarter and the holidays are
right around the corner. We will be having our first Family Fun Fair. I hope that you and your families will be able to join us
for a fun time! I just have a couple of reminders and updates for this month. Please continue to check out our school blog at
www.keoneula.blogspot.com for up-to-date information as well as to find out what’s happening on our campus. Wishing you
and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
Ms. Obra
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. “-- John Fitzgerald
Kennedy

Picking Up Children
School Traffic Afterschool – We are asking
for your assistance. If you are
Please help us to keep our students safe. Just on campus prior to the bell
a couple of reminders about our school ringing for the end of the day,
traffic: please wait outside of the
buildings (E, F, G, & H).
• Drop off in the upper parking lot – We
have three lanes. The lane farthest to the
right is for drop-offs and pick-ups. The
middle lane is a passing lane. The far left
lane is also for passing lane for cars
coming out of the parking lot.
Lost & Found – Don’t forget to
claim any lost and found items
• Parking in handicap stalls – Please do not in the front office. Please label
park in the handicap stall unless you have a your child’s belongings.
handicap placard. We will be giving
warnings and if need be the police will be
called to assist in this matter.

• Parking in an unmarked stall – We ask all

families to park in an assigned parking lot
stall. Do not park in an unmarked parking
stall or the fire lane.
Storm Drain Information – In the October
Parent Newsletter, I forgot to include the
Thank you to everyone who has helped to storm drain information so I’ve included it in
ensure the safety of our children! this month’s newsletter.

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 5

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November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Wonderful, Welcoming, and Windy Waimea Valley!

The terrific third graders recently got the chance to visit the beautiful Waimea Valley. The
students got to discover the importance of fresh water in an Ahupua‘a. While exploring a part of
Kamananui Stream, students used observation skills to find and identify different species that
depend on fresh water to survive and got to participate in a fun, hands-on game that helped
them learn the importance of clean, fresh water. In addition, the third graders were given the
opportunity to help make a difference in the health of the fresh water in Waimea Valley by
planting a native Hawaiian plant that aids in erosion. The third graders had a blast-they didn’t
want to leave!

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 6

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November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Can you spell onomatopoeia and

Euphrates? These students can!
6th Grade Quarter 1 Spelling Bee Winners!

Spelling Bee Winners - 1st Place: Brianna Mortl, 2nd Place: Angela Peralta, 3rd Place: Ashlyn Kanai

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 7

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November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

 
Congratulations to our 20 Finalists!  
 

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 8

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November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

• Thank you to the Rotary Club for providing our 3rd grade students with
dictionaries!

• Thank you to all our families who supported the Canned Goods Food
Drive and Make a Difference Week!

• Thank you to all our families who have donated various items for our
Family Fun Fair!

• On the behalf of the students, teachers and staff, we would like to

thank the parent volunteers who have gifted our school with their time
and hard work in assembling nearly 800 student progress portfolios!
An especially BIG thank you to Mrs. May Parker, mother/parent of
Cory Parker in F-109 for going above and beyond with this time
consuming task!

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 November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

November

November 1… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Professional
Collaboration Day –
No School for Students
November 2… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Holiday – Election
Day (No school)
November 11… … … … … … … … … … … … … … Holiday – Veteran’s Day
(No school)
Novmber 12… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Fall Fun Fair
November 16… … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Principal’s Coffee Hour
Japan in a Suitcase in
School Presentation
for Grade 1
November 23… … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Kindergarten Field Trip
– Honolulu Zoo
November 24… … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Mass Evacuation Drill
November 25… … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Thanksgiving December/January
November 26… … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Thanksgiving Holiday
November 30… … … … … … … … … … … … … …December 1… … …
..Grade 6 Field … …–… … … … … … … … … … … In-School
Trip
HTY Play for Grade 3
December 17… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Furlough Day
December 20-Jan. 3… … … … … … … … … … Winter Break
January 17… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Holiday –
Martin Luther King Jr.
(No school)
January 31… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .Parent
Workshop #2
February/March

February 21… … … … … … … … … ..Holiday –

Presidents Day (No
school)
March 11… … … … … … … … … … … ..Furlough Day
(No School)
March 14-18… … … … … … … … … .Spring Break
March 25… … … … … … … … … … … ..Holiday –
Kuhio Day (No
Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 10
school)
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March 28… … … … … … … … … … … ..Furlough Day
(No School)
November 2010 Volume 4 Issue 2

Keone’ula Elementary School*91-970 Kaileolea Drive*689-1380 11

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