Someone Special

We're learning about caring for others so we talked about a special person who cares for us!




Aloha Parents,

Swim classes with Ms. Whitney and Mr. Kimura will begin in early March and continue through the beginning of May. More information will be forthcoming soon.

A few tidbits for the upcoming week:

• Wednesday, February 5th - Library book due.
• Thursday, February 6th - Marine Education Training Center Learning Trip. Attire - Special 'K' t-shirt, shorts, sport shoes, and sunblock rub down (before school). Home lunches should be in Ziploc bags or disposable containers. Be in school by 8:15am.  We will leave the classroom at 8:20am. A substantial breakfast is recommended since there will be no morning snack.
• Friday, February 7th - Teacher Inservice Day. No School.
• Thursday, February 13th - Please bring in Valentine's Day goodie bags, if you wish to share.

Be joyful,
Mrs. Lee

"I have a dream..."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great person who taught us how to get along with each other no matter how different we are.

"I have a dream..." on PhotoPeach

Aloha kakou Parents,

Children love to explore the world around them. In particular they love to view plants and flowers because of the various fragrances, textures, and colors. The K-1 keiki learned about plants as they viewed educational videos, listened to and discussed literature, and engaged in fun activities.  They were especially fascinated when their Green Bean and Zinnia flower seeds were planted; and before you could blink, they were sprouts. 

Within a week or so, these little plants were outgrowing the plastic cups. Now that the students have taken their plants home, are they asking you to replant them?  Please let us know when the green bean grows and the Zinnia bloom! They were so excited about watching this new growth within a short time span.

Any old magazines with pictures of food (Better Homes and Gardens, Woman's Day, Gourmet, etc) would be greatly appreciated.  You can bring them in anytime soon.

Just a few reminders for the upcoming weeks:

• Wednesday, January 29th - Library books due
• Wednesday, January 29th - myON Reader and Book Share due
• Thursday, February 6th - Marine Education Training Center Learning Trip to visit the Hokule`a and Hikianalia. Please remember to wear the 'K' t-shirt with shorts (or pants), sport shoes, sunblock rub down before school, and be in school by 8:15am. We will leave the classroom at 8:20am. A substantial breakfast is encouraged before the Learning Trip as there will be no morning snack.
• Friday, February 7th - Teacher Inservice - No School

Smiles,
Mrs. Lee

Our 100th Day of School

Today was our 100th Day of School filled with so many activities!

100th Day of School - slideshow

Aloha Parents,

Our 100th Day of School was non-stop with fun-filled activities for the keiki and they loved every minute of it! Visit our classroom to view their cute work! It'll make you smile!

If anyone has old magazines, such as Family Circle, Better Homes and Garden, Gourmet, etc, could you kindly save them for us?  The students will need to cut out pictures of food for class activities in a few weeks. Mahalo!

Please remember the following red-letter dates:

• Monday, January 20th - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. No School.
• Wednesday, January 22nd - All Library books due
• Wednesday, January 29th - myON Reader and Book Share due

Have a restful weekend,
Mrs. Lee

Our Plans for 2014

What do you plan to do in 2014? We have alot of ideas!

Aloha Parents,

Your kindness, wonderful cards, and gifts were greatly appreciated this holiday season. It was so nice to be remembered!  Mahalo to everyone who brought sparkling eyes, squeals of delight, and wide smiles from the keiki for all the generous goodie bags shared! They could barely contain themselves and wanted to eat all the goodies and/or play with the toys immediately. Arigato, xie xie, do je, kamsa hamnida, merci, and mahalo again to all!

The 100th Day of School will be celebrated on Friday, January 17th.  Your child should wear their 100th Day t-shirt creation to school.  The Kindergarten students will parade through the Preschool to Grade 5 classrooms showing off their decorated t-shirts. A 100 snack party and games will follow. We can't wait to see everyone's super tee adorned with sequins, puzzle pieces, flowers, ribbons, etc.!!

 Please note the following dates:

• Wednesday, January 15th - Library Books due
• Friday, January 17th - Please bring in a recycled bag for your child (If you haven't already)
• Friday, January 17th - 100th Day of School!
• Monday, January 18th - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. School closed. 
• Wednesday, January 29th - myON Reader and Book Share due

May the New Year fill your days with all that is beautiful! Have a wonderful 2014!

Mrs. Lee

The Spirit of the Season

Christmas means many things for different people. Here's what it means for us!

A free picture slideshow by Smilebox

'Tis the Season,

The special 'K' t-shirts will be distributed tomorrow. Before wearing it, place a thin cloth over the design and iron for about 30-40 seconds to set the design. Turn the shirt inside out and repeat the ironing. Make sure your iron is set on the wool/cotton setting, and that you don't use the steam setting (no water).

Our Winter Program will be full of holiday cheer with singing and dancing. Consider arriving early, well before 9am, due to the limited parking at the Social Hall.  All Kindergarten students should wear the bright yellow t-shirts with dark shorts/pants/skirts to school.

A few dates to remember:

• Friday, December 13th - myON Reading assignment due.
• Wednesday, December 18th - If you wish to share Holiday Goodie bags, kindly bring them in by this date.
• Thursday, December 19th - Holiday Goodie bags and classwork to be distributed. 
• Friday, December 20th - Winter Program in the Social Hall beginning at 9:00. After the Kindergarteners' performance, everyone will return to class for photos. Please advise if you plan to sign your child out early, otherwise, dismissal is at 11:30am.

As the Holiday Season is approaching, may your homes be filled with lots of love, laughter, and yummy smells!

Looking forward to an exciting 2014! Keep them reading as they are making good progress in developing their reading skills.  Practicing their skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s are also encouraged!

Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau`oli Makahiki Hou!
Mrs. Lee

The Polar Express

We hear the silver bell at Christmas time because we believe in Santa, the elves, and the North Pole?  Do you hear it too?


The Polar Express - slideshow

Holiday Greetings,

Children love Christmas, that's for sure! There are so many fun holiday activities to do with the students in class. So far, everyone enjoyed listening or watching videos of Christmas stories, made a gingerbread glyph,painted a Polar Express scene, and tore paper to create Santa.  Math games included skip counting with snowmen or reindeer and practiced even/odd numbers with mittens.
Since keiki and Christmas go together like bread and butter, they can be sure there are many more fun things to do at this time of the year!

Skip counting is an important skill the keiki need to learn.  This will help them to count a large number of items quickly and to count money. Please encourage them to practice skip counting on a regular basis. Most of them are comfortable skip counting by 5s and 10s, but need to work on the 2s. 

Please have your child bring in a 7"x10" piece of Christmas gift wrap (foil or paper) by Thursday, December 12th for an activity. Mahalo.

Please remember:

• Wednesday, December 11 - Library books due
• Thursday, December 12 - Piece of Christmas wrap due
• Friday, December 13th - Ornament for 3rd Grade Buddy due
• Friday, December 13th - December myON Reading assignment and Book Share due
• Wednesday, December 18th - If you wish to share Holiday Goodie Bags, please bring them in by this date. Distribution will be on Thursday, December 19th.
• Friday, December 20th - Winter Program, 9:00 in the Social Hall.  Please advise if you plan to sign your child out before the 11:30 dismissal.  There will be no Afterschool Care.

Have a nice weekend,
Mrs. Lee

I am Thankful for....

What are you thankful for at this time of year?  Listen as we share our thoughts.

This free digital slideshow customized with Smilebox Aloha Parents, The students have begun practicing Holiday songs for the Winter Program. Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten students will perform in the Social Hall beginning at 9:00am. Grades 1-8 will begin their Winter Program at 10:00. All Kindergarten classes will return to their classrooms for photos.  Early dismissal is scheduled for 11:30am. Please notify me if there is a need to take your child home earlier. The keiki will be wearing special Kindergarten screen printed t-shirts (with dark pants, shorts, skirts, etc.) made for this occasion and future school events. Please note the following dates as we approach the busy holiday season: Wednesday, December 4th - Library Books due. Friday, December 6th - Bodhi Day Service. Buddhists celebrate Gautama's attainment of Enlightenment on this day while he was under the Bodhi tree in North India. Please dress your child appropriately for this Temple Service. Friday, December 13th - myON Reading assignment and December Book Share due. Friday, December 13th - Holiday Ornament for your child's buddy due. Please wrap and label it. Wednesday, December 18th - If you wish to share Holiday Goodie Bags, please bring them in by this date. Distribution will be on Thursday, December 19th. Friday, December 20th - Winter Program in the Social Hall at 9:00am. As a teacher, I am grateful for the Kindergarten students I have in my class and the parents who support their education.  I wish that all teachers would enjoy the same level of support  that I have at Hongwanji Mission School. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Mrs. Lee