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Inside this issue: Important Updates and Reminders

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Kudos from Ms. Kobayashi 5

Holiday Craft Night 6

Important Dates 7

PCNC Family Connections 8

Aikahi STAR Party 9

Student Council Update 10

Turkey Trot 10

AINA In Schools 11

Playground Dragon Complete 13

PTSA Treasury Report 13

Playground Clean Up 14

Spook & Science Night 14

Aikahi Robotics 15

2012-2013 School Year November 2012

‘Aikahi Wind Riders‘Aikahi Wind Riders‘Aikahi Wind Riders

Principal’s Message

‘Aikahi PTSA

“COMING TOGETHER IS A BEGINNING. . .” Henry Ford

Dear Aikahi Faculty, Staff, Parents and Community Members,

ALOHA! As Thanksgiving approaches (school will be closed on November 22 and 23, 2012 for the Thanksgiving recess) on behalf of the entire `Aikahi School staff and faculty, I wish you and your families a very peaceful and safe holiday.

Reflecting on the past quarter, I am thankful for many things. I always appreciate even the little things in school life, such as a smile from a student or adult, a warm sunny day (rather than stormy weather that the mainland U.S. is experiencing now) and a good morning greeting. These things improve my outlook and help me to develop a more optimistic and resilient attitude.

Building social and emotional skills is just as important as developing the academic skills in our children. The power of appreciation directly impacts learning. According to research, developing gratitude in students helps them to focus on what is working and it trains their minds to notice the good things in their world. Let’s practice gratitude and appreciation each day. Get your day off to a good start by sharing two things that you are thankful for.

The month of November brings a “cornucopia” of school activities that will benefit the students and the school. The data collected from the drills, surveys and assessment will help to improve student learning and improve the safety of our students and adults.

Hawaii State Assessment (round 1) November 1 – 14, 2012, (Grs.3-6) Emergency Drill: Lockdown/Shelter in place on November 9, 2012 MS4 Beautification Project: November 9, 2012 at 12pm (Student Council) Emergency Off Campus Evacuation: November 14, 2012 at 9am Discovery Education Parent Session – November

26, 2012 from 6–8pm (cafeteria) Tripod Student Survey -- November 27-28, 2012,

all day (K-6)

Your understanding, cooperation and patience are appreciated! You all deserve to be thanked!

Malama Pono! Sincerely,

L. Kobayashi, Principal Lynn_Kobayashi@notes.k12.hi.us

Important and useful news is frequently posted to the Aikahi Elementary Facebook page. Be sure to “like” our Facebook page so that these important updates about school programs, events and activities is posted directly to your Facebook wall! Mahalo!

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Principal’s Message

WHO? Students and adults

WHAT?

Taking care of your duties.

Answering for your actions.

Accountability

Trustworthiness

WHY?

Core value for living honorably.

Accountable for your behavior.

Dependable when you have things to do.

EXAMPLES:

Complete your school assignments and tasks on time and to the best of your

ability.

Take care of your personal possessions.

Understand and accept consequences for your actions and try to correct your

mistake.

Do the “right thing” and apologize if wrong.

Help others in need.

Follow through without giving up.

Understand the effect that you have on others.

APPLICATION: “Walk the Talk”

Practice self-control when you feel angry.

Express your anger with appropriate words and action.

Clean up your area after lunch and encour- age your classmates to do the same.

Get organized, be on time, and honor your commitments especially your school ones.

Booklist for Responsibility ( Grades K-6)

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky – Jeffers

Two Bad Ants – Van Allsburg

Strega Nona – De Paola

It Takes a Village – Cowen-Fletcher

Swimmy – Lionni

Horton Hears a Who – Seuss

Stone Fox – Gardiner

Hatchet – Paulsen

Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell

Important Updates and Reminders

RESPONSIBILITY (GLO #1 SELF DIRECTED LEARNER and Career Skill)

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Principal’s Message

Parents and guardians, I thank you for your inquires made during the week of parent teacher conferences in regards to school safety.

SCHOOL HOURS: School begins at 7:55 AM. Students may be dropped off no earlier than 30 minutes before the 1st bell at 7:50 AM. Students are to leave school as it is over unless enrolled at the after-school care program.

STUDENT PICKUP AREA: Students will be dropped off and picked up in front of the administration building. Students are expected to stay in that place and obey the adults who are supervising that area. Parents/Guardians, please pick up your children as soon as school is over. If they are there for more than 30 minutes, please let them know that they can come to the office where they can use the phone to call you. In the event that you are running late, please be sure that you tell your child where to stay and what to do.

STUDENTS WHO WALK or RIDE A BIKE TO SCHOOL: Parents, please discuss safety rules with your child(ren) who will be walking to school. Bike riders are to dismount their bikes when they get to the sidewalk and walk their bikes to the bike racks that are located in the front of the administration building (side of the library).

BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL: Parents and guardians are reminded that the responsibility for supervision of students before and after school is limited. Please drop off your child not more than 30 minutes before school begins and picked up within 30 minutes or earlier of school dismissal. Unsupervised children can be a safety issue especially due to the public’s use of the school playground.

Student Safety

BULLYING (CHAPTER 19 OFFENSE)

`Aikahi Elementary is a caring and safe learning environment for all. No one will bully or harass anyone. We at `Aikahi Elementary stand by and adhere to the ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY which will not allow this type of behavior to occur. Educating our students and adults about bullying is a first step in our campaign to “stomp it out.”

On October 31, 2012, the students and faculty at `Aikahi Elementary School were enlightened by the performance of the puppets and actors in the musical opera of Brundibar The Bully. This musical fable is based on a Czechoslovakian children’s opera, which sends a message about bullying and how a child through perseverance, resilience and courage was able to defend herself.

So… What is bullying? Bullying is when one or more children or adults intentionally hurt others to increase their power and status. There are three types of bullying: physical, verbal and relational. Relational Bullying is what people do to hurt each other’s relationship. Social exclusion is an example of this because most every child wants to be a part of a group.

Sometimes it is very difficult to tell if a student is being bullied or harassed. Some children want to share but don’t know if it is safe to do so. Parents should also be conscious of their reactions to bullying. Overreacting and losing control of emotions if your child is bullied may make the situation worse. Therefore, it is important for you, as parents, to be a role model and engage in open communication with your child often.

If you suspect your child is being treated in this manner, notify the teacher, counselor or principal. Let’s work together to stamp out bullying!

Student Conduct

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Principal’s Message

Cafeteria News

FOR IMMEDIATE EMPLOYMENT! Seeking a . . .

person who loves children and is interested in working along side them as an ADULT LUNCH AND RECESS SUPERVISOR

2 Hours a day @ $ 8.00 per hour

Call 254-7944 or pick up an application in the front office of Aikahi Elementary.

NEW MEAL DEPOSIT PROCEDURES! Thank you parents for diligently making payments to your child's lunch account and making a conscious effort to respond to requests made by the Meal Tracker Clerk, Ashley Beacham.

EFFECTIVELY IMMEDIATELY: There will no longer be a deposit box in the office!

These are the two ways that you can make payments to your account:

Hand deliver your payments to Ashley Beacham in the cafeteria any school morning between 7-8am.

Payments can also be made in person on the following days and times: Wednesday from 1:30pm-3:30pm and Friday from 2-3pm in the PCNC Room.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause

and ask for your understanding and cooperation.

Please join Discovery Education and Aikahi Elementary for a

local community event! The Discovery Education team is coming back to Hawaii. This time we're visiting parents, students, teachers, and community members on Oahu. This free, interactive evening will showcase new and innovative ways your students, parents and teachers can use digital medial and technology to make learning come alive. For more information, contact Matt_Monjan@Discovery.com.

You are all cordially invited to join us

for a special Ohana Night! Date: Monday, November 26, 2012 Time: 6:00-8:00 PM Where: Aikahi Elementary School 281 Ilihau Street Kailua, HI 96734 Hurry and register here: http://ohananightaikahi.evenbrite.com/

Help Wanted!

OHANA NIGHT with Discovery Education

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SSSEPTEMBEREPTEMBEREPTEMBER ANDANDAND OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER PPPLAYGROUNDLAYGROUNDLAYGROUND CCCLEANLEANLEAN UUUPPP ––– SSSEPTEMBEREPTEMBEREPTEMBER 222222NDNDND & O& O& OCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 202020THTHTH MUCH MAHALOS TO ALL WHO HELPED! Your time and support is greatly appreciated! You do it all for the sake of the children! Special thanks to our PTSA Board for organizing these monthly events and to the following faculty members and students who helped out at the playground clean-up event:

Grade K teacher, Mrs. J. Hansen and students `Aikahi students, who volunteered their time PTSA Board, members and `Aikahi parents, who gave up their Saturday morning to help keep our school playground environment healthy and safe for all our students!

SSSCHOOLCHOOLCHOOL CCCOMMUNITYOMMUNITYOMMUNITY CCCOUNCILOUNCILOUNCIL MMMEETINGEETINGEETING ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 171717THTHTH We would like to thank our SCC members who meet once a month to learn about Aikahi School and to discuss school improvement issues. The Council is still seeking nominations for the following stakeholder positions: (1) Parent Representative Alternate (2 yr.term), (1) Community Representative (2yr term) and (1) Community Representative Alternate (2yr term). See nomination announcement.

555THTHTH GGGRADERADERADE CCCAMPAMPAMP TTTIMBERLINEIMBERLINEIMBERLINE LLLEADERSHIPEADERSHIPEADERSHIP AAADVENTUREDVENTUREDVENTURE ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 101010THTHTH --- 121212THTHTH What a breath taking view of the Ewa Plains from the top of the Makakilo Mountains! Alpine Country is what it is called! This teambuilding camp for the fifth graders was made possible because of our dedicated employees and parents: Mrs. Denis (teacher), Mr. Yent (teacher), Ms. Emma (EA), Ms. Becky (interpreter), parents Ms, Lawrence, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Chow. Much appreciation for giving up your time to support the students. Thank you.

SSSCHOOLCHOOLCHOOL IIINSPECTIONNSPECTIONNSPECTION TTTEAMEAMEAM ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 121212THTHTH YAHOO! The school inspection was completed, data collected, action plan developed and corrections that could be made immediately were done! The following members: Lynn Kitamura (SSC), Joe Sokia (Complex ASA), Robyn Nagli (PCNC), Christina Pascua (PTSA President), Marissa Carreiro (Office Assistant), Merelin Farias, (Custodian), our student council members and Principal Kobayashi inspected the bathrooms, sidewalks, landscape, desks and chairs. After the work was done, we were all treated to water, bananas and cookies. Thank you to the cafeteria for providing our people with refreshments. THANK YOU, for your participation and help!

PTSA QPTSA QPTSA QUARTERLYUARTERLYUARTERLY MMMEETINGEETINGEETING ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 171717THTHTH Parents, thank you for giving up your time to attend these important meetings! Your attention and support is greatly appreciated. Learning about the State, District and School initiatives such as the pilot performance evaluation for teachers and the professional development trainings required for both administration and teachers is important. Understanding the purpose and objectives of these and other initiatives is vital, as we should all work together to ensure our students receive a quality educa-tion. See presentation.

TTTEACHEREACHEREACHER PPPROFESSIONALROFESSIONALROFESSIONAL DDDEVELOPMENTEVELOPMENTEVELOPMENT ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 181818THTHTH---191919THTHTH & N& N& NOVEMBEROVEMBEROVEMBER 202020THTHTH Thank you to our teachers who attended the Singapore Math Conference (Oct. 18-19, 2012) and Thinking Maps Training (Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012), for spending extra time and energy to learn new techniques for teaching mathematics as well as new teaching strategies incorporating the use of graphic organizers to enhance student learning. Parents look out for these new strategies as you discuss your child’s learning! Many times parents wonder about teachers being out of school, well . . . this is one example where our teachers learned new skills and strategies to enhance student learning, directly benefitting your children. We thank you for your understanding!

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Holiday Craft Night is December 7th! It's hard to believe the holidays are quickly approaching. To help everyone kick off the holidays, PTSA is honored to sponsor this years Holiday Craft Night on December 7th at 5pm. We would like to extend an invitation to everyone to join us for an hour of FREE, fun, festive, family crafts. Each crafter will make a decoration for their home, an ornament, holiday jewelry, and gift wrap to help wrap up their handmade crafts to give away as gifts. Then they will finish the night by decorating their own cupcake and can enjoy

it with a cup of hot chocolate. It's a night of hands-on, festive fun in which stu dents can create a one of a kind gift to give to someone special. We hope to

see you all there!

If you would like to volunteer an hour of your time to help put smiles on our students faces, please contact Katie Holmes at mobileholmes@gmail.com or 261-2478. No experience is necessary to help with these crafts...and you get to enjoy a cupcake and a cup of hot chocolate too!

Mahalo, Christina Pascua

OOOPERAPERAPERA: T: T: THEHEHE CCCURSEURSEURSE OFOFOF LLLOUOUOU LLLINGINGING ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 252525THTHTH `Aikahi School has many “guardian angels” who look out for what is best for our students, faculty and staff. Our angels are Sheree and Levani Lipton who sponsored the opera for all to learn and enjoy. We are honored and very thankful. The traveling opera performed a Chinese opera, The Curse of Lou Ling. Six students represented the grade levels and performed along with the cast. What a cultural experience!

DDDEDICATIONEDICATIONEDICATION OFOFOF THETHETHE “D“D“DRAGONRAGONRAGON HHHEADEADEAD” ” ” ------ OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 262626THTHTH The widely acclaimed `Aikahi Playground continues to “turn heads!” The dragon had a “make over or facelift ” head, hair, eyes, lips, jaw and neck all re-sculpted during the Fall break and the final paint job was completed on Friday, October 26th. Gary the sculptor/painter/artist did a fantastic job in recreating the dragonhead! Outstanding job! We thank Mrs. Jackson, DeBiasi Pacific and ’Aikahi PTSA for their generous donations! Visit the Aikahi PTSA website to learn more.

PPPAINTINGAINTINGAINTING OFOFOF PPPARKINGARKINGARKING LLLOTOTOT --- OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 212121STSTST The `Aikahi Family is very fortunate to have a “guardian angel” who keeps an eye on the campus environment. The parking stalls and curbs were in great need of a paint job and with the support of the PTSA and the Hope Chapel Koolau it was given a “make over!” Thank you to all who gave up their Sunday to beautify the campus parking lot!

BBBOOKOOKOOK FFFAIRAIRAIR --- OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 222222NDNDND --- 303030THTHTH Thank you for visiting and shopping at the Book Fair. Your support will go directly to the teachers and the library. Reading is a necessity, a skill that will help you to survive! Your patronage is greatly appreciated. Special thanks to our librarian, Nozomi Fong, Marc Nakayama, tech coordinator, and Jason Park, EA for dedicating their time and effort to run the book fair.

PPPARENTARENTARENT TTTEACHEREACHEREACHER CCCONFERENCESONFERENCESONFERENCES ––– OOOCTOBERCTOBERCTOBER 222222NDNDND---303030THTHTH Thank you parent(s) and guardian(s) for giving up your time to support your child’s education. Your attendance is greatly appreciated and I encourage you all to continue the conversations about your child’s progress throughout the school year.

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Mark Your Calendars for these IMPORTANT DATES!

Schedule Change Reminders and More

To ensure you and your family are always informed of any changes to school hours and/or events, parents are encouraged to “follow” the ‘Aikahi PTSA Blog and to “like” Aikahi Elementary’s Facebook page. You can accomplish both by visiting one website, the ‘Aikahi PTSA Blog at www.aikahiptsa.org. Just as the screen-shot image of our blog to the right shows, simply enter your email address in the top box (to follow our blog) and click the word “like” in the box below (to like our Face-book page). Thereafter, you will receive the latest ‘Aikahi news, updates and reminders in your email inbox and on your personal Facebook page! It’s that simple to help you and your family stay informed.

Additionally, Aikahi PTSA posts ’Aikahi’s daily school announcements on our blog and Facebook page, providing you a daily snapshot of the ongoing activities at Aikahi Elementary. Parents who have been following our blog since the beginning of the school year frequently tell us how much they appreciate being so informed.

We hope this information is helpful and, as always, ‘Aikahi PTSA thanks you for your support!

Nov 3 Robotic District Competition

Kahaluu Elementary 8am

Nov 4 Run & Read 8:30am

Nov 6 NO SCHOOL - Election Day

Nov 12 NO SCHOOL - Veterans’ Day

Nov 14 Emergency Off Campus Evacuation

Last Day for Fall Enrichment Classes

SCC Meeting 3pm

Nov 16 Special PTSA Meeting 8am

Nov 17 1st Grade Playground Clean-up

Nov 21 Turkey Trot

Nov 22-23 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holidays

Nov 26 Discovery Education Night 6-8pm

Dec 7 Holiday Craft Night 5pm

Dec 15 Community Playground Clean-up

Dec 17 NO SCHOOL - Teacher DLWOP

Dec 18 -

Jan 1 NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

Jan 2 NO SCHOOL - Teacher DLWOP

Jan 18 Dinner, Math & Movie Night 5:30pm

Jan 21 NO SCHOOL - MLK Day

Jan 26 2nd Grade Playground Clean-up

Feb 18 NO SCHOOL - Presidents’ Day

Feb 20 PTSA Meeting 6-7:30pm

Feb 23 4th Grade Playground Clean-up

Mar 1 Reading Night 5pm

Mar 16 3rd Grade Playground Clean-up

Mar 18-22 NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

Mar 25 NO SCHOOL - Teacher DWLOP

Mar 26 NO SCHOOL - Prince Kuhui Day

Mar 29 NO SCHOOL - Good Friday

Apr 17 PTSA Meeting 8-9:30am

Apr 20 Student Council Playground Clean-up

Apr 26 Yellow Ribbon Day Assembly 1pm

May 4 Fun Fair

May 6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 10 May Day

May 18 Community Playground Clean-up

May 24 Last Day for Students

6th Grade Graduation

‘Aikahi PTSA Blog screenshot: www.aikahiptsa.org

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I would like to say thank you to all the families who signed up to support this year’s Run & Read activity at Windward Community College. The fun run is taking place Sunday, November 4th at 8:30am. It is an easy physical activity that supports our library. For more information you can visit www.flpregister.com. I’ll see you there! Picture day and retakes went smooth, however, if you decide that you need a final retake they will be available December 1st at the LifeTouch Studio in Pearl City. If you have any questions about your packet or the final retake date, please contact me.

As we have each holiday season, this year ‘Aikahi school will adopt families in need. The outpouring of support our school ohana provide is heartwarming. We are partnering with Family Promise Hawaii (Kailua office) this year. This non-profit organization assists Windward-side families from homelessness to more permanent housing. Participation in the program gives guests the opportunity to regain control of their lives and provide stability for their children. Family Promise of Hawai’i helps families rebuild their lives to enable a productive future. I will be sending home more detailed information about the families we adopt from this program in the coming weeks.

November means Turkey Trot! It is fast approaching and highly anticipated by every student. Held on the last Wednesday before Thanksgiving it is a half day of fun for the children as they navigate obstacle courses, cargo net crawling, relay races, hula hoops, sack races and more. This PTSA sponsored event doubles as a fundraiser whose proceeds are given directly to the grade levels to purchase needed classroom supplies. Please show your support and send in a donation. I know the teachers are very grateful to receive your contributions. Thank you for all your support volunteering, attending events and/or reviewing your child’s homework each night. Your involvement inside and outside the school improves the academic success of your student. Have an aloha-filled Thanksgiving. I look forward to seeing you around campus and town. You can always reach me at 254-7944 x235 or robyn_nagli@notes.k12.hi.us Sincerely, Robyn Nagli ‘Aikahi Elementary PCNC

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Special PTSA Meeting November 16th, 8am

We are holding a special PTSA meeting on Friday, November 16th at 8am in the cafeteria to vote in nominated candidates for the 1st Vice President and Secretary position on the 2012-2013 PTSA Board.

Other business that will be discussed at this meeting is Turkey Trot, Holiday Craft Night, Annual Giving Basket project, Rummage Sale and the We Love Aikahi event. Please join us to learn more about these and other upcoming events.

The Student Council is holding a fundraiser. We are selling "Festival of Giving" tickets from now until November 10th! The

tickets cost $10.00 and all of the ticket monies go to the Student Council to help fund our Leadership Camp. Purchasing a ticket entitles you to huge discounts, free merchandise and entry into a Las Vegas Trip giveaway during the "Festival of Giving" at the Windward Mall on November 9-11. The tickets may be used during the entire weekend at the mall, but please come and visit the Student Council on Saturday, November 10th from 10am

until 3pm at our event table. Thank you for your support!

Mahalo, Mrs. Heupel

Student Council Update

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble! Save the Date! The 27th annual Turkey

Trot is almost here! This PTSA sponsored event is a day of fun & fitness for our kids that raises money that goes directly to our school’s classrooms. Bonuses will also be awarded for the classrooms that raise the most money and have the best participation! Watch for Donation Envelopes and more details coming home the week of November 12th.

During the Turkey Trot, each class will “trot” around an obstacle course alongside our military partners, US Marines from Marine Corps Base Hawaii!

Questions? Want to volunteer? Contact Kate Lloyd at 349-9681 or Jessica Perez- Mesa at 220-9863 or email- klloyd@hcf-hawaii.org; jessicaperezmesa@yahoo.com

‘Aikahi’s Turkey Trot will be November 21st!

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This month 1st graders will learn how to properly harvest beans for eating and for saving seeds. Kindergarteners will explore flowers, pollinators and the formation of seeds, fruits, and vegetables by reading “The Reason For A Flower.” 5th graders will visualize a healthy soil food web through an interactive activity. They will also observe and collect data on the soil in their garden.

3rd graders have now built their vermi-condos (worm habitats) and will continue their composting and vermicasting lessons with community volunteer and former Aikahi teacher Pauline Jacroux.

This month’s ‘AINA IS nutrition lessons will teach 2nd graders about the difference between high quality and low quality food by exploring whole grains. Sixth graders will critically evaluate foods for artificial colors, flavors, added sugars and fats and sodium. Mahalo to all the parent and community volunteers who support ‘AINA IS nutrition and garden lessons, as well as our September/October Healthy Choice Lunch servers:

Beth Lwin, Melissa Morris, Laura Kerns, Gina Salehi, Shelley Whiteman, and Celeste Paiaina.

Mahalo, Allyson Fairweather, AINA In Schools Coordinator allyson.fairweather@gmail.com

First of all, a big and warm MAHALO to all the parents and community volunteers who have gone the extra mile this year to help with our gardens!

Among our unseen and often unsung heroes are the parent volunteers who come out every week to ensure the gardens get watered. Most of our plantings need water daily, so these folks have been critical in our success:

I would also like to thank:

Jen Lilyquist, garden lesson docent, for helping with the watering over the fall break, and for donating pavers to make a walkway through the first grade bean tepees and sunflower houses. Check them out between B and C buildings if you haven't seen them!

Davina and Cromwell Day for extra help with watering, and to Cromwell in particular for trimming the grass around the garden beds.

Kyle Smith for picking up freshly cut bamboo from Ke Kula 'O Samuel M. Kamakau School for our bean structures (and to our friends at Kamakau for cutting and donating the bamboo).

Davina Day Amy Kunz Heidi Redican

Katie Holmes Beth Myers

Mrs. Pauline Jacroux explains to students how to repurpose household contains to build vermi-condos

3rd grader Dominic Rodgers chooses his worms carefully

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Gisa de Paul and Scott Moore, community garden docents, for helping staff Garden Club when we were short on volunteers.

Cara Barber for adding the 'AINA In Schools program link to the Aikahi PTSA website and including a beautiful, photo slideshow for all to enjoy (click under the "Programs" tab to see). Our custodial staff for graciously putting up with us sometimes

making their jobs more challenging; in particular to Merlin Faria for donating papaya seeds and onion cuttings for our gardens, and for her

general aloha and helpfulness this school year.

Chris Naun and Brian Fairweather, for giving up part of their Sunday to trim the grass and dig out between some of our beds.

The gardens are a huge project and I appreciate everyone's patience as I learn by trial and error how to best manage them. Many of our plantings are thriving and the kids are having a good time out there! We are continuing to manage the landscaping around the beds to make them more low-maintenance and cut down on the weed invasion. It's pretty messy at times during this process! Some exciting developments:

-We have approval and funds for our own tool shed to be installed this fall. -We have additional money approved to install a more efficient and targeted watering system, which will cut down on our usage and make everyone's job easier. -I am working on securing a grant for a shade structure to be added to the garden area. My vision is to provide something large and permanent enough to serve as an outdoor classroom to be utilized by students and staff throughout the day. If you are interested in helping plan this project or have suggestions, please contact me directly for details.

How can you help? We are starting to plan the fall Garden Party to assemble the shed and do some other maintenance. Stay tuned for details!

Aloha, Carolyn Naun, Garden Club Advisor spookrepitus@gmail.com

Copies of the Aikahi Student Family Directory are still available for $5 – please see our PCNC Robyn Nagli or email AikahiDirectory@gmail.com .

Mahalo, Laurie Ahlgren

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‘Aikahi PTSA Treasury Report

We had a great month of repairs in

October. The parking lot was

repainted and the marquee was

repaired, both for minimal amounts.

Other expenses for October

included 1st Quarter Star Party

prizes, field trip bus, healthy choice

lunches, weed control, and 1st

Quarter general excise taxes.

Mahalo! Rebecca Cruz ‘Aikahi PTSA Treasurer

Our Aikahi Dragon is Complete!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the completion of the Aikahi Dragon on Friday the 26th. Nani Tomich graced our celebra-tion with her beautiful hula performance, and Representative Cynthia Thielen came out to show her support. "I was so excited to be part of this wonderful event. Aikahi Elementary is such a wonderful school, and the magical playground and dragon are an example of the aloha given by so many to the school." Everyone in attendance enjoyed yummy cake and were given the opportunity to express their gratitude to those who made it all possible. Mahalo to DeBiasi Pacific as well as the Jackson family and Aikahi PTSA for making this project happen! Thank you, Kelly Anderson Aikahi PTSA Vice President

Completion of Playground Dragon

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Spook & Science Night!

Thank you to the following students for coming out to help with the 6th grade playground cleanup: And a very special thank you to Mrs. Moser, Mr. Pierce and Mr. Seltmann for giving up their Saturday morning to lend a helping hand. 1st grade, your Playground Clean-Up is scheduled for Saturday, November 17th at 9am. A reminder will be sent home as the date draws closer. We look forward to seeing you there!

Spook and Science Night was a successful family event! With nearly 200 people in attendance, Bishop Museum's Holoholo Science program

and Mobile Planetarium were hits among Aikahi families once again. Children and parents alike came dressed in festive Halloween costumes, competing for various prizes. Camille's on Wheels provided yummy dinners for purchase and Kona Ice sold their popular shave ice.

Mahalo to the following fabulous volunteers that helped make both of these events possible:

Abby Barber Steele Hooks Michael Ripa

Connor Barber Tasha Kong Ariane Seltmann

Anna Breimon Sophie Moser Elena Storms

Hailey Flott Victor Overten Alex Vo

Hobie Anderson Robyn Nagli

Kelly Anderson Christina Pascua

Cara Barber Debra Pascua

Laura Carothers Karen Pascua

Rebecca Cruz Shiyana Thenabadu

Kahaheo High ROTC Nani Tomich

Brenda Jackson Carey Yen

Laura Kerns

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FIRST LEGO League began in Hawai'i with a local tournament for six teams on O'ahu in 2003. Today Hawai'i FLL, the FLL Operational Partner, services almost 200 FLL teams spread out over the eight islands in the State. During the month of November, the group coordinates district qualifier tournaments on all the major islands (Hawai'i Island, Kaua'i, Maui, and O'ahu). Many teams from the district qualifier tournaments advance to the state championship that is held in December in Honolulu.

This year’s overview is:

Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities? In the 2012 Senior SolutionsSM Challenge, over 200,000 children ages 9 to16 from more than 60 countries will explore the topic of aging and how it may affect a person’s ability to maintain his or her lifestyle – solving issues like getting around, keeping in touch, or staying fit. Teams will research obstacles and then suggest ways to improve the quality of life for the seniors affected. Teams will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® robot to solve a set of missions on an obstacle course. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL’s signature set of Core Values.

‘Aikahi’s Robotics team (aka ‘Aikahi SpecRobOPS) is a 5-student team comprised of Daniel, Jenson, Michael, Steele and Reece. Many thanks to Michael Kelley who has graciously volunteered to run the program and his daughter Alana who is too young to participate but happily volunteered to be the team’s mascot. These students meet in the evenings and have been heavily preparing for the (10-school) district meet in November at Kahalu’u Elementary. Wish them luck!

JK-6th Grade Peer Projects

‘Aikahi’s Robotics Team to Compete this Weekend!

‘Aikahi staff would like to thank Sherri Hooks, Theresa Lau, Sherri Hudson and Diana Holland for helping with this year’s Flu Clinic. Thanks to their help, the clinic went very smoothly this year!

Flu Clinic Mahalo!

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www.aikahiptsa.org

HSA Test Taking Tips