H-1 Honu News

March 2015
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Dates to Remember
March 3Weave headbands, H-1, 12:15
March 9Cutting of Coconut Fronds 2:25, Winne office area
March 10--Plate Weaving--12:15, H-1
March 17-21-- Luau Week; check note home
March 23-29-- Spring Vacation
March 30--Back to School

Aloha!
February was a short, quick month that just zipped by! We went from carnival to
conferences to field trips to Hawaiian Studies rotations and more. WOW! Here it is
March which can only mean LUAU!! It's such an exciting time! Before I talk about

luau, let me tell you about some of the things that went on in February

In The Class
We had a wonderful trip to Kaala Farm. It was a long bus ride out but definitely
worth the ride. Kaala is beautiful, quiet, and serene. We worked in the loi kalo, watched
a kapa making demonstration and learned how to make poi. Now when we make kapa
and poi in class we'll know what we're doing!? The students will be writing cinquains
about Kaala next week.
Today we bid a fond "Aloha and a hui hou" to our beloved Barwick playground.
As you know from next week the students will no longer be enjoying recess there. The
2-5 community gathered there this afternoon for a final time; sang an oli and made a
huge lei around the perimiter of Barwick. It was all so touching. Of course, we ended
with a final recess there. We also took our Sterling activity photos there this morning.
Later we walked around with our iPads and took pictures to make a little memory book.
We have finished our Hawaiian Studies rotations to all the other third grade
kumu. We finished up with making natural Hawaiian dyes with Kumu Kane and playing
quiet Hawaiian games with Kumu Fox. The class still needs to make an ohe kapala with
mea kapa stamp. We'll work on that this month. We also met with Kumu Leong last

week to learn about the changes in plants and animals in Hawaii due to adaptation. We
will be finishing up that next week. This week we also finished up our water unit. The
students made beautiful water color drawings of Oahu's water lens.
Next week we will start preparing for our luau. First up is drying fish a very
aromatic activity. We will salt it and leave it out to air dry for a couple of days. Two
pounds of ahi will shrivel up into practically nothing! It'll look just like beef jerky but it's
fish jerky!
As you can tell, second semester's main focus in Hawaiian Studies is life in old
Hawaii. We are fortunate to have many resources, like field trips and hands on
activities, that help reinforce to the students the things they read about. Learning truly
comes alive for them! Many of the things the students do are hard to teach just by
reading. How do you teach patience and perseverance? Try weaving a lauhala
headband, making a fishnet or making an ipu! I've heard many students, after finishing
their fishnet, exclaim how hard it was! Yet they finished it and it is perfectly done! It's a
great sense of accomplishment. It's also interesting to see when "book smart" students
struggle with hands-on activities. They learn what it is like to have to work very hard at
something. The opposite is true, too. Some of the students who struggle with math or
reading are whizzes at these activities and feel so proud to be the first ones done and
help others. We all excel in something!
Well, it's not all fun and games here in H-1! Today we took a Topic 7 assessment
so next week we will start on Topic 8 which is division and Topic 9 focuses on patterns
and relationships. In Reading we are reading the novel Call It Courage, a wonderful
book filled with similes, metaphors, and personification. The students love the beautiful
writing in the story and enjoyed spotting various figures of speech as they read. They
are learning new vocabulary words.

Luau News

For the rest of this month our focus is LUAU which is on Friday, March 20. We
will be making coconut frond plates, ti leaf leis, husking coconuts, making haupia, poi,
kulolo and laulau, and washing taro and uala. I want to thank you in advance for the
items you are donating to the luau and all of your help. Without your generosity and
kokua we could not possibly have this event. Mahalo!
I truly regret that you cannot attend the luau but it would be impossible for the
students to prepare a luau for themselves and their families as well. One of our main
goals for this luau is for the students to do the preparation and planning, and to work
cooperatively while learning what life might have been like in ancient Hawaii. It is the
process we emphasize, not the final product, although luau day is a lot of fun! So I trust
you understand why luau is just for students. I will be taking lots of pictures and I

promise to share them with you. Thank you for your understanding.
A few last comments... We are really desperate for brown coconuts! If you even
see just one laying on the ground, check to see if it has liquid in it and if it does, please
send it in. Green ones or golden ones are not good! Mahalo!! Next, if you are helping
with any of the luau activities, please remember to wear shorts or pants since many of
the activities require you to sit on the floor and/or get dirty. And remember, I'll explain
how to do everything so don't worry! Hope you check it out! Lastly, I will be sending a
note home with a list of all the activities that we do during luau week so you'll know
when to expect what.
So, we are busy, busy, busy but life is very good here in H-1, Honu Land!

Happy March! Happy Spring Vacation!

Whoops! One last thing Many children do not have a change of
clothes here in class. Please check with your child. It is important
to have one in case you child has a mishap at recess--falls in the
lilypond or slips in mud, gets sick or anything else that may
happen during a typical day. Mahalo!