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News & Announcements:
WMS Earns Blue Zones Project Approval!
CONGRATULATIONS to Principal Janice English and her team at Waimea Middle School on being the FIRST school on the Big Island to become a BZP School approved in the 2018-19 school year! So many good things happening at WMS!!
-- Megan Yarberry | BZP Project Manager - Hawai'i Island Friday, November 9, 2018
We thank our teachers and staff - and also our Mala'ai School Garden for supporting student-family-community health and wellness!
-- Megan Yarberry | BZP Project Manager - Hawai'i Island Friday, November 9, 2018
We're Building and Sharing Foundational Knowledge and Skills
Once again, Mala'ai leaders brought together experts and teachers from all around the island this weekend to learn some of the foundational skills needed to successfully support school and community gardens. We are proud of Mala'ai's work and the impact it's having on our own students and school-community and in supporting hands-on outdoor environmental education integrated with core curriculum and cultural practices for students and communities islandwide!
On Nov. 10, 2018, 12 teachers from 7 schools around the island came to Māla’ai here at WMS to learn about seeds, seed saving and vermicomposting.
Ilana Stout from the Hawai'i Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAAS) charter school in Puna, shared the history of seed in the US as well as the biology of flowers and basic techniques of seed saving - this included a presentation in WMS' new STEAM Learning Center Demonstration Lab.
Then, pictured below, Donna Mitts with the Hawai'i Island School Garden Network introduced African blue worms, demonstrated building a worm bin, harvesting worm castings, and making worm tea as an amendment for soil.
It's science. It's math. It incorporates data gathering and technology and reading, problem solving and reaping rewards for your pa'ahana - hard, industrious work! Mahalo, Mala'ai!
6TH Grade Dives Into Fascinating Archaeoastronomy Project
WMS 6th Grade Social Studies students are diving into a project on
archaeoastronomy -- the study of how people in the past have understood phenomena
in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky played in their
cultures. It is, in essence, “the
anthropology of astronomy,” as distinguished from “the history of astronomy,”
and it involves the
study of the astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, religions and
world-views of all ancient cultures.
Many of the great monuments and ceremonial constructions of early
civilizations were astronomically aligned with remarkable precision, so
archaeoastronomy introduces students to the development of science and
cosmological thought from the study of both the ancient astronomies and the
history of human interaction with the cosmos.
So
where to begin?
6th
Grade Social Studies teacher Ms. Yohon launched the project with students
crafting notebooks featuring water color visions of the universe. Assisting with the art project was art teacher Susan Gallery Levey. The notebooks will be used throughout this
project-based learning unit as compendiums of what students learn about where, why and
how people of ancient cultures around the world built structures to better
understand their natural surroundings.
An integral part of
this study will be learning about the heiau that pre-contact Hawaiians built to
mark the seasons.
Guest speakers from
around the community will be coming to enrich lessons around topics related to
archaeoastronomy and students also will participate in field trips.
First guest presenter
this week was Canada France Hawai’i Telescope outreach educator
Mary Beth Laychak who set up an inflatable planetarium in the new STEAM
Learning Center. Her talk focused on the
group of stars known as the Pleiades, or Makali’I, and she shared stories of
various ancient cultures and how they used this constellation as both mythology
and as a way to mark the seasons. She also focused on Pharaoh Ramses of ancient
Egypt and how he built Abu Simbal to make his people believe he was a god. She
talked about various other cultures and structures that have been built
throughout the ages such as Stonehenge, reminding students that “There are no
coincidences in archaeoastronomy.”
The students asked great questions and were able to
make connections to past learning.
STEAMy Robotics Experiences Earn Awards!
Two WMS Robotics teams competed in the First LEGO League District Championships recently. Our Paniolo II team took an award for Best Project, and our school’s long-time Robotics teacher-leader Miss Nau’i Murphy was honored as “Mentor Of The Year”! Congratulations to all!
'Full STEAM Ahead!' PDE3 Workshop Teaches Educators To Engage Students In Citizen Science to Prevent Rat Lungworm Disease
WMS co-hosted an important PDE3
Workshop for Teachers from across the island and state this past weekend in our
new Keaoākea STEAM Learning Center to provide hands-on
STEAM training designed to involve students of all ages in the prevention of
rat lungworm disease through project-based learning.
The workshop introduced a new rat lungworm
disease prevention educational curriculum with teacher manual developed by the
UH-Hilo College of Pharmacy working with science educator Kehau Howe. The curriculum includes an array of possible
activities to engage students in Citizen Science to understand the complex life
cycle of rat lungworms, and to learn how to safely prevent the disease and
minimize harm to themselves, their families, fellow students, co-workers and the
community. It incorporates all core
curriculum areas – science, math, reading and writing, technology and even art,
plus hands-on time outdoors doing research.
It even included introduction to ArcGIS storytelling software.
This 2-day session was the
start of a year-long program that will lead to creating a portfolio presentation
by each participant that ultimately will also contribute to the body of
knowledge and awareness about rat lungworm disease prevention and
treatment. The fact is that while there’s
research occurring about this extremely debilitating disease, there’s not much occurring
around educating the public – and that’s what this program is designed to do,
along with engaging students in solving a real world problem.
MAHALO to our partners who
made this possible including the State Department of Health, Mala’ai school
garden, the Hawaii Farm To School Hui and Iolani School. Thanks, too, to Franny Brewer with the Big Island
Invasive Species Committee, who co-taught the workshop. This is exactly the kind of engaging STEAM teaching
and learning that the Hawai’i State Legislature and Governor envisioned when providing
more than $15 million to build our school’s new 9-classroom Keaoākea STEAM Learning Center. With the 2018 Legislative Grant In Aid,
titled “Full STEAM Ahead!,” we expect to provide many more of these types of learning
experiences for students, teachers and the entire community.
On Nov. 10, 2018, 12 teachers from 7 schools around the island came to Māla’ai here at WMS to learn about seeds, seed saving and vermicomposting.
Ilana Stout from the Hawai'i Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAAS) charter school in Puna, shared the history of seed in the US as well as the biology of flowers and basic techniques of seed saving - this included a presentation in WMS' new STEAM Learning Center Demonstration Lab.
Then, pictured below, Donna Mitts with the Hawai'i Island School Garden Network introduced African blue worms, demonstrated building a worm bin, harvesting worm castings, and making worm tea as an amendment for soil.
It's science. It's math. It incorporates data gathering and technology and reading, problem solving and reaping rewards for your pa'ahana - hard, industrious work! Mahalo, Mala'ai!
So where to begin?
6th Grade Social Studies teacher Ms. Yohon launched the project with students crafting notebooks featuring water color visions of the universe. Assisting with the art project was art teacher Susan Gallery Levey. The notebooks will be used throughout this project-based learning unit as compendiums of what students learn about where, why and how people of ancient cultures around the world built structures to better understand their natural surroundings.
An integral part of this study will be learning about the heiau that pre-contact Hawaiians built to mark the seasons.
Guest speakers from around the community will be coming to enrich lessons around topics related to archaeoastronomy and students also will participate in field trips.
First guest presenter this week was Canada France Hawai’i Telescope outreach educator Mary Beth Laychak who set up an inflatable planetarium in the new STEAM Learning Center. Her talk focused on the group of stars known as the Pleiades, or Makali’I, and she shared stories of various ancient cultures and how they used this constellation as both mythology and as a way to mark the seasons. She also focused on Pharaoh Ramses of ancient Egypt and how he built Abu Simbal to make his people believe he was a god. She talked about various other cultures and structures that have been built throughout the ages such as Stonehenge, reminding students that “There are no coincidences in archaeoastronomy.”
The students asked great questions and were able to make connections to past learning.
WMS Volleyball Team Wins Silver Runner Up Award In Middle School Tournament! 
Our Traveling WMS Volleyball Team captured the SILVER DIVISION RUNNER UP Award at the Nov. 3, 2018 "Finish Strong" Middle School Volleyball Tournament hosted by Kamehameha Schools at their high school gym in Kea'au! This was their first real tournament and they played very well! A warm mahalo to Coaches Warren, Mel and Ray...and to all of the families who drove to Kea'au to support our students! A great day for kids!! Thanks too to Kamehameha Schools and to the Neilan Foundation, which supports our WMS athletics program and has done so now for five years!
Discovering the 'Art' and Science of Prototyping
Makani energy kite's Project Manager-Engineer Kate Stirr came to campus recently to work with 8th grade science students, bringing along three tall mini wind tunnels and baskets of interesting objects which she challenged teams of students to use to develop a prototype that achieved a specific kite-like objective. This prototyping process is similar to what Makani's engineers have done to design the kites they are now refining to generate electricity from Hawai'i Island's strong wind resource! Mahalo Miss Stirr for a fun and surprising science lesson!
Doctor, Lawyer, Merchant, Chief...WMS Students Explore More Than 60 Career Options 
This was just one of more than 60 presenters introducing a wide array of career possibilities. It was especially nice to welcome 5 former WMS students back as presenters!
WMS Hosts VEX Robotics Competition
Mahalo to all who came to compete, participate and cheer for our student-engineers at the Oct. 20 VEX Robotics Competition in our STEAM Learning Center!
District Finals: Sat., Nov. 24 in North Kohala.
Welcoming Artist Stuart Nakamura!
WMS' 'ART IN PUBLIC PLACES' GRANT PROJECT is moving forward as we welcomed artist-sculptor Stuart Nakamura (orange shirt) to campus Oct. 17. Stuart is the artist that our WMS AIPP grant team selected to create a major piece for our campus. Stuart expected to return in February 2019 to meet faculty-staff and community members to learn more about our “sense of place” to guide his creative endeavors. Last week’s meeting was to get acquainted, discuss the overall project timeline and contemplate where the art piece - most likely something 3-D - might be located. A lot of brainstorming has already occurred with our AIPP grant team and there’s more to come. This project includes a 16-day commitment over the course of the three-year project by the artist -- or perhaps an on-island artist, which is a new option -- to work with WMS teachers and students. More to come about this. Teacher rep on the AIPP grant team is now Catherine Shafer -- she replaces Katie Arrayan. Questions? Suggestions? Feel free to talk with Catherine, Janice, Pat or Patti or 8th grade student rep Jaena-Ann Kaiue. (Jaena-Ann had scooted back to class before we took this picture while walking outside the STEAM Learning Center to share both the Waimea “sense of place” - our mauna and pu’u, and the adjacent Mala’ai school garden. Welcome Stuart!)
Student Poetry Ho'ike Draws Over 600 Family Members To Cheer for 'Awesome Student Performances'! 
Check out "what joyful accomplishments can be attained with everyone paddling together" in this link to a West Hawai'i Today news feature on our recent Family Poetry Ho'ike - that drew more than 600 family members!
Mahalo All Who Have Supported Our Cross Country Season!
Oct. 6, 2018 could not have been a more beautiful Waimea day - weather-wise - and we thank all of the student athletes from WMS as well as from seven other Hawaiʻi Island middle schools for coming that day to compete in our WMS 11th Annual Na Paniolo Cross Country Meet! This included Parker School, HPA, Kamehameha Schools - Keaʻau, Paʻauilo School, Hilo Intermediate, Sunrise Academy - Hilo and Waikoloa School. Mahalo, too, to the coaches, family members and friends, and to our WMS 'ohana for coming to cheer for and support our kids! Congratulations to Kamehameha and Parker for taking 1st and 2nd Place in our Cross Country Meet!
Mahalo, too, to Waikoloa School for hosting the final CC meet of the season Oct. 20 - we are so proud of how our WMS student-athletes just kept improving through their pa'ahana - hard, industrious work!
6th Annual WMS 'Trek 4 Tech' Fun Run A Big Success!
Mahalo to all who came to compete, participate and cheer for our student-engineers at the Oct. 20 VEX Robotics Competition in our STEAM Learning Center!
District Finals: Sat., Nov. 24 in North Kohala.
Welcoming Artist Stuart Nakamura!
WMS' 'ART IN PUBLIC PLACES' GRANT PROJECT is moving forward as we welcomed artist-sculptor Stuart Nakamura (orange shirt) to campus Oct. 17. Stuart is the artist that our WMS AIPP grant team selected to create a major piece for our campus. Stuart expected to return in February 2019 to meet faculty-staff and community members to learn more about our “sense of place” to guide his creative endeavors. Last week’s meeting was to get acquainted, discuss the overall project timeline and contemplate where the art piece - most likely something 3-D - might be located. A lot of brainstorming has already occurred with our AIPP grant team and there’s more to come. This project includes a 16-day commitment over the course of the three-year project by the artist -- or perhaps an on-island artist, which is a new option -- to work with WMS teachers and students. More to come about this. Teacher rep on the AIPP grant team is now Catherine Shafer -- she replaces Katie Arrayan. Questions? Suggestions? Feel free to talk with Catherine, Janice, Pat or Patti or 8th grade student rep Jaena-Ann Kaiue. (Jaena-Ann had scooted back to class before we took this picture while walking outside the STEAM Learning Center to share both the Waimea “sense of place” - our mauna and pu’u, and the adjacent Mala’ai school garden. Welcome Stuart!)
I look forward to seeing you. My door is always open and I welcome calls and emails when you have questions, suggestions, or concerns. Our primary focus is that every child is safe, supported and successful.
