Aia ʻo Paʻihi i ke aouli. The royal one is above.
Welina ke aloha e nā ‘ohana o Kamehameha Hawaiʻi,
I want to begin by thanking you for staying connected with us during this dynamic pandemic. While we are all in crisis response mode, distancing ourselves from each other, arranging for childcare, understanding school assignments, juggling finances and when to shop for groceries, and more, we are living it with you. We want you to know that you are not forgotten. We are thinking about you. We are here for you. We care.
This past Friday, we heard from over 375 of you through our Pehea Kākou? check-in survey. Your incredibly insightful and important manaʻo informs the adjustments we are making as kumu and alakaʻi to better support you and your child as we all adapt to our new learning environment. In response to your feedback, we have created a centralized resource site that we hope will be useful to you and your ‘ohana.
Distance Learning Extended Through the End of the School Year
After thorough discussions with executive leadership from across our organization, Kamehameha Schools has made the difficult decision to finish the school year through distance learning for all three of our campuses and 29 preschools.
Our kuleana is to slow the spread of COVID-19. As the cases of infection rise and our population continues to be susceptible, the safety, health, and well-being of our community is a priority. While the progression of this virus is uncertain, after thoroughly reviewing projections and past history of pandemics with our medical director and guidance from local, state, and federal officials, social distancing offers us the best outcome to manage this pandemic and save lives. The potential benefits of resuming our past routines does not outweigh the potential harm of public gatherings.
Even though it was clear this was the right decision to make to ensure safety and continuity of learning, it was also heartwrenching. We know there are first-time and one-last-time experiences that will not happen on campus now and that not all experiences can be re-created remotely. We are deeply saddened by this reality. We also know that we have an opportunity to reenvision our experiences to make meaningful memories for our haumāna, ʻohana, and staff.
While you can expect more detailed information from each of our campus poʻo kumu on division-specific activities, here’s a summary of information for Kamehameha Hawaiʻi signature events and programs:
Transition Ceremonies
Graduation activities for Hīhīmanu a Kāne, the class of 2020 will be reenvisioned with our student leaders and their advisors. Our commitment is to ensure haumāna and ‘ohana voices will be integral in this process.
We are also looking at new ways to celebrate and honor our haumāna who are transitioning to middle school and high school next year, by reimagining our grade 5 Hoʻoulu and grade 8 Lei Pāpahi school traditions.
Summer Programs
Kamehameha Schools has cancelled all in-person and community education summer programs. For our kula:
Grades K-8: Hālau Kupukupu Innovation and Ua Ao Academies will not be offered this summer.
Grades 9-12: Hālau Mauli Ola will be offering online instruction only. More information on summer school options for Kamehameha Hawaiʻi students who registered and those who would still like to register will be sent as details are finalized in the next two weeks.
While COVID-19 is a truly extraordinary event in our lifetime, our lāhui resilience will be tested not extinguished. Our Founder, Ke Ali‘i Pauahi, lived through a series of epidemics resulting in severe depopulation of native Hawaiians. She fought back, partnering with other Ali‘i in the care of keiki and kupuna. Her legacy continues these same efforts in developing lāhui leaders through education – aimed at the restoration of a thriving lāhui.
As we partner with you, each finding our own rhythm in todayʻs challenges, your perspectives are valued, strengthen our kauhale, and honor the courage and resolve exemplified by Ke Aliʻi Pauahi. We know your hard work. We hear your resilient voices. We cherish all of it, and we will continue to do so even from afar.
E holomua kākou! I mua Kamehameha!
‘O au iho nō me ke aloha kauhale ē,
M. Kāhealani Naeʻole-Wong
Poʻo Kula, Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi