WinterFest . . . ivities!

The blustery weather is convincing . . . winter is upon us! And with it, our seasonal celebration of learning, WinterFest! We look forward to seeing all our families tomorrow at 9am for the performances at Kennedy Theatre on the campus of UH-Manoa. Arrive early for the best seats! Limited pay parking is available behind the theater and in select lots on campus; street parking is a fair distance away, so schedule time to walk.

Also, please note that the Voyager office and campus will be closed tomorrow after we depart for Winterfest (approximately 8:15). If you arrive late with your child, please bring them directly to the Kennedy Theatre and escort them to your child's teacher. There will be no breakfast or lunch service tomorrow, but Kama'aina morning and afterschool care will still be available. HOME LINE DISMISSAL IS AT 11AM.

You may have holiday plans to be off-island during our three-week Winter Break, but if you're sticking around on O'ahu, see below for some Arts opportunities for you and your keiki to enjoy.

Also, this month, we have some highlights from all three academies, giving you a peek into the learning worlds of our students at all stages of the Voyager journey. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Evan Anderson, Trisha Donaldson, and the Voyager PCS Staff

Clubs: Late Registration still available for Select Clubs

LATE REGISTRATION FOR CLUBS January 7-11th

Late registration for clubs will begin on January 7 and end on January 11. The following clubs still have open spots:

-Designers Club: Grades K-6th

-Grub Club: Grades K-8th

-Drama Club(Wednesdays only) Grades 3rd-8th

-Chess Club: Grades 3rd-8th

-Craftit Club: Grades K-8th

-Kid Fit Club: Grades K-8th

You can turn in your child's registration form and payment to the PTSO box during the week of January 7th to sign up for the above clubs. It will be first come first serve for the available spots. You will be contacted by the end of week or earlier to let you know if your child has been enrolled in the club. Your child may begin attending the club once registration is confirmed.

Ho'okahua Happenings:

Kindergarten had their first visit to the McCully/Mo'ili'ili Library last month, and Mr. Anderson joins both classes weekly to develop their phonemic awareness through MUSIC!

In the month of November the 1/2 classes have had many learning experiences to share. We started the month with a trip to the Hawaii State Art Museum to extend our knowledge of observing and reflecting on art. In class we have been studying non-fiction text and creating our own teaching books. In addition we started a new unit study focus on Natural Resources and Animal and Plant Superpowers. Learning is sweet in 1/2!

Makalapua Mania:

The third and fourth graders in Miss O’Brien’s class have enjoyed several off campus learning opportunities this month. In addition to their monthly trips to hunt for good fit books at the McCully-Moili’ili Library, they’ve also gone to the Hawaii State Art Museum and the Hawaii Theater for Youth. In class they’re starting their persuasive writing unit and practicing for Winterfest. Can’t wait to see them perform at the Kennedy Theatre in December!

Ka'apeha Clips:

Science:

• In Science, Ka'apeha students have been learning about different types of producers, such as plants and phytoplankton. They have also been using their research skills to evaluate patterns of relationships among organisms. They are engaging in lively discussions about symbiotic relationships such as: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. Ka'apeha will continue to learn about how organisms interact in various ecosystems in order to prepare for our indepth study of aquatic ecosystems when we return in January.

English Language Arts:

Reading

7th and 8th Grade ELA students are wrapping up a short study unit. A variety of genres were read from many well-known authors including: Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Mona Gardner, Shirley Jackson, Isaac Asimov, and Roald Dahl

Technology:

-Students use Google apps (including Classroom) to regularly to collaborate, produce, and publish writing

-October: students earned a place on Vocabulary.com's "Top 5 Schools in Hawaii" for vocabulary development and mastery

Philanthropy & Social Outreach:

-Students raised and donated $83.26 to help UNICEF deliver lifesaving supplies to vulnerable children worldwide

-As a final project, students built social media platforms to bring awareness to real-life issues including cultural appropriation and gender equality

Coming Soon:

-Independent novel study

-Class novel studies include, but are not limited to:

Lord of the Flies

Animal Farm

The Diary of Anne Frank

The Pearl

Midsummer's Night's Dream

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The Little Prince

The Hunger Games

Mahalo to our Morning Volunteers! More Help Welcome!

Thank you to our MVP (Most Valuable Parent) volunteers who have stepped up to help supervise play and open doors for students from 7:30am-7:45am! We could still use a couple more hands each day greeting students curbside and helping the younger ones with unloading during this time.

If you are available to help our keiki exit their vehicles safely, please email Principal Evan Anderson at eanderson@voyagerpcs.com with your preferred days. Or just show up and offer to lend a hand. Mahalo!

Field Trip A$$i$tance Available

If your household cash flow is having a hard time keeping up with the number of field trips your child is scheduled to go on this year, help is available! The Joyce Lynn Kimura Kokua Fund provides assistance in amounts up to $10 for field trips, as long as the request is submitted one week prior to the permission form due date. Application can be found here.

For more expensive field trips (overnights, off-island, etc), financial assistance in larger amounts is also available now through a grant from the Hawai'i Community Foundation. Requests for help from this fund should be submitted in writing to Principal Evan Anderson in the Voyager office, at least one week in advance of the permission form due date.

Thanks from the Voyager PTSO: Fun(d)-Raising!

Thanks to all parents who participated in our fundraising events so far this year: from eat-out-with-Voyager to our recent Jamba Juice sales. Our next event will be marching in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. parade on January 21st, starting at Magic Island. The march will be followed by a PTSO general meeting at our picnic site at Kapiolani Park. See you there!

Join the PTSO!

Come by the office and pick up a membership form to support our parent-teacher-student organization in its mission to improve the learning community at Voyager! $10 for individual membership, $20 for family membership (2 or more keiki). Two of the PTSO's upcoming events are listed below.

or HEAD on down to HISAM!