What a week it has been!

Aloha Island School ‘Ohana,

What a week it has been! And I have been so grateful that our community has been the center of it all. There was much to marvel at and enjoy.

Did you get to pick mandarins with Nā Pua Keiki? Well, I did as we filmed across campus on Wednesday, storing up important footage to help us tell the story of Island School today with the help of parent and community leader Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama. Nā Pua Keiki students were on their Wednesday Walk looking for curved lines in nature, and along the way they found a branch shaped like a giant F, got to do a mini ride-along with Mr. Sean on the golf cart, and even picked and enjoyed our own mandarins right off the tree.

Did you get to pet a chicken? Well, I did at the 3rd Grade Market on Thursday. Their work on community is both fun and meaningful as they thought of roles and businesses to create and took on developing their wares and meeting the challenge of governing themselves. I got to see football tosses and other ball-throwing games, tasted some delicious hard ice Wai, and I’m saving my Daisy $10 bill as a souvenir from the special day.  Now that is integrated and immersive learning in action!

Did you get to come to our Town Hall? Well, I did, and I am so appreciative of families, faculty, and staff who attended in-person as well as grateful for those who viewed the event online. If you missed it, see details below to see the recording. I value so much working with a Board who is ready to be transparent about our goals and priorities to sustain this community and work hard to support our faculty and staff to thrive as the source of so much heart for our school. I have not been at a school that engages directly with families through a Town Hall to inform about our financial goals as well as address the hard decision regarding our tuition increase openly. In the name of this community, we are committed to prioritizing accessibility for our families across Kaua‘i, and at the same time, we must support our employees to be able to build a life and career at Island School as well. If you have any questions regarding the Town Hall information, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to us.

Did you get to eat birthday cake today? Well, I did alongside our seniors and founding mothers! What a lovely ceremony we had for our 47th birthday celebration. From our ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i students under the leadership of Kumu Kanānāikahauku, the halau so skillfully guided by Kumu Sabra, the wonderful questions from our students to the founding mothers, the choir leading us in our Alama Mater conducted by Mr. Nause and accompanied by Ms. Sun…I loved every minute of today’s assembly. It is so important to understand our history, and to hold the tradition for us to hear the stories of how and why our school was founded. Talking story with our founders reminds us to have gratitude for this special school and that we have a duty to work hard each day to create the community we want to see flourish far into the future just as they did. So many hands went into making the event go smoothly, not to mention the over 400+ cupcakes that were devoured…Thank you to all the students, faculty, and staff who helped make our birthday possible. What a lovely way to end the week!

As always, thank you for the trust you impart to us at Island School to partner with you in honor of the education of your children.

Mahalo,

Nancy Nagramada

Head of School