Governor Josh Green, M.D. | HIDOE News Release: Helemano Elementary School counselor honored nationally as 2023 Hawai‘i School Counselor of the Year

Governor Josh Green, M.D. | HIDOE News Release: Helemano Elementary School counselor honored nationally as 2023 Hawai‘i School Counselor of the Year

The ASCA School Counselor of the Yr award honors gurus who devote their careers to advocating for the nation’s college students and addressing their academic and social-psychological enhancement and college and job readiness desires. Honorees had been judged centered on their capability to generate systemic adjust in just the school counseling career.

“The job of our university counselors are so integral to the achievement of our college students,” Superintendent Keith Hayashi reported. “Now extra than ever, we count on their abilities and guidance in creating favourable and progressive strategies to greatly enhance the tutorial and social-psychological requirements of our learners. The Division is grateful to have counselors like Ms. Caraulia in our colleges, just about every day, operating tirelessly to advocate for and aid college student achievements. She is a shining case in point of Helemano’s initiatives to improve a ‘leaderfull’ corporation. Congratulations on this very well-deserved accomplishment.”

A faculty counselor for grades 3-5 at Helemano Elementary due to the fact 2019 and a Hawai‘i State Division of Education college counselor considering the fact that 2015, one of Caraulia’s biggest achievements has been developing a info-driven Multi-Tiered Procedure of Support (MTSS) application inside of her university. The plan takes a systemic method to monitoring scholar results, creating college-vast social-psychological understanding (SEL) initiatives that focus on quality teacher-college student interactions. As a consequence of applying this application, students’ notion of total university protection improved from 56{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} to about 90{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf}.

Caraulia also helped to build a Helemano College Counseling System, where by she conducts quarterly education for employees on SEL interventions and classroom administration, collaborates with teachers to include SEL into their main curriculum, makes biweekly SEL lessons for all grade stages and has created a referral method to make knowledge-informed conclusions for all college students. The faculty counseling method now serves as a basis for scholar social-psychological, behavioral and academic achievement. Caraulia regularly trains staff on the system and has even shared the achievements of this plan with other elementary educational facilities throughout the point out.

“Ms. Caraulia is an indispensable source to our college — providing an great counseling application, a intense devotion to learners and lecturers, and an innovative method of vastly advancing the social and psychological requires of our pupils,” Helemano Elementary Principal Ernest Muh claimed. “She advocates vigorously for all college students at our faculty by collaborating with dad and mom and academics to figure out the most useful training course of action to support just about every person scholar.”

Caraulia’s passion in serving her school local community is felt independently and collectively throughout the school by equally instructors and learners. In addition to aiding the pupils, Ms. Caraulia has cultivated a nurturing natural environment for instructors, concentrating on their psychological well being and wellness wants. She has an open doorway policy for any employees needing to share own or specialist fears and has spearheaded actions that boost and prioritize personnel well-currently being.

ASCA is celebrating 2023 Nationwide Faculty Counseling Week from Feb. 6-10. The purpose of the 7 days is to concentrate public notice on the one of a kind contribution of college counselors within U.S. faculty units. For additional details about ASCA, click here.

Hawaii DOE | Waikele Elementary leader honored as a 2022 National Outstanding Assistant Principal

Hawaii DOE | Waikele Elementary leader honored as a 2022 National Outstanding Assistant Principal

The Countrywide Affiliation of Elementary Faculty Principals (NAESP) this week announced Waikele Elementary’s Stacy Kawamura as a 2022 National Remarkable Assistant Principal. Every calendar year NAESP acknowledges a decide on cohort of assistant principals from across the region. This year 22 assistant principals nationwide were regarded — 17 from elementary educational facilities and five from the middle college amount.

The NAESP National Excellent Assistant Principal System aims to advertise excellence in instructional leadership and calls interest to the elementary significance of the assistant principal. Honorees are acknowledged for demonstrating remarkable leadership and for placing large requirements for students, colleagues, mother and father and the neighborhood.

“As a previous principal, I know how crucial assistant principals are to a effective and thriving college group,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi mentioned. “I’ve had the enjoyment of working with Stacy via Waipahu Intricate collaborations and have viewed first-hand how she supports her staff and prioritizes the needs of all learners. She is passionate in supporting her faculty neighborhood and is truly dedicated to enriching the lives of others. We are extremely proud to have leaders like Stacy Kawamura serving within our Hawaiʻi public educational facilities.”

As vice principal of Waikele Elementary for the earlier seven decades, a person of Kawamura’s most considerable accomplishments has been assisting to acquire the school’s nationally distinctive academy pathway software. At first an arts academy plan, the college expanded the software to include age-suitable Vocation and Technical Education and learning (CTE) classes that align with the Waipahu Complex’s determination to university and job readiness. Kawamura helped articulate to academics the shift in focus by producing connections with other significant college academy courses. By means of Waikele Elementary’s academy pathway application — the initially of its type in the nation — learners are now exposed to a assortment of career chances, building their changeover to sophisticated location secondary schools a lot more seamless.

Kawamura has also helped acquire group partnerships with the school, which present alternatives for students to have interaction with their community and apply classroom classes to the actual earth. She is also credited with creating a qualified growth and mastering framework that has helped her college build a collaborative culture that engages school and employees. 

Waikele Elementary School Principal Sheldon Oshio praises Kawamura’s means as a chief to collaborate with colleagues and cultivate a beneficial finding out lifestyle. “Her enthusiasm, rapport and treatment for anyone is obvious,” Principal Oshio mentioned. “Mrs. Kawamura develops great interactions with family members and pupils, and communicates correctly. Earlier mentioned all, Mrs. Kawamura is a legitimate studying leader who prospects by example. Her management is appreciated and respected inside the college neighborhood.”

Kawamura earned a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Reports from the Washington College in St. Louis, a master’s diploma in secondary instruction from the University of Phoenix, and a second master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Prior to her vice principal job at Waikele Elementary, she served as a instructor at Pearl City High and Kapolei High.

Kawamura will be invited to Kentucky this July to get her award at the annual NAESP Pre-K-8 Countrywide Principals Conference. 

This recognition was created probable by users of the Hawaiʻi Elementary and Middle Educational institutions Directors Affiliation, the community affiliate of NAESP. It arrives as element of Countrywide Assistant Principals 7 days (April 4-8, 2022), which is celebrated each April to identify the important role assistant principals enjoy in the over-all tutorial achievement of learners nationwide.

Bill Would Let Hawaii Home-Schoolers Compete In Sports

Bill Would Let Hawaii Home-Schoolers Compete In Sports

Property-schoolers could be authorized to take part as unattached opponents in person sports available to general public schools, this sort of as keep track of and field, golfing, tennis or bowling.

University of Hawaii Student Stories project badgeHousehold Invoice 811, which cleared the Home March 4 and moved to the Senate, would not permit dwelling-schooled athletes to go to observe with companies but would implement particularly to competitions, presented that the university student maintains a minimum quality place ordinary and the mother and father pay the competitors entrance expenses that schools commonly would.

“Our homeschool network for athletes, specifically, is pretty modest here on Oahu, so it is not anything that we could produce inside of just the homeschool network,” mentioned Kara MacPherson, a previous teacher and existing home schooling mom of four little ones, whose armed service loved ones routinely moves.

Macpherson, who testified on Feb. 25, has a daughter who is a springboard diver with few options to compete.

“Many other states have a process already in spot for homeschoolers to be in a position to participate,” Macpherson informed lawmakers in the course of that hearing. “We want to be dealt with the exact same as a faculty that would want to participate in a activity.”

Campbell HS girls track members set up hurdle gear at the football field/track.
Household Invoice 811 would let house-schooled college students to contend in particular athletics, like observe and industry. Cory Lum/Civil Conquer/2018

Michael Golojuch Jr. testified in sturdy opposition of HB 811 on behalf of the Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Bash of Hawaii.

“By bringing in a property-faculty pupil you’re now then using away from assets from those people students that are heading to that faculty,” Golojuch mentioned in last month’s listening to. “There are other avenues that are not getting away from our community school students where by these sources are set forth by the budgets.”

Golojuch also quoted one of the superior school pupils who experienced arrived at out to him concerning the monthly bill prior to the hearing.

“One of them set it really succinctly, ‘So our general public universities aren’t great plenty of for them to arrive discover at, but they’re fantastic plenty of to come enjoy sports activities at,’” Golojuch reported.

Hawaii is one of 20 states that bar homeschooled college students from taking part in interscholastic routines, according to information compiled by the Coalition for Liable House Education.

If HB 811 passes, dwelling-schooled learners could compete as persons alongside friends in general public schools via their district. Transcripts developed for them by their at-household instructors would be submitted to the athletic affiliation for quality monitoring.

The charges mom and dad would spend to allow for their dwelling-schooler to take part typically is dependent on the dimensions of the university, Macpherson mentioned in an interview.

Even if the bill passes, the paperwork to sign-up a home-schooler to compete is usually very long and cumbersome, Macpherson stated.

“This isn’t a little something that is the effortless way out,” Macpherson stated. “It’s not anything that family members may contemplate as a backdoor to be equipped to contend.” She additional, “We just want to be in a position to give the little ones a probability. … We do not want to push any individual out.”

Hawaii DOE | Waiakea High School’s Whitney Aragaki named 2022 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) today named Waiākea High School teacher Whitney Aragaki the 2022 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year. Aragaki received the state’s top teaching award from Gov. David Ige and Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi during a virtual awards ceremony this afternoon.

Aragaki will represent Hawaiʻi in the National Teacher of the Year program. The honor is presented annually to a classroom teacher selected from more than 13,000 HIDOE educators. Aragaki was among 15 Complex Area Teachers of the Year and the Charter School Teacher of the Year recognized today.

“Whitney’s innovative approach to teaching offers students meaningful cultural and place-based learning opportunities that are both rigorous and relevant to our young learners,” Interim Superintendent Hayashi said. “Science can be an intimidating subject for students, but Whitney successfully engages her students in exciting and empowering ways.

Aragaki has been teaching at Waiākea High for 10 years and currently serves as a 10th-grade biology and Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science teacher. Her classroom activities are known to put students in touch with their local communities and are designed around learning through problem solving. Beyond science, Arakgaki’s educational activities offer students opportunities to elevate their leadership and civic responsibility within the community.

In 2018 the Department awarded Aragaki an innovation grant to support her proposal for Science Buddies, a program where AP science students could make an impact on the next generation of science learners in their own community by creating standards-based lessons for elementary classrooms. What resulted from the program were hands-on, locally based, and academically rigorous activities for over 250 students in grades 3-5.

While challenging, Aragaki’s methods of teaching have invited students to explore the world of science. “Mrs. Aragaki perseveres on a daily basis to provide her students with the proper experience, knowledge and environment they need to open up to being willing to engage in STEM,” Waiākea High alumna Lela DeVine shared. “The honesty and transparency throughout the classroom that allows her students to feel safe and inclusive is what sets Mrs. Aragaki apart from any teacher I have ever had.”

Also an alumna of Waiākea High, Aragaki has worked to further improve her school community through the creation of the peer-to-peer Warrior Professional Learning Community (PLC). After noticing a large turnover of teachers at her school, Aragaki initiated this teacher induction and mentoring group for those both new to the school and new to the profession to help foster a greater sense of school culture and belonging. Through the New Warrior PLC, new teachers receive training on career academies, how to support future first-generation college students, classroom technology integration, and other professional development sessions by school-based teacher leaders.

“Mrs. Aragaki’s commitment to excellence goes far beyond her teaching and the four corners of her classroom,” Waiākea High Principal Kelcy Koga said. “She sees the benefits that a sound education can provide, and is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to not only serve her students but her colleagues and school community as well.”

In addition to her classroom teacher role, Aragaki has taught AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics and AP Computer Science Principles for the statewide Hawaiʻi Virtual Learning Network’s E-School since 2013. She is the lead teacher of the Waiākea High Public Services Academy, which was recognized as a National Model Academy under the National Career Academy Coalition in 2018. A National Board Certified Teacher, Aragaki was also a 2019 and 2021 state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). 

The full list of finalists honored today are, in alphabetical order:

  • ʻĀina Akamu, Ka‘ū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex Area, Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary.
  • Wesley Capdepon, Honoka‘a-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area, Honokaʻa Elementary.
  • Cara Chaudron, Public Charter Schools, SEEQS: The School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability.
  • Trisha Gibson, ‘Aiea-Moanalua-Radford Complex Area, ‘Aiea Elementary.
  • Wendy Gumm, Nānākuli-Waiʻanae Complex Area, Nānāikapono Elementary.
  • Ashley Ito-Macion, Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area, Kanoelani Elementary.
  • Corrie Izumoto, Kaimukī-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area, Kawānanakoa Middle.
  • Jim Kunimitsu, Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area, Pōhākea Elementary.
  • Richard Lau, Kailua-Kalāheo Complex Area, Kalāheo High.
  • Theresa Malone, Kapaʻa-Kauaʻi-Waimea Complex Area, Kalāheo Elementary.
  • Jeni Miyahira, Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Area, Mililani High.
  • Miyuki Sekimitsu, Castle-Kahuku Complex Area, Kāne‘ohe Elementary.
  • Wendy Shigeta, Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani Complex Area, Haha‘ione Elementary.
  • Bill Tatro, Hāna-Lahainaluna-Lānaʻi-Molokaʻi Complex Area, Lahainaluna High.
  • Lisa Yamada, Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui Complex Area, Wailuku Elementary.

Today’s virtual ceremony included:

  • Honorariums to each finalist by Hawaiian Electric Co. 
  • A one-year lease of a 2022 Subaru Impreza courtesy of Subaru Hawaii to the winner.