November 3, 2016
Aloha e na `ohana!
We just want to take this moment to review Kua o ka La’s stance on bullying in our school. We understand that there was some misinformed media that was presented on Facebook and in news reports that refer to our school.
We take any and every instance of bullying seriously at Kua o Ka La and follow up by conducting comprehensive interviews with all parties identified or concerned. Your children will verify this. We are fair, patient and caring in our application of all discipline policies and procedures. All of our procedures not only follow the required BOE policies and DOE Chapter 19 discipline procedures but are also supported by our Hawaiian values and our culturally based approaches to school life. We encourage our `Ae Like: our values based agreement that we all signed when entering this school, in all aspects of school life, including discipline.
The school has a three-tier approach in addressing incidents in school.
1) Prevention: Staff has been trained in the Olweus Bully Program and we continue to roll this out in addressing a whole school culture around having a zero tolerance for bullying. This is an Internationally renowned program known for it success in supporting a positive school culture. On November 30th, we have Kumu Hina Wong visiting our school from Oahu to provide presentations from Grade 4-12 on LGBT. She will also provide teacher training and meet with Administration on the development of a school wide action plan to support students. This Friday November 4th, the KOKL Governing Board of Directors has a presentation from a local organization on gay/lesbian concerns in the school environment.
2) Intervention: As you all know, the school is still recovering from the impacts of the natural disasters, which occurred over the past two years. These impacted us both financially and academically. We are grateful to now have a part time counselor as well as District support for SBBH services also. We have re-instated our Student Services Coordinator position with the school. We are constantly seeking community support services to augment our programs and support our families. We are happy to announce that we will have a registered nurse on campus every Wednesday morning beginning the second semester. This is funded through a grant with the Puna Community Medical Center.
3) Discipline: As a public school, we must follow certain BOE policies and DOE procedures including Chapter 19 for discipline. We follow this consistently and fairly. We are not able to address concerns of parents once the child has left the bus but during school time and bus time, we take care to monitor and follow those guidelines if students should misbehave. Clearly, safety is our number one priority for our youth.
The school consistently reinforces our school vision of Ke Ala Pono through the lens of our `AeLike. We face the daunting task of teaching groups of youth to work together with aloha despite differing perspectives or opinions. Our school has consistently taken a philosophical approach of education with aloha.
We have school policies and procedures in place, which are followed with consistency by our administrative team. The Administrative team and teachers actively participate in ongoing professional development to ensure continuous school improvement.
Please do not hesitate to contact the office at 965-2193 if you have any concerns. We will be asking your child to be an active participant in the support of a bully free school zone. We appreciate your support in this.
With gratitude and `aloha!
Aunty Susie Aunty Pilimai Uncle Kapoula
Po`o Kula Po`o Kumu Vice Principal
Aloha e na `ohana!
We just want to take this moment to review Kua o ka La’s stance on bullying in our school. We understand that there was some misinformed media that was presented on Facebook and in news reports that refer to our school.
We take any and every instance of bullying seriously at Kua o Ka La and follow up by conducting comprehensive interviews with all parties identified or concerned. Your children will verify this. We are fair, patient and caring in our application of all discipline policies and procedures. All of our procedures not only follow the required BOE policies and DOE Chapter 19 discipline procedures but are also supported by our Hawaiian values and our culturally based approaches to school life. We encourage our `Ae Like: our values based agreement that we all signed when entering this school, in all aspects of school life, including discipline.
The school has a three-tier approach in addressing incidents in school.
1) Prevention: Staff has been trained in the Olweus Bully Program and we continue to roll this out in addressing a whole school culture around having a zero tolerance for bullying. This is an Internationally renowned program known for it success in supporting a positive school culture. On November 30th, we have Kumu Hina Wong visiting our school from Oahu to provide presentations from Grade 4-12 on LGBT. She will also provide teacher training and meet with Administration on the development of a school wide action plan to support students. This Friday November 4th, the KOKL Governing Board of Directors has a presentation from a local organization on gay/lesbian concerns in the school environment.
2) Intervention: As you all know, the school is still recovering from the impacts of the natural disasters, which occurred over the past two years. These impacted us both financially and academically. We are grateful to now have a part time counselor as well as District support for SBBH services also. We have re-instated our Student Services Coordinator position with the school. We are constantly seeking community support services to augment our programs and support our families. We are happy to announce that we will have a registered nurse on campus every Wednesday morning beginning the second semester. This is funded through a grant with the Puna Community Medical Center.
3) Discipline: As a public school, we must follow certain BOE policies and DOE procedures including Chapter 19 for discipline. We follow this consistently and fairly. We are not able to address concerns of parents once the child has left the bus but during school time and bus time, we take care to monitor and follow those guidelines if students should misbehave. Clearly, safety is our number one priority for our youth.
The school consistently reinforces our school vision of Ke Ala Pono through the lens of our `AeLike. We face the daunting task of teaching groups of youth to work together with aloha despite differing perspectives or opinions. Our school has consistently taken a philosophical approach of education with aloha.
We have school policies and procedures in place, which are followed with consistency by our administrative team. The Administrative team and teachers actively participate in ongoing professional development to ensure continuous school improvement.
Please do not hesitate to contact the office at 965-2193 if you have any concerns. We will be asking your child to be an active participant in the support of a bully free school zone. We appreciate your support in this.
With gratitude and `aloha!
Aunty Susie Aunty Pilimai Uncle Kapoula
Po`o Kula Po`o Kumu Vice Principal