October 3, 2013

To contact the publisher of Island School’s Parent Connection, email peggy@ischool.org

Autumn Break October 7-11Have a wonderful week off. Please note, Monday, October 14, while it is Discoverers’ Day, it is not a school holiday. School resumes on Monday, October 14.

Mahalo For Your Support at Our Cross Country Meet - Please Help On Oct. 19

We really appreciate the enthusiastic volunteers who were able to help out last weekend. On October 19, we

are hosting the KIF cross country championships and need to again ask for your help. It’s really a great way to spend a Saturday morning! We are expecting about 500 people on campus. Please email Jen Pomroy at jenp@ischool.org, if you can help. And mark your calendars for the State cross country meet on Friday, October 25. We expect around 1000 people to descend on our campus for that event.

Midterm is Upon Us!It’s already halfway through trimester 1! Students in middle and high school have been taking midterm exams

in some of their classes. Midterm grades will be calculated and emailed via RenWeb on Friday, October 18. Midterm grades are snapshots of how students are doing midway through the trimester. They include a letter grade and a citizenship grade. Comments are written for students whose grades fall below a C. These grades are not part of a student’s permanent record. Midterm grades are meant to help students assess their progress in their courses. Midterm is a good time to contact teachers with questions and/or concerns, renew commitments and set positive goals. Midterm grades are not given to elementary students.

Annual Giving 2013-2014 UnderwayYou should have received in the mail a packet containing our 2012-2013 Annual Report. This yearly publication is an overview of Island School’s financial footprint for the fiscal year. As always, the mailing launches our Annual Giving Campaign. Please take a moment to find the giving envelope in the packet and consider making a donation. As most of you know, tuition does not cover 100% of our operating costs. Making this tax-deductible contribution helps every single student at Island School. Last year, we are proud to say, 100% of both our Board of Directors and our Faculty and Staff gave to Annual Giving. Reaching that lofty goal is a huge accomplishment! Let’s see if our parents can do the same! Absolutely

any amount is gratefully accepted. Any! When we can show charitable foundations that we have this kind of support at our base, they are far more likely to make grants to our school. Donations may also be made online at http://diamondmindinc.com/island.html We can do this, ohana!

Internships at NTBGThe National Tropical Botanical Garden has some interesting internships available for high school students in plant restoration, botany and horticulture. Some are paid internships. If you’d like more information, visit their website: http://www.ntbg.org/programs/education-crsint.php.

Fall Clearance Sale at the Logo StoreSale prices are limited to in stock items only. No special orders.Short Sleeve T-Shirts $8Long Sleeve T-Shirts- $12Jackets & Hoodies - $18Come in and shop. Logo Store is located right inside the main Office. Sale prices good until October 18, 2013. Shop Early for Holiday giving!

VEX Robotics Tournament Next Week On O‘ahuOur Middle School Robotics team will travel to Wailaua Middle School next week for the state VEX qualifying tournament. Four teams from this tournament will qualify for the state championships. Good luck to our 8th grade girls: Summer Mead, Julia Massaro and Emily Sullivan, and their coach, Traci Sullivan.

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HAWAIIAN STUDIES – In preparation for the recent and upcoming KIF Cross-Country grades 2 and 4 did a Malama ‘Aina (Caring for the Earth) project in Hawaiian Studies. The race trail cuts through the ironwood trees in the back of the campus. Over the years various plastic trash has accumulated there, like old drip-lines, fencing, bags and the like. Both classes came back with a bucket full of mostly plastic trash.

CHORUS – The Music Department is making plans to take the Island School Alaka‘i Chorus (high school) to O‘ahu in January 2014, to participate in the fourth annual Ho‘olokahi All High School Mass Chorus Festival. This event, organized by the Hawai‘i Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, was put together to give Hawai‘i high school singers an opportunity to

sing challenging music with a top notch choral clinician. Over 250 high school singers from across the state will join together to rehearse for two days before presenting a culminating concert at the Central Union Church in Honolulu. Island School is the only Kaua‘i school to participate in the festival. In addition to their participation in the festival, the Island School Alaka‘i Chorus will take advantage of being on O‘ahu

to see the national tour of “The Lion King.” They will be joined for

this experience by the Island School ‘Opio Chorus (middle school). While participation in the trip is optional, Mr. Steinbacher is encouraging all high school and middle chorus members to take advantage of this exciting opportunity. Parents are reminded that the deadline for paying the required deposit for the trip is tomorrow, October 4.

SENIOR UPDATE – Bella Voorhies and Keana Green were both accepted at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Congratulations!

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENT – Our PE teacher, Mariko Strickland Lum, competed last weekend at the Battle of the Paddle, a stand-up competition at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. She came

in 5th in the Women’s Elite Finals!

DIGITAL MEDIA – A new high school class is being taught by Nathaniel Evslin to a group of students with video and web experience. Each week, students create a newscast that is “aired” each week at the high school general meeting. The newscast features school announcements and a weekly news story

on a school or community-related issue. They have produced a story about the high school retreat and are working on one about technology at Island School. Once the students choose a topic, they outline key points, do research on the topic, interview people and take & edit footage. For each newscast, students take turns being anchors, camera operators, editors, producer and director. Newscasts are posted on the class website: ischooldigitalmedia.com, which is another facet of the class. The site is a work in progress as students learn this skill. Newscasts and other videos created by Mr. Evslin’s tech classes can be seen on their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/iSchoolVidPro.

MUSIC & DRAMA – Fifth graders have been learning lines, lyrics, songs and choreography for their musical production, The Phantom Tollbooth Jr. They have also been making sets and props, with help from parent volunteers and their teachers. Over break, they will be busy practicing at home. They should be “off book” by the time they return from break. Their show opens November 15 and runs through Nov. 17. Tickets will go on sale at the end of the month.

I.S. Chronicles

High School teacher aides, Alex Macklin ‘14, and Sterling Bird ‘16, tally answers from PK students about

their favorite kind of muffin in a graphing project. (The winner? A tie for pumpkin

and chocolate.)

4th graders cleaned up the cross country course in preparation for the KIF meet.

Interact Club will elect officers tomorrow.

Mahalo to all of those who helped make today’s Staff Appreciation Breakfast a success, especially to

coordinators: Rochette Dahler, Kristi Buchanan, and Laura Cushnie.

Fall Round-Up Debriefing Meeting

Monday, October 14, at 1:30 in the Teacher Workroom

CHEER CAMP: with Ms. Rachelle. October 7 - 11, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Weinberg Gym. Ages 5-11 years old. $115 each. Learn the fundamentals of cheerleading, jumps, Island School cheers, dances and team bonding. Contact the Office to sign up or email Rachelle Alayvilla with questions at rachelle@ischool.org.

BOOK AND BAKE SALE AT KAPA‘A LIBRARY: Oct. 5th, Saturday 9-5. Wide selection of books in great condition, and plenty of homemade baked goods. Special tent for Children’s Books! Pre-sale for Friends of Library Members on Oct. 4th, Friday evening, 5-8 pm.(New member sign-ups welcome - it’s very inexpensive!

CHRISTMAS WREATHS: Kaua‘i District Boy Scouts, and Webelos are selling wreaths from the northwest, looks and smells great, and comes with a bright big red ribbon. Proceeds go to help support each unit and their activities throughout the year. Delivery is the first Saturday in December but the order must go in soon. Contact Mike Goto (mike@ischool.org).

MAYHEM IN THE MANSIONS: Opens this weekend at WIT’s End in the Coconut Marketplace. Directed by Dallas McCurley, the show features two one-act farces: a 14th century Japanese Kyogen and a 16th century Italian commedia dell’arte. Funny, slapstick, witty, costumed in period costumes - physical theatre at its best! Fridays, Saturdays at 7 pm - Sundays at 5 pm October 4th - 20th. Don’t miss the great performance by our own Christy Jo Williams ‘14 (Oliver Twist, It’s About Time, Skinflints & Scoundrels). East meets West in an evening of fun for the whole family. Tickets - call 635-3727 or online at www.WomenInTheatre.org.

WANTED TO RENT: I.S. mom/employee looking for room/house/apartment to rent. Flexible re: location. No pets. Call Kimberly ASAP at 360-547-9826.

WANTED TO RENT: I.S. teacher looking for long-term rental starting Oct. 15. Wailua to Kalaheo. Apartment/condo/house/1-bedroom/studio - flexible. No pets, good references, no kids. Email david.lohrey@ischool.org.

Classified Ads

♥ ♥ ♥ the following people who volunteered at last week-end’s cross country meet: Priscilla Hsu, Joyce Flagg, Julia Randolph-Flagg, Dan Ahuna, Sabra Kauka, George & Jami Knox, Lynne MacDonald, Eric Dev-lin, Nellie Okamoto, Donna King, Owana Botelho, Leah Edwards & kids, Dalton & Reiko Matsumura, Dino D’Annibale, Jeff Kozak, Daryl Edwards, Fred & Cadice Pascual, Michael & Hasina Mitchell, Dorothy Miller, Adam & Judith Moore, James Kealalio, Tai Mitchell and Erin Cobb-Adams.

♥ ♥ ♥ Lihu‘e Plantation Building, LLC for their donation of an office desk, three chairs, and a computer server cabinet. Special thanks to Jim Mayfield for coordinating the dona-tion.

♥ ♥ ♥ Joan C. Pratt for a contribution to the Science, Math and Robotics Capital Campaign.

♥ ♥ ♥ Cushnie Construction and Alan & Monica King for gifts to the middle school science department.

♥ ♥ ♥ Evan Turner for a contribution to the school at large.

♥ ♥ ♥ Andrade Farms for a donation to the Anatomy & Physiology class.

♥ ♥ ♥ this week’s helpers with The Phantom Tollbooth: Carolyn Yavinsky, Sharon Inanod, Ross Asuncion, Marjorie DeSouza, Deyanna Mielke, Kylie Wilson, Richard Porto and to Laurel Petterson McGraw for her costume donation.

♥ ♥ ♥ David Pratt for a gift to Long Range Planning.

♥ ♥ ♥ Steve Goldberg & Licia McDonald, Robert & Bernice Hiraoka, Tim King, Nick & Laura Lynch and Teresa Sakai for donations to Annual Giving.

♥ ♥ ♥ Edwin & Cynthia Sorenson for a contribution to Annual Giving in honor of Hobey Goodale.

♥ ♥ ♥ Kaua‘i Dental Care for a gift to the second grade.

♥ ♥ ♥ Donald Jobe for a donation to the first grade.

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October 3, 2013

Make Time to Read!Your children have a week off! How will they spend their time? Doubtless, families have vacations or outings planned. But have you set aside some time to read?

There is a huge difference between the superficial reading we do on the web and what researchers call the “deep reading” involved in reading a good novel. There is evidence that reading fiction enables individuals to be, “better able to understand other people, empathize with them and view the world from their perspective.” (Mar & Oatley, 2006, 2009). Being free from the distractions of marginal advertisements and hyperlinks allows the reader of an actual book to become more easily immersed in the narrative.

An article in Time Magazine by Anne Murphy Paul (http://ideas.time.com/2013/06/03/why-we-should-read-literature/) makes the case for deep reading:

The deep reader, protected from distractions and attuned to the nuances of language, enters a state that psychologist Victor Nell, in a study of the psychology of pleasure reading, likens to a hypnotic trance. Nell found that when readers are enjoying the experience the most, the pace of their reading actually slows. The combination of fast, fluent decoding of words and slow, unhurried progress on the page gives deep readers time to enrich their reading with reflection, analysis, and their own memories and opinions. It gives them time to establish an intimate relationship with the author, the two of them engaged in an extended and ardent conversation like people falling in love.

Parents who read and have books at home are setting a positive example for their children to become regular readers themselves. This coming week is a great time to encourage your children to hunker down with a good book.

Here are some links for finding the right book:

Grade Level Readshttp://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/book-selection-tips/choose-books-right-reading-levels

Middle School Readshttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1606.Top_100_Middle_School_Must_Reads

Short Storieshttp://www.americanliterature.com/twenty-great-american-short-stories

Books That Changed My Lifehttp://www.nationalbook.org/bookchanged.html

See page 3 in the Classified Ads, for information on the Kapa‘a Library book sale this Saturday.

At the beach – in the evening – on a rainy day – Autumn Break is a great time to read.