Kapaa High School | 4695 Mailihuna Rd. Kapaa, HI 96746 | Main Office Hours: 7am - 4pm M-F, Year Round | 808.821.4400
Nancy Borilez
, Kapaa High Parent Community Network Facilitator | Room I-102 (Main Office Bldg) | Direct 808.821.4401 x106 | nancy_borilez@notes.k12.hi.us

Monday, March 26, 2012

Updates - Week of March 26th

Accreditation Mid-term Visitation: Over the past few weeks I have been sharing our 3 Year Revisit Progress Report in preparing for our upcoming mid term accreditation for the week of April 23rd. Attached below is the final progress report submitted that reflect our accomplishments. Also attached is a copy of our Academic plan that describes our continued focus from which we are to be assessed. In communicating with Chair Dr. Jim Schlosser, visitation members will be looking/asking for evidence targeting data utilized and standards-based pedagogy. Department Heads and other lead personnel have been asked to review document with their staff.
Disaggregate data to ensure that all students benefit from school-wide initiatives.
Implement standards based learning in all courses and classrooms.
Continue to examine current research based instructional strategies for implementation across the curriculum to ensure active learning.
Study the effectiveness of the current bell schedule as it relates to meeting students needs.
Develop a system to assess all programs, reform initiatives and professional development that is data driven and research based techniques.
Report and celebrate academic progress and successes to parents and the community.



3rd Quarter Reflections: Reminder to submit your 3rd quarter reflections electronically no later than Thursday, April 5th. Will compile into a single report to help support WASC accreditation's 2nd point addressing standards-based learning. Along this line in looking at student learning data, will again work with counselors and Doris in identifying targeted students. With Literacy across all content areas per Common Core soon to be in effect....your feedback addressing literacy activities being taught will go a long way in providing that comprehensive picture. Thank you for your support in our school-wide data efforts.

Final round of Hawaii State Assessment (HSA): The 3rd and final round for the HSA begins this week for mathematics, Reading and Science. Testing time frame is expected to last until mid-April.

Weekly Calendar:
Monday, March 26th: Holiday - Prince Kuhio

Tuesday, March 27th: Final round of HSA begins this week
English Pre-SAT Work Session 7:45 am - 2:30 p.m. @I-102
Principal @Complex Area Leadership Meeting - Lihue

Wednesday, March 28th: Principal @State Bell Committee Work Group @OCISS - Oahu

Thursday, March 29th: Department & HUI/Academy Common Planning 2:30 p.m.
Complex Area VP meeting - Lihue
Principal @State Bell Committee Work Group @OCISS - Oahu

Friday, March 30th: American Savings Presentation 10:00 a.m. Library

Have a great week!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Updates - Week of March 19th

Spring Intercession: Thank you to those teachers/support staff who worked with targeted students during this past intercession. It's always positive when our staff are providing that extra help. Overall, believe that our intercessions attendance are slowly improving.

Student Progress: Teachers will be receiving their 1st semester/2nd quarter reflections back so to add their 3rd quarter reflections. Asking teachers to provide more specific information addressing literacy concepts your that students were focusing on. Literacy concepts include Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Solving Problems, Critical Thinking, and Use of Technologies and Media applied to real world situations. Reflections will be compiled with other school-wide data to show overall progress and shared with staff prior to sharing with WASC accreditation team. Reflections are due (electronically) April 6th or sooner.

With 4th quarter upon us, reminder that our goal remains to have 95% of our students proficient in all content areas per classroom formative data. When addressing the Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) summative data, current status for grade 10 scores are: English - 69% of the students are proficient; Mathematics - 39% at proficiency; and Science - 40% are proficient.....there's still much work to be done! Important that I remind everyone that the HSA outcomes reflect "all" grade levels and disciplines as this is a team effort! Data also shows that we need to better coordinate literacy instruction across all discipline areas. The 3rd and final round for the HSA will be administered starting at the end of March.

Student Discipline feedback: Based on the feedback provided, Administration will make every effort to respond to all referrals within 3 school days. Believe that when teachers make a referral, they have done what was needed to deal with the student and their misbehavior. Administration reserves that right to provide consequences based on that larger knowledge of individual student's issues outside of individual classrooms. Chapter 19 will continue to be adhered with when addressing student's consequences as it provides guidance for infractions and definitions of those infractions. Currently, there are 16 possible disciplinary consequences ranging from time in the office to transfer to other programs (feel free to request a copy of Chapter 19 from the office). One of the interventions being more fully implemented is having parent meetings that includes the student, teachers, support staff and administration. This intervention is proving to have a positive impact for a good majority of students. Also looking at having parents sit in on classes to observe first hand.....not a favorite choice of any student. Reminding teachers to contact and document contacting parents as this serves as a critical intervention component. Welcome continued suggestions addressing disciplinary actions.

Accreditation Mid-term Visitation: Attached is the latest revision in preparing for Kapaa High's mid term accreditation review scheduled for Thursday, April 26, 2012. Reminder that we are tasked to address six key areas and demonstrate evidence to this effect.
Disaggregate data to ensure that all students benefit from school-wide initiatives.
Implement standards based learning in all courses and classrooms.
Continue to examine current research based instructional strategies for implementation across the curriculum to ensure active learning.
Study the effectiveness of the current bell schedule as it relates to meeting students needs.
Develop a system to assess all programs, reform initiatives and professional development that is data driven and research based techniques.
Report and celebrate academic progress and successes to parents and the community.

Please review document provides a comprehensive story of the good work to date. Will be posting this document on our school's website and feel free to use information to help support grant funding proposals, resumes, etc. Appreciate your feedback.


Planning for SY 2012-13: Work continues in creating the master schedule per student registration, staffing for HUI/Academies personnel, and overall school-wide budget. Planning to provide an update in early April as refinements will continue until the start of the new school year.

Purchase Orders: Reminder that submitted purchase orders must identify which of our Academic plans goals it will be supporting.

Weekly Calendar:
Monday, March 19th: 1) Dept/Cross Curriculum Articulation 2:30 p.m.
2) Leadership Meeting 1:00 p.m. @Principal's Office

Wednesday, March 21st: 1) Department Head Mtg 1:45 p.m. @Library

Thursday, March 22nd: 1) Decision Making for Results & Data Team Seminars 8 - 3:00 p.m. @Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall
2) Department & HUI/Academy Common Planning 2:30 p.m.

Friday, March 23rd: 1) Decision Making for Results & Data Team Seminars 8 - 3:00 p.m. @Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle Library
2) 3rd Quarter Grades due to Registrar

Have a great week!


Daniel S. Hamada
Principal
Kapaa High School
4695 Mailihuna Road
Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii 96746
PH: (808) 821- 4401 ext. 102
FAX: (808) 821- 4420
daniel_hamada@notes.k12.hi.us

Monday, March 5, 2012

Updates - Week of March 5th

Recognition: Want to recognize our students for a job well done at the Kauai Complex Area Science Fair this past week. Kapaa High School was especially proud to have four of the five top five finalists awarded to our students. Kudos to our Science teachers and asking that they coordinate with Harriet Watanabe so students can be featured on the morning announcements especially those moving on to State/International competition. Our students continue to demonstrate attainment of high expectations as this was recently also seen in the Virtual Enterprise presentations and the CTE State events.

Thanks to Greg Gonsalves and Suwela Esteban for their leadership in helping carry-out the final inspection for our Girls Softball Stadium. Happy to share that stadium was finally approved/accepted and our girl's softball team have their own home field. Kapaa High School also has the honor to be the first high school statewide to have this Title IX equity realized. Appreciate everyone's patience and support!

Spring Intercession: With Spring Break just around the corner, intercession supports will be provided for those struggling students on March 12, 13, 14 and 15, 2012 (4 half-days 8:00 - 12:00 pm). Teachers are asked to identify their students who can use this support and submit names to the counselors and Doris Morioka Fulks. Upon confirmation that identified students will be attending, teachers must submit work for their students so the intercession teachers can better focus their supports. Thanks to the counselors, majority of the seniors have already been identified/contacted. If you are interested in teaching over the break, please check with Doris.

Student Support feedback: Over the course of this week, administration will be reviewing our disciplinary practices to assess it's effectiveness in terms of helping to address negative student behaviors. We will be comprehensively looking at referral timeliness, recurring negative behaviors, levels of interventions, communication, as well as overall success. Appreciate feedback from teachers and asking Department Heads to coordinate feedback and to maintain confidentiality of staff names by end of this week. Will provide an update after Spring Break.

Accreditation Mid-term Visitation: Attached is our draft report in preparing for our mid term accreditation review to validate that we are on course per our Academic plans. Visitation is scheduled for the second half of 4th quarter. Reminder that the visiting committee identified six critical areas for follow-up and improvement:

Disaggregate data to ensure that all students benefit from school-wide initiatives.
Implement standards-based learning in all courses and classrooms.
Continue to examine current research-based instructional strategies for implementation across the curriculum to ensure active learning.
Study the effectiveness of the current bell schedule as it relates to meeting students needs.
Develop a system to assess all programs, reform initiatives and professional development that is data driven and research based techniques.
Report and celebrate academic progress and successes to parents and the community.


Administration's walk-through observations continue to ensure that standard based instructions are consistent school-wide, standards taught are posted, use of rubrics & assessments, and ultimately student outcomes. Please review and provide feedback to administration and Beth Pemberton for consideration.


Weekly Calendar:
Monday, March 5th: Dept/Cross Curriculum Articulation 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6th: East Complex Leadership meeting @Kapaa High Library 8 - 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 7th Principal @SLC consortium meeting - Maui High School
Early Release 1:45 p.m. for Teachers (part of the 3 hrs give back)

Thursday, March 8th: Common Planning 2:30 p.m.
End of 3rd Quarter

Friday, March 9th: Teacher DLWOP (No Students)

March 12 - 16, 2012SPRING BREAK

Have a great week and a restful Spring Break!


Daniel S. Hamada
Principal
Kapaa High School
4695 Mailihuna Road
Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii 96746
PH: (808) 821- 4401 ext. 102
FAX: (808) 821- 4420
daniel_hamada@notes.k12.hi.us