Engaging Our School Community through Social Media

99% of our students are from military-impacted families, and transitions and deployments are challenges they face as we seek to engage them as integral members of our school community.  Our parents are supportive of the school, and school-wide events such as our recent Student-led Conferences,  musical performances, or Book Fairs are well-attended.  However, results from our annual School Community Council Survey indicated that communication was a major concern of parents so we made a concerted effort to improve home-school communication.

We started by changing our school website.  Initially, it was a lot of work and planning, but today, we pride ourselves on our website which includes lots of information and resources for parents to access as well as updates about upcoming school events.  New parents often share that they requested housing in our geographical area after finding out they were coming to Hawaii and checking out our school webpage.  Additionally, most of our teachers created a class webpage, and this also helped to bridge the gap between home and school.

Because social media is such an important part of our parents' lives, we decided to use Facebook as a means of communication. Our Hale Kula Eagles Facebook page has grown to several hundred members, and upcoming events are shared and photos are posted to keep members updated. Facebook allows families who have left us to find out what's happening at our school, and in turn, we can find out how our former students are doing at their new school.  Facebook has been a wonderful way to keep in touch!  We also publish Hale Kula Highlights at least once weekly, and the blog is sent directly to the email of those who've subscribed.  Parents and staff share that they appreciate these weekly reminders of upcoming events and activities.

Our School Community Council is required to hold School Community meetings at least twice per year to get feedback regarding our Academic Plan.  This has been a major challenge for us.  In the past, we held meetings in the mornings, or just before school ended for the day, or in the evening, and each time, very few parents attended or participated in the discussions.  We even paired these meetings with a student performance, but parents weren't interested in giving feedback to us on how to improve teaching and learning at Hale Kula. After all, they were there to watch/videotape their children's performance.  

After much discussion, we decided to try something different this year.  We decided to host a virtual School Community meeting using Facebook as the venue.  Since parents were familiar with the US Army Garrison Hawaii Facebook Town Hall meetings, we thought we might get better participation than if we held a meeting at school.  Here's the invitation which was posted:

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    Monday, February 25, 2013
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    6:00pm until 7:00pm

• We are hosting a virtual School Community Meeting (following the format of the USAG Town Hall meeting). The purpose is to get input and suggestions on how we can craft our Academic Plan for SY2013-2014 to best reflect the needs of our school while following the Department of Education's Strategic Plan and the District mandates. Any posts or comments should be respectful. We will remove any comments or questions which are perceived as inappropriate or disrespectful. We will respond to all questions, but depending on the number of questions/comments we receive, we will prioritize our responses according to those with the greatest impact on our school community. Thank you for joining this event!

Frankly, we did not know what to expect, but a virtual meeting would allow anyone to join from their computer or mobile device wherever they happened to be at the time.  We agreed to ask questions to get feedback rather than having parents post random comments or concerns.  Our focus would be on getting input from parents on issues such as attendance, improving achievement in reading and math, keeping our students safe at school, and improving parent engagement and communication.

I am still amazed at the number of comments and posts we received during our virtual School Community Meeting!  The participation was nonstop with nearly 200 responses, suggestions, comments, and lots of great ideas in just over one hour!  Our challenge now is to take those ideas and to see how we might be able to implement them to improve student achievement as well as to address issues of traffic, safety, communication, and student well-being.

Think about it.  Would we be able to get that kind of feedback if we held a face-to-face meeting?  Absolutely not!  People who might have been reluctant to speak up in a public meeting were able to share concerns or ask questions in a virtual venue.  We could hear from anyone who had something to contribute, and everyone was respectful with their comments.  We cannot guarantee that everyone's suggestions will be implemented, but we will at least consider them.

Everyone's time is so valuable, and finding ways to accommodate the needs of our families is important.  I am so grateful that our School Community Council took this leap and decided to host a virtual meeting.  Perhaps other schools will be willing to give it a try!  

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There is a 5th "C"

As educators, our classrooms are usually teacher-driven.  Students are expected to follow the rules and the procedures which have been established by the teacher as a means of managing the classroom and the students efficiently and effectively.  Classes are taught in blocks of time, and a schedule dictates when students do what.   Lessons are based on a common set of standards, students are given their assignments, and grades are allocated based on whether instructions were followed as well as the quality of the work. Many of us thrived in this system; we knew what we had to do to be successful in school.

Our 21st century world is vastly different, and what worked back then may not be what our students need to be successful today.  We read about how we need to teach the 3 R's as well as the 4 C's  - collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity - which describe the processes for teaching and learning  as we move our teachers and our students forward in the 21st century.  Our Blended Learning pilot program where fourth and fifth grade students spend part of the week in face-to-face learning and the other half accessing their curriculum and assignments on-line at home is successfully demonstrating the power of the
4 C's in engaging students in their studies.

But that is not enough.  We found that even though we have a rigorous curriculum and students have multiple opportunities to use technology and Web 2.0 tools to demonstrate their learning through the 4 C's, something else needs to be in place if we want our students to internalize and become self-directed learners, responsible for their own learning. The 5th C is "Choice." (Thank you, Michelle Colte, for coining this phrase). We have seen students in the Blended Learning Class develop the attributes of a self-directed learner.  They are able to view their assignments for the day, prioritize how they will accomplish their tasks, and with guidance from the teachers, work on individual projects of their choice.

What is it about choice that can make the difference for students?  Kevin Perks, in "Crafting Effective Choices to Motivate Students" states, "Choices that promote feelings of control, purpose, and competence are likely to be more motivating than choices that do not."  In our Blended Learning classes, students have choices, although not all of them are "desirable" to every student.  However, when students can choose how to prioritize and complete their assignments for the day, they learn organizational and time management skills.  When they can choose a topic as part of their interdisciplinary unit study, they are motivated to research to find more information to answer their questions.  When students have a choice on how to share their learning with others, their creativity and pride shines through their projects.

All teachers can and should provide choices for students -- choices in content (What will I be learning?  Why is this important? What are the big ideas and essential questions? What are the standards?), process (What resources will I use? How do I go about finding information? Will I learn better alone or in a group?), or products (How will I share what I learned?  How do I know I have produced my best work?) By providing opportunities to demonstrate the 3 R's and the 5 C's, students will gain skills and strategies to be confident, competent, self-directed learners.  That's what I hope for all of our students so they be successful, not just in school, but in life.

It's More than a Place to Borrow Books

Yesterday, I was able to attend the annual conference for the Hawaii Association of School Librarians, an organization committed to improving teaching and learning in our schools.  This volunteer organization  shares resources, provides professional development opportunities for educators, and are involved in the community as well by hosting events for students such as The Nene Award.

As schools explore ways to save money, many are choosing to eliminate the librarian position and to focus on technology rather than purchasing books.  A prevailing thought is that libraries are outdated and that purchasing books is a waste of money when it is so easy to get information via the Internet.  I disagree; schools need libraries and librarians.

Our library is a vibrant place, filled with eager students who love to choose a "just right" book to borrow.  But our library is more than just a place to listen to stories and learn  how to find a book.  Our library is a media resource center where students learn to access information about topics of interest, to use different technology and Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with their classmates, to communicate and share information with students at other schools, and to nurture a love of books and literacy.

I have had numerous discussions about how school librarians need to change the way they provide services to teachers and students if they want to survive.  This can be a challenging process.  When we hired our librarian eight years ago, she and I had lengthy discussions about our vision for the library.  We wanted teachers to be present for the lesson so they could follow-up in their classroom.  The librarian needed to be a collaborator with the grade level teachers as they planned instruction based on big ideas and essential questions.  We needed a vast collection of books - both fiction and non-fiction - and we wanted the books to be borrowed, not sitting on the shelf.  Rather than having a set library time each week, we wanted classes to sign up depending on the purpose for the visit.  Because researching requires more time, classes could sign up more than once a week if necessary.  As technology and Web 2.0 tools became more available, the librarian would model the use of these tools in instruction so students and teachers could access and share information virtually as well as through traditional projects.  It was challenging to change the mindset of teachers regarding the role of the library and the librarian, but today, our librarian is seen as an essential resource at our school.

There are those who claim that students can get whatever information they want electronically so libraries and print material are no longer necessary. I disagree. Just because information is readily available electronically does not mean that students know how to choose the right resource, how to skim and scan to find answers, how to take notes and organize them in a meaningful way, and how to summarize and share that information with others.  That is why the librarian is an important resource in the school.  Additionally, every child needs to experience sharing a book with a special adult.  I remember those moments with my own sons, reading some of our favorite books together, laughing, crying, or just sharing that special time together.  As a teacher, that was one of my students' favorite time of the day -- storytime.  I believe that being exposed to all kinds of books -- fiction and nonfiction -- nurtures a love for reading which translates to greater success in school and in life.

Very shortly, we will be breaking ground to upgrade our school facilities.  One of our new buildings will be a "Media Resource Center" which is a more appropriate and descriptive name than "library."  Much discussion and thought went into planning and designing this new building, and our goal is to create a place that can grow and change to meet the literacy and information needs of our students and teachers now and in the future.


It would be a shame if school librarians suffered the same fate as businesses like Borders or Blockbuster which did not realize the need to change to meet the challenges of a changing world until it was too late. Let's work to make sure that does not happen with school librarians.

Universal Preschool

Back in 1989, I wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor strongly encouraging the State to fund preschool education. At that time, the Lieutenant Governor was involved in a study to determine whether universal preschool was economically feasible.

As an Early Childhood Education major in college, I have always been a proponent of early intervention and  equal access to quality preschool programs.  I taught with the federally-funded Headstart program for fifteen years, and I saw the difference it made in preparing students for success in kindergarten and beyond.  The parents also were beneficiaries of this program.  By volunteering in the classroom, observing the teacher, and working with individuals or groups of students, these parents gained valuable skills and strategies for helping their children at home.  Many of these parent-volunteers went on to become part of the Headstart staff, and a number of them went back to school to become teachers, effectively breaking the cycle of poverty for their families.

According to the Hawaii State School Readiness Assessment, about 50% of students enter kindergarten with no preschool experience.  More often than not, these students are also considered economically disadvantaged, qualifying for free or reduced meals. Entering kindergarten lacking the skills of their classmates who have attended preschool, these students are not ready for first grade at the end of the school year, and often repeat kindergarten to hopefully strengthen their chances for success (but that is not guaranteed).

Today, 24 years after I wrote that letter, Hawaii is still one of 11 states with no universal preschool program, However, our Governor has created an Early Learning Council and has proposed funding for preschool beginning in school year 2014-2015.  That is the year when the birthdate for entry into kindergarten changes, and several thousand junior kindergarteners will have to wait a year to enroll.

It is my hope that our Department and the State will allow schools some flexibility in developing preschool programs for their students and not rely solely on private preschools or providers.  As the principal, I would like to work with our community to fund and implement a program at our school to ensure a smoother transition for those going from preschool to kindergarten.  Because we are a military-impacted school, many of our families have a stay-at-home-parent, so a half-day program (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) might be preferable.  I also hope the State will look at revenue sources to make universal preschool self-sufficient down the road.  Georgia's system intrigues me because they use funds from a lottery to sustain their program for all four-year-olds.  Hmm . . . gambling in Hawaii?  I wonder if that would or could be considered.

A New Year and Renewed Commitment

Blogging is not easy and takes more time than I anticipated.  However, it's been a great way for me to reflect as a principal, and with the start of a new year, 2013, I am renewing my commitment to this blog and hoping to reflect more regularly.

Next month, I will be at Hale Kula for ten years!  So  much has changed over this decade, but I believe that my core values have played an integral part in my commitment to the principalship and to the relationships I've fostered over the years. As we begin a new year, let me share three important statements which guide me in the work I do.

Take care of yourself - Everyone at Hale Kula gives 100% and more to their job.  I certainly appreciate their dedication.  However, the job will always be there, and there will always be something else that needs to be taken care of, so at the end of the day, it is important to remember to spend time with family and friends doing things we want to do with people who love and care about us.  We also need to take care of our health by eating right, exercising, and finding time to relax and do the things that make us happy.  This is something I learned while my children were growing up, and I have never regretted my decision to make family my priority.  Now that I am older and my kids are grown, I have more time to devote to my job, but I still make time to go golfing on the weekend, pamper myself with a pedicure, or go out to dinner with my husband.  

Take care of each other - Education used to be a lonely job where the teacher was solely responsible for what went on in the classroom.  Today, we know that collaboration and communication are important skills for our students and for our staff.  Getting along with others is a crucial life skill, and working together, we problem-solve and share successful ideas to improve teaching and learning.  At our school where 99% of our students are military dependents, this is even more important because for many of our families, the school is a critical system of support. This means providing academic, behavioral, and emotional support for those who need it -- children and adults.

Take care of our community - The school is an integral part of the larger community, and our students are taught valuable lessons in caring for others and caring for our world.  Unit studies, for example, share the importance of sustainability or the impact we have on our oceans and reefs or the reasons why we encourage reducing, reusing, and recycling.  We have contributed thousands of canned goods or non-perishable food to the Food Bank; students donated to the Laulima Giving Project; we donated books to the Schofield Acute Care Clinic;  students did chores around the house to earn money to donate to a Hurricane Sandy fund; and students pick up trash to beautify the campus or tutor younger students.  These are just a few examples of how we care for the greater community, to make this world a better place for the future.  I am always reminded of a Native American quote, "We don't inherit this world from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."

Much has changed in the ten years since I was a rookie principal, but one thing hasn't changed.  The people at Hale Kula -- the staff, the students, the families, and the community -- are the reason why I continue to love my job. Happy 2013!

Virtual Learning

We are more than a decade into the 21st century, and much has been written about 21st century teaching and learning, but are schools actually using these strategies in their classrooms?

Last week, I had the opportunity to join others from the Department to meet with personnel from Florida Virtual School which is an on-line public school for students in grades K-12.  The group was small which led to relevant discussions and questions/answers.  Most of the presentation was geared to middle or high school, but we were able to take away and contribute to the discussions because of our experiences with our Blended Learning pilot project.

 Our program blends face-to-face learning with on-line learning. The fourth and fifth grade students in this program come to school three times a week and access their lessons on-line at home on the other days. We are still learning and revising, but here are a few lessons learned from this first semester which were validated by the presenters from Florida Virtual Learning.

a)  Although we had hoped to register 20 students from each grade level for the Blended Learning class, we only have half that number.  Parents were interested in learning more about the program, but they weren't willing to have their children be the "guinea pigs" in this pilot program. This was a blessing in disguise; it gave us time to work out the kinks and to make changes if necessary.  Additionally, according to studies, on-line teachers burn out more quickly than those who teach in face-to-face environments, and this is something we want to avoid.  Our Blended Learning teachers are not available 24/7, but they do feel a responsibility to regularly communicate with their students and parents, and they  are constantly checking for understanding with their students.  Our teachers have stated that this year, they are truly partners in the teaching/learning process with the students and their parents.

b)  We decided that we wanted a rigorous curriculum which addressed the Common Core State Standards as well as projects based on the grade level interdisciplinary units.  Designing lessons to be placed on-line is challenging.  Directions need to be clear and not too lengthy.  Our teachers spent many, many hours with the course designer to ensure that the lessons and assignments were understandable for students.  As they teach, teachers are constantly reviewing and revising their lessons. Although this is time-consuming, we believe that the curriculum our teachers created addresses the 4C's - collaborating, communicating, critical thinking, and creating.

c)  In order to be successful in online classes, students need to be self-directed.  This is one of our Department's General Learner Outcomes, but until now, I don't think we truly defined what this means.   As teachers, we often have control over our classrooms.  Students are told when to listen and when to talk, when to work, when to turn in their assignments, where to turn it in, what to do for homework, etc. There is  very little opportunity for students to learn to organize or manage their time, or even to have choices in their assignments or how to share their learning.  The successful Blended Learning students have learned to budget their time to get all assignments completed in the time allocated.  They have learned to prioritize, to be organized so they can track what they have completed and what they need to do next.  They have learned to ask for help, not just from the teacher, but from their classmates or from tutorials which are placed online for their use.  They are able to choose their projects and to determine the best way to share what they learned.  They are truly self-directed.

d)  If we want teachers to begin integrating technology seamlessly into their instruction, we need to provide  professional development, mentoring, and ensure that they have access to technology  -- computers or mobile devices. One of the expectations of the Blended Learning teachers is that they will share and encourage their colleagues to use some of the resources which are available on-line for teaching and learning.  Students are excited when they are able to use technology to learn something new and to use Web 2.0 tools to share what they've learned.  Therefore, they must have access to the tools to be able to demonstrate the 4C's.

e)  We need to prepare our students from the time they enter kindergarten.  Technology is an integral part of their lives -- both in and out of school -- and waiting until they're "ready" is not going to help them down the road.  Technology is changing so quickly, and an important disposition for students is adaptability/flexibility.  We have seen preschool-aged students playing with their parents' mobile device; we need to make sure all of our students have opportunities at school to use technology and Web 2.0 tools as important learning resources.

This first semester has been a huge learning curve for our Blended Learning team.  For me, evidences of student work and conversations with these students and their teachers have validated what I believe about teaching and learning -- that students are capable of learning so much more when we give them the tools they need to succeed and provide an environment which values independence, interdependence, and individuality.

Giving Thanks

As we approach a three-day school week to celebrate Thanksgiving, this is a perfect opportunity to reflect on my principalship at Hale Kula and all that I am thankful for.  What makes a school special and unique is its people, and Hale Kula is no exception.

All of my schooling has been here in Hawaii, and I can't imagine being uprooted in the middle of the year and having to go to a new school, make new friends, learn new rules, procedures, and curriculum, and adjust to these new surroundings. Yet our Hale Kula students are asked to do this not once but multiple times in their school careers.  More often than not, this is occurring while a parent is attending training or is deployed.  Our students make the best of their situation even while they are missing a parent who may be off-island for training exercises or who may be deployed and in harm's way.  I marvel at their resilience, and my hope is that they will take what they've learned at Hale Kula about aloha, lokahi, kokua, `ohana, kuleana, and malama and share it with others when they leave Hawaii.

I am grateful to the Hale Kula parents who support our school and trust us with their children.  Military  parents' lives are so different from what I experienced as a young mom when I had family and friends to support me.  Being uprooted from their system of support is a challenge, and their confidence in our school to take care of their children is a responsibility we take seriously.  To the soldier parents who have committed to serving and protecting our nation, I send my heartfelt thanks.  And to the spouse who is left behind to take care of the home and the family while the soldier is deployed, you deserve kudos for all you do.  It takes a strong person to accept and adapt to military life and often, you turn every new change of duty station as an adventure and a learning opportunity for your family.  Mahalo for all you do.

I am so honored to be at a school with such a great staff.  I love going to work every day because I work with people who care about our school as much as I do.  Others may not realize the challenges of working with a highly transient military population, but your commitment and pride in your work is what makes our school so special.  I hope you realize the positive impact you have, long after the students and families have left Hale Kula and Hawaii.  I am truly proud to be part of our Hale Kula `ohana.

May all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!