How many hawaiian immersion schools are there

Of a total Hawaiian language immersion teaching positions, only are filled, according to recent DOE data. At Paia Elementary , the number of immersion students has exploded so rapidly in the last decade, there are now immersion students out of a total student body of roughly With more immersion students than traditional students, the campus has to offer three immersion kindergarten classes and three first-grade classes alone.

Correction : A previous version of this story said the song was based on an old Hawaiian melody. He uses this mele, or song, to teach other components about Hawaii to his students, including the names for the different islands of Hawaii and districts on Maui. Kalamaku Freitas, an Ehunuikaimalino graduate who grew up in Kona, said he wanted to come to Maui in to be a part of the enormous growth the island was experiencing as far as immersion education. But he, too, creates his own worksheets and drafts sentences of his own to teach the grammatical components, as part of his classroom curriculum.

The subject of assessments in immersion education has a rocky past. Kaiapuni students were initially given the same state assessments as the traditional public school students, with materials merely translated into Hawaiian. It was only several years ago that more culturally relevant assessments became available.

The same kind of culturally relevant tests were developed for fifth graders last year for language arts and math and eighth-grade science, according to Sang. Listen Paia Elementary second-grade immersion teacher Kumu Kulia Kaluau is teaching the students time. They are counting in five seconds as she moves her finger to each number on the clock. Learning in the Hawaiian context requires abundant use of the natural world and spaces, he said, like field trips, aina- or land-based instruction and the study of natural organisms.

Are you able to recognize the different connections between these different elements, the functions these plants have on the different ecosystem? At the recent BOE community meeting on Maui, Hawaii School Superintendent Christina Kishimoto expressed her enthusiasm for the immersion program and lauded the dialogue that was moving forward.

During a lesson about the solar system, a second-grade immersion teacher uses vocabulary from ancient Hawaiian navigators instead of terms translated from English. And fifth- and sixth-graders track their progress on a chart with a picture of a mountain labeled with Hawaiian terms for the different sections of land.

Not all of the immersion students are Hawaiian. We are re-establishing our identity through an educational setting. Austin Zavala, who teaches MeneMAC English classes, finds ways to add digital media to language arts: Assignments are done on websites. Essays are written as blog posts and then translated into posters designed by students. Final projects are film and video packages that are shot and edited by students, who interview community members.

Learning centers, as part of a DOE initiative that began in , give students opportunities to explore their interests through specialized programs at some high schools.

Many also offer additional after-school programs open to students from nearby schools. At Leilehua High, the nearly students enrolled in the agriculture learning center learn math and science through the development of aquaponics and hydroponics systems. They learn the names of chemicals and how to test for them, and even conduct health screenings on animals.

Students grow carrots, kale, bok choy, corn, bananas and more. She writes the agenda for the day on a whiteboard and passes out worksheets. Students then head outside to take measurements of ammonia, pH, nitrate and nitrite from their aquaponics systems. Some try to figure out what went wrong and how they can fix it. A group tells Akuna that because their ammonia is too high, they need to add more water. Kids from other Leeward Coast schools work together to put on shows that mirror the professional theater process.

They meet every day after school and on Saturdays to rehearse for their productions they hold at least three major shows a year. First Article Callout. How do I? Enroll my child in kindergarten? Apply for a job? Get information about moving to Hawaii? Get a student bus pass? Access resources as a member of a military family? Learn more about the Common Core State Standards?

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