Na Kamalei

Now, with social media, it was so much easier to get communication out! Na Kamalei is working on it!

Please check Face Book for our new page Na Kamalei. If you would like to keep updated on events and activities in Ko’olauLoa, please consider becoming a friend. If you are a parent or former parents with more children to enroll, we are rapidly moving toward on-line communities for quick and accessible information.

We hope that through this blog and the Face Book page, we will be able to disseminate information for your family including new Ko’olauLoa projects and opportunities from our friends and partners in our moku, as well as updated parenting info and the latest summaries you need to know for raising na keiki kaulike.

We are also looking for your feedback; what works, what doesn’t and what you long for in a program to help with your family.

Be talking with you soon!

We think of our families, friends and neighbors often and wanted you to know what is happening at Na Kamalei-K.E.E.P.

We continue test Lei Aku, Lei Mai (Lei Given, Lei Received): A Reciprocal Exchange of Knowledge-A Hawaiian Family Learning Curriculum at 4 sites in Ko’olauLoa.  With the guidance of our Curriculum Committee, this effort has taken the best of our lessons from 12 years, along with a pioneering look at Native Hawaiian education philosophy through Family and Child Interaction Learning Programs. We plan additional sections in the years to come. We are planning for the 1st edition in the next 8 weeks, and hope to train and distribute it to other FCILP programs at the Native Hawaiian Education Association’s annual conference in March. Please look for us there.

Everyone is having to make-do in these economic times. We have trimmed down to core services only, focusing on our mission. Our staff is strong and dedicated, so we hoping to weather the lean times with unity and perseverance.  We have changed organizational structure from strategic planning back in 2008-2009, including:

-educational, screening and home support services for children 0-3 with their families;

-a switch from quarterly sessions to a 40-week curriculum with a summer enrichment session (year round activity);

-the establishment of teaching hui;

-a school calendar that mimic’s DOE year (a request from our parents with multi-aged children);

-reorganized Parents As Teachers services with ’ohana educators;

-maintaining access to the Punalu’u Lo’i but releasing our land license there;

-land reclamation improvements and significant growth in the (5) site at the Punalu’u Discovery Garden with planned expansion in square footage in 2010;

-Friday class in a land-based setting with lessons in science and culture in the outdoor classroom (documented in our new curriculum);

-new procedures for an intern/volunteer program;

-expansion of Native Hawaiian protocol use;

-plans for replacing or renovating our drooping facility.

In addition, please welcome Marvel Afalava as our new Ho’ala Na Pua Program Manager. Auntie Elena Vierra has returned to her roots and is still with us as our Lead Teacher.

We expect some sales when we offer (8) more Hawaiian storybooks in Hawaiian and English for sale later this year…but it is a hard time for all right now. In the meantime-all of our books will be offered to educators for use in their classrooms through the www.ulukau.org; search the beginner book tab for both Hawaiian and English.

We want to thank our 2009 funders: U.S. Department of Education-Native Hawaiian Education Act, Administration for Native Americans, the Harold K. Castle Foundation, Consuelo Foundation and ‘Aina Ulu-Kamehameha Schools for Pauahi’s Legacy Lands. Their belief in our ability to assist families with young children is to be applauded and acknowledged in our community!

Punalu’u Valley is such a rich, fat and peaceful land. We continue to welcome visitor tours and groups, especially at 3rd class on Friday’s in the Discovery Garden at 9:00am.  We welcome DOE students on furlough Friday’s with their families. If you have not had a chance to visit, we encourage you to call and make plans for your next visit.

Thank you for your kindness during this past year. Our partnerships and collaborations are so important for making our work for young children have meaningful impact.   When hope is dim, hold tight to one another during the storm. We will all make it through.

               There are few moments in a person’s life where they are given the opportunity to fully assess themselves and reflect on all the things that made them who they are today.  Well, from July 1st-2nd, the staff of Na Kamalei was given that opportunity at their Retreat.

               The retreat was held in Punalu’u at a beautiful beach front property owned by Kamehameha Schools.  It was the perfect backdrop to the intensely personal and cultural activities that we were participating in.

                We learned more about ‘oli.  Na Kamalei has been given permission to use various ‘oli and we overviewed and performed every single one that we had.  We even woke up before the rise of the sun to ‘oli to it and encourage it to rise.  That was a special moment for all of us as we stood together and chanted, “E ala e ka la i Kahikina!…”

                 We learned how to make ipu.  We sanded our gourds with water and sand, cleaning them until they shined.  Then we cut the tops to the length we wanted them and dug out the insides until the ipu made a nice hollowed out sound.  For some of us, it was the first time that we had ever done something like this.  As simple as the ipu making was, there was something very spiritual about the whole process.  We could envision our ancestors doing the same things, and we felt very connected to them.

                 We also made pu’ohe out of bamboo.  Making them was easy.  Learning howto sound them was a bit difficult for some of us.  We took our ipu and pu’ohe to Kahana Bay and practiced protocol there.  We sounded our pu’ohe and started to ‘oli.  It was amazing!  As we stood on the shore, the whole area silenced itself.  Even the waves were quiet as if to be responding to our ‘oli.  Then, those of us who had not finished sanding their ipus took to the ocean and began scrubbing away.

               On the last day of the retreat, we had a scavenger hunt.  We were split into two groups and every group had to gather at least one item from each group members home.  To prove that we did visit every home, we had to take a group photo in front of every home we stopped at.  It was a lot of fun!  We got to see where each other lived and each group bonded and worked really well together.

                Finally, to top off the retreat, we sat together in a circle and each person took a turn at describing the mo’olelo behind their names; however many we had.  We were all given five minutes to talk about our names and then we would go on to the next person.  Five minutes sounds like a long time, but once we started talking, it was actually very short.  One by one we talked about our families and their decisions to give us our names, the people that we were named after, the circumstances by which we were named, and so on.  It was very intense and very emotional.  There were a lot of tears as some of us tapped into memories and feelings that we didn’t realize were there.  The most amazing thing about the whole experience was the love that was felt within the circle!

               Throughout the whole retreat we learned so much about each other.  We learned about our strengths and weaknesses.  We learned more about our personalities and our learning styles.  We learned about some of our deepest emotions and our pasts.  But most importantly, we learned to love each other, and that was what made all the planning and preparation for the retreat worthwhile!  We really became an ‘ohana!  With unity, we can accomplish anything, and it is with unity that we will take our next steps forward into the future of Na Kamalei!

On Friday, June 26, 2009, Na Kamalei staff went to visit the Kalihi Valley Nature Park.  Few of us knew what to expect.  We got there and was greeted by Puni Freitas.  She was our po`o for the day.  She is a member of a small crew of people who make up Ho‘oulu ‘Aina, which is a branch of programs from Kokua Kalihi Valley.  We performed ‘oli and presented her with a ho’okupu of plants and fruits that she could plant in the nature park.  We talked for a little bit, and then we got to take a tour of the park!

We started off looking at all of the little gardens of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that were planted by different groups of visitors that came to the park.  The nature park is similar to our Punalu‘u Discovery Garden in that it is a place for families to learn about the land, about themselves, and about their relationship to Ke Akua.  The people that visit this nature park can get a sense of relief and comfort as they plant and return to the land.  Just getting your hands dirty can bring such happiness and peace.  And that is something, Puni explained, that their program is all about. 

We then headed up a trail towards the mountains to get a more complete sense of the area.  

  What can I say?  The valley was so beautiful!  The thing that impressed us the most as we were taking our tour was that Puni was able to tell us about every single plant and tree that was growing in the valley.  She told us that the native plants will share the resource of light with the other plants.  The non-native plants will take up all of the resources, leaving other plants unable to grow. 

Overall, the experience that Na Kamalei had was great!  It’s so nice to visit other programs that have the same dedication and love for what they do as Na Kamalei.   

If you have the chance, go and check them out!  There is a lot of work to be done there from weeding and digging the earth, planting, etc. 

Mahalo Nui Loa

to the 

Ho‘oulu ‘Aina team!

Ho‘oulu ‘Aina

(808) 841-7504

Aloha ‘Ohana!

We welcome you all back to the new school year at Ho’ala Na Pua!  There are many exciting changes that are coming about!  We’ve listened to your suggestions and requests.  Paired with the needs of the children, we are now excited to our new curriculum and our new schedule!   

 The new curriculum is called “Lei Aku, Lei Mai (Lei Given, Lei Received): The Reciprocal Exchange of Knowledge.”  This original Hawaiian Family Learning Curriculum is written and compiled by Melodie Naluai-Vega, MAEd with 12 years of lessons and activities from our program.  This curriculum was initiated by Na Kamalei-K.E.E.P. in response to a growing need for a culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate curriculum to be used specifically by Ho’ala Na Pua and by other family and child interaction learning programs.

The new schedule will loosely follow the Department of Education and Kamehameha Schools calendar.  Classes will be held three times a week culminating weekly in the Punalu‘u Discovery Garden, which will provide the setting for science, math, and cultural learning.  All three classes advance learning for school readiness.

            If you have not confirmed a place for your child for this exciting new year, call Bobbie Hanohano at 237-8500.  You will need to confirm your child’s enrollment for their site by July 27^th.

            We hope that you are all as excited as we are!  Get enrolled and get ready because we are headed towards a bright future!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Remember it is not the gifts, the parties, the glitz and food, but the love of family and neighbor that carries us through the year!

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind.  ~Mary Ellen Chase

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.  ~W.J. Cameron

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Our Annual Membership meeting on Nov. 26 started out with a great turkey trot! Several children and parents won turkeys for their holidays. Look at those Moms’s run!

The Na Kamalei membership then re-elected the current Board of Director members to new terms: Tamara Ulima, Chester Kahapea as Secretary, and Richard Vierra as Treasurer.

Na Kamalei-K.E.E.P. is looking for volunteers to support work with parents and children in Ko’olauLoa. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the following positions, please visit the Aloha United Way Volunteer Hawaii website to find out the details of how you can contribute to our early education programs.

• Classroom Support-Kupuna

• Classroom Support-Cultural

• Lo’i Support

• Parenting, Family, and Professional Development Workshop Speakers

• Fund Raising Projects

The full detailed list of all current volunteer positions can be found on Aloha United Way’s Volunteer Hawaii website

Our Organizational Goals :

Approved by the Board of Directors 3/24/03