Aloha KCS 'Ohana,    Jan 20th 2021

We would like to update everyone on the status of our learning program.

Although the Covid-19 numbers have decreased over the past week, we are still at a point where virtual learning is recommended by the Department of Health. Consequently, we will continue with our distance learning program for the time being.

As noted, we highly value the face-to-face learning experience and hope to get our students safely back on campus as soon as we can.

As always, we will keep everyone posted on any new developments. We will provide our next update no later than Thursday, January 28.

Mahalo for your understanding and support,

The KCS Team

To: All who attended our meeting and those that could not make it.

First, we would like to express our gratitude to all those who attended our meeting last Thursday in person or virtually via Zoom. We would also like to thank everyone who took the time to share written and verbal testimony. Your input is greatly appreciated as it helps us all move towards the common goal of supporting the students of our community. The major takeaways from the meeting are listed below:

Distance Learning

We have reviewed and discussed the various feedback regarding the need for an all-virtual learning program. As noted, there are current budget and staffing limitations that pose challenges in creating additional high-quality interactive virtual programs for our students. However, after careful consideration, we have decided to allow individualized all-virtual programs on a case-by-case basis for the time being. If there is a specific medical need for a student or a household that requires an all-virtual program, please direct your request to our head of school, Michael Stubbs, at mstubbs@kiheicharter.org. He will review and consider all inquiries for an adapted learning program. 

Communication

Methods of communication:

·Board Meetings on Zoom – Board meetings will be available via Zoom to allow for safer and more convenient attendance for parents and provide them the opportunity to give their input to the school board and administration during the public testimony section.

·KCS Facebook Page - KCS is creating an official Facebook page as another avenue to communicate with parents. This will allow for easier posting of information by school administrators and help prevent misinformation from being spread.  

·Community Surveys- KCS is planning to utilize surveys more often to collect and measure feedback from families, students, and faculty. Survey results can then be taken into consideration for decision making.

·Email Distribution – KCS will also continue to distribute announcements via email.  

Website

Updates on the website:

·Design – The school ultimately plans to give the website a design refresh, however, given the current and expected future budget deficit, this will remain the same for the time being.

·Information – All information on the website is in the process of being updated. 

Safety Plan

The school safety plan was developed with the Department of Health guidance for schools and the CDC guidance for operating schools. The KCS Safety Plan has been approved by the DOH and the school is working directly with a DOH officer and epidemiologist. Much work has gone into it to provide a safer learning environment within the school for students and faculty alike. The plan has evolved since the pandemic started and will continue to be improved upon as the situation changes and improvements are identified. The school board feels this plan is a good start. If parents have suggestions for improvement, please submit them to the Covid-19 Response and Safety Team for review at efederoff@kiheicharter.org.   

*Vaccine Update: We believe the majority of our staff will elect to be vaccinated. A large number of our personnel have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this week.

All those who wish to provide continued input to our school board and administration may send it to testimony@kiheicharter.org. Furthermore, families are always welcome to attend board meetings as they are open to all members of the public. Board meeting dates, times, location, and agendas may be found on our website at kiheicharter.org. Lastly, families are also welcome to directly contact any member of the school board or administration at any time.

Again, we appreciate all the input we receive from our ‘ohana. Moving forward, we hope our school is able to provide a safe and effective educational program that supports all needs and raises the bar on what a modern educational platform should be. Please take care and may the coming days, weeks, and months bring better times to all of our communities, and especially, our KCS family.

Mahalo,

KCS Governance Board and Administration

Aloha KCS 'Ohana, Jan 7th 2021

In light of the lieutenant governor's call for a 2-week moratorium on social gatherings, we have decided to shift to a K-12 distance learning program starting on Monday, January 11th.

We will reinstate the same distance learning program that was offered to start the school year. Furthermore, we will continue to provide in-person special education services for all qualifying students.

Our goal is to resume our K-5 face-to-face and 6-12 blended programs on Monday, January 25th.

More details on the distance learning programs will be shared by our divisional directors shortly.

We will be sure to keep everyone updated with any new developments.

Mahalo for your understanding as we navigate these tumultuous times together.

Take care,

The KCS Team

We hope the winter break was a special time for you and your families. 

Today we would like to share an update on the furlough developments and some general reminders about our program.

Furloughs

As you may know, Gov. Ige announced that he will delay his state furlough plan due to the passing of the COVID-19 relief bill. Thankfully, we are able to reinstate our teacher workday on Monday and do not expect to lose any additional instructional days for the duration of this school year.

Learning Program

We are also aware of the slight increase in COVID-19 numbers over the holiday break. Please know that we are monitoring this situation very closely. We will be sure to give our staff and families advance notice if any changes need to be made to our program.

As of now, we will proceed with our K-5 face-to-face and 6-12 blended programs to start the second semester. The first day for elementary and high school students will be Tuesday, January 5th. Middle school students will return on Wednesday, January 6th.

Safety Plan

Lastly, we kindly ask that everyone familiarize themselves with the attached KCS Family Safety Resouce Guide. In particular, please continue to screen your children daily for symptoms and be sure to contact the school immediately if you have any questions or concerns. 

As always, we will continue to provide updates on any new developments.

Mahalo for your support each step of the way.

Happy New Year,

The KCS Team

Students

-95% of secondary students reported that the teachers have been helpful throughout distance learning.

-70% of secondary students reported that they prefer in-person or blended learning to distance learning.

-Students reported that a "sense of belonging" is their greatest need, as the impact of COVID-19 has increased feelings of isolation and depression.

Families

91% of families reported that the teachers have been helpful throughout distance learning.

75% of families reported that they currently have concerns about their child's academic growth. 

74% of families reported that they currently have concerns about their child's emotional well-being. 

Faculty

35% of the faculty reported that they are not fully confident that a distance learning model can meet the needs of the most vulnerable students. 

74% of the faculty reported that they have concerns about their students' academic growth.

94% of the faculty reported that they have concerns about their students' social and emotional well-being.

Please review theGuidance for Schools.

Please review the KCS Safety Plan - Family Resource.

Food service will continue at the KCS campus. Boxed meals will be available to go.

Please notify our food service department (foodservice@kiheicharter.org) in advance if you are planning to pick up meals. This will help to prevent waste and ensure that the appropriate number of meals are produced.

Breakfast and lunch will be offered from 7:30 am - 8:30 am and 10:30 am - 12:00 pm, respectively.

Parents and guardians need to provide identification if they wish to pick up the meals without their children present.

Contact our front office at 875-0700 if you have any additional questions.

Breakfast and lunch will be available every day for students.

Breakfast will be offered from 7:45 am - 8:25 am

Drop-off and Pick-up

The campus will open each morning at 7:45 am.There will be no campus supervision prior to that time.

Students are to be dropped at the front of the school building off Lipoa Parkway.

Students will be directed by staff members to supervised areas of the campus prior to the start of the school day.

Students are to be picked up at the end of each school day at the same location.

There will be no after school programs or extracurricular activities on campus at this time.

We request that parents do not arrive early for pick-up as this often creates added traffic and slows the pick-up process.

The Grab-and-Go school meals program currently running at 203 public schools has been extended through June 30, 2021, by the US Department of Agriculture and will continue to provide free meals to children ages 18 and younger.

Children can receive free meals regardless of whether or not they are enrolled at the distribution site, are public school students, or are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs. Meal distribution will continueat lunchtime only.Please contact the school for meal serving times.

Pick-ups will include one lunch for that day and one breakfast for the following, day per child. The distribution will be available Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and designated school breaks, at drive-thru lines at the campuses listed below and walk-up lines where possible. Dine-in options will not be offered.

Meals may be picked up without children present but parents and guardians must provide one of the following verification documents:

• An official letter or email from the school listing child(ren) enrolled.
• Recent student report card(s).
• Attendance record(s) from parent portals of school websites.
• Birth certificate(s) of child(ren).
• Student ID card(s).
• Driver’s permit(s)/license(s) for high school students.
• State-issued identification for the child.

Social distancing is required and masks must be worn at all times. There will be no personal interaction between the serving staff and the community. All meals will be placed in to-go containers.

Families have the option to visit their nearest participating school to ensure that sites can prepare the appropriate number of meals consistently each day to prevent shortages or waste.Only one meal pick up will be allowed per child per day at these locations. Parents may contact the school of their choice for more details.

Meals will be provided at the following Maui schools:

Families are also welcome to call (808) 784-5500 or email specialdiets@k12.hi.usfor any prescribed meal modifications.

Safety will be the #1 priority for the 2020-2021 school year.

Students, staff, and visitors should use face coverings that cover the mouth and nose.

Face masks will be required when 6 feet of social distancing is difficult or not possible.

Students will remain within their cohort (bubble) throughout the day and should not interface with other cohorts. 

Campus sanitation will take place throughout the school every day.

Safety and sanitation products will be accessible in every classroom, meeting room, eating area, and office.

Signage will be posted throughout the campus with proper safety protocol and detailed instructions for social distancing. 

Staff will be trained and students will be instructed on how to be as safe as possible while on school grounds.

Parent Expectations

We request that parents take the temperature of their children each morning before school. If the child has a higher temperature than normal (everyone has a different normal temperature), then the child should remain at home.

We request that parents provide their children with two masks every day. This will ensure that the child will always have a mask in the event that one is lost or damaged. If the child does not have a mask the school will provide one.

If a student displays symptoms of an illness, she or he will be escorted to the health room for a temperature check. At that point, the health aide will determine if the student is ill and needs to be sent home. If so, a parent will be immediately notified to come to the school and pick up the child.

If your child tests positive for COVID-19 we request that you inform the school immediately. That will enable us to conduct contact tracing and potentially quarantine a specific cohort (bubble) away from the campus for a period of time.

We request that you help to educate your child as much possible with respect to the changing times, especially with reminders about the importance of safety protocol. 

We understand that this a very challenging time, and open communication is essential for us all. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our staff, faculty, or administration should you ever need additional support.

In Closing

As you know, we are entering into a new age for education and life in general. We hope to do all that we can to support our students and all our 'ohana. We will continue to monitor our program and adjust as needed. Lastly, we realize that there are many items that we still need to discuss and address in further detail. Consequently, our team will continue providing additional information regarding our program over the next couple of weeks.

We are truly looking forward to a safe and productive school year at Kihei Charter School.

All the best,

The KCS Team