MEDIA RELEASE

Waimea Middle School ‘Open House’ Aug. 25 To Celebrate Student Progress and Thank Families, Faculty and Community

Delicious cake will top a celebratory menu at next Wednesday’s Family Open House at Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School – all to salute significant academic progress in the annual Hawai’i State Assessment (HSA) tests.

All students and families are invited to the free annual Open House from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Wed., Aug. 25 in the school cafeteria.

Why the special celebration in a school where nutrition education via an award-winning school garden discourages an abundance of sweet treats?

“Our students improved Reading proficiency by 10% and reduced the number who were not proficient by 20%. They also improved Math proficiency by 5% and met or exceeded Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmarks in all subgroups for Reading, and in all but one for Math,” said CEEO/Principal John Colson.

“We are so proud of our students for really “living” our theme of Pa’ahana – hard, industrious work. We also salute our families for their support and especially our teachers and staff — we couldn’t have achieved this without their expertise, hard work and dedication to putting kids first,” he said.

“We also are indebted to many community partners who helped us avoid furloughs. This was only possible because we are a public conversion charter school, which gives us the flexibility to do what’s best for students. This, combined with community support, enabled us to provide our students with 20 more days of instruction than most children in Hawai’i’s public school system,” said Colson.

Funding and in-kind contributions came from many sources last year, some long-standing including Ho’okako’o Corp. (our Local School Board) and Kamehameha Schools, and some new — the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). Other generous and unexpected donors that supported the school’s “No Furloughs” strategy included Windermere Foundation, Kuki’o Community Association, St. James’ Episcopal Church, Ken Melrose, L&L Drive In and KTA SuperStores. There also were several others who wish to remain anonymous.

“We deeply appreciate their help and believe everyone earned a special cake reward,” said Colson.

All families are urged to attend Open House, which will begin with a free roasted chicken dinner from 5:30 to 6 p.m., followed by a brief overview of the year ahead, and an opportunity to meet all faculty and staff and visit classrooms.

There is no charge for attending but families are asked to RSVP to help the 8th Grade East Coast Trippers’ families who will be preparing the meal know how many to expect for dinner.

For information or to RSVP, call the school (887-6090 Ext. 222).