Posted on: Thursday, November 11, 2004
OUR SCHOOLS | PEARL CITY ELEMENTARY
CDs convenient way to share work
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
Pearl City Elementary continues to fine-tune an electronic student portfolio project started last year, in which student work samples and projects are put on compact discs for parents to review at home.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser The personalized CDs feature students explaining projects they are working on in school. It is not limited to core subjects and also can highlight work in music, art and other areas.
"Many parents have several jobs and it is sometimes difficult to view at leisure their child's projects and performances," Hirokane said. "This lends itself to addressing parent convenience in having access to a variety of student reports."
The school this year has implemented a uniform dress code featuring purple or gray shirts.
• What are you most proud of? Tammy Calbero, the school's parent-teacher organization president, primary school adjustment program educational assistant, a parent community networking coordinator, and volunteer JPO adviser. "She's the hub for communication between students and parents, and staff and faculty," Hirokane said. • Best-kept secret: That special education teachers Kristie Kumabe and Shari Suzuki are professional hip-hop and hula dancers, respectively, says Hirokane. • Everybody at our school knows: The cheer, "Good, better, best. Never, never rest, till the good gets better and the better is best." • Our biggest challenge: To continually provide resources so each department can provide optimum services to our students. • Special events: Curriculum Fair/Spaghetti Dinner in spring. Parent literacy workshops.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com. • • • • Where: 1090 Waimano Home Road, behind Pacheco Park and next to Pearl City police station • Phone: 453-6455 • Web Address: www.k12.hi.us/~pearlel/splash.html • Principal: Susan Hirokane, second year. • School nickname: Junior Chargers • School colors: Purple and white. • Enrollment: 540. • Testing: Here's how Pearl City Elementary students fared on the most recent standardized tests. Stanford Achievement Test: Listed is the combined percentage of students scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent. Third-grade reading, 83 percent; math, 90 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 83 percent; math, 86 percent. Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards tests: Listed is the combined percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards, and a comparison with the state average. Third-grade reading, 48 percent, compared with the state average of 46.7 percent; math, 37 percent, compared with state average of 26.7 percent. Fifth-grade reading: 69 percent, compared with state average of 49.9 percent; math, 29 percent, compared with state average of 22.5 percent. • History: The school opened in 1956 and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2006. • Special programs or classes: Tech coordinator Gary Ginoza's broadcast journalism class produces a weekly show, "Good Morning Pearl City" on Fridays that presents controversial school-related topics to the student body. The key is researching facts and presenting them to students for them to form opinions, said Hirokane. Also the school has a "kaiwa," or Japanese quick-math, program. • Computers: Several work stations in every classroom in addition to four mobile laptop centers.
Only a handful of schools statewide are using compact discs for student portfolios, said second-year principal Susan Hirokane, who has been an administrator at Pearl City Elementary for 12 years.
Seated before the camera, Landace McBrayer, left, and Donya Kami give their presentation to their sixth-grade class. The school's broadcast journalism class produces a weekly show on Fridays.
AT A GLANCE
