Posted on: Thursday, September 9, 2004
OUR SCHOOLS | HALE KULA ELEMENTARY
Many new pupils in Wahiawa
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer
WAHIAWA — Hale Kula Elementary School lost about 80 pupils last school year as military families on Schofield Barracks prepared for the deployment of loved ones to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser over and uncertainty, pupils last school year scored above the state average in reading and just under the state average in math.
Hale Kula is also one of 22 pilot schools testing a new student spending formula and new school community councils that involve teachers and parents in school decision-making.
Jan Iwase, the school's principal, said the councils will require a greater commitment from parents and an intense focus on student achievement.
• What are you most proud of? "I think our whole community is coming together for the sake of our children," Iwase said. • Everybody at our school knows: Agnes Leinau, the vice principal who usually greets children arriving for school in the morning, and Steve Hokama, a physical education teacher who serves as a mentor and works with the student council. • Our biggest challenge: "Improving student achievement as a pilot school," Iwase said. • What we need: "We really need more time," Iwase said. "There is so much for our teachers and staff to do." • Special events: Parents organize an annual fall festival.
Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
Enrollment is almost back to normal, but many of the pupils are new, presenting a challenge for the school as it tries to build on its strong scores on the state's proficiency tests. Despite turn-
Bri'ana Rowland, right, and her Hale Kula Elementary School fifth-grade classmates finish up a research session in the school's library.
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| Home of the Eagles
• WHERE: Wai'anae & Ayers Ave., Wahiawa. • PHONE: 622-6380. • PRINCIPAL: Jan Iwase. • SCHOOL NICKNAME: Eagles. • SCHOOL COLORS: Blue and white. • TESTING: Here's how Hale Kula Elementary School pupils fared on the most recent standardized tests. Stanford Achievement Test: Listed is the combined percentage of pupils scoring average or above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent. Third-grade reading, 79 percent; math, 82 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 86 percent; math, 77 percent. Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards: Listed is the combined percentage of pupils meeting or exceeding state standards, and a comparison with the state average. Third-grade reading, 51 percent, compared with 46.7 percent; math, 24 percent, compared with 26.7 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 56 percent, compared with 49.9 percent; math, 21 percent, compared with 22.5 percent. • COMPUTERS: With the help of the Joint Venture Education Forum, the school has a mobile lab of laptops and a computer lab. It received 28 new iMacs. • ENROLLMENT: 530. |
