Today was hot dog in the blanket w/ Tater Tots . Had to make 520 servings today for lunch .read more

As a kid who grew up in Chinatown and attended Princess Kaiulani Elementary School, this was the…read moreschool many people RAVED about. I was young and didn't think much about it but eventually had a smack on the head when I attended Kawananakoa Intermediate School where I had classes with kids who came from Ma'ema'e. These students excelled and definitely stood out in the class. They were the leaders in the pack and I was in the back only to eat their dust. Math, science, English, social studies and Japanese - - they kicked my butt!!! Some of my cousins attended here, including my niece and nephew, and I was shocked on the school's curriculum. Compared with what I had, this school excels in academics and streamlines the students to rise to the top. Because this school is in my district I support them, just like the others in my neighborhood. I have actively helped with their school fundraisers and donated my time volunteering. I understand this school is very difficult to attend if you do not live in this district. Many parents work in downtown and try to get their kids to attend here via Geographic Exception but I hear it's not an easy task. They have their annual Family Night which I attended tonight. On the school grounds they have many games, rides, food booths, bake shop, country store, silent auction, face painting, school logo shop and more! I have volunteered at the Family Night many years when my niece and nephew attended here but now that they have both graduated, I now come here to enjoy. I came to the Family Night 2x today - - once in the early afternoon to attack their bake sale and the second time after 7pm to look for bargains. Tonight I walked away with 4 plants and 4 Fuji apples for less than $15. It was also very cool to bump into some old classmates (they are Ma'ema'e alumni but we met at Kawananakoa) here tonight.

I went to this school from age 3-18. I love this school! The campus is very clean, the teachers are…read morevery kind, attentive, helpful, and wise, and all my classmates were really cool! We did so many amazing field trips, too, like every year we go to Ice Palace and Wet n Wild. In high school, we did four trips, one per each year, three mission trips and one educational trip. All those trips were such great moments to grow close to my friends and see God's creation! KCS is an excellent school.

If your child has any behavioral issues or learning disabilities, they will be treated poorly. KCS…read moreis not equipped to deal with these children and views them more as problems versus wanting to help them. For those who are neurotypical, I am sure this is an okay school.

Love this gem of a school!…read more My child is now finishing our second year of school at Honolulu Waldorf School, and will be starting 2nd grade next year. It was very important for our family to attend a progressive school, and in this case "developmentally progressive" in terms of educating the whole child. Our child is very active and talkative, and we didn't want to go the traditional route of public school - especially when on our first tour of a public school they pointed out a "wiggle chair" in a corner that kids would go sit in if they couldn't sit still for long periods of time, and that particular teacher indicating our child might not do well there. For kindergarten, and where our child was developmentally - this was not going to work and we could visualize a year of phone calls about inability to sit still. In Waldorf education (and many other countries) children don't start classroom lessons at desks until they are in 1st grade and 6-7 rather than 5-6. And for us, that felt like the right fit. The teacher we had in kindergarten in the early childhood program (EC) was phenomenal, and I loved that the kindergarteners are in a mixed age class ranging from age 3-6 with various stages of development acknowledged (star children age 3-4, moon children age 4-5, and sun children aka kindergarteners age 5-6). When my child was a "sun child" they were the oldest in the class and became leaders in many opportunities. They have a very structured day which leads to a lot of centeredness and calmness as they move through play time, reading circle, snack time (provided by school and quite nutritious!), arts, more play time, nap time, music - lots of singing - and each activity meeting the child where they are and building on that. My child was very resistant to arts at the start of kindergarten, and by the end was weaving, sewing (!), painting, and drawing. Being restless was not an issue throughout the year, and going without a nap during nap time was also something that could be worked around. After finishing kindergarten, the children move into 1st grade with a beautiful crossing of a symbolic bridge leaving the grounds of the early childhood area and entering the grounds of the grades area / classrooms. In 1st grade, a the class size was 16 children which was a great size for us, and subjects of reading/writing, math, Spanish, Japanese, Hawaiian studies, handwork, movement, music are covered throughout the week. If a child needs more attention in an area, they are quick to spot it and suggest additional support of needed. Our teacher was incredible at holding the class, and attentive to all of each child's progress and needs. What's also amazing is that the same teacher continues into 2nd, 3rd and beyond as is part of the Waldorf pedagogy. Sometimes life changes happen (pregnancy / moving etc), but at this school the same teacher can be expected to continue on for many grades, building a beautiful bond between teacher and student. Also for the community; the school fosters a great sense of community with a strong Parent Hui group (parent volunteers) that work to make each of the many Waldorf traditions come alive. The school participates in Waldorf events of Michaelmas, Saint Nicholas Day, the Winter Spiral, Lantern Walk, and also brings in via its Spanish program a celebration of Dia del los Muertos, Salsa Night, and through its Japanese program Girls Day, Children's Day, Hawaiian - La Mei (May Day) and more. When thinking about all of the events throughout the year it's a magical, welcoming and educational experience for the children and families alike. Not knowing a lot about Waldorf education at the start of our attendance, I have gained a whole new perspective on childhood development as this school also educates parents on how children learn. The reading and literacy is on a different timeline than public school for valid developmental reasons and by 3/4th grade many students are avid readers reading and comprehending books well above their public school peers. Overall, I believe the children become excellent learners through and can tackle any topic with the curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. Last, the school is screen free up to a grade (6th?) This is a huge incentive for our family, as we do not want our child to be exposed to screens more than necessary - as we learn how it is negatively affecting brain development in young children. Eventually, the concept of appropriate screen use is introduced in Cyber Civics classes in middle school - as it is unrealistic for screens to be completely avoided in life, and an awesome opportunity to teach children about how to have an online presence, be responsible and respectful online, and to have personal boundaries around its use with social media, and length of time. Big fan of the school, the caring teachers and admin, and the awesome and strong parent community that goes above and beyond to be involved in their children's learning and environment.

The MonkeyPod Mākeke at Honolulu Waldorf School is a cozy shop open for 45 minutes after school on…read moreFridays. Created and run by parents, it has beautiful Waldorf art supplies: beeswax molding clay, watercolors, colored pencils, and coloring blocks - alongside small treasures children love to choose for themselves or friends: journals, necklaces, and other thoughtful trinkets under $3. You'll also find handcrafted gifts like felt leis made with care by parents and teachers. I purchased one for Mother's Day! It is a warm, intentional space that brings joy to the children and community alike.

The office admin is extremely rude/childish and bossy. Every time I brought up any concerns to her…read moreshe gave me mechanical and cold responses. My impression is that she does not like to handle anything and she is just hoping everyone obeys her.

My child went to this school for over two years. Unfortunatley it took me a while to find out that…read morethe traditional values I value are not supported by this school. The kids are also sent home with bags of candy multiple time per week, do to some special occasion. If I had it to do again I would choose more wisely.

My child attended Juku for the better part of a year in preparation for the private school…read morekindergarten admission circus (iykyk). Admittedly, with our older child, we did not go this route because we thought it was a bit ridiculous to send a 4 year old to tutoring to get into kindergarten...esp a child who is very well behaved and academically advanced. However, despite that, the older child had difficulties going into the interview rooms and feeling comfortable working with unfamiliar adults at the interviews. The outcome wasn't what we had hoped and dreamed for her. We decided for our younger child that we'd bite the bullet and pay the hefty price tag to do all that we could to help her feel more comfortable and prepared for the interviews. And it worked! She got into our top choice after having a very easy (and fun, as she said) time at the interviews. The schools don't seem to be looking for the brightest student, but rather the student who can adapt to new environments, situations, peers, and adults. They seem to be looking for children who feel comfortable engaging and communicating effectively in these new environments with new people. Juku not only prepared our child academically, but socially with peers and adults. This was done through both the mock interviews and also switching up who the children work with 1:1 each time. The tutors are all very kind, fun, and encouraging. My child really enjoyed going! Though it can be shocking to feel the need to send a child to a tutor for a kindergarten interview, the way we looked at it, is that we are providing her with all the tools we can to help her succeed. If it works, great, and if not, we know we did all that we could to help her.

My son attends a public school that offers K-5th grade. We were undecided about continuing in the…read morepublic school system for the 6th grade or moving on to a private school but we wanted him to have options. Understanding that the SSAT is one of the metrics by which applicants are measured, we decided to take him to Juku to see how he would fare. After the initial test, Dr. Takahashi suggested that he would benefit from tutoring so we had him spend 2 hours twice a week starting in May with some breaks during the summer. To my surprise, he really enjoyed Juku! I have never heard him label school as fun so I had to ask how Juku was different from school. His reasons were "one to one" attention, "learning at my own pace", and learning from tutors who were "fun and eager to teach". He actually likes it so much that he wanted to continue tutoring after taking the SSAT! He took the SSAT in November, performed above the target range for the most competitive schools, and was ultimately admitted to all of the schools to which we applied. I can't say how much of a role his test scores played in his acceptances, but I think test-taking is a kind of skill useful for any student. He learned specific test-taking strategies for the SSAT, like skipping questions to avoid losing too many points. We also felt the practice tests at Juku helped him familiarize himself with the exam setting. Finally, Juku was available for any question about the application process along the way, a valuable resource in and of itself.

I went to this school and graduated as a May 2018 graduate and I had a really good time. All the…read moreteachers and staff really encourage to do your best and the school is like a family and everyone from Kindergarden to 5th grade know each other and its nice to have that because some schools are not like that. So I really appreciated this thought my time being there and it has really shaped me into who I am today academically and emotionally. So if you are thinking of sending your kid here or kids then you are making the right choice!

This review is for their summer school only…read more I LOVE this summer school for my kids, especially at the early elementary school age. They are smaller so it's easier for children who don't go here normally to adapt (and not get lost). The school is very organized and the children get name tags with their classes listed so the adults can help them get to their classes in the beginning of the year. They offer a variety of classes that are a nice blend of academics and fun and really have the kids engaged. My son just enjoyed his summer here and raved about it daily! He even wanted to be dropped off early! They have a very nice open house towards the end of summer school to be able to see what your child has been doing. The teachers do a great job of showing what the children have been learning and it's amazing how much they do over the course of the weeks. There are 2 morning classes, a midday care (lunch optional and separate) and 1 afternoon class ending at 2pm. Alternatively they have a care that lasts through midday through all afternoon (I think till 5:30ish?). So there are good alternatives depending on what your needs are. Summer classes run roughly $500 each with midday care a separate price. I believe the afternoon care is a different price as well. Ample information on their website and what I love is that you can register at the same time as the children who attend the school. FANTASTIC!

I have fond memories of visiting this school as a parent and parent of alum. The school's culture…read moreemphasizes exactly what "hanahauoli" means...Happy Work. They encourage students to love learning and doing. They encourage teamwork. They foster community by all of their school traditions. They encourage parents to accept their children's individual uniqueness and strengths. Each student I have met has such strong self esteem and a happy demeanor. I thought the former Headmaster who has since retired was amazing. He knew and greeted each child every day. What a blessing to attend this school or their annual Children's Fair.

I love this school! The teachers are great. Both my kids learned and thrived here. My children tell…read moreme how much fun they have and how much they love their teachers. There is noticeable difference in my childrens growth in a positive way. They get to learn while still being able to have fun. I also love this location because it is peaceful and safe. The staff and teachers do an amazing job. This new school year I will be sending my third child here and I know he will love it as much as his 2 older siblings did. I'm thankful to the teachers and staff for the amazing job they do for my keikis.

As new parents, my wife and I have nothing but great things to say about this facility, the staff…read moreand the way the organization is run. The director Nell is very responsive, warm, inviting and helpful, we get responses to our requests and questions almost immediately. This preschool and our son's teachers have blessed our young family and made two nervous parents feel at ease. Thanks Kamaiana Kids!