Specials

All students at Puʻu Kukui are involved in Specials classes. Using a trimester schedule, the students rotate through ten week rotations in:
Music/Drama, Japanese, Hawaiian Studies, Physical Education, Media - Library  and Media - Computers.

Drama/Music

Music and Drama Class is a tour around the world as we visit one of the seven continents each week. A short geography lesson is included as students find each continent on a world map. We explore different countries' culture, people, history, cities, countryside, and animals through visual aides and songs. This is to help students gain a perspective and understanding of where Maui and Hawaii are in the world, and how we are more alike than different from people in all walks of life. We also practice singing through vocal exercises and we practice rhythm through clapping patterns we all create. Students also get to play a few drama games including acting out each continent's animals.

Japanese

Japanese class introduces the language and culture through visual aids, story, music, and movement. Students are introduced to hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Activities also include those such as origami, folk songs, folktales and reflection through art. The class works to encourage lifelong learning and respect in regards to language and cultural diversity.

Hawaiian Studies 

In our  Hawaiian Studies classes we strive for place-based learning in hopes to create a sense of pride within each student. Learning about the wahi (place) or ahupuaʻa (land division) that the students live in or come to school in gives strength to the people and places. We incorporate history, traditions, Hawaiian arts and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and try to normalize the usage of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi into their everyday language.

“E mālama ʻia nā pono o ka ʻāina e nā ʻōpio”

The traditions of the land are perpetuated by our youth

Physical Education

Physical Education (PE) is the class in which kids learn to be active for a lifetime. In PE, students learn how to move their bodies fluently and develop the knowledge, fitness, physical skills and personal & social skills necessary for a lifetime of health and physical activity. We want our students to have the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to pursue whatever adventures they want in the future.

In grades Kindergarten to second, our focus is on fundamental foundational skills such as:

• locomotor movement (jumping, galloping, leaping, & skipping)
• non locomotor movements (balancing, stretching, & twisting)
• manipulative skills (throwing, catching and kicking)

In third through fifth grades we build on foundational skills with an emphasis on developing the mature forms of locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative skills, along with the application of combinations of movement forms into a variety of basic games and physical activity settings.

Media - Library

Our library media program serves to instill a love of reading, inspire life-long learning, and foster independent use of library and research resources.  Students visit the library every other week with their class to check out books. During weekly media classes, students learn and practice digital citizenship and information literacy skills. The library is open daily in the morning, after school , and on Friday morning recess for students to read in our new book nook, play games, or enjoy a quiet place to relax and study.

Media - Computers

Students in grades K-5 come to the computer lab and work with computers and iPads. They practice using technology so that they can be ethical and effective digital learners who are:

• Empowered learners
• Digital Citizens
• Knowledge Constructors
• Innovative Designers
• Computational Thinkers
• Creative Communicators
• Global Collaborators
  

Each year, students build on skills from the previous year as they learn to use a variety of online subscriptions and software applications that integrate with Science, Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, and Art. For a closer view of what happens in our computer classes, please visit our Student Resources page and click on a grade level.