Aloha Island School ‘Ohana,

Every morning when I look up and can see Hā‘upu, I am filled with gratitude for what it means to be an educator and school leader at Island School. And this time of year, if I'm really lucky, I can look out my window and see the peak of Waiʻaleʻale and wonder at that incredible ridge line that is hidden by the embrace of rain clouds for most of the year. I am humbled often by the beauty of our home. And I like to take this time of year as a chance to pause and consider the many things for which I am grateful.

I know the practice of gratitude is known for its many positive effects, and yet too often our daily lives ask us to focus on our deficits vs. our assets. The administrative team and I have been immersed in our school’s accreditation process, and so we are spending such important time analyzing our institutional strengths and challenges. So, seeing what I am grateful for doesn’t mean I shy away from the things we need to work on. Instead, I believe this commitment fuels us because it helps us see and value all that serves us as a community.

An example of this regular practice are the Monthly Mahalos by the ʻOhana Association for the faculty and staff. We are so grateful for the treats provided on Thursday! In the same vein, we did an exercise as faculty and staff to express our gratitude to each other. So on Tuesday, we focused on our group and had a little Gratitude Pau Hana in Frear. As part of this social time, we had little paper gift tags that folks were encouraged to write at least one thing they are grateful for in their life in or out of school that they were comfortable sharing with others. And I wanted to just share a few written by faculty and staff who make so much happen in our school.

I hope you are able to model gratitude and encourage your children to authentically practice it as we try to do here at school. Whether it's the ability to perform in a school stage production, play a sport we love, give generously to the Garden Isle Food Bank, learn how to make lei, it is the ability to see the gifts around us in our lives and express appreciation for it that shores us up for more difficult times that are a part of life.

And with that in mind, I am so very grateful for our Hawaiian Studies team along with our community leaders who came together to lead Makahiki Games today for Grades K-12. And as Kumu Sabra described, one of the aspects of Makhiki was a time to express gratitude to aliʻi for the bounty and peace during this time of year. Please take the time to ask your child about the Makahiki Games today, helping them to see the value in the experience whether or not they “won.”

And before I close, I hope you don’t mind if I offer a bit of advice for the week ahead. Please enjoy the break and may the change in schedule allow you and yours important connection and rejuvenation time. At times these breaks can lead to more screen time and less supervised time…and I hope you and your children find a good balance for rest, connection, screen time as appropriate, and physical movement and engagement wherever you are. As I mentioned to Grades 6-12 during our Crew Call assembly yesterday, I hope they embrace the gift to spend time engaging with, talking story with, being present with family – especially if that time includes elders / kupuna. Your intentional choices with your children during the break will make the return to school easier for all when it’s time.

Mahalo nui loa for your partnership with Island School. Learning and growing is NOT easy work, nor is it something you can see overnight. And so as we move through both the moments of wonder and the moments of hardship of school (and life) with your children, our students, I am grateful to be doing this important work with this caring community. 

Together,

Nancy Nagramada

n.nagramada@ischool.org