Table of Contents
Our Story
Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School, chartered in July of 2000, is a Grade Kindergarten – 6 school that will be expanding over the next couple of years to include secondary education (grades 7 and 8). Our school is a Hawaiian culture-based education school that delivers instruction through a project-based learning approach specializing in ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Knowledge), Mahiʻai (Hawaiian Agriculture), and Aloha ʻĀina (Stewardship).
All of our grade-level projects are focused on Ahupuaʻa. Ahupuaʻa is a Hawaiian cultural term for a large traditional socioeconomic, geologic, and climatic subdivision of land. It extends from the mountains to the sea and generally includes one or more complete watersheds and marine resources. Our students learn and accelerate academically, socially, emotionally, and physically through experiential learning opportunities and have an understanding and knowledge of sustainability with an ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) lens.
The name of our school “Nā Wai Ola” translates to “The Waters of Life.” We appreciate and understand that water is a valuable and crucial component for sustaining life. Aia i hea ka wai a Kāne? – Where is the water of Kāne? This is a query asking where life-giving water can be found. Through our Hawaiian culture-based education program, our students investigate, learn, and practice different approaches to a sustainable life. Hawaiʻi Island is known to have some of the purest sources of water filtered through a natural aquifer in our sacred mountain: Mauna Kea. It is at Mauna Kea that you will find life-giving water. Water sustains all life and life forms, and our school sustains life through education.
Our Mission
Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s staff, parents, and community are dedicated to the intellectual, personal, social, emotional, and physical growth of students. Our highly qualified and skilled staff recognizes the value of professional development to challenge students rigorously. Our teaching practices are grounded in Hawaiian culture, values, and traditions, and are reflective and responsive to the needs of our students. Through our Hawaiian-focused, project-based learning experiences and opportunities, our students discover their potential, achieve readiness for their life’s journey, and succeed in a safe and caring environment.
Our Vision
Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School’s vision is to educate and prepare students to be resilient, lifelong learners who will thrive globally with a strong identity and connection to Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiian culture.
Our Philosophy
Nā Wai Ola Public Charter School aims to provide Hawaiian culture-based education through our project-based learning educational program. Our educational program focuses on an in-depth grounding of instruction and student learning in the values, knowledge, beliefs, practices, experiences, places, and language that are the foundation of Hawaiian indigenous culture. Furthermore, our school’s teaching and learning are grounded in a Hawaiian cultural worldview, from whose lens are taught the skills, knowledge, content, and values that students need to thrive in our modern, global society.
Through our educational program and work emerges a set of Hawaiian culturally-focused characteristics, which can be summarized as follows:
Context
- Allow for/promote Hawaiian cultural protocol in school.
- Integrate Hawaiian cultural values in school operations.
- Provide venues/sponsor activities/events in the community that allow sharing of Hawaiian cultural knowledge and traditions.
- Foster participation of kūpuna (elders) in all aspects of our education process.
Medium of Instruction
- Provides ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language) learning opportunities.
- Offer activities/events where participants can be immersed in the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (e.g. Hawaiian language day, workshops, Lā ʻOhana, etc.)
- Make available Hawaiian language books, resource materials, etc.
Content Focus
- Provide ʻIke Hawaiʻi curriculum and instruction that include ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Moʻolelo (History), Oli/Mele/Hula, and culture classes.
- Integrate traditional Hawaiian cultural knowledge with modern disciplines throughout our curriculum (e.g. Aloha ʻĀina, ʻIke Hawaiʻi, Mahiʻai, etc.).
- Use culturally-based materials to enrich our curriculum and learning opportunities. (e.g. using Hawaiian stories or Moʻolelo to teach ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc.).
- Promote learning about traditional stewardship…Aloha ʻĀina.
Pedagogical Style
- Use traditional/culturally appropriate teaching strategies (e.g. project-based learning, small group work, apprenticeships, repetition, etc.).
- Honor and incorporate indigenous “talk story” type sessions.
- Provide student-centered or group-centered instruction.
- Link culture and school learning (linking student language, culture, and values to academics).
- Kumu (Teachers) are facilitators of learning.
- Communicate high expectations.
Perspective on Data and Accountability
- Use a variety of assessment strategies, resources, and tools.
- Include traditional/culturally appropriate assessments, such as portfolios and Hōʻike (presentation, exhibit).
Academic Curriculum
The following categories are our teaching guidelines for creating culturally responsive environments for our students.
- Provide culturally mediated instruction (curriculum is integrated with Hawaiian knowledge, language, and culture).
- The curriculum includes a multimodal style of learning.
Parents/Families
- Include and partner with parents, families, and the community to support student learning and progress.
- Value parents, families, and the community in the educational process.
Culture-Based Education
**The following are the definitional elements of culture-based education.
- Pedagogy: Pedagogy that stresses traditional cultural characteristics and adult–child interactions as the starting place for education (mores that are currently practiced in the community and that may differ from community to community). Pedagogy in which teaching strategies are congruent with the traditional culture as well as contemporary ways of knowing and learning (e.g. opportunities to observe, opportunities to practice, and opportunities to demonstrate skills).
- Language: Recognition and use of native languages (this may include use bilingually or as a first or second language).
- Curriculum: Based on the traditional culture that recognizes the importance of native spirituality, relationships, and places, and the education of young children in a contemporary context (e.g., use and understanding of the visual arts, legends, oral histories, and fundamental beliefs of the community).
- Leadership: Strong native community participation (including elders, parents, and other community resources) in educating children and in the planning and operation of school activities.
- Assessment: Knowledge and use of the social and political mores of the community.
Key Components of Culture-Based Education
**The following five critical components of culture-based education are integrated into our educational program and define our cultural ways of being, knowing, and doing.
- Language
- Family & Community Content
- Context
- Content
- Data & Accountability
- Perpetuating an environment with multilingualism, focusing on learning and applying the native language in and out of the classroom.
- Actively involving family and community in the development of curricula, everyday learning, and leadership.
- Making learning meaningful and relevant through culturally grounded content and assessment.
- Structuring school, classroom, and other learning interactions in culturally appropriate ways.
- Gathering and maintaining data using various methods to ensure student progress in culturally responsible ways.
