News-Events

Latest News

WMS Recruiting for a STEAM Program Coordinator & STEAM IT Services

“Full STEAM Ahead!” said the 2018 Hawai’i State Legislature as they authorized a substantial $298,000 Grant In Aid (GIA) to help Waimea Middle School (WMS) more fully embrace 21^st century teaching and learning in its new $15 million, 9-classroom Keaoakea STEAM Learning Center.

Now, Gov. David Ige has released this GIA funding to the State Department of Education and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is in place with WMS, so the school is recruiting a STEAM Program Coordinator to collaborate closely with teachers and staff to more fully meet the needs of students and the wider community including educators from throughout the region.

For more details about the position, please see links at the bottom of this page.

Archaeoastronomy: A Fascinating Approach To Social Studies!

All WMS 6^th grade social studies classes just finished crafting notebooks that they will use during a Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit on Archaeoastronomy. During this study, students will learn about where, why and how people of ancient cultures around the world built structures to better understand their natural surroundings. An integral part of this study will be learning about the heiau that the ancient Hawaiians built to mark the seasons. Guest speakers from around the community will be coming to enrich lessons around topics related to archaeoastronomy and students will visit fascinating, restored heiau at waters’ edge in Kailua-Kona.

Our Career Exploration Day Was A Great Day For Students!

Mahalo to more than 60 community members who volunteered to share their career stories and experiences with all 260 WMS students on Oct. 24. All students were asked to choose from about five dozen career options and then participated in 4 separate sessions about different career possibilities.

Presenters ranged from a helicopter pilot (with training helicopter) to a dentist (with the Tooth Bus mobile clinic), from a veterinarian to police officers with a trained dog, from an architect, food artist, astronomer and barista to physical therapist, general contractor, an automotive technician, and hunting equipment retailer, to a fire captain and crew (with fire truck). And lots more including restaurant chef and owner, to an attorney, beekeeper, yoga instructor and beautician/cosmetologist. See pictures on Facebook.

1^st Quarter Report Cards Go Home Wed., Oct. 24.

Please review it with your child.

Halloween 'Character Trait' Costume Walk

Halloween took on a new twist this year! Students were asked to dress to represent a “Character Trait” that means something to them. For example, the superhero Spiderman - as portrayed in a bulletin board right now on campus - reflects the “Character Trait” of “Accountability.”

These are the winning student costumes!

Coming Events

2018-2019 SY DATES TO REMEMBER:

● Veteransʻ Day - Mon., Nov. 12. No School.

● Halloween IKAIR Character Trait Costume Contest Participants - Free Dress Day! - Thurs., Nov. 15, 2018.

● WMS Teacher Professional Collaboration Day - Mon., Nov. 19. No School.

● Student-Family Conferences - Tues. & Wed., Nov. 20 & 21. By appointment. No school but students must attend the conference with their family.

● Thanksgiving Holiday - Thurs. & Fri., Nov. 22-23. No School.

● VEX Robotics Championships - Sat., Nov. 24 - North Kohala.

● WMS LAP Meeting - Tues., Dec. 4 - 4:30-6:30 p.m. STEAM Learning Center. All invited.

● Stop Flu At School Clinic - Fri., Dec. 7. Free for all students. Must sign up ahead of time please.

● WMS Family STEAM Night Ho'ike - Wed., Dec. 12. 5 p.m. In STEAM Learning Center.

● End of 1st Semester - Fri., Dec. 21. Half day only - Students released at Noon and Winter Break Begins.

● Start of 2nd Semester - Tues., Jan. 8, 2019 - School Resumes.

Completed Events:

WMS Family Open House /TITLE I Annual Meeting Presentation Information 8-29-18

WMS Family Open House Invitation 8-29-18

WMS News:

WHT/NHN 10-8-2018: Students find their voices at WMS Poetry Night

WHT/NHN 9-17-2018: WMS students trek for tech - Fun Run 9-14-2018

WHT/NHN 8-27-18: WMS seventh graders learn how to take care of the land: Read about an exciting cross-curriculum learning experience for our WMS students! MAHALO to our 7th grade teacher team and project partners. Their student-researched oral history book featuring 11 revered Waimea resource people who range in age from 29 to 86 is now available on Amazon! Mahalo, too, to WHT/NHN' Editor Landry Fuller and writer Jan Wizinowich!

This Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge newsletter (pages 4-10) spotlights Waimea Middle School students participating in the TEACHING CHANGE partnership. Three groups of WMS students, two w/ 7^th graders, one w/ 6^th graders, participated in these overnight environmental learning experiences.

WMS students, families, community to benefit from OHA funding

WMS Mentoring Program Celebrates Its 5th Year -- Incredible Community Mentors Changing Lives For The Better

All 6th Graders have crafted beautiful water color art as covers for a notebook to record their Social Studies learning journey into Archaeoastronomy. Mahalo to WMS art teacher Susan Gallery Levey for assisting with this project!

October's Spotlighted 'Character Trait' is Accountability!

Throughout the school year, students participate in about a dozen safety drills to ensure preparedness should an incident or disaster warrant taking action.