ʻElua Honua Hou ma Oʻahu!
Aloha mai kākou,
I kumu, i lau, i ola!
“Hele au i ke kula maikaʻi” e mele pū ʻia mai ana e nā keiki ma ʻelua honua kula hou ma Oʻahu!
After months of planning, we are delighted to announce two new Kula Kamaliʻi (preschool) sites for the ʻAha Pūnana Leo on Oʻahu. These two sites will allow us to reach more families in Honolulu and establish a presence in Oʻahu's North Shore community.
After 36 years at our beloved Honolulu location at the Kalihi and Moanalua Church, where we developed a strong foundation for our kula (schools) on the island of Oʻahu, we made the decision to continue our journey at a larger site that will allow us to serve even more families and fulfill our waitlist in the Honolulu community. All of our returning Pūnana Leo o Honolulu keiki (children) will resume their schooling at Pūnana Leo o Nuʻuanu. The new site, conveniently located less than 10 minutes from downtown Honolulu, will allow us to open 60 enrollment spaces for keiki. The renovation of the campus is nearly complete and we expect to open in time for this coming school year in August 2021. The new site will have three newly renovated classrooms and a large outdoor area to support our keiki learning and engagement in outdoor environments as well.
Just as we addressed the needs of our Honolulu community, we are responding to the needs and efforts of the families on Oʻahu’s North Shore. In collaboration with community members, we were fortunate enough to have found a site ready to welcome keiki this August for the 2021-2022 school year. We have a high level of interest from families and a lot of support from the Waialua community. This site is located at the Waialua United Church of Christ facility, adjacent to Waialua High and Intermediate School. We want to express our sincere gratitude to the ʻohana of Waialua, North Shore and Mililani that diligently worked with us for over a year to help bring this new site to fruition.
Our ʻohana is so grateful that Pūnana Leo is coming to Waialua—what a precious gift for our keiki! I’m overwhelmed with excitement at what this means not just for our keiki, but also the ripple effect it will have in bringing together like-minded ʻohana to practice, live and speak our culture. It is truly a privilege to remain within our Waialua community, where early childhood opportunities, especially within the Hawaiian medium, are limited. We look forward to nurturing this kula kamaliʻi and honored to support its inception. E ola ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!
Dr. Kuʻulei Christensen, MD, Waialua Community Member
Pūnana Leo o Waialua and Pūnana Leo o Nuʻuanu will follow strict health and safety protocols implemented by ‘Aha Pūnana Leo last summer, which allowed keiki and kumu (teachers) to return to the classroom, and continue to engage and thrive in safe learning honua (environments).
Please keep an eye out for current and upcoming employment opportunities posted on ahapunanaleo.org.
Oia mau nō ko mākou kia ʻana ma ka hoʻōla ʻōlelo me ke kālele pū ma ka hoʻokō ʻana i ke ala nuʻukia ʻo “E hoʻoulu i ke kaiaʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no ko Hawaiʻi nei i mau aku ʻo Hawaiʻi he ʻāina aloha.”
E Ola ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!
Mahalo nui,
Kaʻiulani Laehā
Luna Hoʻokele, Chief Executive Officer
