MyFirstPost

[Carey]

Kua o ka La is the Hawaiian Immersion charter school you are referring to.... It is a start-up Middle/High School that is off-grid. If your son does not have a firm Hawaiian Language basis, this may be a tough school for him (immersion schools are taught mainly in Hawaiian, English is used rarely, even in the lower grades (I have done a few marine science programs in some, most material used is n Hawaiian, and most of the students in the upper grades are looking to use Hawaiian fairly exclusively in school, my lack of Hawaiian was a real drag for all of us!)

For an OHA newletter article on Kua o ka La go to:
http://www.oha.org/pdf/kwo06/0604/8.pdf

[LadyJane]

Hi, Maggie.

Kathy makes some excellent points above.

I absolutely do not and cannot understand the rationale of moving one's family to the Big Island, having no idea where to live or where to school children, "hoping" you'll like Hawaii. It's a huge investment and a major life change, and you're not even asking these questions until a week before you arrive? If you can't afford private school, do you really think you'll be able to afford to build a home here?

Good luck with it all, truly.

[james weatherford]

Late in getting to this.

[so much fun to be had and only 24hrs in each day !]

Schools:
When I first lived in Kalapana/Pahoa in 1974, it reminded me of my old hometown in Kentucky: small, shabby, not much money and it shows, and a school on the edge of town. Now the similarity is the same but different, except the for the school which is the same: tawdry, violent, and a poor learning environment. It's true.

When we (our family) moved back here in 2001, our youngest son had just finished 9th gr in Australia (where the public schools are just as unpredictable, but he had a good one).

He enrolled in and boarded at Hawaii Preparatory Academy at Waimea.
Yep, private and preppy and pretty d____d expensive.
However ... the first year we were fortunate to get some help from a family member. Also, we lived in a tent and ate lots of coconut. That helps make anything more affordable

The HPA financial aid program is VERY generous. The last two years, that covered a large amount of the costs.

Absolutely the right decision.
If your rising 8th grader is interested, have a look at hpa.edu -- I highly recommend it.
For the sound education and ethical environment, it was great!
Coconut never tasted so good!


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park