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Many of the schools here are very "behind" compared with California Schools. You will find that supplementing the educational demands with home input will be most valuable.
We do foster care and have dealt with children in seveal schools. I can say that the Waikea Intermediate and High schools are superior relative to Keaau intermediate and High schools. However, you will not have a choice in the standard schools as interdistrict transfers are now nearly (but not totally) impossible.
I strongly suggest you look into the charter schools as soon as possible, and I strongly suggest Connections. They have had great success for students.
The problems with your local school, Kea'au High, is social rather than academic. There is a lot of school violence and the administrative leadership is very, very ineffective. The "security" staff is a big part of the problem, as they are gang-like, threatening, abusive and uncontrolled (as evidenced by noted incidents directly with students and parents). Anyone remember the Vinnie Stevens incident? There were several other students involved and parents who were bullied and harassed by the security staff.
That is not to say that a student can not get along an get a decent education there but as a parent, I would be looking strongly at Connections. Just my 2 cents...
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
hi maggie!
I wonder if the perceived negativity you're getting isn't a dose of reality. The hard truth is that racism and localism are alive and well in Hawai'i, as part but not all of the reality.
Your son will have to deal with prejudice and a lot of territorial issues. I think he is at a really tough age, socially, to make this transition. His age group is just coming into their hormones; it's a hard enough age to spend in the place you grew up, but to arrive into a new society as an "outsider" will be tough. That is why you should not put him in public schools. This is a state where "kill a haole day" is an actual school tradition. (not kill, literally, but beat up)
Your new child would have the benefit of growing up here, but your pre-teen will never ever be considered local. He is too old for that. Of course, he can make friends with the other newcomers. He will have to leave everything he knows behind, all his preconceptions of how things SHOULD be that come from LA, and so will you.
I don't know how to analogize to another state, exactly, but imagine that you move from the city to a very very small town where tradition, custom, and extended family are everything, and you don't really belong unless your family moved there generations ago. Add to that, if you are Caucasian, that you are a racial minority in a racist town.
The "cheap land" here is in subdivisions with more crime, poorest infrastructure, etc.. Your house may not have a lot of resale value, so be smart and look around thoroughly before building. It will cost you more to build on a difficult lot than a good lot.
In addition, the volcano has been shifting around and as of last fall there was a period when it looked like lava might be heading for Pahoa! That could happen again at any time. I personally think that the high risk lava zones are better for people who build lightly and can deal with losing their home -- not so much a place to settle down and raise a family.
Bottom line, there is no such thing here as land that is "cheap" for no reason.
I hope things work out for you, but I am giving you the harsh picture because I think your eighth grader is going to have a bumpy ride! Also, from your post, I don't get that feeling you will really like it here. It sounds like you are not a "frontier" type mentality, which I think is the best mindset for Puna on the cheap.
Have you studied up on catchment water, vog, coqui frogs, fire ants, centipedes, roaches, mold and mildew issues, rainfall amounts, and the other elements that can make our lovely climate trying for some people? You should, I think. Start reading in the building and gardening forums of Punaweb, and give yourself a crash course.
Re sports -- yes, we have it, but our kids on the East side do play and work out in rain gear, in the pouring rain, and in the mud ... it is not like playing in LA! I have passed many a soccer practice in Hilo and thought more power to these kids for ignoring the fact that it's raining an inch an hour on them. But these kids grew up in the rain; will your son enjoy these conditions coming from a dry and sunny climate? I hope so.
by the way, our rainfall is WAY down right now, so when you arrive, do not judge the weather by what you see this July. Take a look at historical rainfall figures.
I'm not saying not to come, but please, for the sake of yourself and your family, KNOW what you're signing up for, because I don't think you do yet.
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Thanks to all who replied. I should mention that my son and I are both from TEXAS and he doesn't go to school in LA. We've both lived in Malaysia before and HATED it there. But Hawaii is not Malaysia.
Carey, most likely we'll enroll him in HAAS. We'll also look into Connections and that other one I read about with the hawaiian name...can't remember it but it ran on solar power. Also thanks for the tip on the baseball.
I like that the charter schools teach important skills which will be very useful when it all hits the fan.
--maggie
quote:
Originally posted by maggieblanchett
...
I like that the charter schools teach important skills which will be very useful when it all hits the fan....
Just remember, many charter schools in Hawaii are NOT Accredited, therefor getting into Colleges outside of Hawaii has been difficult for some of the recent charter school students.
Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science is still going through it accreditation process. It's been awhile now to, I wonder what is the hold up?
Congrats HAAS for obtaining your accreditation. I wonder when DOE will update their website.[^]
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It is the way... the way it is.
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HAAS now has accreditation.
Tim
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value.”
Robert Pirsig
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
Thanks Tim -
I've amended my post accordingly.
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It is the way... the way it is.
Posts: 42
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By the way...the coqui frogs, I hear they are disliked in Hawaii. Funny, Puerto Ricans always talk about how the frogs help them fall asleep at night...
Glad to hear HAAS is now accredited.
Anymore info on Little League??
--maggie
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Maggie, the coqui frog in PR has natural predators. Here in Hawaii there are no natural predators, and the population exposion that resulted from the introduction has been exponential. They have a very high decibal call for such a tiny animal... a forest filled, esp if near a house, is almost deafening (we did a frog study at a house in Puna that had thousands of frogs around the house perimeter.... collected hundreds in 1/2 hour.... they had them everywhere & you could barely hear anything but the frog - they regulary treated the property, but had not for a couple of weeks knowing the class study would take place.... it was crazy! & an added expense & chore for the homeowner just to maintain a frog sdistance from the house...)
In town we get a few frogs that come close to the house & hunt them down.... not too bad here... but in some areas.....
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Welcome to the Big Island, Maggie.
Have your baby in Waimea, mo bettah there
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Maggie if you have not done so you need to contact the charter schools your interested in and get on the waiting list or get accepted and registered as soon as possible, most of the charter schools have a two to four year waiting list. (in most cases you can't just walk in and say you want your child to go there like you can in public DOE schools).
I'm not sure if there is space at HAAS or not, but Charter schools are looking at about a 1000 per student budget cut for next year. Because of this and to make sure they all get the money that is allotted to them, ALL the directors have decided to put a self imposed cap on enrollment. (I tried to look up the quote from Steve Hirakami but you have to pay for archives at the HTH!!!)
Also note, that depending on where you live you may have to provide your own transportation. Figure this into your budget it can be a big expense, personally for me its about 60.00 a week at current gas prices and two hours driving daily. These are some of the unintended expenses that make living in Hawaii so expensive.
Please keep us informed since this question is asked so often.
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