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Aloha folks,
We believe one of our kids is gifted (she is in process of being evaluated) and wanted to see if anyone had ideas on gifted schools/classes or education anywhere near Pahoa/Hilo or the surrounding communities. Any thoughts?
We want to start researching some options for her.
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Not sure what you mean by gifted
But Keonepoko has a great special ed program
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If your kid is average and local then any of the average DOE schools will probably work. If your kid falls outside the range of average and has special needs like SpEd or is T&G then you should probably be looking at one of the charter schools.
Offhand I would recommend looking into HAAS in Pahoa or Connections in Hilo. HAAS has a satellite distance ed program in Keaau, and Connections goes through high school. You may need to get on a waiting list depending on whether or not your student's grade level is already full or not, and I would recommend getting in touch with any schools you might be interested in soon for a site visit during the school year to see what feels like the best fit for your student.
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My daughter has 2 friends at HAAS that transferred from Keaau school. They said HAAS was easier? And that "they don't do any work". I don't know any of this for a fact, but as a parent I'd sure be checking into that!
Dayna
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Dayna Robertson
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The local Pahoa & esp. Keaau public schools have undergone a sea change in the last few years. Unfortunately, their reputation will take much longer to dispel from local memory, so you will get a broad spectrum of opinions on the local public schools. Those with students CURRENTLY in the schools have a good handle on the improvements.
With all of the schools here, there are a number of programs for advanced students, and UH offers the "Running Start" program for Junior & Senior HS students that allow them to take College level courses & earn both HS & college credit (thus graduating with their HS class & starting college early) Links:
http://hilo.hawaii.edu/catalog/running-s...ogram.html
http://hilo.hawaii.edu/news/press/release/332
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My daughter is currently in Keaau High School. The principal is fabulous. They've worked really hard to help my daughter get the AP classes she needs, graduate early, etc.
Dayna
www.E-Z-Caps.com
Dayna Robertson
At Home Hawaii
Real Estate Sales and Property Management
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Dayna.Robertson@gmail.com
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A good place to start would be to get an appointment to talk with the principal about her/ his school. Years ago and in a different state my wife and I had an appointment to interview a principal and a janitor interrupted for 15 minutes to talk about light bulbs. We didn't need to talk any further after that because it let us know what his priorities were.
CKG,
Please elaborate on your beliefs of your child being "gifted" and please let us know what "evaluated " involves ... Thank you.
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Hey Pog and Seeb,
I didn't want to appear obnoxious but we are currently having her IQ tested as she is exceedingly bright. We know we have a virtual option we can pursue so she can work at her own pace (probably private as I don't think Hawaii has a full time virtual) but wanted to see what other options we might have to get her into a class with other gifted kids for the egghead (said with love) interaction. Currently she is an elementary school kid but that will more than likely change next year since she will probably be skipped.
I really appreciate the comments here (thank you!). I had mixed thoughts on HAAS. I will check out Connections in Hilo. I was just trying to see if anyone here also had a gifted kid and what they are doing for their education other than homeschooling or virtual. Just getting some ideas. We are not looking for a pullout program but more a gifted class type setting or magnet school/class type setting. I know those exist in Oahu but I have not been able to find anything like that in Hilo/Puna.
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No magnate or lab schools on island.
Depending on the test results & your income, HPA in Waimea may be a serious option (they do have Financial Aid & scholarships for exceptional student without the financial means) it is a trek, but there are students from the Hilo/Puna area that do attend...
HPA FA link:
http://www.hpa.edu/admissions/financial-aid
