Head of School Update – May 2, 2023

Aloha Saint Mark Parents!

I hope and pray that you all are doing well.  I am writing to give you some of the latest Saint Mark updates and reminders as we head into the final month of the school year. 

VARSITY BASKETBALL SEASON CONCLUDES
The Saint Mark varsity basketball season ended this past week with two playoff victories. The girls beat Hongwanji Mission School by a score of 26-10, and the boys defeated Friendship Christian School with a score of 31-11. With those victories, both teams earned 3rd place in their respective divisions.  A BIG congratulations and mahalo goes to all the players (Brooke Adams, Sequoia Anshutz, Amaya Brayce, Kenzie Brayce, Josephine Callejo, Hailey Ferrer, Mihakeaulana Goodhue, Camiah Mata-Dudoit, Kamelehone Trueman, Ke’oli Bowman, Karsyn Dulay-Gorai, Kekoa Hanapi-Awana, Donavon Lacson, Esaiah Rivera and Mana Tamashiro) along with Athletics Director/Coach, Mr. Markillie and Coach, Ms. Shiroma for a fun and successful season.

SAINT MARK CROSS COUNTRY COMPETITION 
The campus wide Cross Country Competition which took place on Friday, April 21 was a resounding success!  It was an exciting and fun event in which all grades (PK-8) participated. Ribbons were awarded to the top 3 boys and top 3 girls from every grade level starting with kindergarten!  Other runners earned a Participant or Finisher ribbon for their efforts.  The top 3 boys and top 3 girls from grades 5 through 8 advanced to a Grand Finale Race scheduled for this Friday, May 5 (new date due to rain).

This event is great opportunity for our students to have a little on-campus fun while promoting physical activity and fostering some healthy competition as we enter into the home stretch of the school year.

SAT & OLSAT TESTING  (May 1 to May 5)
Students in grades 1 to 8 are busy taking the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) & Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) this week.  While many believe there to be both pros and cons to standardized testing, we see it as another valuable tool in Saint Mark’s ever important assessment tool box. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or Mr. Markillie should you have any questions.

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK (May 1 to May 5)
As I do every year, I humbly invite all of our families to consider sending a quick note to their teacher(s)/aid(s) during this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week. Our teachers are a courageous, loving, and dedicated group of professionals who would most certainly appreciate hearing from you. Thank You!

HEAD OF SCHOOL HOLIDAY (No School Monday)
Please remember that there is no school this coming Monday, May 8 as it’s our Head of School Holiday. Saint Mark recognizes this holiday as a way to provide students and staff with a needed breather during those long stretches of time without a break. This idea emerged during the COVID pandemic as a way to help mitigate the effects of student and teacher burnout. 

SAFE KIDS LOCKDOWN DRILL (Scheduled for Next Week)
As you hopefully recall, Saint Mark Lutheran School has partnered with Safe Kids Inc., a team of law enforcement and education experts, who have developed a child friendly curriculum (called the H.E.R.O. Program – Hide…Escape…Run…Overcome) that teaches safety responses in a non-threatening, age appropriate, and informed manner.   Saint Mark participated in H.E.R.O. week at the end of March where students learned safe-thinking skills and empowerment strategies through activities, stories, and discussions. With the training complete, we are now ready for our scheduled Lockdown drill which will take place next Tuesday, May 9.

The teachers are prepping their classes for this drill, and we encourage our parents to do the same. We value the health, safety and well-being of our children above all else and believe this H.E.R.O. training program creates a safer and better prepared learning environment for our entire school community. Mahalo for your cooperation in this new program and please do not hesitate to reach out to your classroom teacher or Mr. Markillie at pmarkillie@smls-hawaii.org should you have any questions.

GRADE 4 BIG ISLAND TRIP
Saint Mark’s grade 4 class is excited to be heading to their Big Island Trip next Wednesday, May 10.  Their busy three days in both Kona and Hilo will include visits to the Kaloko-Honokohau fish pond, Pu’uhonua O Honaunau, Kula Kai Caverns, Punaluʻu Black Sand, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, Akaka Falls, the King Kamehameha statue, and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Mahalo to Ms. Chang and Mrs. Manu (and all of the parent chaperones Parker Bode, Elena Bryant, Reid Honda, Ammon Kaonohi, Misty Kubo, David Pocock, and Krystal Rogers) for their work to plan and execute this important and educational trip.

PRESCHOOL END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATION & GRADUATION
Mrs. Somera and the Early Learning Center (ELC) staff are excited to be having an End-of-Year Celebration & Graduation for all of our ELC Students (PK3, PK3/4 & PK4) on Friday, May 19 at 6:00pm. It’ll be an opportunity to sing together, celebrate the accomplishments of all our preschoolers, and bid a fond farewell to those children moving on to Kindergarten.

GR K-4 and GR 5-8 MUSIC CONCERTS (Flowers Needed)
Saint Mark Lutheran School is excited to be hosting two music concerts entitled Hawaiian Style in the coming weeks. The Gr K-4 Spring Music Concert is on Tuesday, May 23 at 6:00pm and the Gr 5-8 Spring Music & Band Concert is on Thursday, May 25 at 6:00pm.  Mrs. Hutchens is working hard with her students to prepare for these exciting events. The Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) is asking for donations of tropical flowers and greenery to help us do this. If you are able to donate, please complete the survey no later than this Friday, May 5, 2023. Since there is limited seating (where each participating student is permitted to have no more than two guests in attendance), the entire concert will be live streamed for those who are unable to attend.

K-5 STUDENTS VISITING NEXT YEAR’S CLASS
Students in grades K-5 will get the opportunity to visit their next year’s class on Tuesday, May 30. This is an annual custom that provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet the teachers, sit in their future classroom, and learn a bit about what to expect next year.  It’s typically an exciting time for the students, so please be sure to ask your child(ren) about it.

MAHALO!
Mahalo for your continued support and commitment to the people and programs of Saint Mark.  And as always, please do not hesitate to let us know should you have any questions.

Mahalo and Blessings,

David Gaudi
Head of School