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Programs

After school programs registration forms below

Toddler Program (15 months to 3 years old)

Kawaiahaʻo Church School's toddler classroom is designed to be a gentle transition from home to school. Through close cooperation between parents and teachers, the children are gradually able to separate from their parents without anxiety.

In a respectful and gentle way, our teachers support the child's natural development, with the focus always on the encouragement of independence. Toddlers begin building the foundation for who they are to become. They are beginning to form their character, self esteem, purpose of life, social skills, and learning processes.

Activities are positioned around the room for toddlers to choose independently. The materials and activities help the toddlers begin to experience the concept of sequence, form, shape, movement, and sound. The activities change and evolve as the child grows physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

Primary Preschool Program

Kawaiahaʻo Church School has carefully planned the primary environment and has created it by using the Montessori principles and methods to support each child's natural desire to learn.

Children ages 3-6 experience an academically enriched atmosphere embedded in a well-ordered social community. The materials help children build a sense of order, concentration, coordination, and independence. With these materials, the children build a foundation for math, writing, reading, science, history, geography, art and music. Each child is honored as an individual and the teacher has an in depth relationship with each one. This individualized approach and teaching style maximizes the realization of each child's potential. There is respect, honesty, warmth, patience, and understanding.

Learning patterns established in these early years produce confident, competent learners who are ready to move on to our elementary program.

Dual Language Program

Although Hawaiian values, language and culture permeate the entire school, two years ago, parents urged the school to include a Hawaiian based language program that went beyond stories, songs and vocabulary to provide a sound foundation in Hawaiian Language.

Teachers, trained in Early Childhood Education with specialization in the Montessori method of teaching and with varying degrees of Hawaiian language proficiency responded enthusiastically. We creatively developed a program designed to help children succeed in western education as well as surrounding them with rich Hawaiian language experiences.  Group lessons are conducted in Hawaiian and some individualized instruction as well. 

Children work with self correcting equipment according to their own interest and ability. Each piece of material is demonstrated to each individual child, thus eliminating the need for teacher lead class lessons.  An exciting project has begun to replicate the Montessori language materials for use specifically in the Hawaiian language, so that materials will reflect the Hawaiian alphabet and syntax.

Some children in this program come from families with the Hawaiian language at home but most do not.  Hawaiian Language classes are offered to parents who want to learn and better support their child’s experience.

Elementary School Program

The Elementary program is uniquely designed to meet the developmental needs of the child from 6-12 years of age.

The prepared Montessori environment maximizes independent learning and exploration on the part of the child.  Each child works in an individual way with their own store knowledge, allowing him/her to progress at their own pace.

A multi-aged setting allows for in-depth social interaction between class members. All subjects are introduced in the 6-12 aged classroom.  These include Christian education, Hawaiian culture and language, mathematics, geometry, botany, zoology, language arts, geography, the physical sciences and the arts.  Children are given key lessons, which thus allow for open-ended unlimited exploration in areas of specific interest to the child.

Our elementary students rarely use textbooks.  The approach is largely based on library research, with children gathering information, assembling reports, teaching what they have learned to their peers, and organizing events that involve parent participation.

Literature, art, music, dance, drama, history, social issues, political science, economics, architecture, science, and the study of technology all complement one another in the elementary curriculum.  This integrated approach is one of the elementary program's great strengths

The elementary plane of development from age 6 to 12 is characterized by imagination, moral sensitivity, intellectual drive and an increasing interest in social groups.  Therefore, we introduce Montessori children to moral questions in personal relationships and to encourage the awakening of their social conscience.

After School Programs