Welcome back and Happy New Year! We’re thrilled to begin the second semester alongside our families. Let’s work together with aloha to make the coming months full of learning, growth, and fun for everyone!

Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Program

Research shows that the best approach to student behavior is through a PBIS System that Teaches, Models and Reinforces the Behavior Expectations.  At CKMS, we expect students to be: Prompt, Prepared, Productive and Polite.  On Monday, each grade level will participate in a quarterly PBIS Assembly.  This is an opportunity to reset the expectations and highlight areas of concern.  Here is a LINK to the assembly, for those who are interested in reviewing the content.

Teachers have expressed concern that students are coming to school without charged chromebooks.  With over 20 students in each class, this can negatively impact instruction so please remind your child to charge their CKMS Chromebooks nightly.

New Recess Equipment Procedure

Last semester, there was an increase in misuse of personal sports equipment (balls) between classes and in the undesignated areas (ball play is only allowed on the playcourt and in the field). This misuse caused school property breakage, student injuries and broken plants.

Students will no longer be allowed to bring their own personal sports equipment to school. We will provide balls for morning recess, lunch and before and after school (bus waiting) time.  Mahalo for supporting us with this new school procedure/ rule.

2026-27 Registration Time Line

Monday, 1/19/26 is a holiday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  There will be no school next Monday.  

Have a great week everyone!

Ms. Wendy Schwarze

Principal Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School

Aloha, CKMS families! Welcome back and Happy New Year! 

We are sending this weekend update home today, a little earlier than our usual Sunday update, to help everyone prepare for our return to campus at the end of next week. We’re thrilled to begin the second semester alongside our families. Let’s work together with aloha to make the coming months full of learning, growth, and fun for everyone!

Return to School: Important Dates

Students return to school on Thursday 1/8/26.  Thursday will be a B Day and Friday will be an A Day. We will be following the regular bell schedule with a 2:00 pm release time on both days.

Monday 1/5/26 - Wednesday 1/7/26 our faculty and staff will be busy preparing for the second semester through staff development, training and planning time. 

Head’s up, Semester I report cards will be sent home during the week of 1/12-1/16, through Advisory class.

Important Bus Application Window

Please remember that the Bus Application window will close this Friday, January 9th. All students who ride the bus must re-apply quarterly.  After Friday, bus applications will no longer be accepted.

We hope this message finds you well as we approach the final week of the semester. We wish all of our families a truly wonderful and restful holiday season and a happy New Year.

Important Bus Application Window

Please remember that the Bus Application window is open now until Friday, January 9th. A quick reminder that all students who ride the bus must re-apply quarterly.

Modified Release Times This Week

Please note the following changes to our student release schedule this week due to our Winter Celebration events:

• Wednesday, December 17, 2025: Students will be released at 2:00 PM.

• Friday, December 19, 2025 (Last day of the semester): Students will be released early at 1:15 PM.

Looking Ahead

The first day of school for students after the Winter Break will be Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Happy Holidays from Chiefess Kamakahelei!

Bus Applications

Bus Applications for all riders, paid, Migrant Ed., and free-qualified student riders, must be submitted on a quarterly basis (you will need to submit an application every quarter during the application window).

Go to https://go.hidoe.us/SchoolBusService for an application or get a paper application at the CKMS office.  Due to limited seating, we recommend you register as soon as the application window opens. The application window opens up this Friday.

Quarter 3 Application Window:

Quarter 3:  December 12 - January 9, 2026

Scholastic Book Fair

Exciting news, the Scholastic Book Fair is happening in the library this week Dec 8-12th! Students can bring cash or you can set up an eWallet. For more information please visit the following book fair link.

Hours: Monday, Dec. 8, 7:30 am - 6 pm & Tue - Friday, Dec. 9 - 12, 7:30 - 3 pm

Parent-Teacher Conference Survey

For the 2025-2026 school year, we replaced traditional Parent-Teacher Conferences with an Open House Night at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. Mahalo to everyone for attending this fun-filled night on October 16, 2025. As we plan for next school year, we are analyzing various sources of data to determine the most effective strategies for engaging parents as partners. Please use this Form to share your perspective.:  Parent Teacher Conference Survey. Please complete this survey by Friday 12/12/25.

Schedule Change Next Week

As a head’s up, next week Wednesday 12/17/25 students will be released at 2:00 pm and on Friday 12/19/25 students will be released at 1:15 pm.

Have a great week!

Aloha and happy December!  I hope everyone had a memorable four-day weekend filled with all the things that bring you joy. We have 3 weeks left in the semester and I look forward to a productive and positive time together.

Bus Applications

Bus Applications for all riders, paid, Migrant Ed., and free-qualified student riders, must be submitted on a quarterly basis (you need to submit an application every quarter during the window below).

Go to https://go.hidoe.us/SchoolBusService for an application or get a paper application at the CKMS office.  Due to limited seating, we recommend you register as soon as the application window opens.

Here is the application date windows for quarter 3:

Quarter 3:  December 12 - January 9, 2026

iReady Winter Reading Screener

This week Thursday and Friday we will implement our Reading Screener, a critical academic check-in that measures student growth over the past few months. This assessment provides important data that helps us tailor instruction to your child’s needs. We encourage you to remind your child to do their very best during these important assessments.

We wish you all a wonderful week!

Evacuation Reminder:

Monday morning, November 17, 2025, we will have our mandatory whole school Evacuation Drill to Puhi Park.  Please ensure your child wears comfortable shoes, brings a water bottle and is prepared for light rain (umbrella and change of clothes).

WASC Accreditation Update:

We are pleased to share an update on our school's accreditation journey. Last week, we successfully hosted the WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) Visiting Committee for our mid-cycle review.

The visit was highly successful and the WASC team was particularly impressed and pleased with the powerful sense of pride demonstrated by both our students and staff. 

The visiting committee confirmed four key areas that we will continue to develop, stemming from our 2023 school self-study:

• High Yield Instructional Teaching Strategies

• interdisciplinary instruction (connecting learning across the content areas)

• College and career awareness, exploration and preparation

• Mathematics curriculum alignment
  
  

8th Grade Field Trip to Visit Kauai High

Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 8th graders will go to Kauai High for a transition visit.  They will begin registering for high school soon after the visit.  

iReady Winter Screener:

This week, we begin our i-Ready Winter Screener, a critical academic check-in that measures student growth over the past few months. This assessment provides important data that helps us tailor instruction to your child’s needs.

Please note the schedule:

• Math: This Thursday and Friday

• Reading: Thursday, December 4th and Friday, December 5th

We encourage you to remind your child to do their very best during these important assessments.

Aloha Parents,

Our Career Day on Friday, November 7, 2025, was a huge hit! We encourage you to ask your student about the three 30-minute career presentations they attended. It's never too early to start conversations about future career possibilities.

Here is a weekly update with the key events you should be aware of for the week of  11/10 - 11/14, 2025: 

No school Tuesday; mahalo to all of the veterans from CKMS!

We are looking forward to a visit from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the organization responsible for accrediting schools in Hawaii. They will be on campus on Wednesday, November 12, and Thursday, November 13, for a mid-cycle accreditation review. We are confident they will see the good work happening with and from our students.

Please expect your child to bring home a letter from Keith Hayashi, the Superintendent of the Hawaii Department of Education, on Monday regarding e-bikes. E-bikes are now banned on all elementary and middle school campuses in Hawaii. They are illegal for individuals under 15 and pose a safety risk. We know some students have been riding e-bikes to school and apologize for any inconvenience this new regulation may cause but we are unable to allow them on our campus.

On Monday 11/17 CKMS will conduct their annual required drills from 8:00 am - 9:30 am.  The following drills will  be conducted:

• Earthquake

• Shelter in Place

• Lockdown

• Fire

• Whole School Evacuation to Puhi Park

Please make sure students have comfortable shoes and sunscreen.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Your student should have received a letter with the necessary login information during their advisory period.

To view your student's scores, please log in to the family portal.

If you have any trouble accessing the portal or have questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Please contact Marcia Montayre at 977-1260 for assistance