A lot has happened in the month since we returned to school after winter break. Report cards went home on January 25, hopefully, showing that your child has made progress. Not exactly what you hoped for? Discuss the gap between your expected and the actual results with your child; consult with his/her teachers, to evaluate and plan for school success this year.

Academic success is a team, not a spectator, sport. While key players will always be students and their teachers, parents are critical members of this team. This team wins when everyone participates and gives 100% effort.

The October-November issue of this newsletter, included an article about the perils of over-parenting; this parenting style has been called "helicopter" parenting and was first used in Dr. Haim Ginott's 1969 book Parents & Teenagers by teens who said their parents would hover over them like a helicopter; the term became popular enough to become a dictionary entry in 2011. Is this you? Check out the article on page 4 to see if you fit the profile of a helicopter parent.

Our annual Tech Trek -- Technology fundraising & fitness event is coming up on Friday, Feb. 19th. A packet containing information for parents, a volunteer sign-up and the students' collection envelope with permission to participate in the event was sent home with each student on Jan. 27, 2016. If your child has not presented this packet to you, please check their backpacks & folders -- this is time-sensitive material; the collection envelope with parent's signed permission on the back must be returned to school by Feb. 10 to qualify for prizes and to get the event T-shirt. All proceeds go toward maintaining

and providing current technology tools for our students.

Ho'olaulima i MoanaluaWORKING TOGETHER FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS

Vol. XXII, No. 4 February - March 2016

I hope you all had a fun and restful winter break and were able to greet 2016 with renewed energy and commitment. Our return to school on January 6th kicked off the new semester -- so now the training wheels come off and we get down to the business of preparing ourselves for the fun and challenge in store through the remaining five months of the school year.

MES students aren't the only ones being challenged to step up their learning curve; our faculty greeted the new semester with professional development training & planning sessions on January 7th, 8th and 15th that centered on having an adaptable mind. Principal Galera has tasked teachers with creating learning & self-discovery opportunities for students that are meaningful, engaging, challenging that will prepare them for college and careers of the future. What skills will students need to be successful?

The 21st century skills are defined as a set of abilities that students need to develop in order to succeed in the information age. 1

Learning Skills: • Deep/Critical Thinking • Collaboration • Creativity & Innovation • CommunicationLiteracy Skills: • Information Literacy • Media & Technology LiteracyLife Skills: • Professionalism: be efficient, prompt, honest, fair • Flexibility • Initiative • Social Skills • Productivity • Leadership • Empathy • Perseverance • Problem-Solvers __________________________1k12.thoughtfullearning.com

Read more about 21st Century Learners on page 2.

2016: Year of the Monkey

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of an adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.

-- Rachel Carson

Parents who do too much may try to do more for their children than there are hours in the day.

As a result, we end up depleted and frustrated and may feel as if we have failed.

The day begins with lists and wishes. It ends with more lists and unfulfilled wishes.

Our children need us as more than just "doers." If all we do is drive them to lessons, prepare them

the healthiest snacks, buy them the latest toys, we are missing the point.

What our children need from us is our companionship. If we forget this we will

lose more than just hours in a day.

I will try to take time out today to rediscover what it is to be a child. If I restore my sense

of wonder, I may replenish my spirit and give my child a great gift.

Meditations for Parents WhoDo Too Much

by Jonathan and Wendy Lazear

©1993 Fireside/Parside Books (simon & schuster)

"Ho`olaulima i Moanalua"is a bi-monthly publication of

Moanalua Elementary's

Parent

Community

Networking

Center

1337 Mahiole StreetHonolulu, HI 96819

phone/voice mail:(808) 305-1210

e-mail: mes_pcnc@yahoo.com

FaceBook & Twitter:mes_pcnc

Susie OkumuraParent Facilitator & Editor

In their article, 21st Century Skills: The Challenges Ahead, Andrew Rotherham and Daniel Willingham write, "A growing number of business leaders, politicians, and educators are united around the idea that students need '21st century skills' to be successful today. It's exciting to believe that we live in times that are so revolutionary that they demand new and different abilities. But in fact, the skills students need in the 21st century are not new." They point out that "Critical thinking and problem solving have been components of human progress throughout history, from the development of early tools, to agricultural advancements, to the invention of vaccines, to land and sea exploration." "Skills such as information literacy and global awareness are not new. The need for mastery of different kinds of knowledge ranging from facts to complex analysis? Not new either." The Greek philosopher Plato, who lived during the period 428 - 347 B.C.E., wrote about four distinct levels of intellect in The Republic. "What's actually new is the extent to which changes in our economy and the world mean that collective and individual success depends on having such skills."

The Internet has made tremendous amounts of information readily accessible to all and students must learn and develop their critical-thinking skills to be able to discern which sources are reliable and what information is trustworthy. 21st-century learners must master new technologies and be able to navigate online safely and responsibly.

edutopia.org has published a helpful guide for parents on 21st-Century Learning featuring online resources and projects and tips to bring 21st-century skills home. You can find A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning, as a printable guide at http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/guides/edutopia-parents-guide-21st-century-learning.pdf

The guide points out that the set of skills students need to acquire "to solve problems in this complex, fast-changing world, student must become nimble, creative thinkers who can work well with others." These competencies -- known as 21st Century Skills -- are referred to as the "4Cs" by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and include:• collaboration: Students are able to work effectively with diverse groups and exercise flexibility in making compromises to achieve common goals.• creativity: students are able to generate and improve on original ideas and also work creatively with others.• communication: Students are able to communicate effectively across multiple media for various purposes.• critical thinking: Students are able to analyze, evaluate, and understand complex systems and apply strategies to solve problems.

SkillS for Tomorrow

Parents' PageHow to Raise Happy Kids:

Get Into GratitudeThe nicest thing you can give your kids is a deep

appreciation for what they already have

By Jennifer King Lindley from Family Fun

We know we should teach our kids to appreciate gifts; that's why the thank-you note to Nana always gets mailed promptly. But teaching them a more general attitude of gratitude can be a powerful bliss-booster as well. "The research shows that the relationship between

gratitude and happiness is very, very strong," says Jeffrey Froh. In one classic study, participants kept a journal for 10 weeks in which they noted five things they felt grateful for each day (a sunset, a call from a friend, the perfect ice cream cone). The result: they felt 25 percent happier at the study's end.

"Gratitude is about savoring the past, present, and also the future," Froh says. "It's squeezing the juice out of life and extracting all we can." A long while before a big Disney vacation, Froh and his wife, Cara, talked about it regularly with their two kids. They watched videos, looked at brochures, planned each day in advance together. "We were able to savor the anticipation for months." It's a great reminder: look for ways to make the most of the happiness that comes from good things, while they're happening -- and before and after, too.

Make Happy Happen

• Teach kids to stop and shoot the roses. When they encounter something special, say, a favorite pond on a hot day, encourage your children to take a "picture in their minds," suggests Christine Carter. Show them how to make a frame with their fingers to help capture the scene, then ask them how the picture makes them feel. "This will help them soak in the positive feelings," she says.• Make an anticipation board for upcoming fun. Pin an "Awesomeness Ahead" sign to the top of a corkboard and put the board in a central spot. Post plans for outings, brochures from your next vacation spot, or the menu of a new fro-yo shop you're planning to visit.• Hand out tokens of your esteem. Print out tiny thank-you tokens. Have the kids hand them to a nice cashier at the grocery store, a sibling who shared her doll, or anyone else who's done them a kind turn.

Getting Wordy: 4 Ways to Improve Vocabulary

http://www.parents.com/ Your child may still has a few years

until his first vocabulary test, but now is the perfect time to talk it up.

By Jacqueline Vasquez from Parents Magazine

"Are we having pisketti for dinner?" your son asks, and part of you finds his mispronunciation adorable. The only problem? He's almost 4. Your kid isn't alone in his baby talk. While many children have an impressive vocabulary as large as 1,000 words by age 3, experts say that it's still normal for preschoolers to hold onto some of their little-kid expressions.

As cute as your child's choice of words may be, it's important to help him continue to develop his language skills. "When young children learn words, they are simultaneously being exposed to new ideas and concepts," says Catherine Snow, Ph.D., professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. And providing lots of language interaction now will benefit him once he's in the classroom. "The single best predictor of academic success for children throughout the school years is their vocabulary when they start kindergarten," says Dr. Snow. We asked the experts for word-wise advice about getting your little one to speak like a big kid.

Focus on new words

Take advantage of being one of the biggest influences on your child's learning and make a point of introducing your child to new words while you go about day-to-day activities. At the grocery store, explain that the loaf of bread is also considered a carbohydrate and that chicken is poultry. An outing at the zoo could be a chance to introduce the concepts of mammals and reptiles. Kids often pick up the meaning of these new words based on context, but it's helpful to take a moment to teach to your child what the word actually means, says Paul Holinger, M.D., author of What Babies Say Before They Can Talk. For example, tell her that mammals, like the tiger, the sloth, and the visitors at the zoo, have hair on their body and are nursed by their mother with milk.

And don't be afraid to err on the side of more-challenging words. "When it comes to how you interact with your child, there's no reason to dumb anything down," says Dr. Holinger. With a 2-year-old, you may ask, "Do you want to wear the yellow shirt?," but you can expand on the idea when talking to your preschooler: "How about the yellow shirt? The shade of yellow is complementary to the color of your pants. That means they go really well together."

Helicopter parenting refers to "a style of parents who are over focused on their children," says Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders near Detroit and author of Anxiety Disorders: The Go-To Guide. "They typically take too much responsibility for their children's experiences and, specifically, their successes or failures," Dr. Daitch says. Ann Dunnewold, Ph. D., a licensed psychologist and author of Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box, calls it "overparenting." "It means being involved in a child's life in a way that is overcontrolling, overprotecting, and overperfecting, in a way that is in excess of responsible parenting," Dr. Dunnewold explains.

Who is a helicopter parent?Although the term is most often applied to parents of high school or college-aged students who do tasks the child is capable of doing alone (for instance, calling a professor about poor grades, arranging a class schedule, manage exercising habits), helicopter parenting can apply at any age. "In toddlerhood, a helicopter parent might constantly shadow the child, always playing with and directing his behavior, allowing him zero alone time," Dr. Dunnewold says. In elementary school, helicopter parenting can be revealed through a parent ensuring a child has a certain

teacher or coach, selecting the child's friends and activities, or providing disproportionate assistance for homework and school projects.

Why do parents hover?Helicopter parenting can develop for a number of reasons. Here are four common triggers.

• Fear of dire consequences A low grade, not making the team, or

not getting a certain job can appear disastrous to a parent, especially if it seems it could be avoided with parental involvement. But, says Deborah Gilboa, M.D., founder of AskDoctorG.com, "many of the consequences [parents] are trying to prevent -- unhappiness, struggle, not excelling, working hard, no guaranteed results -- are great teachers for kids and not actually life-threatening. It just feels that way."

• Feelings of anxiety Worries about the economy, the job

market, and the world in general can push parents toward taking more control over their child's life in an attempt to protect them. "Worry," Dr. Daitch says, "can drive parents to take control in the belief that they can keep their child from ever being hurt or disappointed."

• Overcompensation Adults who felt unloved, neglected,

or ignored as children can overcompensate with their own children. Excessive attention and monitoring are attempts to remedy a deficiency the parents felt in their own upbringing.

• Peer pressure from other parents When parents see other overinvolved

parents, it can trigger a similar response. "Sometimes when we observe other parents overparenting or being helicopter parents, it will pressure us to do the same," Dr. Daitch says. "We can easily feel that if we don't immerse ourselves in our

children's lives, we are bad parents. Guilt is a large component in this dynamic."

Consequences of helicopter parenting

Many helicopter parents start off with good intentions. "It is a tricky line to find, to be engaged with our children and their lives, but not so enmeshed that we lose perspective on what they need," Dr. Gilboa says.

Engaged parenting has many benefits for a child, such as increasing feelings of love and acceptance, building self-confidence, and providing guidance and opportunities to grow. "The problem is that, once parenting becomes governed by fear and decisions based on what might happen, It is hard to keep in mind all the things kids learn when we are not right next to them or guiding each step," Dr. Gilboa explains. "Failure and challenges teach kids new skills, and, most important, teach kids that they can handle failure and challenges."

Decreased confidence and self-esteem. "The main problem with helicopter parenting is that it backfires," Dr. Dunnewold says. "The underlying message [the parent's] overinvolvement sends to kids, however, is 'my parent doesn't trust me to do this on my own,' [and this leads] to a lack of confidence."

Undeveloped coping skills. If the parent is always there to clean up a child's mess--or prevent the problem in the first place--how does the child ever learn to cope with loss, disappointment, or failure? Studies have found that helicopter parenting can make children feel less competent in dealing with the stresses of life on their own.

Increased anxiety. A study from the University of Mary Washington has shown that overparenting is associated with higher levels of child anxiety and depression.

continued on page 5 -->

Parenting Style

Is This You?

February 1-5: Spirit Week 8: Lunar New Year: Year of the Monkey 9: Mardi Gras 10: Tech Trek envelopes & permission due 14-20: Random Acts of Kindness Week 14: St. Valentine's Day 15: President's Day holiday - no school 19: TECH TREK!

How can you avoid being a helicopter

parent?

So how can a parent love and care for their children without inhibiting their ability to learn important life skills? Dr. Gilboa offers this advice: "As parents, we have a very difficult job. We need to keep one eye on our children now--their stressors, strengths, emotions--and one eye on the adults we are trying to raise. Getting them from here to there involves some suffering, for our kids as

well as for us." In practical terms, this means letting children struggle, allowing them to be disappointed, and when failure occurs, helping them to work through it.

It means letting your children do tasks that they are physically and mentally capable of doing. Making your 3-year-old's bed isn't hovering. Making your 13-year-old's bed is. As Dr. Gilboa says, "Remembering to look for opportunities to take one step back from solving our child's problems will help us build the reliant, self-confident kids we need."

http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/what-is-helicopter-parenting/

<--continued from page 4

Sense of entitlement. Children who have always had their social, academic, and athletic lives adjusted by their parents to best fit their needs can become accustomed to always having their way and thus they develop a sense of entitlement.

Undeveloped life skills. Parents who always tie shoes, clear plates, pack lunches, launder clothes, and monitor school progress, even after children are mentally and physically capable of doing the task, prevent their children from mastering these skill themselves.

General Mills'

Boxtops for Education

Campbell's

Labels for Education

March 2: Gr. 5 Bridge Competition Junior Engineering Night 15: end of 3rd quarter16 - 24: Spring Break - no school for students 19: Lights Out! (8:30 - 9:30 p.m.) visit www.EarthHour.org to see

how you can participate & help spread the word!

25: Good Friday - no school 28: Kuhio Day (observed) - no school

Toner & Ink Cartridges

Cell Phones (working or broken phones accepted!)

Collection Envelopes

Permission Formsdue by

Feb. 10, 2016to qualify for prizes &free Tech Trek T-shirtFriday, Feb. 19, 2016

please print clearly & RSVP by Feb. 26 to MES PCNC

____ (#) adults & ____ (#) children will attend

Enclosed is $ _______ for ______ snack packs at $1.50 each (CASH ONLY, please)

Parent’s name:_________________________________email:______________________________________ confirmation/reminder by email

Student’s name(s): _____________________________________________________ Rm# ______________________

mahalo sponsors & volunteers for your continued support* Moanalua Elementary School PTO * * Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates *

* Koga Engineering & Construction, Inc. * ASCE Younger Members Forum *

* American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Univ. of Hawaii Chapter *

join us for our 8th annual

Junior Engineering NightWed., March 2, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.

Check out the creative designs and construction detail by our grade 5 student teams.

Which bridge is best designed to survive the brutal stress test?

All ages are welcome construct * create * design & build

Attendance at this popular & exciting event has increases each year. In order to have enough supplies & materials we need a headcount...

please RSVP if you plan to participate

pre-order your $1.50 snack pack deal and you won’t need to worry about dinner(hot dog, chips, string cheese & cold drink)

Check-in & snack pack pickup begins at 5:15 in front of the library)