WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST IN 2021!

SHARE YOUR STUDENT’S ASSETS SUCCESS WITH OTHERS 

OUR OPEN HOUSES ARE SATURDAY, JANUARY 30!

 

Please join us for our first round of 2021 Open Houses! We invite everyone who is interested in learning more about our K-12 programs.

 

Assets School is a place where our students are recognized and celebrated in a nurturing and caring environment. Do you know any families that might benefit from our specialized and life-transforming program?  Encourage them to register in advance for our Admissions Virtual Open House on Saturday, January 30, 2021. 

 

We are sharing information about our K-8 program during our 12:30 p.m. session. Our High School session begins at 9 a.m. and includes information about our college preparatory engagement and mentorship programs. Attendees will be provided with a program overview, virtual tour of the campus, and there will be a question-and-answer panel featuring current parents and students. Check our website for more details and please remember to register!

WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING AUCTION DONATION ITEMS, SPONSORSHIPS AND VOLUNTEERS AS WE CELEBRATE ASSETS’ FRONTLINE HEROES ON APRIL 17!

 

We are grateful to Finance Factors for being a Platinum Sponsor of our virtual 2021 Illumination event and online auction. Founded in 1952, Finance Factors is the state’s largest locally owned depository financial services loan company. Learn more at www.financefactors.com. We are honored to have Finance Factors Chairman and CEO Russell Lau and Finance Factors Chief Financial Officer Kristi Maynard serving as Trustees of Assets. 

 

For Illumination 2021, we are offering an exciting concept! We are committed to helping our local restaurants and created an opportunity for you to have a gourmet dinner at our four suggested restaurants of MW Restaurant (supports an Assets family), 12th Ave Grill and Deli (supports an Assets family), Chef Chai, Roy’s OR your favorite neighborhood restaurant!  Learn more about the dining experience of your choice as a sponsor and the opportunity to donate items! 

 

Contact Vice President of Advancement Linda Jameson Myers at lmyers@assets-school.org or at (808) 440-3605 if you have any donation/sponsorship questions.

 

Interested in being a volunteer? Please contact Parent Relations Liaison and Communications Director Mahea Nakamura at mnakamura@assets-school.org or at 440-3622. Our next volunteer meeting is January 26, 2021.

OUR THANKS TO YOU FOR SUPPORTING ASSETS’

ANNUAL FUND AND OUR GIVING TUESDAY

WE CONTINUE TO FUNDRAISE TO SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES

As we begin 2021, we are THANKFUL to you for joining us in the spirit of giving and the momentum of our Annual Fund and GivingTuesday. We are humbled by the outpouring of support and appreciate every donation. Our fundraising continues by way of supporting our Annual Fund, Illumination 2021, major and planned gifts. Our #1 fundraising goal for 2021 is to help families in crisis, due to the pandemic, to keep our current students at Assets, and to support new families who know Assets is the right education for their child.

 

Our Annual Fund also financially fuels our General Fund/Greatest Need, Teacher Training, Technology Support, Brace Library, Robotics, or your donation choice. Thank you all so very much for your generous and thoughtful donation. Wishing you a healthy, happy and safe 2021 and beyond!

LEARNING AND GROWING ALONGSIDE OUR STUDENTS FOR A BETTER FUTURE

 

Jon Pennington has been our school’s Instructional Technology Specialist at the K-8 campus for the past seven years. He also manages our school’s design studio, a creative space focused on exploring positive, impactful ways students can design products that contribute to our local community.

 

In May, Jon graduated with a Ph.D. in Learning, Design and Technology from University of Hawaii at Manoa. For Jon’s dissertation research, he conducted two empirical studies at Assets School across grades 3-8. These studies centered on two concepts, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Speech Recognition Technology for writing (i.e., Speech-to-Text, iPad dictation). UDL is an educational approach that recognizes learner diversity and offers flexible learning paths suited to students' individual strengths and preferences and speech recognition technology is a tool that students can use for completing school assignments. 

 

Jon’s doctoral work continues to help him better serve the students and teachers at our school by developing a deeper understanding of our students’ strengths, abilities, and preferences and how to guide students to approach learning in ways that align with these characteristics. It is also improving his ability to assist students in selecting technology tools suited to their individual characteristics while also providing the guidance, practice, and feedback students need to succeed. He is excited to expand his collaborative skills when partnering with teachers to design student learning experiences, discuss student needs, and work as a team to strategically integrate technology that supports students.

 

Results from Jon’s studies at Assets School demonstrate that students can use Speech Recognition Technology to improve the quality and fluency of their writing, even while learning new writing strategies. Jon’s research can help to guide teachers, parents, and students as they consider the adoption of Speech Recognition as a writing tool to meet the demands of school and everyday life. 

 

This summer, Jon was invited to work as a consultant for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a specialized agency of the United Nations focused on peace, sustainability, and culture through education. He has been collaborating with an international team to develop a "playbook" for teachers in Asia and the Pacific to learn modern pedagogical practices for teaching in the digital age.  

 

Jon is currently working on a global conference workshop based on an open-source course he built for teachers around the world to learn how to use digital tools purposefully in ways that empower students.  The course will be released this month.

 

Jon says that the successful completion of his Ph.D. would not have been possible without the collaboration of three amazing Assets teachers: Ms. Julia Kona (Grade 3-4 teacher), Ms. Tiana Lee (Grade 5-6 teacher), and Ms. Elisa Mizota (Grade 7-8 teacher), as well as the trusted leadership and ongoing support of Ms. Sandi Tadaki and Mr. Ryan Masa. 

  Assets School |  1 Ohana Nui Way  |  Honolulu, HI 96818

(808) 423-1356