Archive for December, 2009

Ms Wong, (L - R) Dayne Takai, Ethan Figart, Jordan Kajiwara

Buy Amazon! Get Target! Sell Google!

These were the words bandied about Wanda Wong’s 2nd grade class from September 29th to December 4th, as her students participated in the Fall 2009 Hawaii Stock Market Simulation (SMS) – a statewide online simulation competition for students in grades 2 through 12.

At the end of the competition, Team ET-3 (Dayne Takai, Ethan Figart & Jordan Kajiwara) placed 1st in the Elementary/Middle School Division, beating 129 teams and more than 500 other students.

For 10 weeks, teams of Ms. Wong’s students invested $100,000 of virtual money into the stock market, with transactions processed in real time at real-world prices. At the end of the competition, Team ET-3′s winning portfolio was worth $113,484.70, a whopping 13.48 percent gain!

Click here to see pictures of all of Ms. Wong’s participating SMS teams.

In addition to helping her students prepare for Business Day next year, Ms. Wong hoped this experience would teach them “how to make good choices” and “the value of teamwork.” She noted that one team even delayed selling off a downward moving stock because an absent team member was not present to participate in the decision making process.

Ms. Wong’s students experienced both fun and learning during the competition. Jordan said, “It was an exciting experience, especially coming in first!” Dayne added, “We learned a lot about budgeting and how to choose stocks carefully.” When asked how they made their stock picks, Ethan replied, “We picked things we knew, things we liked. And we all had to agree on what we were buying.”

Here are a few free financial picks from these up-and-coming Wall Street advisors:

Dayne: Google & Fedex
Ethan: Amazon & Target
Jordan: Walmart & Costco

Click here to read more about their story in December 20th Honolulu Star-Bulletin article: ”Students get a head start in the market”.

Reminder: T-Shirt order forms and money are due by THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009. Any T-Shirt order received after this date will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Click here for the Fun Run T-Shirt Order Form.

This MES Big Event will be held on Friday, February 19, 2010. It will be an awesome day for MES students as they learn what it takes to keep their minds and bodies happy and healthy. So, come on and “Let’s Get Fit!”

We are looking for a lost mustard yellow Tupperware with a clear white plastic lid.  It is rectangular, and has Miguel written on the bottom.  The cake was a chocolate rectangle homemade cake.

If anybody won this cake and has the Tupperware, please contact miguelp007@hawaii.rr.com

Mahalo for your support!

Dear concerned MES families and friends,
 
At our December 4th parent meeting, a fellow 6th grade parent and youth therapist presented valuable information on how children, parents, and families deal with trauma.  She provided 2 handouts which we have reproduced to assist you.

Click here for the handout: “When Children Experience Trauma – A Guide for Parents and Families”

Click here for the handout on Emotional and Psychological Trauma

If you would like to be kept informed of any new developments, please email grade6@moanaluapto.org and request to be added to the mailing list.

On Friday, December 4, 2009, over 50 parents and concerned friends gathered at Aliamanu Middle school to discuss the 6th grade guidance class incident.

While a few parents learned of the incident from their children on November 10th, the majority did NOT. Some parents heard of it through the “grade vine”, from parents calling parents. Two weeks later, more parents were made aware from a note from the PTO president. Finally three weeks after the incident parents learn of the problem from the media.

This meeting was important to help share information among parents who have been left in the dark by our administration. The events of the past three weeks affected every child at MES. It is our hope that we can make positive changes to ensure the future safety and well being of all our MES children.

The following time line has been developed to help us understand what and when things happened. It is unknown if and when the teachers and staff were informed of the incident by the principal. Click here to see the timeline.

If you would like to be kept informed of any new developments, please email grade6@moanaluapto.org and request to be added to the mailing list.