St. Theresa School in Kekaha has been moving forward since opening its doors in August to in-person teaching five days a week.
“We’ve had some bumps,” said Wendy Castillo, the school’s principal. “But we’re moving forward, slowly and steadily.”
The demonstration of that achievement comes with the naming of the school-wide learning experience leaders from preschool three through grade eight for August.
The SLE’s are based on the seven themes of Catholic social teaching. Each month, an SLE is brought into focus schoolwide.
Following the end of the month, a learner from each class is commended for living the values of the SLE through their everyday words and actions. The SLE for August is Family and Community.
The St. Theresa School SLE learners for August are Keola Carlin-Lopez, preschool 3; Sebastian Brewer, preschool 4; Savannah Domingo, transitional kindergarten; Avery Robinson, kindergarten; Ethan Bartolome, grade one; Zyla Aviguetero, grade two; Poasa Garza, grade three; Ella Ventura, grade four; Zoe Gray, grade five; Mace Walker, grade six; Tiana Abalos, grade seven; and Kaimalie San Agustin, grade eight.
Castillo pointed out some examples.
“Keola knows our class routine, and he follows directions, which makes him a great leader,” Castillo said of this preschool learner. “Keola has been so helpful to himself, his friends and teachers. Sebastian is a friend to all. He comes in the morning, and right away greets all his friends with a warm smile and ‘hello.’ He has been loving each learning group that he is paired with each day. He doesn’t complain about wanting to play with a particular friend. He sees everyone as a big family and goes to help anywhere that it is needed.”
Castillo said Domingo is very connected to family. “All of her stories are focused on how important her family is to her,” the principal said. “She connects that love to school by considering her classmates her ‘school family.’”
Robinson brings energy and excitement to every school day.
“She is filled with enthusiasm and loves being in school,” Castillo said. “Avery is very connected to family, especially her big brother Brody, whom she gets excited when she gets to see him around campus each day.”
Bartolome is aware of his classmates’ needs. “He is a helper who is always there to support his classmates, and his teacher,” Castillo said. “He looks forward to ‘working’ with Uncle Bill at the end of each day, and loves doing his part to keep everything running smoothly. Ethan is very connected to family, and loves that his mom is a teacher at STS.”
Aviguetero is also dedicated to family. “She relates her stories and writing to her family experiences,” Castillo said. “She is a wonderful helper and caretaker, both in class and at home. Zyla even reached out to her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Johnson, over the summer break, just to check on her and see how she was doing.”
“Tiana has impressed her teacher with her ability to step out beyond her natural shyness and really be a part of her class community. In her gentle, quiet way, she takes care of her three younger sisters at morning drop off, making sure everyone has everything they need for the day. Her teacher and her classmates are very happy to have Tiana in their classroom family.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
Source: The Garden Island
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