Principal's Weekly Letter

July 11th, 2025

Aloha ELS Families,

We hope you're all enjoying a wonderful summer so far! The days are flying by, and we're already feeling the excitement building for the new school year.

A Heartfelt Mahalo for VBS!

First, a huge thank you to everyone who supported our Vacation Bible School this past week! VBS was a tremendous success, filled with joy, learning, and fellowship. We are especially grateful for the incredible dedication of our volunteers, both from our ELS Ohana and those who traveled all the way from Las Vegas and Orlando to lend their invaluable support. Your commitment made VBS truly special for our keiki as they learned that they can always TRUST JESUS!

Summer Camp Winding Down

Our summer campers are still having a fantastic time! We've got just two more weeks of fun before camp comes to a close and we begin to usher in another exciting school year. cherishing every moment with our students!

Important Dates for the Upcoming School Year!

Please mark your calendars with these important dates as we prepare for the 2025-2026 school year:

• Teachers Report Back: Monday, July 28th

• First Day of School (K-8): Monday, August 4th

  • Kindergarten will have an 11:30 AM dismissal on August 4th.

• Preschool Visit Day: Wednesday, August 6th

• First Day of Preschool Classes: Thursday, August 7th

  • Preschool will also have an 11:30 AM dismissal on their first day.

Back to School Night:

• Wednesday, July 30th: 5:30 PM - Preschool

• Thursday, July 31st: Kindergarten - 8th Grade

  • Group 1 (Last Names A-K): 5:30 PM

  • Group 2 (Last Names L-Z): 6:15 PM

  • We will begin as a whole group in the church before dispersing to classrooms.

Exciting New Systems for Campus Safety and Convenience!

We Will be implementing a new SchoolPass system this year! This system will greatly enhance how students check in and out, and will also streamline the process for visitors on campus, further improving our overall safety and security. This is something we've been wanting to put in place for a while, and it's also a new safety requirement from the DOE, HCPS, and HAIS. Be on the lookout for more details about this in the coming weeks!

Hot Lunch - Additionally, we're excited to introduce a new vendor for our Hot Lunch program this year! We will be able to offer hot lunch three days per week. Our hope is that with increased usage, we'll be able to expand this offering to every day of the week. More information on ordering will be shared soon.

School Supply List

The updated Supply List for all grades is now available on our website. Please take a look and take advantage of any summer deals as you gather your supplies!

Farewell to Mrs. Kahalewai

Finally, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude and best wishes to Mrs. Kahalewai. She has been a wonderful part of the ELS family for the past four school years, working in the classroom, after-school programs, and camps. Her last day with us was July 3rd, and her baby is due on July 17th! Please send your prayers her way as she and her husband begin this new chapter. We eagerly look forward to seeing her (and the new baby!) when they make their first field trip to Emmanuel this fall.

We would also like to congratulate Mrs. Davenport as she and her family celebrated the birth of a grandson.  Welcome Asa James to the ELS Ohana!

Thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to ELS. We are looking forward to a fantastic new school year!

Mr. Rempfer