Our Mission Statement: Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo (Ka ʻUmeke) provides a well-rounded academic program as a culturebased indigenous K-12 Hawaiian Language Immersion School. We use Hawaiian language as the medium to transmit and give life to the foundation of knowledge. Our school promotes Hawaiian ways of knowing to strengthen and revitalize a Hawaiian identity and prepare our haumāna (student learners) to fully participate in, and contribute to, the local and larger communities. Our school provides experiential-based Hawaiian learning environments, in partnership with our ʻohana to: • foster the daily practice of Hawaiian cultural beliefs, values, and knowledge; • apply the wisdom of our past to critically understand the present and create our legacy for the future; • develop the leadership for critical decision making regarding appropriate times to lead, stand on oneʻs own, or stand together; and • develop effective communication skills in Hawaiian and English contexts. Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Hawaiian Immersion Public Charter School (PCS) was established in 2001, and is located in the Hawaiian Homelands Community of Keaukaha in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are a school of choice currently serving ʻohana and haumāna in grades K-10 (in efforts to meet our mission an additional grade will be added each year up to grade 12). The average class size at Ka ʻUmeke is 20 learners with a full time teacher and tutor in every class. We care for and support our community, which includes Keaukaha, the Hawaiian community, and Hawaiian culture-based schools. Our foundation supports a Hawaiian worldview and the pursuit of social and academic excellence. Our place-based educational approach provides our haumāna with opportunities to strengthen their connections to their community and nourish their sense of place. This approach investigates culture, geographical features, resource issues, economic challenges, opportunities, and community governance. Ka ʻUmekeʻs program is focused on experiential based learning and utilizes Keaukahaʻs shoreline environment as a learning laboratory to build 21st century skills including digital literacy, inventive thinking, interactive communication and quality, state-of-the-art results.