Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions for Our Savior Lutheran School

How much does the school cost?
When can we enroll?
How do you decide acceptance?
Do you provide lunch?
What is your curriculum?
Who are your teachers?
What successes have you had?
Do you have Day Care before and after school?
Do you have Choir or Band?
What is your Student-Teacher Ratio? HOME PAGE
What if I am not a Lutheran?
What is the main difference between Our Savior and other schools?
Do you have a Strategic Plan?

1. How much does the school cost?

Most fees are listed at the website http://osls-hawaii.org/Tuition.pdf .

(For perspective: The real costs begin when your children attend college.)

(It’s even more expensive if they don’t get a good education.)

(It’s more costly in permanent terms if they don’t get grounded in God’s Word, Scripture.)

2. When can we enroll?

Enrollment is ongoing and closes when a class is full.

For the upcoming school year, we open the enrollment process the previous December.

You are informed of your acceptance when all the paper work and testing is completed and the admission committee has made the decision. We begin formally announcing acceptances April 1. For Admissions forms go to: http://osls-hawaii.org/Admissions/newapp.htm

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3. How do you decide acceptance?

We want all our students to succeed. We do not have resource specialists nor special education accommodations available. At Our Savior, students thrive who have been trained to work in a traditional schooling environment. Therefore, we use the application process to promote the child’s best interests and promote their best learning placement, which does not always mean that they should attend Our Savior Lutheran School.

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4. Do you provide hot lunch?

For preschool, hot lunch and snacks are provided as part of the tuition. All preschoolers eat lunch, even the students just enrolled for the 7:50 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. classes. Preschool food is prepared here, and follows the USDA school lunch requirements. The USDA annually trains our staff and regularly inspects us.

Grades K-8 bring their own sack lunches or they may order the Catering Service lunches through the office:
http://osls-hawaii.org/Newsletter/Lunch.pdf

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5. What's your curriculum?

We emphasize strong skill and attitude development to prepare for future learning. Thus, we search for the best curriculums or textbooks for each discipline.

Also, to integrate our curriculums for cross-referencing, sequencing, and to ensure substantive content, we promote the

Core Knowledge Curriculum across the school: http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/index.htm Article Showing the Need

Classroom Resources:

Bible Study: “Voyages” Bible Study textbooks for K-8, published by Concordia Publishing House, Missouri. Students use the NIV Bible sold in the school office. For Grades 7 & 8, we also use the Lutheran Catechism.

Math: “Saxon Math” for K-8, which includes Algebra and Geometry, published by Saxon Publishers, Florida.

http://saxonpublishers.harcourtachieve.com/en-US/saxonpublishers.htm

Research on Saxon Math: http://osls-hawaii.org/For Teachers/SaxonResearch040907.pdf

Social Studies: “Core Knowledge History and Geography” by Pearson Education, New Jersey. http://plgcatalog.pearson.com/program_multiple.cfm?site_id=12&discipline_id=807&subarea_id=997&program_id=828

7^th Graders incorporate several classroom textbooks and online websites for their resources as they follow the Core Knowledge Curriculum Guidelines and the State’s Hawaiian Studies Guidelines. The textbooks are:

“The History of the Hawaiian Kingdom”, Bess Press, Honolulu, http://www.besspress.com

“Shoal of Time”, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/

“World Geography: Building a Global Perspective”, Prentice Hall,

http://www.phschool.com/atschool/world_geo/Student_Area/WG_S_BK_index.html

“Our World’s Story”, Harcourt Brace, http://www.harcourt.com/

8^th Graders use Prentice Hall “History of Our Nation”

http://tours.capturepoint.com/T19/gate.cfm?t=270&seq=1&i=1966610

Science: “Full Option Science System” by Delta Education, New Hampshire.

FOSS allows our classes to follow the Core Knowledge Curriculum and to bring in outside resources for experiments and explorations. Grades 5 and 7 complete Science Fair projects for the Hawaii State Science Fair program. http://www.delta-education.com/science/foss/index.shtml http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/index.htm

We also use the “Science Explorer” textbooks, Prentice Hall, http://www.phschool.com/successnet/science.html#sciexp

(We teach the Biblical explanation for initial and ongoing creation.)

Language Arts: We use a multi-faceted approach to developing communication skills. We develop word-attack skills using “Spalding Phonics”, Spalding International, Arizona. http://www.spalding.org/

“Open Court Reading”, K-6, McGraw-Hill—SRA, Ohio.

http://www.sraonline.com/index.php/home/curriculumsolutions/reading/ocr/622

We also promote vocabulary development through annual contests for grades 7-8.

“Scripps Spelling Bee” http://www.spellingbee.com/

“Readers' Digest Word Power Challenge” http://www.rd.com/nwpc/?wtGroup=domain&wtID=wordpowerchallenge

We also promote vocabulary development through K-8 weekly spelling tests and etymology studies.

We read novels and promote independent reading of quality literature using Core Knowledge curriculum

http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/bkstr/bkstr_classics_frames.htm

http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/bkstr/bkstr_realms_frames.htm

and the “Accelerated Reader” computer programs from Renaissance Learning, Wisconsin.

http://www.renlearn.com/ar/default.htm

Grades K-6 also use the Open Court Reading series, Mc-Graw-Hill—SRA, Ohio. http://www.sraonline.com

We develop thinking, communication, and writing skills through our ongoing writing efforts across the curriculum,

research paper, poems, computer classes, and in their student-journals.

To have the skills to promote their ideas, the students need good grammar skills.

We use Shurley Grammar, Arizona. http://www.shurley.com/ http://www.welltrainedmind.com/O00Shurley.html

Students gain poise, thinking skills, and speech fundamentals through classroom debates, class participation, chapel

presentations, and the whole-school “Speech Festival” held each springtime.

Students learn specific art skills and art history through the “Core Knowledge Sequence”

http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/bkstr/index.htm

Music teachers teach rhythm, note-reading, music appreciation, instruments, and vocal training through the performance

scheduling, and the Core Knowledge program, http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/bkstr/bkstr_music_frames.htm

Physical Education is formally taught twice a week, K-8, along with the extracurricular sports program, grades 5-8.

Please ask our principal or teachers for other specifics: http://www.osls-hawaii.org/Staff%20Directory/staff_directory.htm

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6. Who are your teachers?

Our teachers are credentialed Christian teachers who love to help children and families grow.

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7. What successes have you had?

250 students interact with us daily. We share Christ. We talk about what really matters. Children are baptized. People dedicate themselves to God's Plan. We plan ahead. We grow together. We get mad. We get happy. We deal with failures, and we deal with successes. We watch each other grow old. We have a relationship, and we share the relationship given us with God.

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8. Do you have Day Care before and after school?

Answer: Yes, we do: 6:30-7:30 a.m. and 2:45-5:30 p.m.

K-8 Students dropped off 7:00-7:30 a.m. may sit on the outside bleachers where an adult is supervising.

At 7:30 a.m. the bell rings and they are dismissed to their classrooms where they prepare for the 7:50 a.m. class start. (We prefer that parents deliver the students before 7:30 a.m. to reduce traffic congestion and give the students adequate preparation time.)

Arrivals, Departures, & Day Care:

Detailed Schedule for Before-School and After-school Supervision:

6:30-7:00 a.m., only people who have signed up for Day Care are allowed on campus.

Otherwise, “Drop-Ins” are charged $8.00 per morning.

7:00-7:30 a.m. An adult supervises K-8 students outside.

This is “free-of-charge”. We encourage you to bring the children during this time.

7:00-7:45 a.m. Students go to classrooms.

They prepare for class, get their books ready, unload backpacks, turn in notes,

ask teachers about homework issues, and get ready.

Traffic-delayed parents are now arriving onto the campus.

7:45-7:50 a.m. All students have already arrived and are in their classrooms.

Late, negligent, and highly-stressed parents are now rushing themselves and

their children onto the campus.

7:50 a.m. Students are in their seats ready-to-go. The bell rings.

Teachers take attendance and send records to the office.

7:50-8:15 a.m. Late students report to office before going to class. They receive passes.

2:25 p.m. Kindergarten & 1^st graders wait for pickup outside or go to day care.

2:30 p.m. 2^nd & 3^rd grades wait outside or enter day care.

2:40 p.m. 4^th & 5^th grades wait outside or enter day care.

2:50 p.m. 6^th-8^th grades wait outside or enter day care.

3:00 p.m. Students who are still on campus report to supervised day care, sports,

Heavenly Harmonies, clubs, detention, etc.

No one stays “unsupervised”. No one leaves and then returns (even with parental permission).

Drop-in Day Care children are billed $15.

For Early Dismissal days, Drop-In Day Care children are billed $30.

Click Here for the Website Pages Showing Individual Day Care Programs

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9. Do you have Band or Choir?

Yes; it is required. Grades 5-8 students must choose between choir or band. We teach these music classes at least 3 times per week. Both Band and Choir students are graded on practice, effort, attitude, and performance. Choir and Band have required performances, which are usually scheduled for Sundays.

Click Here for the Program Details.

Check our school calendar for the major Christmas, Combined Lutheran Schools, and Spring Concerts at:

http://www.osls-hawaii.org/Events%20Calendar/Events%20Calendar.htm or

recent changes are shown on the weekly newsletter at: http://osls-hawaii.org/Newsletter/ParentSaint.pdf .

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9. What is your Student-Teacher Ratio?

We have 250 students with 14 full-time teachers and 1 full-time principal. Thus, we have an 18-1 student-teacher ratio, but one teacher is our computer teacher and one teacher is our music/afternoon preschool teacher; thus, we should actually take the 252/12 ratio, which gives us a 21/1 student-teacher ratio.
Preschool classes have full-time aides. Grades K-5 have part-time aides. We also have part-time choir, band, Japanese, and art teachers.

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11. What if I'm not Lutheran?

Our families profess a wide variety of faiths. We do however insist on sharing God's love and plans through His Word, the Scriptures. The faith that we are training our students to understand and accept is that we are sinners, God loves us, and we respond to His saving forgiveness. (The "God" we refer to is Jesus.)

We encourage all our families to know what we are teaching the students. You may research the Lutheran faith further at: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=112, http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2135 , and http://www.bookofconcord.org/whatisalutheran.html .

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12. What is the main difference between Our Savior and other schools?

We are a church school, created and administrated by Our Savior Lutheran Church. Our academic programming and results show our students' high success rates, our testing results, the alumni's achievements, and parents' evaluations. Nonetheless, we are not an "elitist" school, choosing only the most academically capable children; rather, we focus on integrity--articulating and living our faith; placing, teaching, and evaluating students; working and playing to the best of our abilities. We realistically know our needs for forgiveness and for our Savior, and we respond to all that He has given us. Thus, we offer the best curriculum and programs that we can, and our students also do the best they can, while we greatly value the differences among our students, families, and community.