Waipuna Chapel Preschool

08/31/2026

This. ❤️

08/27/2026

A child can know the rule, understand what is expected, and have done it successfully many times before — and still struggle to do it in a particular moment.

Because being able to do something isn't just about knowing how.

When a child is overwhelmed, anxious, tired, overstimulated or dysregulated, their access to skills such as impulse control, flexible thinking, problem-solving, communication and emotional regulation can change.

This is why:

“But you KNOW better.”

“You did this yesterday.”

“We’ve talked about this before.”

…often doesn’t help.

Instead of asking, “Why aren’t they using the skill?” try asking:

“What is getting in the way of accessing the skill right now?”

Sometimes our children don't need another reminder of what they already know.

They need our help getting back to a place where they can use it.

— The Therapist Parent

08/19/2026

08/14/2026

Sharing the love of reading

Like so many Orange County, California residents, eleven year old Maddie Ellner loves visiting Maui and has visited annually since she was born ( except for Covid 2020 ). She has a growing collection of fond memories of Maui’s beaches, luaus, food trucks, hiking trails, harbors and mountains. She was on island in August 2023 and could see the fires that brought so much damage to Maui and its families.

In 2024, when thinking about returning to Maui, she wondered what else she could do. She knew about the destruction of the Lahaina Library and about the kids who lost everything. She decided to collect books and work with the Friends of the Maui Library. In that first year, she delivered 1,600 books donated from her family, friends, neighbors and local Orange County schools and libraries to help replace books lost in the fires or to be sold to raise money to buy new books.

She started small with a few fliers in the neighborhood and then to her classmates and librarians at her school. Word spread quickly and her home was soon filled with over 1,600 books weighing more than 700 pounds!

With planning and discussions with United Airlines , 10 brightly colored duffel bags were be brought to Maui as part of her family’s luggage and delivered to the Kihei branch of Friends of the Maui Library on in August 2024. In August of 2025, she was back again with another 500 books, helped this time by her younger brother, Andy. This week she continues her Books to Maui Kids program with another 500 plus books.

She hopes that others will read about her work, which she plans to continue (as she visits Maui every year) and make their own book or monetary contributions. Rebuilding is a long term effort that goes on and on after the headlines and newscasts fade away. A fact that everyone in Maui knows today.

Thanks, Maddie! You are Maui Friends of the Library’s SUPERHERO!!

08/11/2026

We love our loving, smiley, patient, smart and kind teachers.

07/11/2026

05/19/2026

It wasn’t on the lesson plan and the weather app said rain expected at 4:00 p.m.
Turns out it was water play day.