Preschoolers will get a chance to be kindergarteners for a day at Sacred Hearts School on Feb. 9.

LAHAINA – On Monday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon, Sacred Hearts School in Lahaina will host an open house for keiki heading to kindergarten in the 2015-16 school year.

A drawing will be held for a $500 tuition award for new Sacred Hearts School families (a parent must be present to participate). Register for the drawing by sending an e-mail to openhouseSHS@gmail.com.

A free, healthy lunch will be provided by Penne Pasta Cafe, Sacred Hearts School’s school lunch provider.

Preschoolers will get a chance to be kindergarteners for a day. Parents will witness, firsthand, just what makes this school so special.

Come meet kindergarten teacher Wendy Coon, first grade teacher Dana Kirby, second grade teacher Tonata Lolesio and Teacher’s Assistants Mariah Perry and Holly Symank.

At Sacred Hearts, the staff believes that it is critical to create a link from grade to grade, so that keiki can build upon what they learn and experience. As such, the teachers work together as a team to create a bridge from one grade to the next.

Teachers are very experienced and keep their knowledge up to date, staying abreast of developments in child education by attending seminars, taking advanced classes and working together as a team to share experiences.

A graduate of Sacred Hearts School, Coon is in her 13th year teaching at Sacred Hearts and has a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Her two daughters are both students at Sacred Hearts.

Kirby has been teaching first grade at Sacred Hearts for eight years, is in her 11th year teaching, and has a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Her son is a student at Sacred Hearts School.

Lolesio is in her 14th year teaching second grade at Sacred Hearts School and has a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Her son is a student at Sacred Hearts.

Perry is in her second year of assisting at Sacred Hearts School. She is a graduate of the school and was a professional hula dancer. Perry uses her hula background to help choreograph the school’s amazing May Day performance.

Symank is in her second year as a teaching assistant at Sacred Hearts. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity Western University and has over 11 years of experience working with keiki running a church nursery in Oregon and holding full-time nanny positions. She also has her certification in CPR and First Aid.

Sacred Hearts kindergarteners arrive at first grade able to read and ready to move to the next level.

Sacred Hearts students outperform the nation’s kids in standardized testing, and more than 90 percent of its graduates go to college. (The national average is 66 percent, and the average for the State of Hawaii is 53 percent.)

Sacred Hearts’ philosophy statement on the school website (www.sacredheartsschool.net) sums up the approach to teaching at the school: “We believe that each child is born with a gift. As teachers, it is our role to help uncover that gift and inspire our children to flourish and reach their full potential. We believe that children learn best when they are having fun and that keiki need room to express themselves creatively in order to thrive. We teach our students to reach for the stars.”

Sacred Hearts School registration for 2015-16 opens Feb. 9. There is a $100 tuition discount for registering by March 28.

Registration for the open house is required by Jan. 29. Send an e-mail to openhouseSHS@gmail.com (you will receive an e-mail confirmation of your reservation) or call the school office at 661-4720.

For more information, go to www.sacredheartsschool.net.