Week of 1/16/26

What's Happening at HPA This Week?

Message from the Head of School

Aloha HPA ʻohana,

Earlier this week, I had the chance to speak with our Upper School students during their weekly assembly. I wanted to share a concept with them—and with you—that applies not only to athletics, but also to our academic, work, and life journeys: the “Middle Eight.”

With the pageantry of the college football season coming to a close on Monday and the NFL playoffs now in full swing (my “Go Birds” quickly becoming “No Birds” for the rest of the month), the idea of the middle eight felt especially timely.

The term comes from sports analytics. Today’s sports world relies heavily on data—statistics that tell a story and help shape strategy, decisions, and outcomes. In football, the middle eight minutes—the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second—are often the most decisive stretch of the game. Studies spanning multiple seasons show that teams who outscore their opponent during this window go on to win roughly three-quarters of the time. While we all love a dramatic comeback in the final moments, the reality is that most games are already shaped well before the end. Momentum, discipline, and confidence are usually established earlier—and the ending often reflects what happened before.

I shared with students that the beginning of this semester works much the same way. We are, in many ways, in our own middle eight. The excitement of the start has passed, the finish line feels far away, and what happens now can serve as a springboard for the rest of the semester. January—and the habits built in these early weeks—matters enormously.

This is the point where habits begin to outweigh talent. Showing up prepared, doing the small things consistently, responding well when things don’t go exactly as planned, staying optimistic, and trusting the work you’ve put in are all slow, steady steps that build positively on one another. If students approach these weeks with focus and intention, the success they hope for later is already in motion.

I also spoke with students about taking ownership of their school—allowing self-pride and school pride to dance together a bit over the coming months. HPA belongs to them just as much, if not more so, as it belongs to any of us. We talked about a few simple, tangible ways to show care for our community: cleaning up after ourselves, including returning dishes; picking up trash and helping maintain the beauty of campus; and looking up, saying hello, and acknowledging one another as we move through the day. These actions may seem small, but they shape culture—and culture shapes experience.

I emphasized that time here moves quickly. Before we know it, we’ll be gathered at year-end assemblies, listening to seniors remind younger students not to wait too long to connect with people or take this community for granted. There are few phases in life that look or feel like this one. Later, participation becomes optional. Here, showing up together—whether attendance is taken or not—is part of the gift.

Our hope for students this semester is simple: grab hold of this time, care for this place, and care for one another. If they do, the rest will follow. Not a bad message for all of us. Soon enough, the month of May will be asking what we did back in January.

As we head into a long weekend honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it feels fitting to remember his words: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Thank you, as always, for the care you show one another and for living the values that bind us as a community. We are excited for what this spring semester holds.

Gratefully,

Fred Wawner
Head of School

School Bulletins for the Week of 1/16/26

Lower School

Each week, K–5 families receive updates highlighting joyful moments, meaningful lessons, and a glimpse into what students and parents can look forward to in the weeks ahead.

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News & notes

Aloha Lower School ʻOhana!

As we move further into January, our students are engaged, curious, and learning through meaningful, hands-on experiences both on and off campus!

Lower School Experiential Learning
This week, several of our classes had the opportunity to take their learning beyond the classroom through huakaʻi connected to their current units of study.

3rd Grade visited Flight of Aloha as part of their exploration of the physics of flight. Students were able to deepen their understanding of forces, motion, and design through connections to aviation and engineering. They also had a visit to Mauna Loa Helicopters, further extending their learning about flight and the science behind how aircraft move through the air.

4th Grade had an engaging learning experience tied to their studies with a huakiʻi to both the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center and the Tsunami Museum, supporting their unit focused on Papahānaumokuākea, and understanding Hawaiʻi’s unique ocean and island systems. Animal dissections, guest speakers, and interactive exhibits gave our young scholars opportunities to connect to our ʻāina and history!

In addition, several of our Lower School classes—including 2nd and 3rd grades—have been participating in our Book Bites program. Book Bites is a unique reading initiative designed by our in-house FLIK dietitians with HPA students in mind, thoughtfully combining literature and culinary education by integrating food- and wellness-related themes. Representatives from FLIK Dining Services, such as the Wellness Director, Dietitian, and Chef, have been visiting classrooms to share food samples and lead read-alouds and literacy activities alongside our grade-level teachers. Through these lessons, students are learning more about nutrition, dietary needs, and the important role food plays in our daily lives—while also making meaningful connections to place, including local staples and treats that are part of our Hawaiʻi community.

Experiences like these bring our students’ learning to life and strengthen the connection between classroom content, Hawaiʻi, and the world around us.

K-5 Swim Unit: January 20–23
A reminder that our Lower School swim unit will take place January 20–23 for all K-5 students. Please be sure to review the details and reminders included in Coach Tʻs email for scheduling, expectations, and what students should bring each day. Families of K and 1st grade students are invited to volunteer and help in the water. Thank you for helping your child arrive prepared and ready to participate each PE day.

Consistent Expectations and Restorative Practices
As part of our ongoing work to support student success, our specialist teachers have been collaborating closely since the first semester to strengthen and align how we respond to student behavior across learning spaces. The foundation of how we guide children through our restorative practices approach is strengthened as teachers have worked together to:

Further systematize our response to behavior redirection
Realign our steps across settings, supporting greater consistency
Build predictability for students, so they know what to expect and what support looks like, no matter if you are in PE, Art, or Music.

We know children thrive when expectations are clear, consistent, and reinforced through routine. When students make mistakes, as they are meant to do, our goal is to provide an opportunity to pause, reflect, and repair, rooted in our restorative practices and HPA values. Across our specialist classes, these steps are now known as Remind, Reset, and Reflect. This shared approach helps students understand expectations, learn from choices, and return successfully to learning.

Attendance Reminder: Please Notify the VC Office
A friendly reminder to please contact the Village Campus Office if your child will be absent, tardy, or has an appointment and will be picked up early during the school day. This is also important if your child will be out of school for an extended period of time.

Phone: (808) 885-2500
Email: vcattendance@hpa.edu

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students safe, accounted for, and supported each day.

Finally, a very special shout-out to our Kindergarten class, who shared beautiful poems of peace and reflections of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy during our lower school assembly this week. Their words were a sweet and powerful reminder that peace begins with how we treat one another each day—with kindness, courage, and respect. May we continue to honor Dr. King’s legacy by helping our children find their voices and use them to stand up for what is right, advocate for others, and contribute to a more just and caring world. Have a wonderful long weekend, celebrating the great Dr. King!

Me ka mahalo nui,

Dora Kwong
Lower School Principal

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4.9.26 Lower School with UC Capstone_Dylan Vincent_Gyotaku Painting Demo

Schedule

Our K-5 classes continue with in-person instruction on our Village Campus on Tuesday, January 20.

We encourage all families to check the School Calendar in myHPA for the most up-to-date information. In addition, a list of Key Dates (school opening and closures) can also be located on the Lower School Family Resources tile located in myHPA.

Coming Up

• Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Jr., Day, no classes

• Friday, February 6: Pizza and Play with Head of School, Fred Wawner

• Monday, February 16: K-12 Faculty Work Day, no classes

• Friday, February 27: Village Campus Plant Sale

• Wednesday, March 4: 5th Grade Capstone Presentations

• Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6: LS/MS Student-Led Conferences

Pizza and a Play with the Head of School

Join us in Ko Kākou Student Union on the Upper Campus from 5:15 to 6:30 pm on Friday, February 6, for pizza with our Head of School, Fred Wawner, before the opening night of Ka Makani Players’ performance of Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion. Bring the family for a slice and head over to the Gates Performing Arts Center for the 7:00 pm showing. The show is free and open to the public. Please RSVP here. We hope to see you there!

Past Email Communications

All past email communications can be accessed by visiting the Lower School Family Resources tile on myHPA and scrolling down to Past Parent Email Communications, 2025-2026.

myHPA

In addition to Seesaw, many important resources can be located on our community portal, myHPA. Check the Lower School Family Resources tile for the most up-to-date information.

Middle School

Each week, 6–8 families receive updates reflecting on recent activities and accomplishments, along with a preview of what students and parents can look forward to in the coming days.

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News & notes

Aloha Middle School Families,

This has been a very productive week at HPA Middle School, and it’s been encouraging to see how the momentum from Semester 1 is carrying forward into the heart of Semester 2. Our yearlong theme, ʻAʻohe Hana Nui Ke Alu ʻIa, continues to guide the work on campus as students and teachers lean into collaboration, focus, and shared responsibility. Eighth graders are wrapping up podcast projects, making meaningful progress on Capstone milestones, and our faculty is moving full steam ahead with curriculum and instruction.

A quick reminder that in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy of advancing equality, justice, and peace, Monday, January 19 is a school-wide holiday. There will be no school for students that day.

This past week, I hosted an informational Zoom meeting for parents to review the purpose and structure of the NWEA MAP Growth assessment in Reading and Math. A recording of that session will be shared soon for families who were unable to attend. As a reminder, students will take the assessments during a modified schedule on the following dates:

Thursday, January 22 for MAP Growth Reading
Thursday, January 29 for MAP Growth Math

Assessments will be administered during advisory in the morning. Students who are absent will have opportunities to make up the assessment during future flex times. Establishing this baseline measure is an important step in supporting student goal setting and informing long-term academic planning at HPA. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions.

Looking ahead, please save the following upcoming dates:

Saturday, February 1 for the First Lego League Robotics State Championship on Oʻahu, as our teams finalize builds and presentations.
Friday, February 20 for the Middle School Lip Sync Contest and Dance, a favorite tradition that brings advisories together through music and performance.
Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6 for Student Led Conferences. These are non-instructional days, and conferences are a required part of our Middle School program. Additional information about scheduling will be shared soon.
Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4 for the Middle School Spring Musical, Annie Jr., directed by Ms. Wadlegger with musical direction by Ms. Di Bartolo.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. I hope you and your family enjoy a restful and refreshing weekend.

Aloha,

Michael Cservenak
Middle School Principal

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