Week of 3/6/26

What's Happening at HPA This Week?

Message from the Head of School

Aloha HPA ʻohana,

This week I had the privilege of sitting in on our fifth grade capstone presentations. It was a gift. The learning was exceptional, and the range of topics was remarkable—healing plants, horse anatomy, sustainability initiatives, knot tying and navigation, screen printing, reefs, native plant preservation, and more.

I’ve come to expect a certain level of confidence and excellence from our students when they present their work. What I didn’t expect was to walk away with a lesson in stress management.

As part of their capstone journey, students learned a mindfulness technique called “Taming the Dragon.” When they encountered moments of frustration, uncertainty, or setbacks in their research, they practiced slowing down, taking intentional “dragon breaths,” visualizing the challenge in front of them, and reframing their thinking so the obstacle became something they could face rather than something that overwhelmed them.

The beauty of the lesson was that it didn’t live in the final product—it grew out of the process (see last week’s ASB message).

This feels especially fitting because, throughout the year, the fifth grade class uses the framing of the Hero’s Journey to inform their work—that timeless story arc in which the hero ventures into the unknown, encounters trials, and ultimately faces down the dragon. Every hero meets a dragon somewhere along the path. The dragon might be fear, frustration, self-doubt, or simply the difficulty of learning something new. Watching our students recognize those moments and practice moving through them with intention was both powerful and poetic.

Of course, learning how to navigate stress is not a lesson reserved for fifth grade. It is an essential life skill for all of us, and one we work intentionally to support across the entire K–12 experience at HPA. Our counselors in each division partner closely with teachers and students to build emotional awareness, resilience, and healthy strategies for managing pressure. The goal is not to remove obstacles from our students’ lives, but to help them develop the tools to meet these challenges with steadiness and confidence.

Our families play an important role in this work as well. Simple practices—pausing to breathe, naming what feels difficult, reframing a challenge, and remembering that setbacks are part of growth—can help our young people learn that the “dragon” in front of them is something they can face.

And sometimes, the best strategy for taming the dragon is simply stepping away for a while to get perspective, build your reserves, and prepare to face another day, rested, stronger, and wiser.

With spring break ahead, our community has a chance to do just that— to step-away, rest, reset, and return with renewed energy for the final stretch of the school year. I hope the coming break offers your family a chance to slow down, reconnect, laugh, and gather a bit of strength for the next part of the journey. We look forward to welcoming our students back refreshed and ready.

Have a wonder-full weekend!

Gratefully,

Fred Wawner
Head of School

School Bulletins for the Week of 3/6/26

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!

This week was a special one for our K–2 learners as they celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss and the joy of early literacy. His stories remain foundational for young readers—from the playful rhythm of The Cat in the Hat to the enduring message of care for our world in The Lorax. While some of his older works are now appropriately out of print, we continue to appreciate the profound impact his writing has had on the literary canon for all readers, helping children build phonics skills while nurturing a lifelong love of rhyme, language, and storytelling. Our classrooms were filled with read-alouds and creative activities throughout the week, from turning socks into mittens to the delightful silliness of Wacky Wednesday!

Alongside the fun in K–2, our campus was buzzing with meaningful academic work as our 5th graders presented their Capstone journeys in their exhibitions and presentations. These thoughtful presentations highlighted the curiosity, perseverance, and creativity our students have developed over the years. Our 4th graders served as engaged audience members and panelists, offering feedback and questions, alongside members of HPA leadership, faculty, staff, and our many supportive parents and families. Mahalo to all who joined us in celebrating this important milestone and a shared love for learning and caring for our community.

We closed the week with another highlight: Student-Led Conferences. It is always wonderful to see our scholars take ownership of their growth—sharing goals, reflecting on challenges, and outlining their plans for the fourth quarter. These conferences demonstrate the power of students developing the confidence and language to discuss their own learning.

As we head off into spring break, we are also delighted to share that Corbin Doak, P ’31, has accepted the position of K–8 Educational Technology Specialist beginning in the 2026–27 school year. Corbin has been a valued member of the HPA community for many years, supporting the school as a substitute teacher, after school program team member, residential life faculty member, and educational assistant in both 3rd and 5th grade classrooms.

With more than 17 years of experience in international and multicultural educational settings, along with extensive professional experience in photography, digital media, graphic design, web design, and layout, Corbin brings both creativity and technical expertise to this role. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications and Digital Design and maintains certifications across major technology platforms including Google Workspace for Education, Apple Teacher, and Microsoft AI for Educators. We are confident that his experience, creativity, and positive spirit will serve him well in this role.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the members of the hiring committee for their time, care, and thoughtful work throughout the search process.

Mahalo, as always, for your partnership and for the many ways you support our learners and community each day. I wish each of you a happy, healthy, and restorative Spring Break. School will resume on Monday, March 23. See you all again soon!

Me ka mahalo nui,

Me ka mahalo nui,
Dora Kwong
Lower School Principal

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Schedule

Our K-5 classes continue with in-person instruction on our Village Campus on Monday, March 23.

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

• March 7-22: Spring Break

Mana Robotics Engineering Camp – Register by March 6!

The HPA Mana Robotics Team is hosting a series of hands-on STEAM Engineering Camps for students ages 10-14. Campers will solder, code, 3D print, and build real working projects they get to take home.

Full Day
Date: March 26
Time: 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
Price: $270

Half Day
Dates: March 28, April 11, and April 18
Time: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm OR 1:30–4:00 pm
Price: $135

Each session is limited to 14 students, so spots will fill quickly. All proceeds support the team’s trip to the World Championship. Registration closes March 6.

More information

Want to support student opportunities like this beyond camp registration? Contributions can also be made through the HPA Fund, which makes programs like this possible at our school.

Make a gift

Grade the Grub

Please take a moment to complete the following survey about your child’s experience in our school dining hall. We appreciate your thoughtful feedback and suggestions for improvement as we work with Flik to provide healthy, tasty and locally sourced food for our students.

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.

Video Highlight of the Week: 5th Grade Capstone Presentations

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,

Student Led Conferences
Thank you again for your support and participation in our Village Campus Student Led Conferences. These conversations are an important milestone in helping students develop greater ownership of their learning each year. Through their portfolios on Google Sites, students reflect on their work using the core skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Presenting this work to you and sharing goals for improvement helps connect past learning to future growth and strengthens each student’s sense of agency.

Following the conferences, families will soon be able to view Winter 2025–2026 NWEA MAP Growth Reading and Math scores through myHPA. After Spring Break, we will offer an informational session to help families understand how to interpret these results and how they fit into our broader assessment plan. These assessments provide one snapshot of student learning, and we look forward to using them to track growth over time.

Concern reports and additional comments from instructors for your Middle School child(ren) are now available for review and download by logging into myHPA.

To access the reports, please log into myHPA, select your ‘Child’s name,’ click on the ‘Progress’ tab, in the ‘Performance’ tile, click ‘Report Cards’ to expand the list, and click on the blue ‘US/MS Progress Report’ link. Concern reports were only drafted on an ʻas neededʻ basis in February. Although grades may have improved since the draft was written, the academic concern is still pertinent to a successful close of the school year. You can check if there are any reports of academic concern in ‘Progress’ .

As a reminder, you can always view your child’s progress by going to myHPA, clicking on your child’s name in the upper left corner, and then clicking the progress tab. The ‘See Grade Detail’ tab will give you specific information about individual assignments.

If you have questions regarding a report, please contact your child’s teacher directly. School email addresses for faculty and staff can be found in myHPA by accessing the ‘Directories’ tab and then by selecting ‘Faculty and Staff.’

The HPA Fund
I would also like to take a moment to invite your participation in the HPA Fund. As you know, we have a generous donor who has committed to contributing $25,000 to the Fund for each class that reaches 80 percent family participation. Currently, participation rates are as follows for our Middle School grades:

Grade 6: 68 percent
Grade 7: 66 percent
Grade 8: 44 percent

If your family has not yet contributed, we would be deeply grateful for your support. Gifts of any size help us reach this goal, and contributions can be as small as $10. Achieving 80 percent participation would unlock significant additional funding that directly benefits our students and programs. Thank you for considering how you might help our classes reach this milestone.

Congratulations Corbin
We are also pleased to share that Corbin Doak, P ’31, has accepted the position of K–8 Educational Technology Specialist beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. Corbin has been a valued member of the HPA community for many years, supporting the school as a substitute teacher, after school program team member, residential life faculty member, and educational assistant in both 3rd and 5th grade classrooms. Many of you also know him as the parent of a current 7th grader.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the members of the hiring committee for their time, care, and thoughtful work throughout the search process.

Happy Spring Break
I wish each of you a happy, healthy, and restorative Spring Break. School will resume on Monday, March 23. Please see the reminders below for programs and events taking place after the break.

Mahalo for your partnership and support. Have a wonderful weekend.

Aloha,
Michael Cservenak
Middle School Principal

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4.23.26 Middle School Mega Lab Excursion