Week of 1/13/23
What's Happening at HPA This Week?
Message from the Head of School
Message from the Head of School
Aloha HPA ʻohana,
Happy New Year everyone!
It is great to be back on campus with our faculty, staff, and students. I love the idea of a new year, a new beginning, and all that is possible. Yes, I started a new diet, broke open my new Passion Planner, started a new book about changing and maintaining habits, and even added a few morning swims to my routine (that is not pretty!). Renewal is fun and it doesn’t take much. I’m a believer in a good new year’s resolution. These early days of each calendar year are hopeful and they should be. “The aggregation of marginal gains” is our focus. Getting a little better each day, in each area of our lives, day after day leads to the strong foundation, stability, and upward growth we seek.
I find it easy to stumble upon inspiration around here. In our first few days together in January, our faculty made my heart pound a few beats faster. We gathered to reconnect and learn together. Our professional development time had several strands. Two that I want to share about are presentations by Rosetta Lee — a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging consultant — who led a seminar on helping our community identify, understand, and deal with microaggressions, and Dr. Michael Thompson — famed author and child psychologist — who led a workshop with us focused on child development and the norms, pressures, and realities of adolescence. Each presenter had expertise in their area and a keen way to deliver information that was both disarming and engaging. While the topics were different, the concepts and messages were the same: improving our ability to communicate and build trusting relationships is key to many things that lead to most successes as we define them, most notably, happiness.
It is so fun to learn. Sometimes we get stuck in our positions of adult authority, which requires us to do, to act, or to respond so much that we have a hard time finding the space and time to actively engage in learning. When you get the chance, take it. If you don’t see a window for it, make one. And it is especially fun and powerful to learn in a group of highly-motivated people who share a passion for improving their craft. This is what I had the privilege of experiencing last week. Our folks were all together, working and learning to improve their skills to serve their students and make our school community better. We want to build sessions like these opportunities for our parents as well. Another new year’s goal to add to my list.
Our students have returned safely and are ready to forge ahead in their learning journeys. There is great spirit in the air as they reconnect with each other, share stories of break, and chart their individual course for the second semester. They may not realize it, but they have changed. They’ve grown. Physically, probably, but most often, in a level of maturity and depth. They are more comfortable and able to see more when they walk across campus. This, too is inspiring. It lets us know we are doing good work and to continue to pour ourselves into their learning.
Monday, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work and sacrifices for equality and social justice that continues to inspire us to learn and lead for equity and inclusion in our communities. In his Letter from Birmingham jail in 1963, he shared this now famous quote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
We are a work in progress, actively engaging in building our future together — our pursuit of excellence.
Happy Aloha Friday. Have a wonderful weekend!
Gratefully,
Fred Wawner
Head of School
School Bulletins for the Week of 1/13/23
Lower School
Each week, Lower School Principal Dora Kwong writes a message to K-5 families highlighting joyful moments and meaningful lessons and offering a glimpse into what students and parents can plan for in the weeks ahead.
From the desk of your Division Principal, Dora Kwong
Aloha Lower School families,
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a rejuvenating winter break with your families and enjoyed the time to reset. It has been wonderful to reconnect with all our community members and share stories of time well spent. These early childhood years go by quickly, but the creation of family memories lasts a lifetime.
As returning to a regular school routine after an extended break can be filled with different emotions, our Lower School teachers welcomed students back with intention and warmth, helping our children unpack those feelings, share about holiday adventures, and reacclimate to our school programming. Giving children time to share and connect with each other about how tired, excited, and nervous they may feel (amongst many other emotions!) is an important way to hold space for our community of learners as we enter into a busy season of lessons, projects, field trips, and other curricular happenings. Indeed, the spring semester is a busy time here at the Lower School, and we are all looking forward to the second-semester ramp up of expectations and learnings.
Prior to students returning, our teachers hit the ground running with two days of faculty professional development focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as a session with renowned child psychologist Dr. Michael Thompson. It was exciting to see what we currently do well in line with best practices and also areas in which we can continue to grow. Thank you to our families who were able to participate in our corresponding parent session with Dr. Thompson this past Monday. A school consultant and author of numerous books, including Best Friends/Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children, Dr. Thompson engaged in dialogue with our families and answered a number of questions. If you were not able to make it, you can watch a recording of the session here. You can find more information about Dr. Thompson and his books here.
Welcome back to the Village Campus, Lower School ʻohana. May 2023 be full of joy, aloha, and continued growth for all.
Warmly,
Dora Kwong
Lower School Principal
Capstone Update from K-8 Capstone Director, Dagan Bernstein
Aloha mai kākou. The start of the second semester marks the beginning of students fully engaging with the “creation” part of the capstone process. December closed with small cohorts meeting to share the current status of their project and collect feedback on what initial tasks have been completed. Over the next eight weeks, students will work in and outside the classroom to build, craft, code, coordinate, plant, and print as they work through the tasks on their project plans. This phase will culminate in February with an additional peer check-in for more feedback.
Schedule
In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there are no classes on Monday, January 16. Our K-5 classes continue with in-person instruction on our Village Campus on Tuesday, January 17.
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 16: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no K-12 classes
• Friday, February 10: Faculty work day, all divisions, no K-12 classes
Student Support
Ms. Baydo (K-8 School Counselor) rbaydo@hpa.edu and Mr. Ludes (K-8 Learning Specialist) jludes@hpa.edu are available to discuss and support social-emotional and academic concerns for your child(ren). Please connect with them via email.
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, 2022-2023.
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, Middle School Principal Glenn Chickering pens a note to 6-8 families reflecting on the activities and accomplishments of the week and previewing what students and parents can look forward to in the coming days.
From the desk of your Division Principal, Glenn Chickering
Aloha Middle School families,
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful and restorative winter break. One of my favorite thing about a school community is the opportunity to start fresh so often. August always marks new beginnings as we all meet new people, form new friendships, and embark on new learning journeys. But January is a time of renewal, too, as we have the chance to reflect on the first semester and look for ways to enrich our experiences to make the most of the remainder of the school year.
We were thrilled to start the year with a virtual session for parents with Dr. Michael Thompson — child psychologist, school consultant, and author of numerous books, including Best Friends/Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children. After his presentation, Dr. Thompson answered many great questions. A big mahalo to all who were able to join us and move the conversation along. If you were not able to make it, you can watch a recording of the session here. You can find more information about Dr. Thompson and his books here.
Ms. Monello and our Middle School Yearbook team are hard at work and wanted to reach out to 8th-grade parents to help their children with some photos we need for the special Grade 8 spread. We are looking for each child to bring:
- One close-up profile photo (other than their HPA school photo)
- One family photo
- Two lifestyle photos (with friends, doing a favorite activity, with a pet, etc.)
- One baby photo (Up to the age of 2-years-old; digital only, please)
The semester one Dean’s List is now available on myHPA.
This week’s Fly on the Wall flew all around the Middle School with some extra stops into our 6th-grade language classes as they introduced a new language. The students played fun games to introduce themselves to the teachers and get a good overview of the language and cultures they’ll be introduced to over the course of the semester.
I hope that you have a great long weekend!
Mahalo,
Glenn Chickering
Middle School Principal
Capstone Update from K-8 Capstone Director, Dagan Bernstein
Aloha mai kākou. The start of the second semester marks the beginning of students fully engaging with the “creation” part of the capstone process. December closed with small cohorts meeting to share the current status of their project and collect feedback on what initial tasks have been completed. Over the next eight weeks, students will work in and outside the classroom to build, craft, code, coordinate, plant, and print as they work through the tasks on their project plans. This phase will culminate in February with an additional peer check-in for more feedback.
Schedule
In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there are no classes on Monday, January 16. Our Middle School 2022-2023 Daily Schedule continues with in-person instruction on our Village Campus on Tuesday, January 17.
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 Middle School Family Resources tile located in myHPA.
Coming Up
• Monday, January 16: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no classes
• Friday, February 10: Faculty work day, all divisions, no classes
Student Support
Please remember that we will be outside as much as possible during lunch and recess, so a rain jacket for light rains and a pareo or small beach towel for picnicking will be great to have at school. Students should also bring a water bottle to school each day.
Ms. Baydo (K-8 School Counselor) rbaydo@hpa.edu and Mr. Ludes (K-8 Learning Specialist) jludes@hpa.edu are available to discuss and support social-emotional and academic concerns for your child(ren). Please connect with them via email.
Digital Citizenship Resources for Parents
Parenting in the Digital Age: Resources for Parents
Past Email Communications
All past email communications can be accessed by visiting the Middle School Family Resource tile on myHPA and scrolling down to ‘Past Email Communications, 2022-2023’.
myHPA
myHPA is where you can find all the resources related to your child’s learning. Two key resource boards that we would like to draw your attention to are the Middle School Family Resources, and the Middle School Student Resources.
Upper School
From the desk of your Poʻo Kumu (Division Principal), Kaʻai Spencer
Aloha e nā ʻohana o ka makani!
Aloha Makahiki Hou! It is indeed a happy new year, and the energy on campus is refreshing. Returning from Winter Break is always exciting because students have not seen each other for a while, the conversations are fresh, and there are always a number of students who return sporting a new haircut or fashionable change up. This is a perfect time for a reset, especially if the fall semester did not go as planned.
Our first assembly of the new year also focused on the theme of a reset. Our student body president, Ali Wawner, mentioned that she would be putting forth a better effort to wake up earlier in the morning and to bring a water bottle to school to help her stay hydrated. Little steps like that can amount to a compounding improvement. I also shared a message that was very similar by encouraging the students to establish and refresh a set of routines that will help them to succeed. After a long break, we all can benefit from a recalibration.
At the start of the year, I opened with a well-known Hawaiian phrase that says, ʻo ke kāhua ma mua, ma hope ke kūkulu. This means the foundation comes first, then the building. That being said, the foundation sometimes needs to be renovated. Parents, please assist with establishing these foundational routines. Ask to see homework assignments and for an explanation of the assignment focus. Ask for due dates and give encouragement to write down the requirements of assignments. Another avenue is to look at assignments, grades, and assignment comments on myHPA. All of these tiny steps can be very helpful in guiding our students to learn about the importance of the foundational practices that lead to success as a student, which is very similar to the foundational practices that lead to success as an adult in a professional setting.
Ke aloha nō,
Kaʻai Spencer
Upper School Poʻo Kumu
Schedule
In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there are no classes on Monday, January 16. Our Upper School 2022-2023 Daily Schedule will resume as a Mamo day with in-person instruction on our Upper Campus on Tuesday, January 17.
We encourage all students and families to access 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 Upper School Family Resources tile located in myHPA.
Coming Up
• Monday, January 16: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no K-12 classes
• Friday, February 10: Faculty work day, all divisions, no K-12 classes
• Wednesday, February 22 – Friday, February 24: Upper School Olympics
Reminder of Updated Spring Calendar
Mark your calendars for the school play on February, Thursday, 16 to Saturday, February 18. Upper School Olympics will begin with Opening Ceremonies on the evening of Wednesday, February 22, and continue through Thursday and Friday, February 23-24, 2023.
We have made some changes to our planned parent-teacher conferences, which were initially scheduled for Thursday, March 2, and Friday, March 3. Instead, both days will be regularly scheduled Upper School classes and our parent-teacher conferences are moving to Friday, April 21, which was already set aside as a Faculty Work Day with no classes for grades K-12. On Friday, April 21, parents will have the opportunity to meet with their student’s advisor. The shift in dates is in recognition that students in grades 9-11 will be signing up for courses that week and the potential it provides for parents and advisors to discuss the student’s course choices. Senior advisors look forward to meeting with their advisee parents as a last opportunity to connect with their advisees’ parents, maybe talk about the upcoming capstone showcase, commencement events, and post-secondary plans.
All of these changes are available to view on the myHPA calendar and our Key Dates calendar. Further details and reminders about this change will be communicated throughout the Spring.
Student Support
Should your child need additional learning support, we encourage you to reach out to JoAn Canning, our Upper School Learning Support Center Director, by emailing jcanning@hpa.edu. In addition, our counselors are ready to assist any student who needs additional support to navigate these unusual and unprecedented times. Please feel free to reach out to the Upper Campus counseling team of Tiffany Freitas at 808-881-4038 or tfreitas@hpa.edu and Steve Furchner at 808-640-4441 or sfurchner@hpa.edu.
Ka Makani Athletics
Our winter athletic schedule has been updated. You can also access the athletics schedule on the myHPA calendar.
Student Life
Class Absences – Leave Request Form
If an Upper School student is going to be missing more than one day of classes for a non-medical reason, that student must pick up a Leave Request Form from the Student Life Office and have their teachers sign the form acknowledging their extended absence. All signed forms must be submitted to the Student Life Office before they miss any classes.
College Counseling
Revolution Prep- Test Prep Services
Revolution Prep is a leading online test preparation and tutoring company that offers small group test prep, small group tutoring, and private tutoring sessions. Click here to view their flyer and here to learn about their $200 promotional offer that can be used towards private tutoring or test prep services.
Practice ACT/SAT
Revolution Prep is also offering students the opportunity to take SAT and ACT practice exams this January. The exams are free and proctored online. Each family will also receive a free Score Review from a representative from Revolution Prep.
A free SAT practice exam will be offered on Saturday, January 14, 2023. For more details and to register, click here. A free ACT practice exam will be offered on Saturday, January 28, 2023. For more details and to register, click here.
Junior Night
Mahalo to those who were able to join us on Tuesday for our Junior Parent Night presentation. For those who were unable to attend, attached are the presentation slides as well as a recording of the presentation.
To fully access Scoir’s features, you need to link your parent account with your student’s account. This is done by logging into your Scoir account and “accepting” your student.
Once you have linked your accounts, you will be able to see your student’s Scoir account details, including biographical information, academics, activities, achievements, college preferences, and college list. Kindly encourage your child to complete these sections, as this information allows us to best advise students in their college search and application process. We also ask that you please complete the “Parent/Guardian Input Survey” in your Scoir account in as much detail as possible by the end of this semester.
Residential Life
After a busy weekend and lots of flight adjustments, we have our students back on campus, and the Spring semester is rolling! We thank everyone for being diligent in testing before traveling back to school, and hope for a healthy start to 2023!
For the semester ahead, we have lots of planned activities and opportunities for our students to enjoy their community and their peers! One tradition that the students have petitioned to bring back after it was put on hold during the pandemic is Formal Dinner, which we will slowly roll out over the course of this semester. Our food service providers, some of our faculty, and the majority of our students have changed since the last time we had this wonderful tradition in full swing, so there will be adjustments to be made, but we did let students know before the break that this event was coming, and hopefully, everyone has appropriate attire!
Formal Dinner is an opportunity for our students to practice dining in a more formal setting, in a family-style sit-down meal that is served by students and attended by students, as well as residential faculty and their families as well. Students are expected to wear either a suit and tie or formal dress and will engage in polite conversation with their peers and faculty over a special meal. We expect to host this event twice this semester, on our way to more regular scheduling in the future.
Otherwise, many of our students are jumping right back into their routines with academics, athletics, and time with friends! We look forward to the semester ahead!
Past Email Communications
All past email communications can be accessed by visiting the Upper School Family Resources tile on myHPA and scrolling down to ‘Past Email Communications, 2022-2023’.
myHPA
myHPA is where you can find all the resources related to your child’s learning. Two key resource boards that we would like to draw your attention to are the ‘Upper School Family Resources and the ‘Upper School Student Resources.
All-School
Need to know information for our entire Ka Makani ʻohana.
Summer at HPA
HPA has something for everyone during the summer!
We are now accepting applications for Summer at HPA for students in grades K-12. Click below to learn more about our offerings and how to apply.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Re-enrollment to HPA for 2023-24 Academic Year
In order to secure your child’s space for the next academic year, the re-enrollment period will be February 1-15, 2023. The process includes an offer to all eligible students by way of an enrollment agreement which will need to be returned with signature(s) and deposit. For those HPA families who would like to apply for financial aid, scholarships, and grants, our financial aid application is available on the HPA website for your convenience. If you have missed the initial deadline of November 1, please submit ASAP in order to be considered. The deadline to apply for scholarships is Sunday, January 15, 2023.
The admission application for the 2023-24 school year is now open! Spread the word and help us grow our Ka Makani ʻohana. You can also visit and share the link to our in-person and virtual Admission events page. We are excited to work with siblings of current students and prospective families new to HPA!
Advancement & Alumni
Happy New Year! As we continue to work together to sustain outstanding academic programs here at HPA, we invite you to make your gift to the HPA Fund. If you have already made your gift, MAHALO, we are deeply grateful.
We are excited to share the digital version of our Fall/Winter Ma Ke Kula – a hard copy should arrive in your mailbox shortly!
COVID-19 Policies & Information
While masks continue to be optional indoors and outdoors, there will be times when we will require everyone — students, families, guests, and employees — to wear masks. You will be notified in these instances. Everyone, regardless of age or vaccination status, must have a clean mask with them at all times should HPA officials determine they are necessary.
- HPA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, 2022-2023
- HPA Community Safety Pledge, 2022-2023
- HPA COVID-19 Positive Cases Policy
- HPA COVID-19 Decision Tree
For a complete directory of all our health and safety protocols, please review our COVID-19 Policies & Information Resource Board on myHPA.
Health & Wellness
With the reawakening of Kīlauea volcano, vog has affected the air quality on Hawaiʻi Island. If your child has a preexisting respiratory condition or is sensitive to air quality changes and has an inhaler, please check the expiration date and doses remaining. If necessary, have prescriptions renewed and filled now.
Mask use is an option to filter out unwanted particles in the air and should be considered— particularly for those with sensitive airways.
Middle and Upper Schools (Grades 6-12): Students with prescription inhalers should carry them at all times–whether they are for everyday use or as a rescue medication. Please be sure Magnus Health has an updated Asthma Action Plan on hand for your child.
Lower School (Grades K-5): Our infirmary should have your child(ren)’s prescription inhalers on campus at all times, whether they are for everyday use or as a rescue medication. Please check in with vcinfirmary@hpa.edu to be sure we have an updated inhaler. Please also be sure Magnus Health has an updated Asthma Action Plan on hand for your child.
Isaacs Art Center
The Isaacs Art Center and the Hawaiʻi Wood Guild announce the opening of the 37th Invitational Masters Show on Friday, January 13, through Friday, February 24, 2023. The exhibit is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, including on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day.
Please join the artists for an opening reception on Friday, January 13, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Isaacs Art Center has hosted the Hawaiʻi Wood Guild’s annual Invitational Masters Show since 2009. This year’s exhibition will feature furniture, sculptures, and wood art by noted island artisans — Marcus Castaing, Kelly Dunn, Mike Felig, Mats Fogelvik, David Gomes, Nicole Gomes, Scott Hare, Cliff Johns, Jeffrey Kurash, Noah Lake, Tai Lake, Duane Millers, John Mydock, Tom O’Connor, Gregory Paul, Les Pedersen, David Reisland, Paul Schuerch, Timothy Shafto, Michael Patrick Smith, John Strohbehn, Robert Woodward, David Young, and Scott Zuziak — that reflect innovative materials and techniques. All items in the show are available for purchase.
Isaacs Art Center is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on Saturdays by appointment. Gallery works for sale may also be viewed on our website. Be sure to also visit our Instagram and Facebook pages for highlights from ongoing exhibitions. Sales from gallery artwork have supported the HPA Financial Aid program since its opening in 2004.
Safety Protocols
Campus Access
During this time, campus access is limited to current students, employees, essential contractors, and approved guests — all of whom have completed a daily thermal/symptom check and a screening questionnaire. Guests to campus will have had their hosting faculty or staff member fill out the appropriate form and will have received permission from their supervisor.
Should a family member of a student need a meeting with a faculty, staff, or administrative team member, kindly contact them so that they can apply to have you come to campus. From that point, security team members will be alerted to your appointment date and time and let you onto campus.
At the Upper School, please do not park and walk onto campus without an appointment. Similarly, at the Village Campus, kindly call or email for an appointment so that arrangements can be made. Mahalo, for your understanding and respect for this process.
If you See Something, Say Something
We ask all families to join HPA in keeping our campus safe. While on the HPA campus, if you see anything out of the ordinary, we ask that you please report it to the school or local authorities immediately. This will help us maintain the safest campus for our students.
• Imminent threat to life or property: call 911 immediately and email Mark Noetzel at mnoetzel@hpa.edu
• Anything out of the ordinary: email Mark Noetzel at mnoetzel@hpa.edu
CrisisGo for Parents
It is important that all families are set up with CrisisGo, HPA’s school emergency communication tool. To set up CrisisGo SMS/Email subscription, please click on this invitation link and complete the form by adding your name, email, and cell number (this is an important step if you would like to receive an SMS message) and click on the Subscribe button. Should an emergency occur, you will be alerted by email and SMS messaging. You can also locate these instructions by logging into myHPA, clicking on the resource tab, and selecting the CrisisGo Safe2SpeakUp tile.
Safe2SPeakUp for Middle and Upper Students
Similarly, Middle and Upper School students received instructions during orientation on how to upload the Safe2SpeakUp app. This is a companion app to CrisisGo. It will allow the school to alert students of emergencies that happen on or off campus and enable students to communicate with us about their safety status. They can also use the app to alert the school about any behaviors they are concerned about. Students can also locate instructions on setting up Safe2SpeakUp in myHPA, and they were also emailed the video shown at orientation which walks them through the process of uploading the app and registering, step-by-step.
All students can also submit an Online Bully/Harassment report by clicking on this link, which can also be located on the CrisisGo Safe2SpeakUp tile on myHPA.