HPA sophomore sets sights on world title
Week of 10/14/22
What's Happening at HPA This Week?
Message from the Head of School
Message from the Head of School
Aloha HPA ʻohana,
I am excited for you to view this week’s All-School Bulletin. There are so many positive learning experiences and curriculum connections occurring at this point in the year, and I am so very lucky to be in a position to witness many of these occurrences across our campuses. This week is the perfect example.
Last Friday, I was able to take in our Lower School grades 3-5 musical performance, “EarthDance,” at Gates Performing Arts Center. It was a culminating event for several of Ms. Mallory Di Bartolo’s music classes. Our students were confident, poised, and brave in sharing their talents and learning.
This week our Middle School students engaged with our larger community through excursions during their Middle School theme week. I joined the 8th-grade overnight trip to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to learn the connection to our amazing island’s history and science with our students. It is an excursion that we were so excited to rekindle after having to take a few years off. The Volcano did not disappoint, as the glow was bright and visible on our evening hike. We also had an opportunity this week for our 8th-grade and 12th-grade capstone students to interact with each other, share their project work to date, and get feedback.
At the Upper School this week, all students participated in special programming on Wednesday. On Thursday, we hosted Upper School Family Weekend. For some of our boarding community, this important event gives students and families the opportunity to see each other after being apart for nearly 10 weeks. All of our Upper School families had the opportunity to participate in virtual conferences. Many families came onto campus to watch student performances, share a meal together, and attend athletic events.
Finally, in a week that promotes learning connections to place and to each other, I want to also honor in this space a celebration that occurred at the end of last week. Last Friday evening, we honored the Saalfeld family, who in 2009 was the inspiration and provider for our award-winning Energy Lab at the Upper Campus. This educational space was the first of its kind in secondary education. It was visionary when it was first discussed, and fourteen years later continues to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our students.
I am hopeful to continue to see folks on our campuses in the coming days. Thank you for your continued trust and support as we live our mission each day.
Gratefully,
Fred Wawner
Head of School
School Bulletins for the Week of 10/14/22
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,
Our Lower School Student Council is excited to announce the themes for Spirit Week 2022! (Participation is optional for any of these days.)
Monday, October 31 – Halloween Costume Day
Tuesday, November 2 – Crazy Hair Day
Wednesday, November 3 – Pajama Day
Thursday, November 4 – World Cultures Day
Friday, November 5 – Faculty Work Day, No classes
Please review this document for more detailed information and guidelines. We are excited to make this a safe and enjoyable event for all! A huge mahalo to the ʻOhana Association and all our families for organizing Trunk or Treat this year! A long-loved Halloween tradition at the Village Campus, we are thrilled to bring it back after a few years on hiatus. We had beautiful turnout and participation the past few years with our modified Halloween tents set up, but the students are eager to return to Trunk or Treat as in years past!
Parent Conferences
We are looking forward to meeting with you next week during Parent Conferences on Thursday, October 20, and Friday, October 21. This is an important opportunity for families to connect with their child’s teachers, learn about their progress and goals, and share information with one another. As a reminder, families are also encouraged to sign up with our specialist teachers – Mrs. Mallory Di Bartolo, K-8 Music and Performing Arts Teacher; Ms. Betsy Tranquilli (“Coach T”), K-5 PE Teacher; Mrs. Alexa Hustace, K-5 Art Teacher; Kristin Tarnas, K-8 Librarian, as well as our K-8 Counselor, Mrs. Rachel Baydo, and K-8 Learning Support Specialist, Mr. Joe Ludes. If you have not already signed up, PTC Wizard can be found on the Resource Board on myHPA. Sign-ups close on Tuesday, October 18, at 12 pm.
Absences/Travel Reminder
The COVID-19 pandemic has been very challenging for all involved. With travel restrictions being lifted and international borders opening up, we understand there is an eagerness to travel and are noticing an uptick in non-essential absences amongst our Lower School community. The Lower School’s academic calendar includes a winter break, a spring break, and twelve weeks of summer vacation, along with a number of long weekends. As stated in our Lower School Student-Parent Handbook, it is strongly recommended that families take these scheduled breaks as opportunities to plan trips and vacations. Absences due to family trips or vacations during learning times are extremely disruptive to your child’s overall education program. Should you absolutely need to take your child out of school, please submit written notice to your child’s grade level teachers and principal no later than two weeks prior to the absence so plans can be made accordingly (experiential curricular plans, scheduled performances, group projects, etc). Teachers are not expected to create extra assignments, and the family and student must assume responsibility for school work. Please check page 17 of our handbook for specific guidelines. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
We look forward to meeting with you next week, Lower School ʻohana
Warmly,
Dora Kwong
Lower School Principal
Schedule
Our K-5 classes continue with in-person instruction on our Village Campus on Monday, October 24.
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, October 17 – Wednesday, October 19: Clean and gently used Halloween costumes and HPA clothing dropoff at VC roundabout
(costumes should be on a hanger, size clearly labeled, accessories attached)
• Thursday, October 20, and Friday, October 21: Village Campus Family Weekend, parent-teacher conferences, no classes grades K-8
• Monday, October 31: Spirit Week begins!
• Friday, November 4: K-12 Faculty Work Day, no 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,
From Pololū Valley to Keawaiki to Waikoloa to Paʻauilo Landing to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and many points in between, Middle School got out and about this week. Our students learned about sustainable, rain-fed gardening, moʻolelo (narrative stories) of the native Hawaiian people, many of the ecosystems on our island, wahi pana (sacred places), and some of the social history and geography of different parts of the island.
This past school year, Pemma Norbu and Anela (Ku’ulanianela) Ormsby both created amazing animated films for their Capstone projects. These and about 8 other films our students created either for their Capstone or other projects were entered into the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) Student Showcase. Pemma and Anela were accepted and invited to showcase their films at the 2022 Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) Student Showcase! Their films will be shown at the festival as well as available virtually. Pemma and Anela will attend the festival as special guests. The Student Showcase will also be available to watch online for free at hiff.org starting November 3 and available until November 27.
We are looking forward to conferences next week, which are such an important part of our students’ learning journeys, as partnering with parents so that we are all working together is so vital to their success at school. We hope you got a chance to take a look at your student’s progress recently. This will help you as you prepare for conferences with your child’s teachers. Please see this recent email for more information.
Mahalo,
Glenn Chickering
Middle School Principal
Capstone Update from K-8 Capstone Coordinator, Dagan Bernstein
Aloha mai kākou! The focus for this past month has been engaging with local organizations to learn more about the needs within our community. Through listening and observing, students gain empathy and curiosity for our community. These experiences are then applied
through their own exploration of identifying a community problem and solution that they will be designing in their capstone project. A huge mahalo goes to the following community partners for taking the time to present to students about their work: Uakoko Chong from Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili, Miho Morinoue and Gerald Lucena from Donkey Mill Art Center, Kathleen Clark from Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center, Sarah Figueroa from HOPE Services, Kealiʻi Thoene from Terraformation, Ilene Grossman from Mālama Kai Foundation and South Kohala Coastal Partnership, James Hustace ‘03 from Waimea Community Association, Jaisy Jardine ‘94 from Jaisy Communications, and kapa master Roen Hufford.
Schedule
Our Middle School 2022-2023 Daily Schedule continues with in-person instruction on our Village Campus on Monday, November 21. 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
- Friday, October 14: No classes for Middle School students
- Thursday, October 20, and Friday, October 21: Village Campus Family Weekend, parent-teacher conferences, no classes grades K-8
- Friday, November 4: K-12 Faculty Work Day, 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.
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
Each week, Upper School Poʻo Kumu Kaʻai Spencer provides valuable insight about campus culture while sharing updates with 9-12 students and parents on academics, athletics, and arts, and offering his insight on what day and residential families can expect throughout the semester.
From the desk of your Poʻo Kumu (Division Principal), Kaʻai Spencer
Aloha e nā ʻohana o ka makani!
Family weekend is here! I know that many of you are looking forward to speaking with your child’s teachers about their performance in class. Hopefully, their performance is no surprise after following their progress along the way on myHPA. As someone who participated in many parent conferences myself, it always interested me to hear more about how students spoke about my class while at home. The feedback was always helpful, and it helped me to refocus my approach based on the testimonials I received from parents.
Leading into our parent conferences is our grade-level programming day on Wednesday, October 12. Our freshman class is taking advantage of the day by focusing on the theme of migration with Nā Kālai Waʻa. They are going to Māhukona to learn more about the Makaliʻi, a traditional open ocean voyaging vessel. In the meantime, our sophomore and junior classes are focusing hard on the PSAT exam. While not as exciting as visiting the Makaliʻi, we often find how necessary it is to expose our students to practice exams to prepare them for the real exams that will be taken later. One key to performing well on larger standardized exams is testing proficiency, and taking a practice test is one of the best ways to achieve that. While testing is taking place, our seniors are digging deeper into their college essays to make sure they are on the right track to having the strongest college applications they can deliver.
We have a good list of opportunities to mingle outside of the parent-teacher conferences. I am looking forward to meeting people at our Ka Makani Connection event and seeing sneak peeks of some student performances. We also have athletic events that are supported by pre-event gatherings as well. Please come out and support our teachers and students during the family weekend. It will be great!
Ke aloha nō,
Kaʻai Spencer
Upper School Poʻo Kumu
Schedule
Our Upper School 2022-2023 Daily Schedule will resume as a Mamo day with in person instruction on our Upper Campus on Monday, October 24.
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
- Friday, October 21: Lava Lounge at 7:00 pm
- Saturday, October 22: ACT Test Administration
- Friday, October 28: Halloween Haunted Walk
- Friday, November 4: K-12 Faculty Work Day, no classes
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 fall athletic schedule has been updated. You can also access the athletics schedule on the myHPA calendar.
Student Life
Ka Makani Travel
We are excited to share that HPA students are once again planning to travel internationally during Spring Break 2023.
Destinations for March 2023 are Japan and Spain. The deadline to enroll in Spain or Japan is October 31, 2022. A $100 discount is being offered by the tour provider through September 30, 2022.
For additional information, contact Adrienne White at awhite@hpa.edu
Residential Life
It has been a great pleasure to have gotten to see so many families this week! At the halfway point of the semester, students are always delighted to have a chance to spend some time with their families, spend a little time off campus, and of course, introduce you to their new friends from school! We hope that you enjoyed having time to meet some of their teachers, coaches, and dorm faculty and got to experience some of the positive atmosphere that makes HPA feel so much like a second home to many of our students! For those students whose families could not make it this week, don’t worry! We have a full schedule of activities and opportunities to get off campus, explore, and enjoy each other’s company throughout the coming weekend!
Looking ahead, the weekends coming up are jam-packed with fun traditions, new experiences, and the changing of the seasons! From the return of Lava Lounge, our Halloween Haunted Walk, the musical production of Cinderella, and Fall Ball, the best is yet to come this semester!
College Counseling
Mahalo to all of you who were able to join Monday’s college financial aid presentation. Here are the links to the WUE Program as well as the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation Scholarship Program (opening on Tuesday, November 15) that we referenced in our presentation. In addition, here is the recording of our discussion. Please reach out with any questions. We are happy to support you.
College Visits, Monday, October 17, to Friday, October 21, 2022
Monday, October 24: Occidental
College (Los Angeles, CA) 11:15 to 11:45 am Tuesday, October 25: Davidson College (Davidson, NC) 11:15 to 11:45 am
Wednesday, October 26: Hawaii Pacific University (Honolulu, HI) 11:50 tp 12:20 pm
Thursday, October 27: Pacific University (Forest Grove, OR) 11:15 to 11:45 am
Thursday, October 27: Scripps College (Claremont, CA) 11:50 to 12:20 pm
Friday, October 28: Chapman University (Orange, CA) 11:15 to 11:45 am
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.
All-School News
Admissions and Financial Aid
For those HPA families who will be re-enrolling for the 2023-24 academic year and would like to apply for financial aid, scholarships and grants, our financial aid application is now available on the HPA website for your convenience. The deadline to apply for financial aid is Tuesday, November 1, 2022. 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
Give your HIGH FIVE FOR THE FUND! Now through Wednesday, November 9 our goal is to encourage 100% of our families to join in to support our students and our school by making a gift to the HPA Fund. Every gift, any size, makes an impact. Even $5! By joining in you help make it possible for HPA to offer programs and experiences that challenge and nurture our children, inspiring them to do good work and to dream big.
Up high! Let’s make it happen!
Get your tickets for Alu Mai 2022! Saturday, November 19, marks the return of HPA’s annual fundraising gala and auction in support of financial aid.
We invite you to join in for a delightful evening of dinner and dancing under the stars in support of opportunity and access for future generations at HPA. Secure your spot today, purchase a table or an individual ticket. E alu mai
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.
For a complete directory of all our health and safety protocols, please review our COVID-19 Policies & Information Resource Board on myHPA.
Health & Wellness
The 2022-2023 cold and flu season kicked off early this year–in September! We are seeing an increase in both respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses on both our Village and Upper Campuses. While there’s no need to panic, we do ask for your continued partnership and diligence in monitoring your children for symptoms of illness and keeping them home when sick. One of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of germs is proper handwashing.
Hawaii Poison Control Center has trained nurses, pharmacists, and toxicologists available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They offer free advice, and it is 100 % confidential. Their telephone number should be on everyone’s cell phone: 1-800-222-1222.
Hawaii CARES (formerly The Crisis Line of Hawaii) offers 24-hour a day, 7-days a week resources, including crisis and mental health resources and substance use treatment services. Call 9-8-8 or 1(800) 753-6879 or text ALOHA to 741741.
Isaacs Art Center
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.
ʻOhana Association
ʻOhana Association’s Pre-Game BBQ: Saturday, October 15, 11:30 am
Our Ka Makani (and defending BIIF Division II champions!) will take on the Pāhoa Daggers on Saturday, October 15, on our Upper Campus. Kick- off is at 1:00 pm, but be sure to head to Ko Kākou Student Hale for an ʻOhana Association-sponsored Pre-game BBQ that starts at 11:30 am. You’re encouraged to bring a picnic blanket and/or beach chairs for the game. We will need volunteers to help set up and tear down, both in the morning and afternoon. Please email ohana_vpupper@hpa.edu or hawaiihodges@gmail.com if you can help.
K-8 Fall Festival: Friday, October 28, 3:15 to 5:00 pm
Save the date for our first Fall Fest at the Village Campus! Come enjoy live entertainment and games with K-8 students, a “spooky” potluck, and a Friends of the Library ‘Loved Book’ swap. Bring your ʻohana and a festive dish to share for an afternoon of family fun!
Haunted Walk and Trunk-or-Treat: Friday, October 28
The Upper School Student Council will be hosting a Haunted Walk for grades 9-12, followed by an ʻOhana Association sponsored Trunk-or-Treat. Space is limited. If you’d like to donate gently-used Halloween decorations for this event, please contact hawaiihodges@gmail.com.
Trunk-or-Treat: Monday, October 31
You won’t want to miss this HPA tradition where our K- 8 students trick-or-treat on the field from costumed cars decorated by parents, faculty, and staff. It’s a real thrill! Volunteers are needed! Please sign up your ʻohana or team up with a group of friends to host a fun-themed “trunk” for students to visit or provide treats for the kids to enjoy! Trunks will be set up on Halloween morning — Monday, October 31 — and students will trick-or-treat from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. It is sure to be SPOOKTACULAR fun!
We are always looking for volunteers, if you’d like to participate, please email ohana_president@hpa.edu