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HTA students in grades 3-8 and 11 will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment this spring. Unlike the old “smile and file” standardized tests, the SBA is not a “fill in the bubble/fill in the blank” test. The SBA emphasizes writing, problem-solving, and critical thinking- the exact same skills that HTA’s students encounter in our blended learning program. In taking the SBA, HTA’s students are able to exhibit and apply the academic skills that they have developed through their class projects, work in the online curriculum and personalized learning plans.
Most important, the SBA results enable HTA’s faculty and administration to thoughtfully develop our blended learning program to ensure that we are meeting the academic needs of your student. The faculty takes time and care to read the individualized student reports- reports that provide useful information on areas in which our students are doing extremely well and those areas where we need to provide more focus, instruction and dynamic learning opportunities. The SBA results, coupled with report card grades, work samples and face-to-face learning provide an informative snapshot of how HTA can best craft enrichment opportunities, courses and a personalized learning profiles for your child. At HTA we empower students to succeed through our blended learning experience- face-to-face, independent and virtual. Participating in the SBA provides your student with an independent opportunity to showcase his or her content knowledge and applied academic skills. While not every student might enjoy the testing experience, we encourage students to consider this as an opportunity to stretch themselves and work on their test taking skills. As we know, confident test taking is a skill that students need to develop to be college and career ready. In order to better serve your student, the length of the SBA has been shortened. This year your student will sit the test over a three day period, rather than a five day period. We believe that this will be less disruptive to our overall program. Please refer to your division calendar for your island and grade level test dates and times. Please ensure that your family prioritizes attendance on these dates to avoid making up the test at a later date. Our teachers have planned their spring pacing guides around the test dates to ensure that your student does not feel overwhelmed. We believe that HTA’s teachers and you, as parent learning coach, have equipped your students with the content knowledge, skill sets and confidence that they need to successfully navigate the Smarter Balanced Assessment. We thank you in advance for preparing your student to take the test and look forward to celebrating his or her results next fall. If you have questions about the Smarter Balanced Assessment and would like to learn more about the test, please contact our Instructional Support Team through Mrs. Goodhue at: mgoodhue@myhta.org With Warm Aloha~ Ms. Fitz & Mr. Zitello
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As a reminder, there is also no school on Friday, February 12th. No attendance will be taken on this day. February 12th is a faculty professional development as per the SY 15-16 calendar. And...Why Is the Weekly Why? Now on Thursdays?
We live in a transient state and sadly, many of our beloved faculty and staff members learn that they have to move to the mainland during the course of the calendar year. As a school, we are also growing our capacity to ensure that we can offer a premier blended program for our students and parent learning coaches. And finally, our faculty appears to be producing our own graduating class of 2034! In total, our faculty and staff welcome 12 babies this year! As a result, we have several long-term substitutes and internal coverage as our new moms and dads enjoy time with their wee ones.
Please join us in saying aloha (good-bye) to…. Chastity Catchings, Executive Assistant: Mrs.C’s family learned that they had to move to Washington earlier this winter. Everyone knows and loves Mrs. C. We will miss her organization, pizazz and sense of humor. We are still looking for a new Executive Assistant, but we temporarily welcome Mrs. Lynn Shinsato. Mrs. Shinsato is a veteran DOE administrator who will keep things running at the front as we continue the interviewing process. Please say hello to Auntie Lynn next time you visit the Oahu front office. Alex Perez, Technology Coordinator: Mr. Perez and his family will return home to New York in late April. We have all benefited from Mr.Perez’s assistance over the past two years. We are currently hiring for his replacement and can only hope that we add another Mr. Perez to the tech team! Please join us in saying aloha (hello) to… Marissa Valido, Enrollment Assistant: Ms. Valido joins Mrs. Won as part of our enrollment team. Ms. Valido will handle all K-8 registration and new enrollment. Kris Israel, Technology Manager: Mr. Israel fills a new position at HTA. Recognizing that our technology needs grow As our blended learning program evolves and our learning center foot print expands across the state, HTA recognized that we need to add to our technology support team. Mr. Israel will oversee all of the school’s hardware, software and computing systems. Mr. Victor Perez will continue to serve as our Student Systems Director and manages all of the facets of HonuHub and blended learning Carol Rojas, 4th Grade Oahu: Ms. Rojas joins us as Mrs. Adler’s maternity leave substitute. An experienced elementary school and ELL teacher from California, Mrs. Rojas will work with the 4th grade for the remainder of the school year. Kristen Handalian, Instructional Support Team: Ms. Handalian joins us as Mrs. Wolf’s maternity leave substitute. Ms. Handalian has over a decade of experience working with middle and high school students as a Spanish teacher, study skills teacher and college counselor. Jennifer Bue, 2nd Grade Oahu: Mrs. Bue joined us in January as Mrs. Dunnuck reduced to half time in order to spend additional time with her baby daughter. Mrs. Bue is an experienced elementary school teacher who has transitioned wonderfully into the second grade classroom. Later this spring we will also introduce the long term maternity leave substitutes for Mrs. Crabbe (Arts/Dance Oahu) and Mrs. Miller-Sherman (Spanish-all islands). We also thank all of our colleagues who have provided maternity leave/paternity leave coverage for the following new parents: Mrs. Gillette (Big Island) Thank you Big Island Team! Mrs. Milhoan (Oahu) Thank you Mrs. Pignolet! Mr. Carvalho (Oahu) Thank you super sub Mrs. Bowers, Mr. Cordell and the High School Team! Mr. Majkowski (Oahu) Thank you Mrs. Atuaia! Mr. Gasda (Oahu) Thank you super sub Mrs. Bowers and the High School Team! Ms. Fitz (all islands) Thank you administrative team! Governing Board
Hawaii’s Charter School law requires that all public charter schools have a Governing Board that is fiduciarily responsible for the school and its management. The Governing Board adheres to HTA’s Governing Board By-Laws. It is intended that this volunteer board be comprised of a diverse group of individuals who represent the student body and faculty. The law suggests that together Governing Board should have skill sets that include: education, finance, law, real estate, contract negotiation, management, technology, marketing/advertising, government and other special interests. Governing Board members can include community members, parents and faculty/staff. This is your opportunity, as a member of our school community, to actively participate in the school’s governance and ownership process. HTA seeks candidates for our Governing Board. We need your voice and your ideas! Board members serve a renewable 2 year term. The time commitment is approximately 4-6 hours per month. Governing Board members can reside on any of the Hawaiian islands. Friends of HTA HTA also seeks candidates for our associated nonprofit Board, Friends of HTA. Friends of HTA works as the fundraising and friendraising arm of our school. As you know, the per pupil allotment awarded to HTA by the DOEdoes not cover the true cost of educating each student, especially as charter schools receive zero facilities funding. Friends of HTA works to secure outside funding to support enrichment activities, facilities funding and human resources for HTA’s students and faculty/staff. Friends of HTA seeks volunteer members who are passionate about supporting HTA’s students and faculty across the state. The time commitment is approximately 3-4 hours per month and Friends of HTA Board members can reside on any island. Ideal skill sets of Friends of HTA members are backgrounds in fundraising, grant writing, public relations, marketing, law, real estate or education. If you, or someone you know, might make an excellent candidate for either the HTA Governing Board or the Friends of HTA Board, please click below. A current member of either Board would be happy to have a non-binding conversation about serving the school in this capacity. We thank you in advance for considering this very important responsibility. Complete this INTEREST FORM |
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