April 1, 2011

Friday Blast
Hawaii Technology Academy

ANDRE W ANDERTON WINS STATE

Across
the
United
States
and
U.S.
territories,
young
geography
whizzes
pit
their
wits
against
each
other
at
the
state‐level

Geographic
Bee.
The
winner
of
this
competition
will
travel
to
Washington
D.C.
in
May
for
National
Geographic's
national

championship
rounds.


Read
about
the
HTA
Student

who
won
this
state
competition.
Page 6

DON’T MISS “FRESH

FROSH” THIS WEEK! Dates to Know
HTA
will
be
hosting
our
very
first
"Fresh
Frosh"
 April 7 “Fresh Frosh” at
night.
Your
attendance
is
strongly
 Waipahu Intermediate at
6:00pm
recommended.
This
fun
and
informative
session
 April 7 Greece trip payment due.
See page
will
provide
our
current
8th
grade
families
a

clear
understanding
of
what
our
high
school
 April 8 Blogging Class continues

program
involves
as
well
as
what
both
student

May 14 End of year showcase,
and
parent
expectations
will
be.
The
teachers
 more information
coming soon!
and
counselors
will
be
there
to
meet
you
and
 May 20 Last day of OLS/LMS
answer
questions.
We
will
also
be
going
over

credit
requirements
and
allowing
students
to

sign
up
for
their
semester
elective
credit.

April 7, 2011 at 6:00 pm at Waipahu
Intermediate Cafetorium

HTA
sophomore,
Kula,
shown
here
with
Waipahu
High
School

Robotics
team
at
the
FIRST
Robotics
Challenge
this
past

weekend
at
the
Stan
Sheriff
Center.
Waipahu
made
it
to
the

quarterfinals
with
a
strong
finish.
Good
going
Team
2477!

macadmin Friday, April 1, 2011 11:14:45 PM HT 00:23:df:93:28:8a

 2011
Kulia
I
ka
Nu’u
Congressional
Art
Competition
Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2012

High
School
Students:

Submit
YOUR
ART
to
represent
HTA
in
the
Congressional
Art

Competition!
Size
limit:
24”x24”.

Please
submit:
Paintings,
Drawings,
Collage,
Prints,
Mixed‐
Media,
Computer‐Generated
Art,
or
Photography
to
Ms.
Andrus
by
April
13.

5
pieces
will
be

chosen
to
be
entered
in
this
contest.

Artworks
will
be
displayed
in
the
Bishop
Museum.

1st

Place
Award
is
$1,000
and
will
be
displayed
in
Washington
D.C.
at
the
Capitol.

2nd
Place

Award
is
$500
and
will
be
displayed
in
Congresswoman
Hanabusa’s
D.C.
Office.


3rd
Place

Award
is
$250
and
will
be
displayed
in
Congresswoman
Hanabusa’s
Honolulu
office.

For
more

information,
contact
Ms.
Andrus
at
manadrus@hawaiitechacademy.org

You
should
have
received
a
K‐Mail
announcing
re‐enrollment
for
the
2011‐2012
school
year.
If
you
have
not
re‐
enrolled
online
yet,
please
follow
the
simple
steps
below:



1.
Log
in
to
your
"MyInfo"
(located
on
right
side
of
OLS
homepage
under
"Quick
Links"

2.
Click
the
current
status
listed
under
"Registration
Status"

3.
In
the
pop‐up
window,
toggle
the
registration
status
and
complete
as
directed.



Please
note
that
you
will
NOT
receive
a
K‐Mail
confirmation
of
registration.
To
check
if
re‐enrollment
was
processed,

click
"myinfo"
to
check
"enrollment
status".
You
should
see
"registering"
in
the
Enrollment
Status
box.




Thank
you
and
please
email
enrollment@myhta.org
if
you
have
any
questions.

Corrected Dates!
Blogging Workshop (2-3 weeks)
Blogging is a fun way for your child to communicate with family and friends near or far.
It is also a fun way to encourage your child to write.
(Open to grades 1-6)
Set-up your blog and basic tools
Friday, April 1th
Learning Center
11:00 - 11:30 am
Parent attendance required.

Adding pictures and video to your blog

Friday, April 8th
Learning Center
11:00 - 11:30 am
Friday, April 15th
11:00 - 11:30 am
2
macadmin Friday, April 1, 2011 11:14:45 PM HT 00:23:df:93:28:8a
 Bullying Article Part II: A continuation of the bullying article in the March 4 Friday Blast.

Signs that a child is being bullied:

Physical Signs:

• Cuts, bruises, scratches

• Somatic symptoms: headaches, stomachaches
• Damaged possessions
• “Missing” possessions that need to be replaced
Emotional Signs:

• Withdrawal and/or shyness

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Aggression
Behavioral/Social Signs:

• Changes in eating or sleeping habits (e.g., nightmares)

• No longer wanting to participate in activities once enjoyed
• Beginning to bully siblings or mistreat family pets
• Hurting self, attempting or threatening suicide
• Suddenly changing friends
Academic Signs:

• Not wanting to go to school

• Changing method of going to school (e.g., changing walking route, wanting to be driven instead of
riding the bus)
• Drop in grades
Some typical adult responses to bullying are:

Bullying is often perceived as a harmless rite of passage that all children experience
•
Unless bullying is likely to lead to physical injury, many adults believe it is best left to be resolved
•
by children and their peers
Prevention strategies for children who are bullied:

• Tell an adult
• Talk it out or walk away
• Hang out with friends
Strategies for children witnessing bullying:

• Tell the bully to stop

• Help the victim walk away
• Recruit friends to help the victim
• Befriend the victim
• Get an adult
Note: When peers intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds, 57% of the time.

macadmin Friday, April 1, 2011 11:14:45 PM HT 00:23:df:93:28:8a

 Parents can prevent bullying by:

• Keeping an eye out for signs of bullying

• Asking children direct questions about how peers treat them and if they witness bullying
• Working with teachers, school staff, etc. to address bullying
• Inquiring about the bullying policy at your child’s school
• Suggesting the implementation of a comprehensive anti-bullying program
• Being a positive role model by not bullying children or adults
Parents helping a bullied child:

• Take complaints of bullying seriously

• Listen and understand
• Do not confront the suspected bully on your own
• Reassure your child that he or she was right to tell you of the problem
• Teach your child to be assertive, not aggressive, role play with them.
• Help the child identify strategies for dealing with bullying
• Give the child positive social opportunities to make friends. Children in peer groups are rarely the targets of
bullying
• Make teachers and other caregivers aware and work together to solve issue
Parents keep your child from bullying others:

If your child is doing the bullying

• Spend time with your child daily

• Know where your child is and with whom
• Make it clear that you do not tolerate this behavior, but that you still accept your child
• Arrange for an effective nonviolent consequence if your child continues to bully
• Reward good behavior
• Teach your child positive ways of solving problems and managing anger

Responding to Cyberbullying:

Tips for students:

• Do not retaliate, because retaliation can escalate the harassment & make it unclear who first instigated the
aggression
• Either ignore communication or calmly tell person to stop
• Tell an adult about the cyberbullying
• Make a hard copy of the posted material
• Do not delete the e-mail or text message until an adult has reviewed & documented the material
• Block future communication & clean up your instant messenger buddy list
• Do not do or say anything online that you wouldn’t do in person or that you are not comfortable having other
people know
Tips for parents:

• Keep computers in easily viewable places

• Talk regularly with your children about the online activities in which they are involved
• Set clear expectations for responsible online behavior & phone use
• Be aware of warning signs—changes in behavior
• Install parental control filtering software and tracking programs
• Be equally alert to the possibility that your child is bullying others online, even if unintentionally
• Document any bullying
• Contact the school to enlist the help of the school counselor, administrator, or teacher
• File a complaint with the Web site or cell phone company
• Contact the police if the cyberbullying includes threats
macadmin Friday, April 1, 2011 11:14:45 PM HT 00:23:df:93:28:8a
 HTA GRADES 7-12
YOU CAN GO TO GREECE in 2012!

We are excited to announce that HTA will be taking students (Grade 7-12) on a
Grecian Odyssey with Cruise in April of 2012. Students will explore Greece on a
12-day trip from April 12, 2012 to April 23, 2012 on an EF Educational Tour.
Come to room 3 at HTA for our first informational meeting April 7th (2011) at
4pm. If interested, your attendance at this first meeting is highly recommended.
However if your schedule does not permit, the meeting will be recorded in
Elluminate. The Elluminate link will be posted on Mr. Zitello’s webpage at
myhta.org after the meeting.
We have chosen to travel with EF (Education First) because they are the only
student travel agency that can offer over 40 years of experience, scholastic
accreditation and the security of having offices throughout the world. This is the
same tour company that HTA is using for this April’s China Trip. Because of their
long standing presence, EF guarantees the lowest prices for their trips without
sacrificing quality.
To enroll now or to see our trip itinerary (with pricing) go to:
www.eftours.com/1082917 or call EF Tours at 1.800.665.5364 and tell them you
want to enroll in tour #1082917. The total price for the trip includes: roundtrip
airfare, hotel accommodations, a full-time EF Tour Director, daily breakfast and
dinner, entrance fees to planned attractions and guided sightseeing and a 3-day
cruise extension. It really is a great deal!!!!
EF does offer a monthly payment plan that will allow you to spread the cost of the
trip over several months, but you should look at this as more of an investment in
your sons/daughters future. They are currently offering a $100 discount on this tour,
but you must enroll your son/daughter on or before April 7th, 2011 (Enrollment
requires $92).
Sincerely,
Matt Zitello
Sarada Wright
Sterling Carvalho
** If you have further questions, please contact us via kmail and hope to see you at the meeting!

macadmin Friday, April 1, 2011 11:14:45 PM HT 00:23:df:93:28:8a

 In
Hawaii,
the
finalists
were
at
the
Neil
Blaisdell
Center
and
the
tension

could
be
felt
when
entering
the
room.
Seven
private
school
students
and

three
public
school
students
were
in
the
final
competition.
Throughout

the
competition,
there
was
one
student
who
remained
flawless
in
the
15

rounds
in
his
pursuit
of
the
honor
to
represent
the
state
at
the
national

tournament
in
Washington
DC
in
May.




Hawaii
Technology
Academy's
Head
of
School
Jeff
Piontek
said
"At
HTA

we
focus
on
every
child
and
their
strengths
by
providing
them
a
high

quality
curriculum,
enrichment
opportunities
and
technology
integration

focused
on
a
one‐size‐fits‐one
model
of
individualized
instruction.
This

will
be
what
sets
our
students
apart
in
the
21st
century
workforce
and

beyond,
we
are
proud
of
Andrew
and
wish
him
the
best
in
Washington

DC
representing
the
state
and
the
HTA
Ohana."



According
to
National
Geographic,
up
to
100
fourth
to
eighth
graders
in

each
of
the
50
states,
District
of
Columbia,
U.S.
territories
and

Department
of
Defense
Dependents
Schools
have
qualified
for
the
state

Bees.
Each
state
winner
will
receive
$100,
"The
Complete
National

Geographic"
on
DVD
and
an
all‐expenses‐paid
trip
to
Washington,
D.C.,

for
the
national
finals
May
24‐25
and
the
chance
to
be
crowned
National

Geographic
Bee
champion.




The
winner
who
will
be
representing
the
state
is
Hawaii
Technology

Academy
student
Andrew
Anderton
who
is
extremely
excited
to
have

won
the
award
after
finishing
seventh
last
year.





macadmin Friday, April 1, 2011 11:14:45 PM HT 00:23:df:93:28:8a