ONE YEAR LATER!

It is now the second to last day of school for our child's first year at Mid Pacific Institute. And what a wonderful year it has been! My son looks forward to each day at school, because there's always a new adventure. I can't believe one year has gone by since he was accepted and started the first grade at this exceptional school.

First Day of School: Reassuring Words  from Mrs. Hussey, Principal

Meeting New Friends

Last year in public school, my son went  on a total of two field trips. This year, he went on...I lost count! Such is the advantage of attending a private school versus public. DOE is limited by its funds for student field trips, so I can't fault them. But field trips is what my son really enjoys. From visiting/donating items to the Epipany Food Bank to visiting a nursing home, my son has been exposed to many different things he wouldn't have been, had he continued in public school. He finds great joy in learning.

As a parent, I've had the opportunity to volunteer for various projects in his classroom. This gives me a chance to meet other parents as well as my son's classmates. His classmates are bright, curious, energetic but also kind and compassionate. Being my child has ASD, there are times he's faced challenges, such as giving a speech in front of class, that's been very stressful. But with the nurturing and help from one of his older classmates, he was able to get through his speech. Several of his classmates watch out for him. They can see or sense when he's having difficulty or under duress, and they are there to help him. Without these little mentor-angels, my son wouldn't have done as well as he has. The kids at Mid-Pac are taught to be compassionate to their peers, to nurture, to assist, and to be kind. I have nothing but praises for this school and how they turn out not only bright, educated children, but compassionate and caring ones as well.

In addition, his teacher has been a godsend, guiding our son through his first year at Mid Pacific with a firm but gentle hand. Two weeks after he started Mid Pac, we could already see a change in our son. He was more considerate of others, opening doors for people and was more polite. He has matured considerably, and his concentration greatly improved. While there are still some social issues he has to work on, he is a completely different child from the one who attended public school. Having older children to mentor him has made a vast difference in his growth and maturity. Since my son is an only child, it helps to have older children around he can look up to, since he has no other siblings.

Knights of the Order of the Owls!
MPI Inquiry: The Middle Ages

Faire Maidens and Gallant Knights of Grade 1-2

Take that, Sir! Huzzah!

Medieval vs Modern

Lovely Medieval Ladies

What was also enjoyable for parents were the Christmas pageant, the May Day Celebration, Jump Rope for Heart Day and other chances to see the children in action. There's such a joy in watching energetic kids performing songs or doing physical activities to raise money for charity. Their positive energy is soooo contagious and makes you feel good.

TRICK OR TREAT!
MPI Spooktivity! Booooooo

Christmas Pageant

Helping Those In Need
Jump Rope for Heart

Hoolaulea

It's May Day! GO MPI!!!
May Day Celebration at MPI

As the school year comes to an end, I can't help but feel great pride in my child's growth but also sadness that it has ended so quickly! In August he will be in second grade and mentoring his younger classmates. It has been a remarkable year and experience, and our family looks forward to more adventures this August.

INTRODUCTION

I am the proud parent of a first grader who will be entering Mid-Pacific Institute this fall. For more information about Mid-Pacific Institute (MPI) and its admissions, please click on this link: http://www.midpac.edu/

What a difference a year makes! Last year I went through the stress of applying to four private schools for Kindergarten, with my blogs focusing on my experience with Punahou admissions. (Please check out my Punahou blogs at http://punahoupuns.blogspot.com or http://punahoupuns2.blogspot.com).

The Elementary School

In addition to Punahou, we applied to three other private schools, Mid-Pacific Institute being one of them. My son was wait-listed at this school, which made the Punahou rejection a bit easier to take.

Mid-Pac has a policy that if your child is wait-listed for Kindergarten, you can re-apply for openings due to attrition during "off" points of entry (Grades 1 - 5).  The main grades of entry for Mid-Pac (when they have the largest number of openings) are Pre-school, Kindergarten and Grades 6–12. The only openings available for Grades 1 through 5 are those vacated by transferring students, which are offered to wait-listed applicants.

If you apply to Mid-Pac and get wait-listed for Kindergarten, I strongly suggest you apply in the following year for First Grade. If you get wait-listed again, keep applying! You never know when your child will be accepted.  Mid-Pac admissions will also archive your applications. If they see you apply several times, your chances of getting in will be far more greater, because the admissions staff will see that you are truly interested in their school. Although there are only a few openings in the "off" points of entry, don't get discouraged! Apply anyway, because you'll never know.  My son was applying for 3 spaces available to first and second graders, and we thought we didn't have ANY chance at all of getting in, but we did. The number of openings can fluctuate, depending on how many students transfer out. You might be lucky and apply when there's several openings.

OUR EXPERIENCE WITH MID-PAC ADMISSIONS

FIRST ASSESSMENT 2012 - Kindergarten

Inner courtyard

We went through 2 assessments for MPI. I don't remember the first one as much as the second one since we had applied to four schools and had gone through four assessments. But I'll try to remember the most noteworthy parts.

We had attended an open house for MPI back in November 2011. I highly recommend all parents to attend MPI's Open House. You will learn a lot about this school. We went to Bakken Auditorium where we were treated to a musical program by the middle school orchestra. There was an audio-visual presentation where parents could learn about MPI and its various programs. Afterwards we were taken to the elementary school to visit the Kindergarten classrooms. Our son really enjoyed playing in the play kitchen while we talked with one of the parent volunteers. There were demonstrations by MPI's "Peace Team" which is made up of students who train to be peer mediators. We had a better idea what MPI was about after this. I recommend parents attend all the open houses of schools they are interested in.

Applying to Mid-Pac is way less stressful than applying to Punahou. First, there's only a group assessment; there is no individual assessment. This is great for children who might be afraid to go into a room by themselves with a stranger. At Punahou, my child initially went in with the assessor, but panicked and ran out after 5 minutes. It took some coaxing to get him to go back in but his minor meltdown pretty much ended his chances of getting accepted at Punahou. It was over before he began. Thankfully he did not have to go through an individual assessment at Mid-Pac.

Wilcox Hall cafeteria

Parents were instructed to go to Wilcox Hall (the school cafeteria), where they and their children were given name tags. Coffee and tea were served, along with delicious pastries and cookies. (Punahou did not serve its applicants or parents anything at either the individual and group assessments).  There were a lot of parents and I remember feeling a bit intimidated by the crowd. The children were called by grade and lined up to go with a teacher for their grade. My son was the first one to line up for his Kindergarten assessment. By this time, he had become an "old pro" with private school interviews/assessments. I was pleased to see him so eager to start the assessment; he must have felt comfortable at this school. The children were taken to a classroom, where they did several different activities, as in an actual classroom situation. They were assessed by staff members for about an hour and a half.

In the cafeteria, there were rows of seats facing a large screen and a video monitor. Most of the seats were already filled with the early birds, so I ended up in the front row in the middle section. I don't like sitting in the front row, either in school or in church, but I didn't have much of a choice. My advice to you parents: get there early to get preferred seating. I did have a clear, unobstructed view of the screen and video monitor, so sitting in the front row does have its benefits!

The Director of Admissions, Mrs. Ella Browning, was the main speaker. I believe that Mrs. Edna Hussey, the principal of MPI Elementary, also spoke with the parents. Once I learned about MPI's approach in educating children via the Reggio Emilio system, I realized this school would be a great fit for my child. I was very impressed at how the children learned through inquiry and experience with the subject matter.

I found Mrs. Browning to be a warm, approachable person, unlike the cool, formal reserve of Punahou's Director of Admissions. Mrs. Browning explained the admissions process in further detail, along with the school programs and curriculum. The school's philosophy of "Children First" is emphasized. I could tell that both Mrs. Browning and Mrs. Hussey cared a great deal about this school and their students. They struck me as very "hands-on" administrators who got involved with the students, teachers and parents.

The Art House

When the floor was open for questions, I asked Mrs. Browning how many openings were available for Kindergarten. She replied there were 32, but 16 spots were reserved for children coming from MPI's pre-school. When the parents learned there were only 16 openings, you could feel a collective sigh of disappointment in the room. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails! But Mrs. Browning was a real pro in handling a roomful of disappointed parents. She put a positive spin on the situation, stating that the reason why there weren't that many openings is because the school simply does not have the space to accommodate more kids. That is true. She added that if your child is wait-listed, you would be able to apply for openings in the "off" grades 1 - 5. In spite of the small number of openings, I was glad I had applied at this school. I learned a lot about MPI at the assessment and I figured that if my child didn't get in, then perhaps we could try again in the 6th grade.

Once the presentation was over, parents could help themselves to more coffee, cookies and doughnuts. Mrs. Browning and Mrs. Hussey were available for questions, along with other staff members. I remember saying goodbye to Mrs. Hussey, who was standing just outside the cafeteria door after the Kindergarten presentation. I wanted to talk to her more about Mid-Pac, but I didn't want to impose. Besides, I had tried the "friendly route" with Punahou's Director at our son's individual assessment  and got nowhere with her; in fact, she seemed to dislike me even more for trying to establish some sort of rapport with her.

However, with Mrs. Hussey,  I should have known better, because she was so friendly with the parents when she addressed them. I should have at least chatted with her a bit more  so she could get to know me. Parents, if you have the chance to chat with Mrs. Hussey, Mrs. Browning or other staff members, I encourage you to do so. Let these educators get to know you, but most of all, be sure to indicate your interest in Mid-Pac. Mid-Pac not only looks for smart, inquisitive little scholars, but they're also looking for children with interesting families. This doesn't mean you have to be president of a big corporation or some community leader; my feeling is they like unique people who would add diversity to the school.

Front Entry (from the parking lot)

The children returned from the classrooms carrying juice boxes and crackers, which was very generous of the school to provide. An important thing this school emphasizes is healthy eating habits; they do not serve rich, sugary deserts in their school lunches. My son was all excited and was telling me about what he did in the classroom. He was very upbeat and happy, which was encouraging. Maybe he might have a chance at this school.

We received a letter from MPI in April, just a few days before our Punahou rejection letter. Our son was wait-listed, so that meant he might possibly still get into Kindergarten. If not, he would be able re-apply for any openings for First Grade. 

The letter requested that if you would want your child on the wait list, to please send in your answer asap. We sent ours in the same day we received it by dropping off our response at the Airport Post Office. I also called Mrs. Browning from time to time to see if any Acceptee had decided on another school so my son could get in. Unfortunately nobody did, so we figured we would try again next year.

Thankfully, MPI does not offer a post-assessment conference like Punahou does. After our experience at the Punahou post-assessment conference, I didn't think I could stand going through another one. Yes, it is good to know why your child was rejected because then you can learn what the school is really looking for. But at the same time, it was very difficult to sit there and listen as my son was brutally criticized by this school for every little thing he did wrong in their eyes.  Had I known beforehand what Punahou expected, I would have never applied there. While Punahou is a very fine school with amazing facilities, it is not the right fit for my son.

SECOND ASSESSMENT 2013 - First Grade
I remembered this assessment a little bit better. Because my son had been wait-listed, we decided to try again for First Grade.

Again parents and applicants met at Wilcox Hall cafeteria to get name tags, some coffee, cookies and doughnuts. Mrs. Hussey came in with several teachers and depending on what grade they were applying for, the children lined up in front that particular teacher. My son happily went with his teacher to a classroom.

Playground Area

My son had about 2 or 3 teachers that assessed him. The teachers assess each student in areas of social, emotional and cognitive growth to determine if Mid-Pac is the right fit. One advantage of re-applying and going through the assessment process again was that the teachers and admissions staff could compare my son's assessment from last year with his current one, which enabled them to note his growth and progress. Another advantage is that my child had gone through MPI's assessment once already, so he knew what to expect.

The parents were taken to a large classroom for a multimedia presentation and talk by Mrs. Hussey instead of staying in the cafeteria. Because all of us were trying to get our kids in during an "off" entry point, there weren't as many applicants and parents. I liked the classroom setting better; it was more intimate and less intimidating than last year's presentation in the cafeteria. Mrs. Hussey conducted the entire presentation. Like Mrs. Browning, Mrs. Hussey was an engaging, accessible speaker. You felt comfortable in her presence, and she gave me the impression that she really wants to know you and your child.

One of the Classrooms

Mid-Pac selects students carefully. Unlike Punahou, they are not looking for reasons to eliminate your child. Rather, they study and observe your child to see if he/she is the "right fit" for this school. The school is very unique with their educational methods, encouraging children to think "outside the box" and to learn by doing. Mrs. Hussey cited an example of their methods with this year's kindergarten class. The children designed and created an actual tile mosaic. This enabled them to learn about the creative process and how to build a mosaic, resulting in a beautiful piece of artwork for the school.

In my opinion, MPI looks for children who are creative in their thinking, children who are curious and what to know more about the world around them, who have an appetite for learning. If your child asks a lot of questions, makes astute observations about the world around them, is creative and/or artistic as well as bright, you should consider applying to Mid-Pac. This school also has a "School of the Arts" that students can apply to when they enter the 9th grade or thereabouts. For more information, click here: http://www.midpac.edu/mpsa/about.php

After the initial presentation, Mrs. Hussey gave the parents an interesting problem to mull over: the different phases one goes through when learning something new, then the parents took a 5-minute break. When we reconvened, she asked for three volunteers to relay their experiences. I volunteered with learning how to do line dancing. I explained why I wanted to learn this type of dancing, how I progressed, what I needed to do to improve, my pre-conceived notions, etc. It made for an very interesting discussion, as the three of us who volunteered our experiences offered three extremely different examples. Another parent was a member of the Honolulu Fire Department; he offered a very different but extremely interesting experience.  The third parent already had a child at MPI and was trying to get her second child in the school; she was a talented photographer who originally came from Eastern Europe. This dialogue gave us great insight as to the educational process of Mid-Pac. My advice to parents: volunteer to relay your experience, as you may stand out from the crowd of parents.  All three parents who volunteered their experiences had their children accepted at MPI. It's not a surefire guarantee your child will get into MPI, but it can't hurt.

After the Group Assessment

After the media presentation, there was a Question & Answer session. The entire presentation takes about an hour and half before the children return from their classrooms. This time the kids were given graham crackers and apple juice after they were done with the group assessment. After all, by 11:30, little ones are already hungry! This kind gesture on MPI's part towards its applicants illustrates the difference between them and Punahou. With MPI, it is always "children first." Did Punahou give its little applicants any snacks after group assessment? Nope. For such a big, wealthy school, you'd think they would give the kids a little snack or something afterwards.

My impression of both Punahou and MPI assessments is this: when MPI looks at you, they see a parent, a human being. With Punahou, they see a number, one of their 600+ applicants they get every year, unless you are extremely wealthy, famous, and/or well-connected.

Mid-Pac is a smaller school than Punahou; there are about 40 openings for Kindergarten. About 16-20 spots are reserved for returning Pre-School students. Which is why if you really want your child to attend Mid-Pac, start applying at the Pre-school level. A co-worker of my husband's did that, and his daughter got in at the pre-school level, so she was able to easily enter Kindergarten.

CE Building (Character Education)

Don't be discouraged by the small number of openings at this school, because it could change. My advice to parents is apply to different schools, and don't put your eggs into one basket. We applied to 4 schools; I've been told that most parents apply to 6-8 schools. Again, if you get wait-listed at Mid-Pac, you have the option of trying again for First Grade. I believe Punahou also has the same policy.

Although applying to private school is expensive, it offers you valuable insight into which school would be the best fit for your child. This is especially important for newbies like we were last year. We really didn't know much about Mid-Pac, other than it was a more arts-oriented school (not quite true; they are as varied as Punahou and Iolani). After going through all these assessments, we found out that Mid-Pac was the best fit for our son, and although he was wait-listed, we figured we would keep applying until he got in, as long as his name was on the wait list.

Both times my son was assessed, he came out of the classroom excited and happy. After his second assessment, he spotted Mrs. Hussey, who was talking with the MPI president Paul Turnbull and his wife.  My son ran up to her, tapped her on the arm and said, "Excuse me. Could I come back to class tomorrow?" That made everybody laugh. I was very pleased--that was a good sign that he enjoyed himself!

Small Garden Area

Our son was assessed on April 13th and we received our acceptance on April 19th. Admissions notified us before the acceptances for Kindergarten, as those letters went out on April 25th, according to the website. We had just returned from a friend's funeral when we went to get the mail. And there it was. A large 9 x 12 envelope. My husband and I couldn't believe it as he handed it to me. "We got something from Mid-Pac. Do you think...." I opened it. "He got in," was all I said after scanning the letter. I sat at the computer, then called my son over and told him the good news. He was thrilled. "That's the school I really, really want to go to," he said happily, snuggling up to me. I was surprised at his reaction, but he was truly excited to be accepted. Afterwards, my husband and I were so shocked that  the two of us sat down at the dinner table for a few minutes so our brains could process this wonderful news. His acceptance was totally unexpected!

Then I spent a restless night tossing and turning in bed, because I knew that his acceptance would mean a change in our lifestyle. No more walking to school; long commutes in the morning and afternoon would be the norm.  And yet I looked forward to this change, knowing that we're doing what is best for our son. We are sending our son to the right school for him. Driving in traffic will be hard, but eventually our son will take the bus. Mid-Pac offers a private bus service through Roberts Hawaii. Parents have to pay separately for this service, but considering the traffic into town and back, it's a worthwhile investment.

My husband later learned that our child had stood out during his assessment the moment he walked through the door; he was a little light that brightened up the classroom. This was thrilling to hear, considering how brutally Punahou had assessed him last year. It illustrates how markedly different these private schools assess their applicants, so it's smart to apply to several. While your child may get rejected at one school, he or she may get accepted at another one. What makes me happy is that in spite of our son having ASD, this school was able to see his true merits and potential, and what a bright, creative little soul he is. I am proud of him, and proud to be member of the Mid-Pac Ohana.

What MPI has--a lot of ALOHA!

We are happy that our son will have a home at MPI all the way through the 12th grade. We won't have to go through the admissions process until our son applies for college in his junior year.

Best wishes to all of you parents applying for private school. I know how stressful it can be. I hope my blogs have helped and I hope all of your children are able to get into the school they want. Thank you for your time in reading my blogs, and God Bless you on your journey. Maybe I will meet some of you at Mid-Pac someday! Gooooo Owls!