Hello HCPA Families,

We hope this message finds you well at the start of our Winter Break.  Looking toward 2022, the start of a new year offers a sense of hope and renewal for many.  It is a chance to create goals and set our sights on the future, establishing intentions for the year ahead.  At HCPA we are eager and excited for the wonderful things that are to come for our school and community.  Out of challenges grow opportunities to improve and become stronger than we were before.  With this, we are happy to share with you several new developments that will start our new year with a focus on our students and our school community.

·        Starting January 3rd, we will begin our phased transition into our new middle school spaces.  Beginning with 7th grade, classes will start to be held in the new building immediately after Winter Break with the goal of 6th and 8th grade classes fully transitioning at the start of Semester 2.  Our students are excited for the opportunities and learning that these new spaces will offer.

·        Before Winter Break, the Governing Board approved the hiring of Mr. David Kloskin as Chief Financial Officer at HCPA.  Mr. Kloskin will be joining HCPA full time and comes with experience working in the Minnesota Charter School community.  His knowledge and skills will be great assets to HCPA.  We look forward to his collaboration in helping to secure HCPA’s financial future. 

·        The Governing Board also approved a nomination from the Governing Committee to fill one open parent/community member seat on the Board.  Mr. Rick Perry is a local community member with business expertise, officially joining the Board this month for their December 16thmeeting.

·        Several parent forums have been held over the last several weeks to allow families to voice their concerns, ask questions, and hear about the school year.  Out of these conversations has come a revival of our Parent Advisory (PAC).  PAC is for any parent or guardian looking to help support the education of their student and all students at HCPA.  If you are interested in joining PAC, please visit https://www.hcpak12.org/Page/1259 for more information or email Advisor Dao Her at dao.her@hcpak12.org.  PAC meeting dates for 2022 will be posted soon.

Additionally, the Governing Board would like to share that Mr. Pao Yang, former Chief Operating Officer, has submitted his resignation from HCPA.  Though we will miss his presence, we acknowledge the positive contributions that Mr. Yang has given the HCPA community as one of the founders of our school. 

With the start of a new year, we acknowledge the challenges that 2021 has presented.  It is with hope and excitement that we approach 2022 and the chance to continue our mission of providing the best integrated, challenging, and well-rounded educational experience to students in grades K-12.  We, the Board of Directors, encourage you to reach out to our Governing Board email with any questions or feedback that you may have for how we can start the new year on a positive note: governingboard@hcpak12.org.

We thank you for your support.  Have a safe and warm Winter Break!

Sincerely,

Christy Yongvang, HCPA Board Chair
Fue Vue, HCPA Board Treasurer
Crystal Robideau, HCPA Board Member
Rick Perry, HCPA Board Member
Mee Yang, HCPA Board Secretary

To Our Hmong College Prep Academy Community,

We hope this message finds you well!  At HCPA, we have just completed our annual World Culture Day.  Though our performances were once again virtual this year, it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our school and community and to recognize the amazing talents of our staff and students.  We encourage you all to view the wonderful video presentation linked and posted on our school website, www.hcpak12.org.

Since our last email update, we, the Board of Directors, have been busy working and responding to Bethel’s annual review.  We have hired a financial consultant, The Anton Group (TAG), to strengthen our financial work within the school and have worked to appoint Finance and Governance Committees to support the Board.

After the acceptance of Dr. Hang’s resignation, the Board and a Board-appointed Transition Team worked to develop an interim leadership structure to maintain and continue to build the excellent programs and academics HCPA.  As a part of this interim leadership structure, an interim Chief Academic Officer position was created. The Chief Academic Officer’s role is to lead and maintain the academic programs within HCPA, collaborating and communicating with the Board, staff, students, and families.  The Chief Academic Officer’s role is also to complete non-financial duties previously done by the superintendent.

With this, we are very pleased to announce Ms. Danijela Duvnjak (Ms. D) as Interim Chief Academic Officer.  Ms. D has been an employee at HCPA for over 18 years, beginning her work with the district before the first school opened.  Throughout her tenure at HCPA, Ms. D has been an English teacher, English department chair, Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA), after-school coordinator, summer school coordinator, Title I coordinator, data and assessment coordinator, Assistant Director of Operations, K-12 Director of Teaching and Learning, and most recently the 6-12 Director of Teaching and Learning.  

Like many of our families, Ms. D was a refugee.  She has experienced the challenges of traveling to a new country in search of opportunities.  Like many in the HCPA community, English is also her second language.  Mrs. D has been with HCPA since the school’s creation and has a deep knowledge of academics, operations, and the mission/vision of the school.  She is lauded by her peers and employees.  We are confident she will make an excellent Interim Chief Academic Officer. 

With Ms. D as our Interim Chief Academic Officer, one of our next steps is to hire a Chief Financial Officer to oversee the budget and finances of the school.   The process for this is already underway.

We, the HCPA Board of Directors, will continue to send families and staff updates on the year and the progress we are making in addressing Bethel’s review.  We thank you for your continued support send our best wishes for a safe and joyful holiday weekend.  If you have questions or concerns please reach out to us directly at Governingboard@hcpak12.org.

Sincerely,

Christy YongVang, HCPA Board Chair
Maisian Schiung, HCPA Vice Chair
Fue Vue, HCPA Board Treasurer
Crystal Robideau, HCPA Board Member
Mee Yang, HCPA Board Secretary

Dear Hmong College Prep Academy Students and Families,

Hmong College Prep Academy began as a small charter school with a passionate focus on college readiness and the community. Whether you have been with us since those early days, or joined as we grew over the years, together we have created a special school community that is meeting our mission.

 As your HCPA board, we are part of this community and we are deeply committed to ensuring the success of the school today and for decades to come.

We have promised since school began, that we would be open and transparent about the ongoing issues we are actively managing and resolving with Bethel and school regulatory officials. We want to share with you that we have received a resignation letter from Dr. Christianna Hang communicating her intent to step down from the role of superintendent.  

The HCPA board will meet in a special session on Monday to discuss the topic.  From there, the board, the HCPA administration team, and our HCPA staff will take steps to move our school forward in this transition. Our school operations and HCPA’s high-quality instruction will continue as normal.

We will continue to provide updates as we are able. If you have questions or would like to speak with a member of the board, please reach out directly to Governingboard@hcpak12.org

Thank you for your support and for all that you do for your students and our entire HCPA community.

Sincerely,

 Hmong College Prep Academy Board

Christy Yongvang, Board Chair

Maisian Schiung, Board Vice Chair

Fue Vue, Board Treasurer

Crystal Robideau, Board Member

Mee Vang, Board Secretary

Dear Parents, Students and Families, 

We are excited to announce Hmong College Prep Academy will proceed with 100% in-person learning for all K-12 students during the 2021-2022 school year. First day of school is Tuesday, September 7, 2021. 

• HCPA staff and administrators have worked hard to ensure your child/children will learn in a clean and sanitized environment.

• All students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks while in classrooms and on school property. 

• In the event of a quarantine due to Covid-19, your student will have the opportunity to participate in online learning

Safety is of our utmost concern, and we will continue to monitor conditions as we proceed into the school year. 

HCPA may accommodate students and families with online learning program by request. Interested families please call the Main Office 651-209-8002 for more information and enrollment by 8/27/21.  Space is extremely limited. Thank you.

• HCPA staff and administrators have worked hard to ensure your child/children will learn in a clean and sanitized environment.
• All students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks while in classrooms and on school property. 
• In the event of a quarantine due to Covid-19, your student will have the opportunity to participate in online learning

Sincerely, 

HCPA Students and Families,

Governor Walz announced and has signed an executive order lifting the mask mandate in Minnesota. However, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Education have stated the Minnesota Safe Learning Plan will remain in effect through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. This means HCPA staff and students will continue to wear masks inside the school building, at recess and on school busses. If guidance from MDH or MDE changes, we will keep you informed.

-HCPA Covid Task Force and Admin

Yearbook Update!
Thank you everyone for your patience as we work with the yearbook and custom diploma cover company to confirm a timeframe for arrival. Due to Covid, many of the printing plants were shut down, causing delays in production. We have been notified that they are in the production line however a timeframe has not been issued.

Diploma covers are due to arrive last week of July. We will be communicating to you all shortly.

Once we get an update, we will inform everyone.

Thank you!

Final Call: HCPA Senior Photo Opportunity.

This event will take place Monday June 22nd from 2-4 PM. We have time slots still available, please call our main office at 651-209-8002 to schedule before the event starts!

**When you arrive, please remain in your car and follow detailed instructions from staff. Please be ready, with your full graduation gown, and cap.

You may also choose to email us a photo of your student in their cap and gown. Please send this to tony.hang@hcpak12.org by Tuesday June 23, 2020 4:00 PM.