Explorations Series - Frequently Asked Questions
Session Date Selction
-2013 Session Dates
-Ho‘olauna Moloka‘i session dates
-Kulia I Ka Pono East Hawai‘i Hawaiian Immersion session
Confirmation & Notification Letters
Airfare
-Hawaii-based Applicants
-Out-of-State Applicants
Policy To Give Preference To Hawaiian Applicants
Legal Guardianship Verification
Students are assigned to their respective sessions on a first come, first serve basis. The earlier we receive your application, the better your chances are of getting your preferred dates and programs.
A majority of the spaces for Ho‘olauna and Kūlia I Ka Pono programs are filled by students who have previously enrolled in any 2012 summer Explorations Series program (Ho‘omāka‘ika‘i, Ho‘olauna and Kūlia I Ka Pono). Any remaining spaces will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.
On the Explorations Series Program Selction Form, you can select up to four session dates. You may prioritize your selections by numbering them. We will do our best to meet your first choice. If, for whatever reason, we cannot accommodate your first choice, we will move on to your second choice, and so forth.
Please note that students are assigned to their respective sessions on a first come, first serve basis. The earlier we receive your application, the better your chances are of getting your preferred dates and programs.
The 2013 Summer Explorations Series Session Dates are:
Week 1: June 2 - June 7 (Ho‘olauna & Kūlia I Ka Pono programs start)
Week 2: June 9 - June 14 (Ho‘omāka‘ika‘i starts)
Week 3: June 16 - June 21
Week 4: June 23 - June 28
Week 5: June 30 - July 5 (Kūlia I Ka Pono East Hawaii, West Hawaii, & Maui programs end)
Week 6: July 7 - July 12 (Ho‘olauna & Kūlia I Ka Pono O'ahu programs end)
Week 7: July 14 - July 19 (Ho‘omāka‘ika‘i ends)
If you plan to apply your child to both an Explorations Series program AND a State of Hawai‘i DOE Summer School, Summer School at the KS Kapālama Campus, the Performing Arts Academy program, or the Kamehameha Scholars program, we do recommend attending certain Explorations Series sessions. Please refer to your application selection page.
Ho‘olauna Moloka‘i Session Dates: Ho‘olauna Moloka‘i will only run for 5 weeks during the summer. They are Weeks 1 - 4, as listed above.
Hawaiian Immersion Session: Kūlia I Ka Pono East Hawai‘i will be instructed entirely in the Hawaiian Language during Week 2 (6/9 - 6/14). Your child must be able to confidently communicate and function in a Hawaiian language environment or have experience in Hawaiian immersion.
Ho‘omāka‘ika‘i is for students entering the 6th grade in Fall 2013.
Ho‘olauna is for students entering the 7th and 8th grades in Fall 2013. Students can attend this program for two consecutive summers.
Kūlia I Ka Pono is for students entering the 9th grade in Fall 2013.
For the Ho‘olauna and Kūlia I Ka Pono programs, students will be assigned to the program closest to their home first. If your child attended a program last summer, we do recommend selecting different locations for this summer.
Confirmation & Notification Letters
Once the Application Services Center receives your child's application, you will be mailed a confirmation letter to confirm that it was received. If you do not receive a confirmation letter within three weeks after submitting your child's application, please call the Applicant Services Center immediately at (808) 534-8080.
All accepted applicants will be mailed their notification letters in mid-April. These letters will contain all details related to their scheduled programs. Please note the notification letter is different from the confirmation letter. Please also note that there will be no early notification for out-of-state applicants.
KS reserves the right to cancel sessions. Should this occur, families will be notified and accommodated if possible. We will also try to reschedule your child for another session during the same summer.
If you need to cancel your child's program for any reason, please call us immediately at (808) 534-8272 or toll free at 1-800-842-4682, then extension 48272.
Full payment for all programs must be received no later than Friday, April 29, 2013. You will be advised of the total amount due in your program notification letter.
If you would like to apply for a program fee waiver, please see the Request for Program Fee Waiver form included in the Application packet. The fee waiver form deadline is February 28, 2013.
We must receive all required documents with the fee wavier form in order for to be processed. Please note that we must receive any required financial documents directly from you. In order to protect your privacy, other KS departments such as Financial Aid cannot release information of that nature to anyone other than the individual it belongs to. Fee Waivers for Explorations Series programs are processed through the Applicant Services Center and the Enrichment departments.
Hawaii-based Applicants:
Kamehameha Schools provides roundtrip air transportation for State of Hawai‘i applicants to all Explorations Series programs from their home island so long as the student travels with the group during the assigned times. Individualized travel arrangements will not be accommodated due to the large number of students traveling.
Out-of-State Applicants:
Applicants are eligible to receive a partial air travel reimbursement to be determined by Kamehameha Schools. For details, please call KS Enrichment Department at (808)-534-8272 or toll-free at 1-800-842-4682, the extension 48272.
Click here for the Partial Air Travel Reimbursement Form.
Policy To Give Preference To Hawaiian Applicants
Kamehameha Schools' admissions policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law. If you would like to be considered under that policy, your Hawaiian ancestry must be verified by Kamehameha's Ho‘oulu Hawaiian Data Center (HHDC). Please work directly with the HHDC staff to complete your ancestry determination as soon as you can and preferably no later than the program's application deadline of February 28, 2013.
For more information, please call the Ho‘oulu Hawaiian Data Center (HHDC) at (808) 523-6228 or toll free at 1-800-842-4682, then extension 36228. You may also check www.ksbe.edu/datacenter for answers to frequently asked questions.
Legal Guardianship Verification
If there have been changes affecting your child's legal name, any custody agreements or legal guardianship of your child, you will be asked to submit all necessary court documents prior to your child's enrollment in the Kamehameha Schools Explorations Series program.
Students applying to the Explorations Series program are required to submit a new Medical Form (included in the Application packet). The Medical Form requires a doctor's signature.
However, a new physical examination is required only if the child's last exam occurred before June 1, 2011.
We strongly encourage families to be selective in choosing their child's session. Should a session change become necessary, it must be made by completing a Session Change Request Form and submitting to our office. Session Changes must be submitted prior to May 3, 2013. Session changes will not be accomodated if forms are received after the May 4th deadline. Only complete applications will be considered for a session change.
Changing sessions requires us to completely withdraw a student from their scheduled session(s) and be placed on a waiting list for their desired session. There is no guarantee that we will be able to accommodate the session change request.
Send all Session Change and Withdrawal forms to:
Kamehameha Schools Enrichment Department
567 South King Street, Suite 320
Honolulu, HI 96813
Fax: (808)-534-8276
Email: enrichment@ksbe.edu