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Explore Primary School

This is where curiosity thrives and confidence grows. In joyful, nurturing classrooms, children learn to be Friendly, Helpful, Respectful, and Responsible as they build strong academic and social foundations. Our purposeful, developmentally balanced curriculum inspires wonder, discovery, and a lifelong love of learning.

A Day in the Life

Our primary school fosters independence, creativity and personal responsibility while allowing students to build relationships with teachers and peers in a nurturing, community-focused environment.

Primary School Grade Levels

Our students’ earliest years are a time of joyful discovery that establishes the foundation for lifelong learning. We intentionally nurture your child’s curiosity, confidence, and sense of community through expertly designed environments and play-based learning. This crucial beginning focuses on social-emotional growth and the integrated development of literacy and critical thinking skills.

The years from First through Third Grade are centered on building academic mastery and genuine student independence. Learners transition from foundational skills to reading to learn, engaging in hands-on math and integrated units of study to apply their knowledge to the world around them. This period cultivates self-advocacy, personal responsibility, and the confidence needed for a successful transition to Middle School.

Junior Kindergarten

A warm and joyful launchpad for your child’s remarkable journey at Holland Hall. We embrace our curious, capable, and creative young learners with a program specifically designed to nurture their innate desire for investigation, imagination, and connection.

The EPK area is intentionally crafted to feel both spacious and cozy, featuring welcoming gathering spots, active play spaces, and quiet reading nooks fostering an immediate sense of belonging and community.

From 9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. each day, dedicated early childhood teachers, teaching assistants, and specialists guide children through a rich curriculum. Through expertly structured play-based learning and unique enrichment opportunities like yoga and Spanish, our youngest students develop the foundational confidence, independence, and sheer joy that will propel them forward throughout their educational career as a “Dutch.”

Marking an exciting and significant step as our four-year-old’s transition into a new environment featuring three connected classrooms sharing an open-concept space, specifically designed to foster active collaboration. It is designed with materials that invite curiosity and foster autonomy, allowing children to choose where to spend their time and work with peers on collaborative projects that actively spark early literacy, math, science, and critical thinking skills.

Small class sizes, led by a dedicated teacher and a full-time teaching assistant, allow educators to closely nurture the vital social-emotional skills that form the foundation of learning: citizenship, empathy, and respect. Through early service learning, students begin to recognize their developing place in local, regional, and global communities.

Hands-on experiences, experimentation, imagination, and play remain at the heart of the PreK curriculum.

Often described by families as a “gift of time,” offering children an invaluable extra year to grow, explore, and build profound confidence before entering kindergarten. The curriculum builds strategically upon the skills developed in PreK, offering new challenges rather than repeating content, thus ensuring continuous forward momentum.

This crucial year centers on the whole child, nurturing essential social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth. A small class provides the luxury of individualized attention needed to help every student flourish and gain valuable time to solidify their foundational skills.

Children engage in rich, multisensory learning experiences designed to spark curiosity, encourage independence, and promote deep collaboration with peers. By the end of the year, our students emerge as enthusiastic, confident learners who are fully ready to shine as they move forward on their Holland Hall journey.

A time of extraordinary growth—academically, socially, and emotionally. By working closely with each child to understand their unique strengths and passions, our dedicated teachers use this knowledge to tailor play-based learning opportunities that foster rapid progress in literacy, mathematical thinking, scientific inquiry, and critical thinking.

The curriculum is rich with hands-on, integrated activities across all core subjects, providing a holistic and engaging experience. Within this nurturing and supportive environment, students also begin to develop key life skills such as responsibility, decision-making, and positive social relationships.

This is the pivotal year when students begin formally exploring specialist subjects outside their classroom, including music, art, and daily physical education. This opportunity to expand their world beyond the homeroom sparks new interests and further propels them forward on their remarkable Holland Hall journey.

A year filled with curiosity, confidence, and joy, marked by a significant leap into formalized academic skills. Classrooms are language-rich environments where students engage in meaningful reading and writing experiences. Through direct, explicit strategy instruction within small group lessons, partner reading, and independent practice, students strengthen comprehension, leaving the grade with a growing love for reading and writing.

Math learning comes to life as First Graders explore how numbers and patterns exist in the world around them. Through a problem-solving approach that applies concepts to real-life situations and hands-on materials, they develop critical thinking in topics like place value, time, money, measurement, and fractions.

Beyond core academics, students are active participants in their learning, rotating through centers for language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. They explore exciting integrated units such as Oceans, Reptiles, and Poetry, which expose them to a wide range of customs and traditions.

Building both academic skills and independence as students make the critical transition from “learning to read” toward “reading to learn.” Students deepen their reading and writing abilities through daily practice, genre-rich literature, and a continuous focus on the full writing process.

Mathematics instruction emphasizes problem-solving, reasoning, and communication as students become active participants in hands-on activities that bring mathematical concepts to life. Collaboration and “math talk” are central to the classroom experience, as the curriculum focuses on Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base Ten, Measurement and Data, and Geometry.

Second grade continues to integrate all core subjects with specialist classes. Units of study, such as Spiders, The Fair, Fairy Tales, and Alaska, inspire curiosity, encourage creativity, and connect learning across subject areas.

Serving as both a culmination of Primary School learning and a vital bridge to the Middle School years. Students significantly grow in self-advocacy and personal responsibility as they prepare for the next stage of their academic journey.

In language arts, students focus on building reading stamina, fluency, and comprehensive critical thinking across a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. As writers, they explore multiple forms of writing. Research skills are prominently featured through projects connected to areas of study including the highlight of the year: the comprehensive, year-long study of Oklahoma.

Mathematics instruction emphasizes problem-solving strategies and the practical application of skills. Students work toward mastery of multiplication and division facts while also exploring fractions, geometry, measurement, and data analysis.

Primary School Specials

Spanish Language

Library Technology

Physical Education

Before & After Care

Students in Early PreK through Junior Kindergarten participate in Spanish weekly, while students in Kindergarten through third grade engage in Spanish multiple times each week through dedicated instruction and integrated experiences that connect language learning to art, music, and movement.

Primary School Art instruction introduces the basic elements of art—such as line, color, and shape—helping younger students build from simple to gradually more complex patterns. As students progress, they add an understanding of texture, form, value, and space to establish a foundation for drawing and individual expression in a fun, experimental atmosphere. The program utilizes a variety of two- and three-dimensional processes, including drawing, painting, ceramics, weaving, and collage, giving students the freedom to make their ideas a reality.

The Primary School Music department aims to develop each student’s musicianship by encouraging them to be active, creative participants through a curriculum based on the teaching approach of Carl Orff. Students gain individual creative expression and personal growth by experiencing music through movement, songs, speech, and instrument playing. The program focuses on providing age-appropriate skills and a beginning understanding of the fundamentals, including composing, performing, reading, writing, and analyzing music.

A student-centered program designed in collaboration with classroom teachers to foster a lifelong love of reading and learning. Students participate in engaging literature experiences such as Readers Theater and learn to explore digital resources using iPads and other interactive technologies. In the library, children develop curiosity, creativity, and information-literacy skills. The library also nurtures joyful reading habits by encouraging students to choose books for personal enjoyment or to share with their families.

The Physical Education program is a daily component of the curriculum, committed to developing each child’s fitness habits by enhancing their movement competencies and motor skills. A high priority is placed on understanding the basic principles of wellness so that each child can make meaningful decisions to positively impact their health and maintain a personalized active lifestyle. Instructional activities are wide-ranging, introducing both individual pursuits—like dancing, tumbling, and golf—and team-oriented sports, such as basketball, soccer, and football.

The Holland Hall Extended Day Program (EDP) offers flexible before and after school care for Primary and Middle School students, maintaining the same nurturing philosophy as the regular school day. The routine provides structure and choice, incorporating study hall time for homework alongside self-selected activities and outside play. To ensure safety and clear communication, the program is managed through the Procare App for check-in/out and billing, and parents must communicate all scheduling needs to the teachers and the EDP contact.

Student Support

Holland Hall is committed to supporting whole child academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. We believe in partnering with students, families, and teachers to build academic confidence, independence, and success.

The Primary School’s Academic Services department consists of two full time learning specialists who serve students in Pre-K through Grade 3.

Classes are small group or one-on-one, and assessment is ongoing to ensure growth.

Each child receives an individualized prescriptive diagnostic program based on their needs. Materials used and strategies provided for remediation are matched to each child’s learning profile to utilize maximum learning potential.

Student Support Details

Two Academic Support Specialists – One-on-one and small-group instruction, primarily in literacy, offering targeted support as well as enrichment and challenge beyond the classroom curriculum.

All Primary School classes participate in Stepping Up at Holland Hall – a social-emotional learning program focused on self-awareness, relationships, and regulation. In addition, our dedicated Primary School nurse plays a vital role in supporting student health and wellness throughout the school day.

Licensed School Counselor – Available to support students’ social-emotional well-being, provide immediate care when needed, and partner with families by connecting them to outside resources.

Chaplain Services for Primary School – Our dedicated Chaplain is is instrumental in teaching the Second Step curriculum, which promotes social and emotional skills in children.

Approach To Education

Holland Hall integrates three core frameworks:

Mind, Brain, Education (MBE) Science: We use the latest research on how the brain learns and adapts to inform our teaching methods.
Competency-Based Learning (CBL): We focus on the mastery of essential skills and knowledge, ensuring students develop a strong foundation for future success.
Diversity, Belonging, & Inclusion (DBI): True education begins with a culture of belonging; an active commitment inherent in our Episcopal foundation. By integrating these values into our curriculum and teaching methods, we ensure every student is seen, valued, and empowered to bring their full identity to the learning experience. Across all aspects of school life, we strive to challenge bias and prepare students to lead with integrity, courage, and radical empathy.

Our competency-based approach is at the heart of our mission to foster intellectual curiosity and a lifelong love of learning. Rather than simply memorizing facts, students focus on gaining a deep understanding of essential skills. By focusing on demonstrable competencies, students develop vital transferable skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication. This rigorous coursework prepares your child to thrive in college and contribute meaningfully to the world.

These three frameworks work together to create an inclusive and dynamic school experience. By understanding the brain's capacity for change (MBE), we can design a learning environment with clear outcomes (CBL) that supports the diverse strengths of every student (DBI).

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Message from Head of Primary School

One of my greatest joys as a classroom teacher was the excitement surrounding the start of each school year. I anticipated the thought of a fresh start. I loved the feeling of starting over year after year. One of the best parts of the school year was getting to know each student and their family. I still consider former students “my kids” and former family members as part of my extended family. I am not unique. Holland Hall is built on meaningful relationships. The relationships created here are unlike any other. To quote one of my heroes, Mr. Rogers, “the connections we make in the course of life — maybe that is what heaven is.” I couldn’t say it better!

The motto of the Primary School is “Friendly, Helpful, Respectful, and Responsible.” These values help serve as our moral compass, driving our interaction with one another, and teaching us to honor each member of our community.

Dr. Vanessa Jones

Primary School Head

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