Lower School

The Lower School course of study is designed to assist girls in developing the skills, flexibility, and confidence necessary to meet the challenges they face in their near and distant future. Holton implements a variety of learning strategies and organizes the curriculum in a sequential and structured manner to enable our students to become successful learners, individually as well as cooperatively.

The course of study includes:

Learning strategies are integrated into all aspects of the curriculum in grades 3-6. Students focus on developing appropriate strategies for listening, following directions, reading for meaning, note-taking, test-taking, studying, organizing, scheduling, and time management.

At the fifth-grade level, students participate in a class based on research in understanding how one learns called "The Mind that’s Mine." The overall objectives are for each student to understand how she learns, to identify her strengths and needs, and to develop strategies to support her learning style.

The Responsive Classroom

Holton practices a classroom management model called Responsive Classroom. In essence, Responsive Classroom emphasizes the academic and social benefits of establishing a classroom culture of collaboration, support, and respect. In this model, teachers provide their students with practical skills for working together. More than anything else, Responsive Classroom gives each child an equal voice in the classroom, and for children (and adults, probably), being heard is often the key to being understood and supported.

The academic, personal, and social skills our students develop in Lower School are the foundation for her continued health and happiness. The guidance program concentrates on the social and emotional well-being of our students and coordinates with the Middle and Upper School guidance programs to provide the girls with a continuous support system.

Counseling is available to any individual or group through parent, teacher, and/or self-referral. The full-time Lower School Counselor coordinates support with the classroom teachers. In addition to informal meetings, the guidance counselor meets with each grade level to focus on developmentally appropriate social and emotional skills.

In Lower School Guidance, students will:

• Develop a strong foundation of character, including resilience, respect, perseverance, self-awareness and self-confidence
• Cultivate a solid growth mindset with a focus on critical, complex, “out-of the box” thinking, and real-world problem solving
• Acquire the necessary skills to make constructive, creative and healthy decision-making
• Increase effective conflict-resolution skills reinforced by improved self-awareness and healthy risk taking
• Enhance peer and social awareness through mastery of cooperative, collaborative and relation-building skills
• Acquire a global perspective including cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Promote digital citizenship and online safety
• Learn self-regulation and ownership, taking responsibility for actions
• Apply problem-solving skills: solve the problem with only the person involved; get a trusted adult at school and at home if the issue is unresolved
• Utilize multi-modal learning, analytical problem solving and clarity in articulation.
• Develop strategies for making and keeping friends
• Learn listening and communication skills through the Peer Mediation program
• Develop a healthy repertoire of stress management techniques
• Cultivate a strong foundation in empathy, a key attribute in a successful learner.

Grade 6 Advisory Program

The purpose and goals of the Lower School 6th grade Advisory program is to encourage, foster and build upon the essential 21st Century skills in a small group setting. Similar to the Middle School Advisory program, the advisor encourages academic, personal and social character development while guiding students as they continue to develop their individual decision-making, risk-taking assessment and conflict resolution skills throughout the year.

Advisory groups meet twice a rotation. The classes include a variety of lessons and activities. Individual and group goal setting are frequently discussed throughout the year as the girls grow and mature in their ability to work together to meet mutually agreed upon expectations and stretch their aspirations of what they want to accomplish as individuals and within their advisory group.

Opportunities to develop leadership skills are explored as the girls answer questions like: “What does good leadership look like?” and then have the opportunity to lead a group, like during out Summer Reading Book Celebration day.

Community engagement is a very important component of the Lower School experience. No matter what the age of the students, we feel it's important for them to know that they have gifts and talents that can be shared with those less fortunate than themselves.

Children view their world in a series of concentric circles. At the first level, they intimately understand the “world” of family and friends. The next level is their class at school, and that expands to include the Lower School, then the entire School. The levels beyond that are their neighborhoods, their city, state, country, and of course, the world.

Lower School Community Engagement involves these different circles. Projects in the Lower School include: visiting and singing at a nursing home; bake sales to raise money for local causes; a walk for the homeless; JumpRope for Heart to raise money for the American Heart Association; delivering handmade sandwiches, soups, scarves, and hats to a local shelter; and collecting holiday gifts for area residents who otherwise would not be able to afford them.

We are proud of the positive impact the Lower School girls have on our own community and the community at large. The girls develop a true love of caring for others and a sense of satisfaction at how their efforts are received.

Lower School Homework Zone

Lower School Homework Zone is designed for all Holton Lower School students. Homework Zone offers girls the opportunity to work on homework in a structured environment before they leave school. This after-school study hall runs 3:30-4:30 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Please note that no snack is provided. Parents are welcome to pack a snack for their student to eat during this time.

There is no charge for this service. Students not picked up by 4:30 p.m. will report to Extended Day, which is billed on an hourly basis.

Lower School Extended Day

This program is designed for all Holton-Arms Lower School students remaining on campus after the school day has ended. Extended Day runs 4:30-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 3:30-6 p.m. Fridays. Snacks, cooking, outdoor recreation, and crafts are all part of this after-school program. There is no pre-registration. This drop-in only service will be billed to your Holton-Arms account by the Business Office at an hourly rate of $8.

Every fall in the Lower School, our fifth and sixth graders travel to Camp Calleva for a day of challenge, connection, and fun. This day also offers our fifth-grade students a special opportunity to collaborate with their peers from Landon. In the spring, sixth grade travels to Northbay for a three-day immersive experience where they learn about the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay while also having an opportunity to navigate a challenging high ropes-course, ride a triple-seater giant swing, and zoom down a zipline.

Of her Outdoor Education experiences, one Lower School student shared, “I made a lot of new friendships and connected with people I hadn’t been friends with in a while.”