Calendar »
Parents »
Students »
Alumni »
Faculty/Staff »
Welcome Back to School!
John D. Marshall
Head of School
Dear Holland Hall Parents,
It is an honor and a privilege to begin my first year of service at Holland Hall. My wife, Rebecca, and our children Luke (6), Kate (5) and Will (3) and I are thrilled to be joining a high achieving and nurturing school community. All three children are attending the Primary School this fall and have already been sporting their Dutchwear around town. They are eager to make friends and meet their teachers. After a fast-paced summer moving from Georgia to Tulsa, Rebecca and I are also eager to have them back in school!
The abundance of talent at Holland Hall and the mission to develop the whole child drew us to this school. Holland Hall is recognized as one of our country’s premier independent schools. The Episcopal tradition at the school was another factor in our decision. We hope our children grow up to embrace the world view that human intellect must always be guided by a moral compass. Holland Hall develops leaders, and leadership requires a strong mind and most importantly, a view beyond serving oneself. MORE>>
CLICK HERE to visit the Head of School's new blog!
Educating Learners for the Future
Jo-An Vargo
Head of Primary School
The world is rapidly changing, and our students are going to need a wider skill set for their future education and employment. Director of Technology Henry Finch and I recently read an article that pointed out the need for students to “think critically about the information they give and receive, accepting that others may have a different perspective”. It described learning opportunities that help shape students’ problem solving, effective oral and written communication, and social and emotional skills by “infusing global awareness into the curriculum and using technology to enhance project-based learning”. As Billie McConnell, director of the the K-12 Digital Learning Institute at Abilene Christian University stated recently, “The jobs they’re going to have don’t even exist yet”. Obviously, technology will be an important part of our students’ future. As a Primary School, the division seeks to enhance the educational experience for our young students using new technologies appropriately. It’s important to keep in mind that we view technology as a tool and not as a destination in and of itself. MORE>>
Summer Stories, Good Play and Success in the Middle School
Joel Bicknell
Head of Middle School
The summer provides a welcome lessening of time constraints placed on students and educators. We are afforded more time to pursue our passions. We get to determine, in large part, the demands placed on our intellectual, physical and spiritual beings. One of the great joys of ushering in the school year is hearing how families and faculty have chosen to spend their summers. The stories told of summer adventures provide a unique perspective on the individuals.
The summer provided an opportunity for me to direct a musical, sit on top of the world in Colorado, enjoy uninterrupted time as a parent and to read. One of the books that had a significant impact on my perspectives of working with middle school students was Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media: A Synthesis from the GoodPlay Project. As the tentacles of this book are far reaching, a full treatment is not practical. However, several ideas emerging from the project will help focus our work in the middle school this year. MORE>>
The Home-School Partnership
Dennis L. Calkins
Head of the Upper School
It has been four years since I wrote a short letter to all Holland Hall Upper School families entitled The Home-School Partnership . Since that time, I have shared that letter with every new family in the Upper School as we go through the enrollment process during the summer months. My explanation to new families for writing the letter and sharing it with them always involves a story about our Commencement ceremony in May of each year. I explain that there is often a graduating senior about whom I have serious concerns – not because of his/her poor academic performance in the Upper School, but because of my concern that the student had not learned how to solve problems, deal with adversity, and rebound from failures and disappointments. I worried that the student was not sufficiently prepared to handle life on his/her own in college. I continue to believe that a strong home-school partnership is crucial to the academic and personal success we hope every student will enjoy today and in the future. I hope the letter will be helpful to all Upper School families as we all try to raise and educate students who are well-prepared to handle life on their own. MORE>>
Back to School Information and Forms
Parents, please take the time to review the following information regarding the 2011-2012 school year. If you have any questions please call 481-1111.
Letter - Asbestos Inspection Notification
2011-2012 School Year Information
School and Parent Communication Expectations
2011-2012 Student Dress Requirements
PS Extended Programs & Enrollment Form
MS Extended Day Enrollment Form
EZSchoolPay
Last year Holland Hall started utilizing EZSchoolPay, an online system to help parents manage their student/ students lunches, and add money to their debit account with a credit card. If you have not already setup an account, instructions are available at http://go.hollandhall.org/ezschoolpay. Cash and checks will still be accepted at the school for adding funds to your child/children’s debit account. You may access your Debit Card account by going to the Holland Hall web page, click on Parents, then Debit Card on the left.
DutchMAIL
Holland Hall continues to use DutchMAIL as our primary emergency/alert information messaging system. Not only is it used for school closings but also as a main communication tool for the school by using its opt-in email, texting and voice messaging service. Please log in to your DutchMAIL account and Subscribe to groups from which you wish to receive communications. To stop receiving communications from a group, click on Unsubscribe. A link to the DutchMAIL Log-in can be found on the Holland Hall web page, by clicking on Parents, then DutchMAIL Log-in on the left. If you have forgotten your User Name or Password, please use the links on the log in page to recover either.
If you have not created a DutchMAIL account, please go to the following address for instructions and to create your account. http://go.hollandhall.org/dutchmail
Emergency Authorization and Student Health Information Form
Recently you should have received in the mail the Emergency Authorization and Student Health Information form. If it is blank, please fill out, sign and return to Linda Christensen. If it already contains your student's information, please review, confirm or correct the information, sign and return to Linda Christensen. Forms may be faxed to (918) 879-4798, or mailed to:
Holland Hall
Attn: Coordinator of Health Services
5666 E. 81st St.
Tulsa, OK 74137
Please note that ALL Emergency Authorization and Student Health forms are required for all students Preschool-grade 12 and MUST be signed and returned to the school in order to update our records..
These necessary forms must be complete as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation in making sure these important issues are completed immediately.
Holland Hall Athletics Taking Precaution with Heat Conditions
For those who have seen in the news of the potential heat related deaths to a coach in Texas and two high school football players in Georgia, I did want to update everyone on how Holland Hall is addressing the heat as our athletic teams prepare for the upcoming fall season. Obviously, volleyball and cheerleaders are very glad they practice in an air conditioned facility, but field hockey, cross country and football are not so lucky. Football and cross country began official practices on Wednesday and field hockey will begin August 15. Cross country and football begin practice at 7a.m. and practice in the shade as much as possible. There is plenty of water available for the athletes, more frequent breaks during practice than usual and a large cold tub is available to athletes after each work out. Jim Mansfield and Phil Muir require all football players to sign in their
weight before and after practice. The goal is that each athlete should gain back at least 90% of the weight they lost the day before. If the heat persists, we will require the same procedures for field hockey as well.
It is extremely important that athletes take care of themselves after practice by eating, drinking water and resting. If we continue to have extreme heat, the concern is that kids’ bodies will continue to wear down and not have ample time to recover. We will address each week separately as the forecast is predicted.
If you have any concerns, feel free to call Jim Mansfield, your child’s respective coach or me. We are all very attentive to the heat conditions and taking caution as we begin practices and upcoming games.
Steve Heldebrand
Athletic Director
Dutch Spirit Rally
Join in on the fun! Thursday, August 25 will be the Dutch Spirit rally at 7 p.m. at the Upper School Amphitheater. There will be free Josh's snow cones, Old School Dutch clothing for a $1, new Dutch Zone clothing items, DutchBacker memberships, Cascia vs. HH T-shirts on sale, recognition of all the Fall sports and much more.
No better way to get ready for the school year than to come out and support the Dutch.
Special Back to School Dutch Zone Hours
The Dutch Zone will be open beginning Monday, August 22 - Friday, August 26 from Noon to 4 p.m. The Dutch Zone is located in the Middle School next to the gymnasium and refectory. Stop by to check out the latest Dutch apparel for your student or adult. After the first week of school, the Dutch Zone will resume normal hours and will open each Friday.
Upper School New Student & Parent Lunch and Orientation
New Upper School families are encouraged to attend the New Student & Parent Lunch and Orientation on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. in the Upper School Commons.
Schedule of Events:
11:30 a.m. | Lunch & Welcome • Mr. John Marshall, Head of School • Mr. Dennis Calkins, Head of Upper School
Noon -1 p.m. | Introduction & Overview • Start of school information • Overview of Upper School opening activities • New student photographs for Debit/ID/Lunch Card
1 - 1:30 p.m. | Meeting with Advisors • Upper School tour for parents • Meet assigned advisors • Ask questions about class schedules • Find classrooms
New students will receive class schedules, locker and advisor assignments at the check-in table when they arrive for lunch.
Uniforms are NOT required for this orientation.To RSVP please call Pam Lieber at (918) 481-1111, Ext. 739 or email plieber@hollandhall.org.
Parents’ Association Kickoff Meeting and Volunteer Sign-Up
The Holland Hall Parents’ Association cordially invites you to our first meeting of the 2011 - 2012 School Year on Monday, August 29, 2011 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. in the Holliman Gallery of the Walter Arts Center.
Come meet our Head of School John Marshall and school administrators. Do you want to help in the classroom and at various school events? Sign-up sheets to volunteer will be available. Refreshments will be served.
This is your Parents’ Association, won’t you join us?
New Parent Breakfast
Attention all new Holland Hall parents! The Holland Hall Board of Trustees invites all new parents to an informal breakfast and information session about what it means to be a parent at an independent school.
This is a great opportunity to meet school leaders in an informal setting. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 30 at 8:15 a.m. in the Holliman Gallery of the Walter Arts Center. After the breakfast, attendees are invited to watch the all-school processional at 9:30 a.m. and the Convocation Ceremony at 10 a.m.
Please RSVP to 879-4738 by Aug. 23.
Be a part of the 2011-2012 Walter Arts Center Playbill
For the fifth year in a row, Holland Hall is producing an Arts Playbill to be used at virtually every Middle and Upper School student performance in the Walter Arts Center. This will amount to more than 20 different performances, and result in the Playbill being read by several thousand audience members. For more information, contact Steve Dyer at sdyer@hollandhall.org or (918) 481-1111, Ext. 758.
Middle School Mexico Exchange Program
HOST FAMILY NEEDED
Oct. 14 – Nov. 12
14th Annual Mexico Exchange
Holland Hall - Instituto Cervantes, Apostolica
Tulsa – San Luis Potosí
All Middle School families are eligible.
For more information click here or contact Janice Moore at jmoore@hollandhall.org