Holy Angels Elementary and Preschool

Grades Preschool through Second

130 East Tenth Street
Traverse City, MI 49684
Phone: (231) 946-5961
Fax: (231) 946-1878

Principal: Lori Phillips
Secretary: Trish Zamarron

Elementary School hours: 7:50 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. 

(Drop off 7:30 a.m. -7:45 a.m. and the bell rings at 7:45 a.m.)

Half-day dismissal with bussing: 11:00 a.m.

A word from the Principal….

Holy Angels Elementary and Preschool is truly a place where God is present! Throughout the hallways of our school, you will find dedicated, faith-filled teachers who commit themselves each and every day to educating not only a child’s mind, but their heart as well. Our academic classes are second to none and we feel blessed to be able to incorporate Jesus Christ into every educational realm.

In addition to daily religion and a special weekly mass, our students gather first thing on Monday mornings for FROG time – which simply means “Fully Rely on God”. During this time, there is a special prayer service, Bible verse, or virtue that we focus upon and ready ourselves for the week.

A strong faith begins at home and in your home parish. But the circle of faith is completed at a Catholic school where the values you teach at home are reinforced each and every day. I truly believe that each and every child that enters these halls receives a priceless gift that will last a lifetime.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Lori Phillips
Principal, Holy Angels Elementary & Preschool

Holy Angels Elementary School takes pride in being part of the rich heritage of the Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools. We provide solid educational and spiritual building blocks and offer a variety of developmentally appropriate experiences for children ages three years old through second grade.

Catholic teachings permeate Holy Angels as children learn the ways of Jesus. As a Holy Angels student, your child will have the opportunity to grow in faith spiritually, physically and emotionally. Our students feel safe and confident as a result of the understanding, caring and nurturing environment we provide. Children are encouraged to be creative and communicate in their own personal style.

Our strong physical education and fine arts programs provide a forum for children to develop their health and creativity as well as their world outlook – – past, present and future. The use of technology is encouraged at every level and is a vital tool for learning in a variety of areas.

Preschool

Children enjoy exciting developmental activities that encourage emotional, physical and intellectual growth. A variety of age-appropriate themes are presented through the year for discovery and exploration.

Holy Angels Preschool Early Bird Registration

**Current preschool students will have an early opportunity to re-enroll for preschool classes for the fall (3 year olds moving to a 4 year old class adn 4 year olds moving to PreK).  Please enroll in person to guarantee your spot.  Classes will be filled on a first come, first available basis.

February 25-29, 2008 in the Holy Angels Office from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Click here for Preschool registration form

Click here for information on our Preschool program

Kindergarten

We believe each child is a unique individual and a special gift from God. Our philosophy is to develop each child’s special talents to their fullest potential and to make their first year of school a successful experience. Our goal is that by the end of the year each child will know that they are a special part of God’s loving family, have a positive self-image, a love of school and be fully prepared for the challenges of first grade.

Kindergarten boys and girls explore their environment, observe with their senses and work cooperatively with one another. They make discoveries about language through writing, reading, speaking and listening. They manipulate objects to develop concepts in math and participate in open-ended activities that allow them to approach an activity at their own developmental level.

Holy Angels Elementary offers a transition kindergarten program that combines the transitional half-day kindergarten with the all-day kindergarten program. We believe this program offers parents the opportunity to choose the program that most suits their needs and the needs of their child. Parents may choose to start their kindergartner as an all-day friend or a half-day friend. If your child begins on a half-day schedule, you may elect, with the teacher’s approval, to change to a full-day schedule at any time. By the beginning of the second semester all kindergartners will be attending school for the full day.

Full Day Choice: Students have class every day from 8:00 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. Bussing is available both ways. (One transportation form must be filled out for EACH student.)

Half Day Choice: Bussing is available only TO school in the morning. Parent pick-up is needed at 11:40 a.m. This class meets Monday – Friday. At semester time, at the end of January, students attend full days.

Registration 2008-09

Kindergartners must be five years old by December 1. Required documents: Registration forms; $75 deposit; copy of birth certificate and date of 1st DTP immunization.

Classes are filled on a first-come basis. You will be notified of the session you receive when you register. Teacher/classroom placement will be determined in August.

First Grade

In First Grade, we continue to build on the kindergarten program's focus of being a gift from God.  We develop and expand the students' understanding of their role as members of the church family/community.  This naturally leads into the emphasis of first grade religion:  The Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  This includes not only "book learning," but also how it applies to their daily lives.

Children begin to receive more formalized instruction in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics in first grade.  Language Arts finds us working with basic reading comprehension skills, studying phonetic patterns and applying them to all areas of our learning, and being introduced to the early stages of the writing process.

The Saxon Math program continues in first grade with our concentration moving to basic addition and subtraction, as well as linear measurement, tellling time, increasing familiarity with coins and their values, working with geometric shapes, and introducing fractional parts.

Social Studies coincides with our religion curriculum with community being one of the core concepts of both.  In addition, our Social Studies program integrates national and monthly holidays and events.

Science also blends with religion as we tie in our units of study (life cycles, weather, and living/non-living things) with the beauty of God's creation.

Most of all, our first graders grow to be more independent individuals while strengthening their role as contributing members of their classroom, school, and church communities. 

Second Grade

Life and learning in second grade is about reading, writing, and math guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith.  Second grade students become our Christian leaders for Holy Angels!  We believe that it is important to inspire your child to rise to excellence academically, spiritually, and socially.

The second grade curriculum is rich in many ways.  Religion is taught on a daily basis with an emphasis on the sacraments.  We follow a rigorous and specialized phonics, math (Saxon), and writing (Six Traits) program.   Second grade students learn to develop the skills to independently read and comprehend a given passage.  Social studies and science are taught across the curriculum.  Students will grasp a broad understanding of their world from a social and scientific perspective. 

When the school year comes to a close, we are presented with many opportuniites to both celebrate our second grade students, as well as transition them comfortably into third grade.  A visit to Immaculate Conception Elementary School allows our students to tour the building, eat lunch, play on the playground, and meet the principal, Mr. Erick Chittle, as well as the teachers.  This helps establish a bit of familiarity, something that will serve them well as they embark on this new beginning. 

Weekly Mass

Weekly Mass is celebrated every Wednesday at St. Francis Parish. Kindergarten classes rotate attendance every other week, but First and Second grade classes have the opportunity to participate as readers, gift bearers and in other aspects of the liturgy.