Hollydale Elementary School

The only thing I can agree with from the posting from May 25, 2011 is that the Kindergarten at Hollydale is very good after that it goes down hill. My child was at Hollydale from K thru 5th grade and the only good education received was in K w/ Mrs Palen & Mrs Cagle. 1st grade started the nightmare, my child was moved to a new teacher whose class consisted of 95% of children who could not speak any English. Which resulted in the other English speaking children being left behind. 2nd grade the teacher recommend getting my child tested for ADHD(against the law) and then the "Academic Team" (another useless group at Hollydale) suggested retaining my child. 3rd grade the teacher was useless communicated once the entire year only to say my child was about to fail. 4th grade had a wonderful teacher that actually took the time to teach my child & of course she was let go at the end of the year. 5th grade, the teacher harassed, bullied & tormented my child to no end to where my child left Hollydale hating school. If you love your child, think hard before sending them to Hollydale because the quailty of education here will result in your child being left behind.
--Submitted by a parent

I was very impressed with the level of caring from the teachers and the amount of information my children were taught. Overall 'm very impressed with all the teachers my children had and I had 3 kindergarteners to attend this year. They left kindergarten reading, writing and knowing how to add and subtract, acitvites at the school were well balanced. I love this school's attentive to the indivdual child. Kudos to all the teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

My experience w/ Holydale is bittersweet...due to the fact I had 2 students attending this school....I feel that most of the teachers (not all) base their relationship w/ students on personality and not performance which affects a students level in their education. I was able to see this within the different personalities my students have in how they were treated differently while attending.... However, Holydale has many good strong areas also...I just feel that it is very important for a school to also focus on teacher/student realationships as well as they do parent/student ...teachers are one of the biggest part in a students motivation in learning so a good realationship w/ a teacher makes a good learning experience and a student will appreciate education more.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a Mother of 4 whom has already had 2 children go through Hollydale from Pre-k to 5th Grade, I in 3rd Grade and 1 about to start Pre-k there. I love Hollydale because they have been wonderful with my children and for my children and I have seen staff changes and all still Hollydale is amazing!
--Submitted by a parent

The principal at Hollydale for the last 5 years was the WORST principal I have every seen. She never set foot in my son's classroom once during the entire year and she ignored the needs of the students. There was no respect for the parents or the staff. My child will attend a new school for 3rd grade this year!
--Submitted by a parent

My son completed the end of his fourth grade year at Hollydale. It was horrible. His teacher RARELY assigned homework and when she did it was completely baby work. not challenging at all. I went to her and asked what they had already covered so I could fill in the gaps. She could not provide me a curriculum or a plan for what she'd done nor what she planned to do. To be fair. She did not teach there the next year. However the administration defended her at all costs. Also, we had a bullying problem that I don't think was taken seriously enough. I moved my son to another school for fifth grade within district but I had to drive him the 18 miles each day, back and forth. Thats how much I dislike Hollydale. I never met the principal there. At the new school, principal greeted parents each morning.
--Submitted by a parent

It's is a wonderful learning enviroment for the diverse make up of the school.
--Submitted by a parent

The service this site provides is useful as long as we all see it for what it is: a broad overview. The story it doesn't tell is hidden within the walls of this small neighborhood school. In the seven years that our children have attended Hollydale, we have experienced great teachers, strong leadership and a strong commitment to help our kids be the best that they can be. There is very little teacher turnover and a high level of parent invlovement. It's obvious when walking into the school that the administration values family and that the enitre staff buys into that on a daily basis. While we all know how important the CRCT tests are, this school also realizes how important life-long, hands-on learning is and I have always believed that my children gained so much more than the correct answers to a standardized test.
--Submitted by a parent

First of all let me say that I am a teacher here at Hollydale and have been for some time. I know that this school is constantly changing to meet the needs of all children despite what might be said about this school. The staff is highly educated and willing to go the extra mile for the children no matter how stressful it may be. Hollydale is a family all in its own and is exceptional. Even if I wasn't a teacher I am impressed with the amount of hands on learning that takes place each day in every classroom.
--Submitted by a teacher

Hollydale provides a caring environment for both staff and students. I teach at Hollydale, and my child goes to school there. I love that the standards are the same for every student! Teachers are willing to do whatever they need to so that students can not just succeed but reach thier own potential. I know of times teachers were at the school for 12 hours in one day due to a student in crisis.