Our School's Vision
We demonstrate respect for each other through our thoughts, actions and words. We accept that everyone is unique with different abilities, beliefs, needs and strengths. We support and care for each other in a spirit of community. We are responsible for our learning and our behaviour and strive to be positive in our outlook and our interaction with others. We value independent, critical thinking and endeavour to make meaningful contributions to benefit our school and community, for it is through our individual and collective efforts that we achieve a vibrant learning community.
History
Holland Landing P.S. is named after the settlement of Holland Landing. The town takes its name from the Holland River which was named after Major Samuel Holland a surveyor and friend of Governor John Graves Simcoe. Situated halfway between Newmarket and Bradford, the community of Holland Landing was for centuries a canoe launching place for native peoples, and a post for traders of the Northwest Fur Company. In 1793, Governor Simcoe believed the area, originally known as St. Albans, would make an ideal shipping and defence point between York (now Toronto) and Georgian Bay. In 1797, Yonge Street was completed to Holland Landing. Holland Landing became a staging area where troops and supplies traveling between York and Georgian Bay transferred between Yonge St. and the Holland River. During the war of 1812, a pine fort is said to have been built by Simcoe near Soldier's Bay to protect against a possible American attack from the north. Although the first settlers had lived on the site since 1802, the beginnings of the village did not occur until about 1820. Growth continued through the 1830's and 1840's and included the establishment of sawmills, a large inn and tavern, a brewery, a distillery, a tannery, a foundry, grist, flour and woollen mills, hotels, professional offices, stores and churches. By 1853 the trade in grain and lumber, the bustling activity on Yonge Street and the Holland River, and the building of the new railway made Holland Landing one of the busiest centres in the watershed. The symbol on the school crest is an anchor, which represents the importance of shipping along the Holland River and canal that used to be in the town. We have a large mural in the front hall with one panel depicting past images of historic Holland Landing.
Our school teams are called the "Hurricanes".
Facilities
Holland Landing P.S. was officially opened in 1978. An addition to house a daycare facility was built on in 1995. In 2001 a five room addition was opened to replace a group of portables that had been removed. Extensive renovations to the entire school were completed to improve windows, floors and ceilings. An intensive fundraising campaign over the past 5 years has supported replacement of outdoor play equipment to ensure it conforms to current CSA safety standards.
Programs
Holland Landing P.S. supports student learning through the curriculum standards set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education and many other co-curricular activities.
Our school:
- promotes a safe and supportive learning environment. This is done through the Board's Safe Schools Policy and Procedures and through Character Education Initiatives
- provides Special Education Programs. We have a total of 5 classes which include Student Support Centres available for students with learning difficulties and community classes for Multiple Exceptionalities and Social Adjustment needs students
- is wheel chair assessable
- is a one-floor facility with classrooms, full gym and stage, science lab, music room and a library with computer lab.
We are very proud to offer the following programs to our students:
- Lunch time Milk Program
- Weekly pizza lunches on Fridays
- Instrumental Music for grades 6 to 8
- Wide range of extra-curricular school clubs and activities
- Full complement of Junior and Intermediate boys' and girls' school teams
- Silver Birch and Red Maple reading programs
- Internet link to the school for supervised research opportunities
- Communications Club to produce monthly newsletter articles.