Academics

Prep School

List of 2 members.

  • Photo of Christina Schindler

    Christina  Schindler 

    Head of Prep School
    902-423-9312
  • Photo of Natalie Bishop

    Natalie Bishop 

    Administrative Assistant to Head of Prep & Head of Middle

List of 1 frequently asked questions.

  • Prep School Clubs

    • Run Club
    • Robotics Club
    • Dance Club
    • Green Gryphons Club (environmental)
    • Sports Club
    • Coding Club
    • Chess Club
    • Calligraphy Club
    • Arts Club
    • Choir
    • Brain Games Club

Encouraging Independent Growth

The Prep School is a special place where children are challenged to try new things, to discover and learn in a secure, supportive environment. Students enter the Prep School in Junior Primary and proceed to Grade Four in our own unique version of a Junior School. It’s all about great beginnings, talented faculty, and the individual attention the children receive to guide them through these important formative years.

We recognize that learning and success are not a straight line, and each student has their own way of learning. All students develop their learning skills at different rates and develop skills in different areas at their own pace. To adapt to each student's development, our teachers use a Team Teaching strategy to give each student the support they need to achieve excellence at Grammar and in life.

What is Team Teaching?

Team teaching is when two teachers co-plan and deliver the core subjects (language arts, math, science and social studies). Lessons are delivered in a partnership model, optimizing our student-teacher ratios and allowing us to form meaningful relationships with our learners. In addition, learning data is gathered to ensure we monitor each student's progress against measured benchmarks for their skills and grade.

List of 1 frequently asked questions.

  • Benefits of Team Teaching:

    • Team teaching allows students to learn at their own pace and gives teachers greater flexibility in how they plan and deliver lessons
    • Team teaching allows students to share in the discovery and exploration of concepts and skills while they are supported and challenged in their learning
    • Team teaching creates authentic experiences and learning opportunities for our students
    • Team teaching optimizes the small class sizes in our learning program
    • Team teaching allows students to develop teamwork and collaboration skills
    • Team teaching challenges and stretches all learners
    • Team teaching provides opportunities to work with different groups of learners

Grammar's Four Pillars of Learning

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

  • Academics

    Our Prep School’s academic program is designed to meet students where they are and help them move forward in their literacy and numeracy skills. We recognize that learning and success is not a straight line, and each student has their own way of learning. All students develop their learning skills at different rates, along with developing skills in different areas at their own pace. To adapt to each student's development, our teachers use a Team Teaching strategy to give each student the support they need to achieve excellence at Grammar and in life.

  • Athletics

    Physical education classes allow students to develop coordination and skill as they learn the meaning of sportsmanship and being a team player. They have a lot of fun at the same time. Extra-curricular sports include running club, sports club and dance club.

  • Arts

    Students explore their creative talents through visual art, music and drama, beginning in Junior Primary.

    • Visual art instruction is integrated into the topics and explorations in language arts, math, science and social studies.  For example, students create a self-portrait using pastels as part of their inquiry into understanding members of our learning community or create a new book cover as part of a novel study using graphic design.
    • In music, students begin with the basics of rhythm and music appreciation. Then, they progress to reading and writing music, including playing the ukulele, in Grade Three and Four. In addition, all students in Grades Three and Four are members of the Prep School Choir, which performs at school events and in the community.
    • Drama is an important part of Prep School. Beginning with our youngest students, drama encourages creative expression and role-playing as part of our learning environment. Drama is routinely infused in our program.

  • Altruism

    At Grammar, Prep School students begin to see themselves as part of a larger community. They participate in traditional initiatives such as the Terry Fox Run and Feed Nova Scotia. Students support local families during the holiday season and perform for seniors at nearby nursing homes. Students also forge relationships within the community by creating meaningful service projects in partnership with Middle and Senior School students.

    Beginning in Grade Two, Prep students act as reading buddies with their friends in Junior Primary and continue this mentoring relationship as they progress through the grade levels.

    Prep students also learn from older students with the "Snuggle Up and Read" program, in which Senior School students work on building reading skills with the Prep students.

Halifax Grammar School

945 Tower Road,
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y2