Kindergarten to Second grade primary classes support families using Memoria Press curriculum in their homeschool. The full-day classes are offered on Mondays from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Memoria Press curriculum plans are laid out for a five-day week (samples here: Kindergarten, First, Second). Mondays at HLN helps you by handling the “Monday” academic assignments as well as the full week’s “Literature & Enrichment” portion getting you ready for Tuesday through Friday work at home.

View Memoria Press unboxing videos showing all curriculum materials here: Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade.

The children are so happy at HLN! I love the accountability of covering the same material as the other students on the same schedule. Additionally, I love the help of their teachers in presenting the materials on Mondays so I can follow up with their school work for the rest of the week. – Jenna P.

HLN works in tandem with our other days of school at home. It anchors our week, gives our daughter a group of kids who are part of this same endeavor, and gives me so much support and encouragement. -Katy H.

Primary classes are directed by a lead teacher and an assistant team. Generally, the focus for each class will be:

• Kindergarten: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Literature and Enrichment
• First & Second Grade: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Cursive, and Literature & Enrichment

Highlights of a day in HLN Primary School:

• Mornings:
  • recitation
  • reading and phonics
  • mid-morning recess in the gym, open play and old fashioned games (30 mins)
  • copybook penmanship and memorization (including cursive for first and second)
  • Monday math assignment
• Lunch time is shared with the entire school creating a special opportunity for the children to connect across ages. Sometimes as a special treat, recitations are given at the end of lunch!
• Afternoons:
  • 30 minute rest time (Kindergarten only)
  • Memoria Press Primary Literature & Enrichment: read-alouds, music, art appreciation, poetry, and history/science/culture read-alouds and discussion (Click here to view a short video on how the Literature & Enrichment program works!)
  • mid-afternoon recess in the gym, open play and old fashioned games (30 mins)

Eligibility & Readiness: At HLN we are not in a rush to get a great education. 

• Kindergartners must be 5 on or before July 1. For specific help in determining readiness for Memoria Press Kindergarten curriculum, see this online resource. If you are in doubt, please consider waiting a year. There is no rush to begin formal schooling (read more at the bottom of this page). If your child is clamoring for instruction but they are not ready to begin Kindergarten yet, consider Memoria Press’s Junior-K two day per week program.
• First graders must be able to read Little Bear with help and write in manuscript.
• Second graders must be reading well with a good grasp of English phonics. If they have not already started cursive, they should start practicing. More here.

Families must purchase the core curriculum for home use (see links below). Tuition will cover the items needed for the tutorial day’s work in the classroom including arts and crafts. Note: Memoria Press will always update your teacher materials or lesson plans for free when editions are updated, so long as you’ve purchased directly from them. This will be helpful for those of you with other little ones coming along.

For use at home, you need only to purchase the core curriculum. The read-aloud set as well as the Science and Enrichment read-aloud sets are completely at your discretion, as funds allow. Students will encounter this material on Mondays while at HLN. Many of these titles can be found at the local library or used book store if they aren’t already on your own bookshelves!

Purchase core curriculum here:

• Kindergarten
• First Grade (New MP users should add the First Grade New User Add on Set.)
• Second Grade (New MP users should add the Second Grade New User Add on Set.) N.B. Prima Latina & PL Copybook will be saved for use in Third Grade.

Feeling a little overwhelmed about beginning your homeschooling journey?

• Memoria Press provides a homeschool-specific teacher training conference every summer called the Sodalitas Gathering in Louisville, KY, in July. Connect with other Memoria Press homeschoolers from across the U.S., learn from experienced homeschoolers and Highlands Latin School teachers, get to know the Memoria Press staff, and continue to grow in (or begin!) your own classical education.
• Get immediate help, support, and encouragement on the Memoria Press K-8 user forum.
• We always encourage taking the very long view in your homeschool journey. Click here to see HLN’s Scope and Sequence for third through twelfth grade. Looking at where a curriculum and tutorial take you in high school is a good way to determine if it is right for you now.

On waiting to start Kindergarten: While some five year olds are ready for formal instruction, many are not. Once you’ve read this excellent list of readiness milestones, we’d like to draw your attention to these two specific areas:

• Academic: Memoria Press curriculum focuses on the three Rs starting in Kindergarten. What this means is that students need to be ready to learn to read through phonics instruction, write in manuscript, and do basic arithmetic starting in Kindergarten. While important for discussing literature, science, and history, completing book-work orally is no substitute for learning the discrete skills of reading, writing, and ciphering in the early years. These skills put a student on track to dive into more advanced work in third grade. By third grade a student should be doing all of their written work in cursive, have their addition and subtraction facts memorized through the 12 family, be reading fluently aloud and silently, and have a solid mastery of phonics and early spelling. Taking the long view, a Memoria Press student will complete, yes, complete the entire Latin grammar at the end of eighth grade and move into translation courses in high school. As you can tell, there is no need to hurry at the beginning of the journey!
• Developmental: Students should be able to sit in an orderly classroom and take part in a teacher-led learning environment. HLN will provide plenty of opportunity for delight, wiggling, and restful learning. If your child is ready academically, but not developmentally, please consider delaying a year with HLN. The sky’s the limit for home instruction while your child matures. Memoria Press’s Junior-K two day per week program is a great preparation year.

If you are unsure as to whether your child is ready or should wait an additional year, please reach out to the Directors.