Specials
At Meadowbrook, we call them "Specials," but they are the classes that every student from Preschool through 6th grade attends outside of his or her homeroom. Yes, at Meadowbrook, even the tiniest student attends Science class, Library, PE, Spanish, Computer class, Music, and Art on a regular basis. The class frequency and length are age-appropriate and designed with the students in mind.
Science
The Meadowbrook School science program nurtures students’ natural curiosity, builds scientific knowledge and habits of mind, and fosters a positive attitude toward science.
Since 2011, the curriculum has included Engineering is Elementary (EiE) for grades 1–6, promoting engineering and technological literacy. Students apply science and math concepts through inquiry-based, hands-on design challenges that emphasize creativity, problem solving, and the engineering process.
The program strengthens skills in investigation, data collection, and critical thinking while encouraging environmental awareness and respect for the natural world. Learning is enriched through experiments, observations, readings, and real-world connections, including fieldwork on the school’s 16-acre campus. Science is integrated with math, language arts, and social studies.
Special Events:
Spring Science Expo: Preschool through 6th grade
Grade/curriculum specific field trips
Garden-to-table Nutrition Program
DARE Program through Abington Police Department
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World Languages
At Meadowbrook, World Language study begins in Early Childhood and continues through sixth grade. We believe early language learning is most effective when children’s minds are open, speech organs are flexible, and imitation comes naturally.
The World Language program fosters global awareness, cultural understanding, and communication skills while building confidence and expanding students’ horizons. Through age-appropriate activities, students develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with the goal of inspiring a lifelong love of language and strengthening future proficiency.
Spanish Language Instruction
Students from Early Childhood through sixth grade receive Spanish instruction through a sequential, immersive program. Beginning in first grade, students meet twice weekly and learn through thematic, cross-disciplinary lessons that emphasize communication, role-play, and real-world connections. Students also explore the geography and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world through engaging cultural activities.
Introduction to French: Students are also offered the opportunity to learn a second foreign language, French, as an extra-curricular activity. This program is offered once a week for one hour throughout the duration of the school year. Students are immersed in the French language through communicative activities, games, and virtual experiences. Students sample authentic culinary delights, design cultural crafts, and participate in the National French Contest at the FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) level.
Art
The Meadowbrook School remains committed to its essential role in elementary learning. Art strengthens fine motor skills, problem-solving, creativity, and risk-taking, while reinforcing science, language, social skills, and visual literacy. Through color, balance, perspective, and design, students gain skills vital for future academic and digital presentations.
The Meadowbrook Art curriculum is a favorite among students, filled with energy, choice, music, and joyful expression. Across all grades, students explore a wide range of media—including drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture—while connecting art history, multicultural studies, and social studies to classroom learning. Art lessons are closely woven into other subjects, providing hands-on reinforcement of academic concepts.
Students create in an inspiring studio environment and share their work in the school’s ever-changing art gallery.
Meadowbrook’s structured, sequential art program fosters individuality, confidence, and creative exploration. The art room is a welcoming space where students feel free to experiment, grow their skills, and develop a lifelong appreciation for art.
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Library
Accessing the 15,000+ books, reference and media materials contained in the Meadowbrook School library empowers students to learn the skills needed to find the information to answer questions they will encounter throughout their Meadowbrook career. Books are deeply valued and cherished at Meadowbrook. The love of reading is fostered through the promotion of quality children’s literature and storytelling. Students are introduced to classic and contemporary children's literature with the goal of developing an appreciation for fine writing and illustrations and of encouraging students to become life-long readers. Stories and other materials are chosen to coordinate with the units of study in their classrooms throughout the year. Students are encouraged and taught to be responsible users of media and to rely on information literacy tools.
Music
Creativity comes alive when children are free to express it. Music is a core component of student life at Meadowbrook. We believe each child has an innate talent that should be encouraged and nurtured. This is done through a variety of activities including singing, playing instruments, creative movement, and music appreciation.
Every child from age 3 to 6th grade has the opportunity to perform in a musical at different times during the year. These experiences build confidence and a level of comfort with performing in front of
others. Music class is taught in the our early education music room for students Preschool through Kindergarten, and in our second floor Music Room for students 1st through 6th grades.
Students in 2nd and 3rd grades are taught the recorder, while students in 4th and 5th grades
learn how to play the ukulele.
Music is often featured at our Friday morning all-school assemblies, and at various
school events like the Apple Festival, Grandparents & Special Friends Day, as well as
our annual Mardi Gras celebrations, and Graduation.
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Special Events:
Three plays, incorporating various grade levels
Technology
Schools across the country provide the integration of technology in daily classroom instruction. Meadowbrook is no different. Age-appropriate technological skills are taught to age 3 through 6th-grade students.
Here, your child learns all they need to become a conscientious and aware digital citizen. Every parent, child, and faculty member in the school signs an Acceptable Use Policy. Each class is scheduled to go to the computer lab every week, where an iPad cart and 16 PCs are available for use. In addition, Kindles are assigned to each child in Kindergarten through 2nd grade and Chromebooks are assigned to students in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Google Classroom is used in the 3rd through 6th grades on a regular basis.
Meadowbrook students in 3rd-6th grade engage in Google's Be Internet Awesome curriculum.
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Ozobots? A Hands-on Way to Teach Coding!
Ozobots are tiny robots that use colored pathways to travel. Certain color combinations dictate different commands along the paths. The process of creating paths and commands for the Ozobots teaches our students the basics of coding. Different apps and programs apply! What a great way to have tons of fun and learn at the same time!
Physical Education
The Physical Education (PE) program at Meadowbrook has a motto:
Get Strong. Have Fun. Try Everything. Support Everyone.
To this end, we cover a vast array of sports, games, exercises and activities to foster a love of fitness and athletics.
Each grade level enjoys classic sports-focused units based on the season (soccer/golf in fall, basketball/volleyball in winter, tennis/softball in spring, to name just a few), as well as age-appropriate introductory lessons in emerging sports (lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, disc golf, etc.).
Interspersed between sports units are large-scale tag/invasion games (like Capture the Flag); cooperative activities (parachute, obstacle relays, and team challenges); strength training (calisthenics, running, yoga, dance, gymnastics, etc.)
The emphasis is always on learning skills, developing new talents, and encouraging fellow students. We focus on gross motor skills to fine motor skills, team building and leadership. That said, there are also more competitive schoolwide events revolving around Meadowbrook’s Red Team and Gray Team, such as our Red-Gray Soccer Games in the fall and our capstone Field Day at the end of the year.
Other PE traditions include annual field trips for ice skating in the winter.
