Meadowside School

I agree that the way the curriculum is presented is not very creative. Students return home with piles of dittoes. The experience lacks meaning and I would prefer more creative inquiry. My child comments on the lack of friendliness with the adults. The teaching style tends to isolate the opportunity allowing children to learn from children. I would like more of an environment with positive reinforcement rather than displaying the children in front of others when an incident occurs while often minor. A third grade teacher announced to her classroom that SHE thinks it is babyish that they bring toys to school (to use during recess). I would like to see more developmental understanding of what children need to be healthy participants in our world. Learning to appreciate and accept differences by allowing the classroom to open up to the personality differences may be another way. School is very teacher centered. I also feel that discipline seems to interfere with personality preferences therefore discriminating. In the classroom I noticed the larger percentage of students were dependent with thinking skills and had difficulty solving basic problems where solutions would never be wrong.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school. They have skilled, dedicated and talented teachers like Miss Jaggers and such a wonderful principal who has a gift for being very kind but very firm at the same time. My son really Loves to go to school and he has developed a reading skill level of 24, where 10 is the expected skill level for a 1st grade child. I am really thankful to Meadowside school and the teachers for all their help, co-operation and guidance provided to us
—Submitted by a parent

My child just started school and it has been a great experience for the whole family.
—Submitted by a parent

It's really a Great school with talented teachers like Miss Sanders and Mrs. Federicks. I got transferred from India to US and was really worried about studies of my Son Varun Gupta, there were so many questions, worries coming in our mind about US education and how my son will adjust here but after meeting teachers, principal at Meadowside and seeing the atmosphere of Meadowside school, all my worries were gone. My son really Loves to go to school everyday, I am seeing lot of change in his attitude and behaviour. He is not only learning regular course but also he gets learning on other aspects of life like how to care for others, how to respect seniors, parents etc. I am really thankful to Meadowside school and the teachers for all their help, co-operation and guidance provided to us. Manish Gupta Varsha Gupta
—Submitted by a parent

What a great school! We have such dedicated and talented teachers and such a wonderful principal who has a gift for being very kind but very firm at the same time. The chldren respect him and follow his direction to the letter! The children at this school learn to be very respectful, caring young citizens, who are not only challenged in the classroom, but who are also challenged by the staff to treat each other kindly and to respect themselves and their peers as well as adults. The buddy system is a great learning tool for all grades and it is so nice to see the different age levels working together on various projects and helping each other throughout the day. We also have excellent fine arts and enrichment activities and the parents at the school are so involved and welcomed. I could go on and on about this great school!
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school. Wonderful Principal. Very caring teachers. May daughter has done wonderful at this school for the last two years. The one thing I love about The Principal is the fact that he encourages all the children to do their best. The children are very friendly. As to the food allergy rule, I think it's important to have. I certainly don't want anything to happen to my child. As to the curriculum, there is nothing boring at Meadowside. My child loves the school and always tells me funny stories.
—Submitted by a parent

I absolutely love Meadowside! The Principal is fabulous! My children trust and admire him completely. To the one who says the curriculum is boring, you CAN teach through lecture to a 7 year old. My son is 8 and is excelling at Meadowside. It's not like it's a college lecture. Maybe your child just can't sit still. The parents at Meadowside are a close network of friends that work together to make the grammar school experience fun.
—Submitted by a parent

We love this school! For the past 4 years we have had one excellent, dedicated, up to date teacher after another! Very welcoming atmosphere--incredibly professional staff who value and protect our privacy and that of our students---amazing principal and staff! We are so lucky to be part of such an excellent school district.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved here recently and, so far, Meadowside doesn't compare to our child's previous school. Last year's teacher didn't want to be bothered, although this year's teacher seems a little better. Neither seem very interested in utilizing technology (computers, email, etc.) and the curriculum is boring, as are methods of instruction. You can't lecture to seven year-olds, folks... they learn by Doing. Also, this is not a very child-friendly school. You can't bring your children to open house, which is ridiculous. My child wanted to show us the classroom, desk, etc. The food allergy policy harshly discriminates against children Without food allergies and puts the onus on non-allergic children to keep allergic children safe, rather than on school personnel, which is who should be responsible for allergic children. I dearly miss our old school... Meadowside has been awful for us. Not to mention test scores...!
—Submitted by Anna, a parent

Meadowside School is a top rated elementary school because it possesses several components necessary to success. One of the components is leadership. The principal is a 'real' person that is actively involved in every capacity of the schools activities. He is supportive not restrictive. Another component is the creativeness and innovativeness of the staff. The parents and children take great pride at Meadowside and it shows at any event you may observe.
—Submitted by Linda Margiotta, a teacher