At Beechwood School, the staff ascribes to the philosophy of implementing developmentally responsive practices and challenging each preK-2 child to reach his or her full potential. We provide a learning environment that is filled with rich experiences and that enhances the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of the whole child.  Our goal is to have our children excited about coming to school, feeling positive about learning and about themselves, and interacting with other children and adults in a productive manner. Members of the administrative team, staff, and parents/guardians work together to create engaging educational experiences rooted in respect and trust. In turn, this fosters risk-taking as part of the learning process.

Their high energy, genuine love for children, content area expertise, and commitment to professional growth are noteworthy characteristics of the Beechwood staff. Staff members provide a variety of opportunities that allow our students to engage in hands-on activities and cooperative projects aligned with the recent 21st century learning initiative designed by the New Jersey Department of Education. Our curriculum is centered on the individual student. By identifying student entry points, our staff members are able to differentiate their instruction. Our balanced literacy program includes guided reading, Writer’s Workshop, and word study. Students publish original pieces and are comfortable and proud to share them with real audiences. We aim to nurture higher level thinking skills essential to the development of independent lifelong readers and writers. The use of manipulatives in the Everyday Math program assists our students with acquiring practical strategies for real-world problem solving. Science and social studies instruction is thematic. Students are encouraged to cooperatively work to develop hypotheses, to conduct experiments, and to create projects that allow for connections between their lives and the past and present world around them. Special area teachers provide instruction in the areas of art, library, music, physical education, and Spanish. Our enrichment and special education teachers address the diverse needs of our student body as well.

Field trips, guest speakers, service learning projects, and cultural arts assemblies, many of which are sponsored and funded by an active and supportive Parent Teacher Association and Mountainside Education Foundation, further enrich the learning experiences for the children at Beechwood School. 

The Beechwood School community is proud of its accomplishments and invites you to learn more about our programs. It is the strong partnership that exists between the school and the community that makes our students’ successes possible.