Specials
Elysian's music curriculum is aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for music and tailored to the interests and needs of students. The curriculum is structured into five units, each approximately two months long, that prepare students for five main performances at Elysian:
Unit 1: Music Builds Community for our Welcome Back Community Meeting
Unit 2: Music in Celebration for our Winter Holiday Community Meeting
Unit 3: Music as Voice & Legacy for our Black History Month Community Meeting
Unit 4: Telling Stories Through Song for our Spring Concert
Unit 5: Celebrating Transitions and Growth for our Graduation Community Meeting
In preparation for these performance opportunities, students focus on four processes: creating, performing, responding, and connecting. Each performance is treated as a project, within which students meet many music standards. Essential questions and understandings guide and support each process throughout each unit. Music resources from Carnegie Hall, Music Will, Chrome Music Lab, and other organizations are integrated into the curriculum.
To view a detailed monthly curriculum click here.
At Elysian, our Physical Education program is active, inclusive, and engaging. It is designed to support every student in developing lifelong fitness habits, confidence, and teamwork skills. All students participate fully, regardless of skill level or athletic background, in a safe and structured environment where effort, growth, and sportsmanship are celebrated.
Our program blends structured movement, fitness challenges, cooperative games, and team sports to build strength, coordination, endurance, and overall physical literacy. Just as important, students practice setting goals, working collaboratively, showing empathy, and demonstrating perseverance.
PE at Elysian is more than a workout! It's a place where students have fun, support one another, and learn the values of respect, resilience, and responsibility, both on and off the field.
To view a detailed monthly curriculum click here.
At Elysian Charter School, the art room is every student’s studio—a welcoming space for creativity, exploration, and self-expression. Our curriculum blends open-ended and guided lessons, hands-on experimentation, informal critique, and inquiry-based learning. Students explore the work of diverse artists, experiment with a variety of materials and techniques, and engage in projects that are integrated into what they are learning in science, social studies, language arts, and math. Many lessons are inspired by artists who respond to global and social issues, helping students see how art can reflect and influence the world around them. Every project is thoughtfully designed to be developmentally appropriate, with accommodations provided when needed. By the end of the year, students grow as confident creative thinkers—building visual vocabulary, expressing their ideas with purpose, and discovering more about themselves and the world through the joy of making art.
To view a detailed monthly curriculum click here.
Spanish class at Elysian is an interactive journey where students build communication skills, cultural awareness, and confidence in learning a new language. Our curriculum is designed to develop foundational skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Spanish, while also fostering cultural awareness and appreciation.
In the early grades (K–3), language learning is playful and immersive. Students sing songs, play games, read picture books, and participate in hands-on activities that mimic how they learn their first language,through repetition, storytelling, and fun. This approach builds vocabulary, reinforces pronunciation, and creates a joyful introduction to the Spanish language.
As students move into upper elementary and middle school (grades 4–8), they begin to deepen their understanding through structured conversations, written exercises, and thematic units that connect to real-world topics. They explore grammar concepts, build sentence fluency, and engage in projects that highlight the rich diversity of Spanish-speaking cultures around the world.
Throughout all grades, the focus is on creating a supportive and inclusive environment where every student feels safe, seen, and capable of learning a second language. By the end of the year, students grow not only in their language skills but also in their empathy, curiosity, and global awareness, ready to apply what they’ve learned in meaningful ways beyond the classroom.
To view a detailed monthly curriculum click here.
Creative Movement offers all students at Elysian inclusive opportunities to interact, express themselves, and release energy in a positive and joyful way. Most importantly, it’s fun! The goal of the Creative Movement program is to support students’ social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development through music, dance, and movement-based games. This engaging approach allows children to explore rhythm, develop motor skills, channel energy constructively, spark imagination, and promote creativity.
Through dance and movement, children use their bodies to express ideas, images, and emotions. The program provides noncompetitive, success-oriented experiences where every child can feel confident and included. Activities are designed to meet the needs of all learners, including students with communication, sensory, developmental, or physical challenges.
Students may also explore various musical genres that focus on global issues and the powerful messages conveyed by artists. Through group discussions and brainstorming sessions, students reflect on words and phrases from songs that promote positivity, and experiment with body movements to express those messages through dance.
Our Seminar Program, offered exclusively to students in grades 7 and 8, is designed to provide enriching experiences that go beyond the traditional classroom setting.
Each seminar runs twice a week and is offered in two sessions per school year: one from September to January, and the second from January to June. Seminars are taught by a combination of Elysian staff and outside professionals, including artists, designers, and college students pursuing careers in related fields. This blend of instructors brings a diversity of expertise and real-world perspective into the classroom, helping students make connections between their learning and the broader world.
Past seminar topics have included: Game Strategy, Fabric & Fibers, Story Squad, Clay Creations, Upcycled Lab, Crochet Seminar, and Engineering.