Poughkeepsie Day School

Open to the public! Poughkeepsie Day School’s Enrichment Program starts on Monday, September 9. Enrichments are weekly or semiweekly after-school classes that give students the opportunity to take a deep dive into areas of interest, try something new, or just participate in a fun activity after school. Learn more and register today at poughkeepsieday.org/enrichment-program or at the link in the Enrichment highlight on our page!

Our amazing Drama, Upper School Humanities, and Latin teacher Stephen Haff recently completed the 3-day Advancing Thinking Through Writing program with The Writing Revolution! The course offered an extremely thorough introduction to the Hochman Method of teaching expository writing and its integrations across several grade levels. Stephen reflects on the experience here:

“I just completed a three-day training course in the methods of the Writing Revolution, also known as the Hochman Method. This training has equipped me with structures and practices to coach students of all levels, in all subjects, to write informative and persuasive expository essays, step by step, from types of sentences and conjunctions to outlining a single paragraph, to outlining and drafting a complete essay, followed by the art of revision. The goal is to achieve logically structured and precisely worded statements and arguments. Their templates—simple, clear, visually helpful—will allow PDS teachers to be coordinated and consistent in their approach, while lightening the cognitive load that writing demands we carry. The system is very supportive and patient, and promises to remove the anxiety so often associated with the task of creating an essay.”

Congratulations, Stephen! We can’t wait to see how these powerful new skills and tools enhance the educational experience of students at PDS.

Open to the public! The Poughkeepsie Day School After School Program starts on Monday, September 9. Available for children in PreK through Grade 7, the program runs from 3:15 – 5:30 pm on school days. Led by Spanish Teacher Christian Enrique Sauer and Art Teacher Melanie Girdlestone, students attending After enjoy a dynamic range of activities aimed at fostering creativity, critical thinking, and social interaction in a bilingual, art-focused setting. They can look forward to baking projects, rainy day movies in the theater, special event-themed activities scheduled throughout the year, and more. Learn more and sign up today using the link in our bio or going to poughkeepsieday.org/after-program!

We are delighted to announce that Samantha Nadal will be teaching Grades 3 and 4 at Poughkeepsie Day School this year! Samantha joins PDS from Bank Street in New York, where she served as an 8/9s Head Teacher and Grade Teacher Leader in the School for Children. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a dual master’s in Early Childhood and Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Throughout her career, Samantha has worked with children ages 3 to 9 in various educational settings.

As an educator who prioritizes social justice, identity, and accessibility, Samantha aims to help students honor the complex history of the land they live on, develop respect for themselves and others by understanding the nuances of identity, and equip children with tools to use their power and privilege for positive change. She is as passionate about these goals as she is about the inquiry and curriculum documentation processes necessary to achieve them.

In her free time, Samantha enjoys watching plants thrive, learning about the brain, savoring all kinds of noodles, and laughing at corny jokes. Welcome to PDS, Samantha!

At Poughkeepsie Day School, active learning and a rich set of experiences are built into the middle school schedule, making students true participants in their education rather than passive receivers of information. By middle school age, students set their own goals, lead their twice-yearly Family Conference, can freely speak about their own needs, and understand that their presence in a school community comes with responsibility. Learn more at poughkeepsieday.org/middle-school.*

*Need-based scholarships available.

Poughkeepsie Day School Poughkeepsie Day School is the leading progressive school in the Hudson Valley, serving nearly 200 students, from PreKindergarten through grade 12.

Poughkeepsie Day School is thrilled to announce that Melanie Girdlestone will be teaching lower school and upper school art this year in addition to co-leading the PDS After School Program!

Melanie returns to PDS after being the Assistant Director of After School & Enrichment Programs from 2018 - 2020 and the Director of Summer Enrichment for several years. She received her B.A. in Art History from SUNY New Paltz, including a minor in Studio Art, and earned her Masters of Science in Education for Art Education from SUNY Buffalo. In addition to her studies, Melanie was a volunteer at AmeriCorps FEMA, working with the Logistics Team to assist communities across the United States affected by natural disasters. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, reading, and exploring local hiking trails. Welcome back, Melanie!

Sign-up information for the After School Program, including enrichment classes, is coming soon.

Poughkeepsie Day School extends an enormous thank-you to Garth Alper, Coordinator of Jazz Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette School of Music, for visiting our campus and spending time with PDS Jazz Camp students this Wednesday! Garth shared invaluable insights on crafting improvised solos as well as developing an artist’s mindset. His structured advice, strategies, and leadership resonated deeply with our students. Thank you for your generosity and expertise, Garth!

The lower school program at Poughkeepsie Day School is inquiry-based, child-centered, and interdisciplinary, emphasizing hands-on learning and experiences that are meaningful and relevant to children. Starting in PreKindergarten, students take classes in Spanish, drama, music, and visual art in addition to core academic subjects, becoming a tight-knit community of learners in the process. For more information, go to poughkeepsieday.org/lower-school .*

Need-based scholarships available.

Poughkeepsie Day School An independent school for independent thinkers.
PreK - 12th Grade.

Upper School STEM Teacher and Advisor Shira Teich just returned home from a very successful trip to Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT to participate in their Foundations in Education for Sustainability (EfS) Program! Her newfound knowledge and experience will greatly assist Poughkeepsie Day School in more closely aligning its curricula with EfS standards and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

We want to extend a whole-hearted thank-you to everyone who contributed to fund this trip through donations to the PDS GROW campaign! It means the world to us and our teachers. To support more professional development at PDS, as well as other exciting initiatives, give to PDS GROW today at https://www.mypds.org/online_forms/?id=NTk%3D!

REMINDER - THIS SATURDAY: Join us as we celebrate Barbara Wood ’78 for almost 50 years of dedication and commitment to PDS! Email Samantha Melo ’02 at [email protected] to RSVP. Hope to see many of you there!

We are pleased to invite the Poughkeepsie Day School community to join us as we celebrate Barbara Wood ’78 for almost 50 years of dedication and commitment to PDS! Email Samantha Melo ’02 at [email protected] to RSVP. Hope to see many of you there!

Gifts to the Fund for PDS, our annual fund, are what ensure a bright future for the school we all love. To contribute to this year’s annual fund, make a gift before the end of tomorrow, June 30 at poughkeepsieday.org/make-a-gift (link in our bio and “Giving” highlight). You also have the option of mailing a check payable to Poughkeepsie Day School to the address in our bio (Attn: Fundraising Office). Every contribution, no matter how small, matters. Thank you for your support.

This past Friday, the Poughkeepsie Day School class of 2024 graduated from our program and began their wonderful lives beyond PDS. This year, starting a new school tradition, every class participated in a senior farewell ceremony as part of Commencement, sharing their own unique songs, poems, and letters to show their deep appreciation for this incredible group of young adults. Board Chair Erik Huestis ’99 inducted graduates into the Poughkeepsie Day School Alumni Association and awarded them their diplomas. It was a truly beautiful day. Congratulations! 🎉🎓

Poughkeepsie Pride 2024

We had an incredible PDS Olympic Games (Field Day) yesterday! After a cross-divisional Olympic torch relay, the games officially commenced, and teams of students competed in several unique events at four separate stations designed by P.E. teacher Lisa McVey. Together, students jumped hurdles, passed batons, tossed rings, and more, all while being cheered on by their peers, parents, and teachers! Huge thank-you to Lisa and everyone involved for making this possible—it was an absolute blast!

On Friday, we had our Spring Learning Expo, where students got to show their parents and other visitors all the incredible things they have been learning lately. The Expo featured a packed full-service restaurant hosted by the PreK/K and the Culinary Institute of America; a puppet show, poetry showcase, and Hudson River mural from Grades 1 and 2; presentations on ancient Africa, stop motion animations about integrity (in collaboration with Grades 5 and 6), and a performance of Taylor Swift in the theater from Grades 3 and 4; and, finally, a fashion history and outfit design showcase from Grades 5 and 6. At any given point in time, there was something amazing going on in every classroom.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade had an electrifying fashion show and fashion history presentations last night! They all got to walk the red carpet, pose for pictures, present comprehensive research on different clothing items and fashion styles of their choosing, and even walk the runway for a roaring audience in the James Earl Jones Theater! This event was the culmination of the class’s months-long interdisciplinary research project on topic of fashion.

In their Intensive Study course, the 4-5-6 refined their research and public speaking skills, conducting extensive research and learning to scrutinize and verify their sources of information when creating presentations. They also learned to communicate effectively with an audience using eye contact, body language, and vocal projection.

In art class with Michelle, students learned about textiles in relation to fashion and fabric choices. For these, they worked on designs based off of repetitive print making utilizing printing plates. The class collectively learned about and created “mood boards” as a way to see how designers use inspiration images collected in one place to create their fashions. Students also learned about fashion drawing/sketching. The proportions are slightly different to normal figure drawing. Their sketches have explanations and justifications based on their research. The students were required to create, by hand, one component of their look. These components include: Jacket, Belts, Hair clip, Tote bag, and Boutonniere.

In Español with Christian, students learned the vocabulary for different clothing items and styles. Each student’s presentation began with a description of their look in Spanish.

In music class with Ken, students learned to play and sing ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ by Elvis Presley, and even recorded their own music video for the song that was shown before their presentations. They also watched videos of designer fashion shows to learn how to walk with the confidence of a model and they chose their own music that was fitting for their style of fashion.

We had a beautiful community fire pit last night where parents, students, and staff roasted marshmallows, ate some delicious food, and simply had a great time together. Everyone got to have pasta, fruit, s’mores, candy, and even flatbread and shrimp that were grilled right over the fire. At the end, students had their own dance party in the newly renovated playhouse on our playground! Special thank-you to the PDSPA and everyone who helped organize this awesome community event.

The PreK and Kindergarten put on a very impressive Writers Workshop celebration today! Over the past few months, each student has been engaged in the full process of writing and illustrating their own personal narrative book about a memorable experience. This included brainstorming, storyboarding, checking their story against a rubric, and editing their writing after they had finished. In front of a crowd of their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade peers and PDS faculty, everyone shared their final products today, and it was excellent. Everybody did such a great job!

Recently, Grades 1-6 have been engaged in intercambio cultural (cultural exchange) with students from Colegio Liceo Moderno and Colegio Andres Bello in Colombia. Through periodic video calls, children use their Spanish skills to introduce themselves, make friends with the Colombian students, learn (and teach) how to translate different words and numbers, and gain valuable insight into Colombian culture. They can’t wait for the next meeting!

PDS Parent Jay Erickson runs a free enrichment class every Friday that sees students from Grades PreK - 6 exploring the architectural process by designing and building a variety of additions to the small yellow playhouse on our playground. The course, entitled “PDS Dream Home Makeover: The Clubhouse,” met last Friday for its first “build day,” where students painted the house’s interior and started installing solar panels on the roof for their planned interior lighting. The next items on the agenda are a disco ball, shelves, a fan, curtains, and a cooler. All additions are thought of, designed, and implemented by the students.

Photos: Amanda Thorndike and Jay Erickson

Poughkeepsie Day School congratulates Head of School, Spiro Gouras, on completion of his Progressive School Leadership (Ed.M.) degree from Bank Street College of Education! Spiro also holds an MSEd in Childhood Literacy from Hunter College, certification from the Graduate Teacher Programme of Sussex University (UK), and a BA in Communications and Media from SUNY New Paltz. He was named Head of School at PDS in July 2023.

Students of all ages have been pondering Jacob Lawrence’s “Memorabilia” lithograph for the better part of the last two months, coming up with several unique interpretations of the piece. It’s the subject of this year’s installment of the collaborative “Take One Picture” project between PDS and Vassar College, which culminated in an all-school presentation at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center earlier this week. Each student and class’s interpretation of Lawrence’s work spawned different learning experiences and projects for them all to explore, and the results were outstanding. Thank you to Vassar and the Loeb for having us!

Calling all PDS alumni!

Next Wednesday, join us for a PDS-themed dose of nostalgia as you catch up with old classmates, meet some new ones, and reconnect with the wonderful work still happening at the school today!

While we’re calling this an alumni gathering, all members of the extended PDS community are welcome – as are guests.

We can’t wait to see you there! Go to poughkeepsieday.org/alumni to RSVP.

The PDSPA provided a beautiful faculty and staff appreciation lunch for us today, catered by Adams Fairacre Farms! Everyone loved the delicious spanakopita, grilled chicken, salad, rice, vegetables, and desserts (especially). Special thank-you to Amy, Bintou, Angela, Larry, and Jay for putting it all together today; we appreciate you so much!

Thanks to a successful Earth Day Fundraiser this past Sunday, we raised over $2,000 for our amazing STEM teacher Shira Teich to attend the Shelburne Farms Foundations in Education for Sustainability (EFS) Program in Vermont this summer! She will be spending 5 days with educators from all across the United States learning about the EFS approach and how best to apply it at PDS to further enrich the education of our students. Deepest thank-you to all who donated and made it possible; it really does make a big difference.
Event photos: Amy Hesseldahl

To bid farewell to April (National Poetry Month) this Tuesday, we held our annual Eagle Society meeting in the Chapman Room! The 5th and 6th Grade performed “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carrol; the 3-4 read “The Eagle” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson; and the 1-2 read “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” by Shel Silverstein. We also had several students (and parents) share poetry of their choice with everyone. Great job, everybody, and congratulations to our new Eagle Society inductees!

The PreK/Kindergarten and Grades 1 & 2 treated us to some excellent original plays after our community potluck breakfast on Friday! The PreK/K performed “Why Hummingbird Hums” and the 1-2 performed “The Leopard Family and the Baboon”. Students in each class spent months creating characters, scenes, and dialogue for their plays in drama class with Stephen. They also worked extremely hard to create every one of their masks and painted backdrops in art class with Michelle. In the end, It all came out great! Good job, everyone!

Discover the PDS difference! Book an upcoming campus tour to see Poughkeepsie Day School’s beautiful campus and get an overview of our distinct curriculum and philosophy.

Book now at: poughkeepsieday.org/online-inquiry (link in bio and highlights).

Open to the public! A new cycle of PDS enrichment classes will be starting next week and the week after. We have a new one on the roster this time around. Swipe through to see! Registration for all can be found at poughkeepsieday.org/enrichment-program or at the link in the “Enrichment” highlight on our page.