What is science? Is it wearing a lab coat and mixing chemicals? Analyzing specimens under a microscope? Scribbling complex equations on a chalkboard? While it can certainly be any of those things, students at PDS come to understand science and…
A portion of Poughkeepsie Day School’s mission statement reads, “We believe that education is a pathway to a more just society and sustainable planet.” Our annual Changemakers assembly (formerly known as Peacemakers) is the point in the school year at…
Migration is ever persistent in both the human race and the animal kingdom. Even through billions of years of evolution, adaptations to the environment, and improvements in the quality of life, many of our planet’s living organisms continue to pack…
After becoming an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate school in early 2025, Poughkeepsie Day School appointed middle school advisor and preK-12 physical education teacher, Lisa McVey, as our IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator. In this role, Lisa will be responsible…
After becoming an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate school in early 2025, Poughkeepsie Day School appointed preK and kindergarten teacher, Andrea Istel, as our IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) Coordinator. In this role, Andrea will be responsible for overseeing the…
Throughout the year, teachers in both the lower school and upper school have participated in workshops by The Writing Revolution (TWR), where they’ve delved into the Hochman Method, an evidence-based approach to writing instruction that stresses explicit, step-by-step construction of…
Started in 2007 by former Head of Lower School, Mary Ellen Kenny, the Take One Picture project has been a hallmark of the Poughkeepsie Day School experience for nearly 20 years. It starts with the selection of one painting…
Interdisciplinary curricula designed to mutually enrich learning in all included subjects are a defining feature of PDS. One particularly remarkable example is this year’s music and history central study (CS) course in the middle school, where students studied the…
In preparation for delivering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), PDS faculty and staff have been visiting Whitby School in Greenwich, Connecticut to exchange ideas on the IB learner profile, transdisciplinary instruction, and…
Engineers are our greatest problem-solvers, designing and building solutions that address some of the world’s toughest challenges. Applying complex scientific, mathematical, and technical knowledge, they innovate in fields from infrastructure to healthcare, continuously improving the quality-of-life of both humans…
