Eventful MS Weekend

The final performance of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” took place on Friday evening in the James Earl Jones Theater. Students ran the entire show– not only acting, but also as set designers, sound and lighting technicians, and costume…

The Food Truck Emerges

Sixth graders completed their structure of a food truck, built of Goya cans, at the Poughkeepsie Galleria mall! The truck is striking for several reasons: it has a lighted sign, reading How CAN I help you? It has brightly lit…

Are We Running Out of Juice?

Early in the faculty meetings planning for this year, Jake Lahey, our 7-8 history teacher, wondered if we might create an interdisciplinary study that asked students to consider the history and processes that humans use to get energy from the…

Bumps in the road by Ben Chant

We don’t like to see our children in pain or frustrated. We want them to be happy, and as much as we know a life without frustration is impossible, and not even a good thing, we still try to smooth…

Essential Questions: Starting the First Week off Right

In a school like PDS, where teachers are advisors, and where we spend so much time getting to know students well, it doesn’t take long to “get down to work,” in the subject areas. In all classes, teachers and students…

Eighth Grade Ends the Year…and Middle School

By the end of each school year, the teachers and I can all glimpse the future high schoolers that the eighth graders will soon become. At this point in the year, they have registered for their high school courses, and…

Lego Missions in Grade 6

Who doesn’t love a robot? Even with robots in our daily lives, it is still a fantasy to think of what else could be engineered to help us. Our sixth graders work each spring, to imagine robots. They also spend…

Holford Learning Commons Hops

We have entered that luscious time of the school year when students are performing at a high level and apply all their skills and knowledge to culminating projects. On April 20, 2016, the Holford Learning Commons (HLC) was full of…

Inventions are Living History

A key to making learning interesting is to connect the content to the lives of students. This can be tricky in history, when everything one studies is in the past. Connections are burgeoning this year for seventh graders, as they…

Penguin Power = Passion

Our mission statement at PDS: Poughkeepsie Day School develops educated global citizens with a passion for learning, leading and living. Many students find a particular passion as early as elementary and middle school. Zach, in grade six, has developed his…