January 22, 2008

Dear PDS Families,

Thank you for your participation in the launch of the strategic plan back in October. It is exciting to see such a high level of interest and enthusiasm from the parent body.

The board of trustees has been working to implement several areas of the plan through standing board committees and task forces. We know that many of you have ideas and visions to share and we want to hear those ideas.

We invite you to join us on the evening of Monday, February 11, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., for a community event, hosted by the Strategic Plan Implementation Committee in conjunction with the PDS Parents' Organization. The event will take place in the dining room of the Elizabeth C. Gilkeson Center. Dinner and childcare will be available.

The evening will include an update on the progress we have made so far, as well as a presentation by Paul Abramson, a school planning consultant who has been working with the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Paul is the president of Stanton Leggett & Associates, a firm specializing in analysis of long-range facilities and program needs. Paul will talk about current and future space needs at PDS and will hold a forum to discuss your thoughts and ideas as the school moves forward.

We have also created a database with the names of those who participated in the October strategic plan implementation survey and are interested in further involvement. We will be updating this database as the work continues to evolve. Please check the PDS web site for more news on the strategic plan.

In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you on February 11.

Sincerely,

_____________________________________________________________________________

November 2007

Dear PDS Families and Friends:

At our strategic plan launch on October 18, I shared the goals of the first phase of our strategic plan and gave a progress report on actions taken to date. Everyone present received a brochure (PDF) with the plan goals and rationale, an aerial photograph of the school's property and a copy of our mission, vision and values (please let me know If you would like us to mail you a copy). This brochure lays out the first phase of our strategic planning process, whose purpose is to enhance our facility, strengthen our program and secure our future.

We are a school that lives its educational mission as a home for students with a passion for learning and living. We graduate students with the skills to thrive, lead and shape their future. In a world that is changing fast, our students need the competitive edge that a Poughkeepsie Day School education provides. It is also important, at this time of cultural transformation, to renew abiding ideals and commit to thoughtful adaptation to change. Our strategic plan carries forward the high ideals and traditions of the school and ensures that it will continue to offer its exceptional program for generations to come.

Our strategic plan was developed after extensive self-study and research throughout the 2006-2007 academic year. Members of our community shared their perceptions of the school as well as their concerns and hopes for its future. In this data-gathering process we were guided by experts from the educational research firm of Triangle Associates of St. Louis. What emerged from this intensive focus was a much clearer, and shared, sense of what matters most, of where we are and where we want to go.

The job of "how to get there"-how to bring clarity and structure to our aspirations-was taken on by the strategic planning task force, led by trustee parent Rene Schnider. This team identified seven major areas of focus:

They developed goals within each of those areas, provided a rationale for each goal and identified preliminary implementation action steps. Once the plan was adopted by the full board of trustees in June 2007, the work was handed over to the implementation task force, co-chaired by president of the board Julie Stevenson and middle school head George Swain.

The implementation task force will move the plan from paper to process to product. You can click here for a progress report on ways in which the school has already started to shape its destiny. As we move forward with specific goals in targeted areas, we are aware that we need to remain agile in our thinking to accommodate changing circumstances. Our thinking must be strategic, in keeping with our plan.

My thanks to all of you who attended the launch event. It was wonderful to see so many people there to celebrate this milestone. The food-tasting was delicious and the champagne/cider toast in the souvenir soon-to-be-antique PDS mugs was inspired. Thank you to all the dedicated parents and staff who made the event so successful. We couldn't have done it without you.

Thanks also to those who completed the questionnaire distributed at the meeting and indicated your areas of interest and expertise. This provides us with a very useful summary of specific focus, experience and talent. We will be calling on you for help and support as the plan goes forward.

Sincerely,

Josie Holford
Head of School

Click here to read the strategic plan progress report. (For a PDF version, click here.)

Click here to view a PDF of the strategic plan overview brochure.

Click here to read the strategic plan executive summary. (For a PDF version, click here)

Read head of school Josie Holford's June 2007 letter about the Strategic Plan.