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OVERVIEW
| The lower school consists of approximately 130
students from pre-kindergarten (for three and four year olds)
through fourth grade. The program is child-centered, interdisciplinary
and emphasizes hands-on learning. Teachers collaborate to design
curricula and set goals and objectives based on developmental
stages of children as well as the particular needs of the children
in their classes. A year-long thematic study in each class provides
students with opportunities for questions, research and analysis
that are the springboard for learning in the lower school. Literacy,
quantitative reasoning, scientific inquiry, problem solving
and artistic expression are at the core of our curriculum. To
add breadth and depth to the interdisciplinary approach to learning
at PDS, children also meet with specialists for art, drama,
Spanish, library, music, and physical education. At Poughkeepsie
Day School children develop a love of learning, which grows
out of active engagement in meaningful activities. |
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| Think summer! PDS Summer Camp is
June 23-27 and June 30-July 3, 2008. View
flier/registration form (PDF) |
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Acknowledging the academic and social benefits that accrue to children
participating in mixed-age groupings, as well as the developmental
needs of our youngest children, classroom configurations in the
lower school currently include one pre-kindergarten class for both
three and four year old children, two kindergarten classes, two
first/second grade classes, and three third/fourth grade classes.
Depending on enrollment in a given year, classroom configuration
may vary. Our commitment to low teach-student ratios always guides
us in our decision making. The teacher student ratio ranges from
1/7 in the pre-kindergarten to a maximum of 1/14 in the third/fourth
grade classes.
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Individual learning styles are respected at PDS.
In every classroom, no matter what the size or configuration,
whole class lessons are balanced with small-group work and individualized
instruction. Great attention is given to identifying students'
particular strengths and weaknesses and helping them to progress,
at the appropriate pace and to the appropriate level, within
the broader framework set by the classroom teachers and lower
school faculty as a whole. In addition to the classroom teachers,
specialists provide extra support in emerging literacy and mathematics.
Networked computers are located in every classroom, allowing
students supervised access to the Internet as well as to word-processing
programs and educational software; each classroom also has its
own intranet e-mail account. Carts of wireless laptops are available
to classrooms for lessons in which each student uses a computer. |
Learning how to participate in the larger Poughkeepsie Day School
community is also emphasized. Indeed, cooperative group endeavors
are a hallmark of the learning process at PDS. Sharing information
and ways of approaching problems helps students and teachers alike
to respect and learn from one another. At a weekly lower school
assembly, children have an opportunity to present work that they
have been doing in their classes to the rest of the lower school.
We also sing songs together, and individual students occasionally
perform if they are studying instruments. Each month the entire
student body participates in an all-school activity. Throughout
the year, students also belong to mixed-age buddy groups which engage
in educational and community-minded projects.
Choice time, during which children are encouraged to explore various
areas of particular interest, is an essential part of the weekly
schedule and helps foster initiative, creativity and independence.
Choices (depending on grade level) might include art experiences,
playing games of strategy such as chess or Stratego, dramatic play,
weaving, writing, construction or working on a research project.
Students take numerous field trips each year, related to academic
themes or units of study. For example, the kindergarten children
visit neighboring Sprout Creek Farm to learn more about life on
a working farm. Back in the classroom, they write stories and draw
pictures about their experiences. Other students might explore the
Mohonk Preserve in order to learn, first-hand, about woodland plants
and animals as part of a Native American social studies theme, or
visit the Sloop Clearwater in conjunction with their study of the
Hudson River.
EVALUATION
Early each fall, parents are invited to a lower school curriculum
night during which the year's program for each classroom is described
in detail by teachers. Prior to that meeting, a written program
overview, daily schedule, statement of goals and information about
homework is mailed to parents. Parent/teacher conferences are held
each fall and spring to discuss each child's progress and address
any specific questions or concerns. Extensive mid-year and year-end
written reports, including a curriculum summary and a narrative
description of a child's progress, are sent home in February and
June. Teachers use a variety of tools including observation, anecdotal
records, running records, portfolio samples, parent/teacher conferences
and student self-evaluation to assess progress.
Throughout the year, communication between parents and teachers
is viewed as an integral part of a student's education. The lower
school head sends a seasonal newsletter to parents and, periodically,
teachers send home timely information to update parents about classroom
activities. Teachers can be reached by e-mail or telephone and are
always willing to meet with parents as needed. In addition, learning
specialists, division heads and the head of school are available
for further consultation on school-related issues. In every case,
Poughkeepsie Day School seeks to provide the best possible learning
environment for children and welcomes feedback from parents.
SCHEDULE
The school day runs from 8:20 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Pre-kindergarten
children have the choice of full-day or half-day programs. The half-day
program meets from 8:20 - 11:30 a.m. daily. An optional, before-school
program for lower school students, supervised by PDS staff, operates
each day from 7:30- 8:10 a.m. at no cost; for an additional fee,
students in pre-kindergarten through grade six may sign up for an
optional after-school program from 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. on days
when school is in session.
For additional information, please contact
the Admissions Office at (845) 462-7600, ext. 201.
Revised Fall 2007
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