Parents Association

The Book Fair Committee organizes the annual Book Fair, held in April for 3 days. The fair is a fun fundraising event for all divisions, families and friends of the school with all proceeds benefiting the PDS libraries.

Key Events

The committee kicks off planning at the beginning of the school year to set the Fair date and meets again in late winter for planning the event. The committee works very closely with the LS, MS and US librarians. During the Fair, fun events are organized for all grades.

How You Can Help

Volunteers are needed to help set up and clean up the fair, manage the registers, and monitor/help the students. Sign-ups for all opportunities will be circulated. Committee Chairs can be contacted via email or phone.

The Athletics Booster Committee promotes school spirit, encourages participation in sporting events, and supports the athletic programs and Panther athletes throughout the year. Boosters organizes community-wide spirit events for LS, MS & US.

Key Events

• Lower School Skate Exchange
• PAWS mascot appearances
• PDS/Lawrenceville Hockey Game
• Athletic Center events
• Fall Weekend - including the LS FUN Run
• Spring Weekend - including the Color Run

How You Can Help

To promote school spirit and community, parent volunteers are always welcomed to join in the fun! Volunteer sign-ups are circulated for each event. Please contact the committee Chairs with any questions or to volunteer. Go Panthers!

Founded in 1998, Princeton Common Ground (PCG) is a collaborative effort of the parent associations of 16 Princeton area independent schools. Each year PCG features 2-3 distinguished speakers in Fall, Winter and Spring respectively, with the intent to inform, inspire and invigorate our school communities. The lectures, which are free and open to the public, rotate among the member schools, address contemporary, educational, health and parenting issues. Common Ground will communicate the lecture, registration and ticket information to school community via division newsletters and emails.

Please visit the Common Ground Web Site

Encore acts as a liaison between the US Theater Director and the PDS Community and supports the theater program in MS and US. Its purpose is to assist theater faculty and student performers during theater events and facilitate communication between the director and parents such as commitment expectations for participation and rehearsal schedules. The committee also organizes cast meals for rehearsal times outside of regular class schedule.

Key Events

Encore activities center around 3 annual productions:

• 8th grade Musical: End of April
• US Fall play: Early December
• US Spring Musical – End of February

How You Can Help

Parent volunteers are needed to help with cast meals and ticketing for each production. Please email chairs directly for more information.

The mission of the J. Richardson Dillworth Friends of the PDS Libraries is to support, strengthen and promote libraries as centers of learning; to foster the process of intellectual growth; and to nourish the imagination with the pleasures of reading. Volunteers support the library faculty and assist with the Imagine the Possibilities program in the spring.

The mission of the Gallery Committee is to generate interest and engagement in the visual arts through the unique space and programming of the PDS Anne Reid ’72 Gallery. To this end, the Committee works with the Gallery Director and the Upper School Gallery Club to organize exhibits and events in the Gallery, and promote interest in the Gallery in the PDS community through social media, word of mouth and collaborations with the communications team.

Key Events

• Weekly social media posts
• Monthly Gallery Openings
• Meetings and Brainstorming Sessions as needed

How You Can Help

Parents are encouraged to help execute and attend Gallery events, support social media presence and provide outreach to local artists or those in the arts community. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Gallery Committee Chairs directly.

Helping Hands works side by side with the school's Service Learning efforts.  The group sponsors community wide drives and other events, as well as assists the school in getting parent volunteers involved when needed.

In addition, this group assists any member of the PDS community during a time of need.  Helping Hands response depends on the specific situation and will provide compassionate support in a sensitive, appropriate and discreet manner.

KEY EVENTS

These events change year to year, as does the need for volunteers.  For more details, please visit the PDS Service Learning webpage: https://www.pds.org/school-life/service-learning 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Parent volunteers are welcome to sign up for each event.  Please contact the Chair directly if you have any questions.

Ovations supports music programs in all three divisions. Its purpose is to coordinate and assist faculty and student performers with music events. Ovations volunteers chaperone events, provide upper school student pre-concert dinners, organize post-concert receptions, and prepare parent volunteer signups.

Key Events

Each year, Ovations supports 12 music performances:

• 4 Winter Concerts featuring Band, Orchestra, and Chorale in MS and US
• 4 Spring Concerts featuring Band, Orchestra, and Chorale in MS and US
• 4 Lower School Player Circle Performances

How You Can Help

Ovations welcome parent volunteers to chaperone events, bring food and help with the pre-concert dinners and post-concert receptions. Volunteer sign up information will be sent to parents prior to each concert. You can also contact the chairs directly to volunteer.
 

The PDS Parents' Association proudly announces the new Parent Life Committee. This initiative has been designed for parents, by parents, so our school community can get to know each other better through fun, social events. 

Parent Ambassadors support the PDS Admissions Department by organizing parent volunteers to attend admissions events and welcome prospect families throughout the school year. Parent Ambassadors are responsible for organizing volunteers for Parent Partners, a program that connects new PDS families with current PDS families to ease the transition into our school community.

Key Events

Admissions events run throughout the year:

• Weekly Campus Tours (30 min)
• Fall Open House events (1-2 hours)
• Spring Revisit Days (1-2 hours)
• Summer Parent Partners

How You Can Help

Parents can volunteer for a single day or multiple events; individual time commitment is flexible. A SignUp Genius is circulated several times a year with available volunteer options. Please contact the Chairs directly with any questions.
 

The Parent Sustainability and Garden Group (PSGG) was formed to support Princeton Day School's goal to become a sustainable community where students and families are educated about the importance of stewarding our planet's resources for the next generations. PSGG hosts events for the PDS community throughout the year. Speaker events in our greenhouse, coffee in the garden, nature walks and garden cleanup are just some of the activities PSGG sponsors to educate our community to live more sustainably, to celebrate the school's garden and to foster appreciation of the natural world around us.

Key Events

PSGG aims to host one activity a month for the school community. The list below is just an example of possible events:

• Coffee in the garden
• Morning hikes
• Garden cleanup days
• Greenhouse talks

How You Can Help

Parents are welcome to help and/or join in with any of the activities listed above. Garden volunteers are welcome too! Any time commitment, small or large, is appreciated. Please contact the Chairs directly with any questions.

The Faculty and Volunteer Appreciation leads the planning, coordinating, organizing the January Faculty Appreciation Luncheon, December Volunteer Breakfast, and May End of the Year Volunteer Luncheon.

How You Can Help

Parent volunteers are welcome to sign up for each event. Please contact the Chair directly if you have any questions.