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.

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

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

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 Gallery Committee assists in upcoming exhibits and events at the PDS Gallery along with set up and clean up at openings. Gallery also promotes engagement among parents and the larger 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

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 Can You 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

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

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. 

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

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.