Head of School

Head of School Welcome

Welcome to Dutchess Day School! From the moment students arrive, and I greet them at the door with a handshake and smile, to the time they depart at day’s end, the spirit of individual student attention envisioned by our founders is palpable. Housed in the “Tower House,” a traditional turn-of-the-century farmhouse, Dutchess Day retains much of the warmth and feeling of home for which the building was originally designed.

 

For over sixty years Dutchess Day School has recognized that the intellectual, moral, physical, and creative underpinnings of healthy adults and active global citizens form in the vital PK-8 years. To that end, we strive to provide an environment that blends, in equal measure, academic excellence and character development.

 

We believe that academic excellence provides the content and skills necessary for the lifelong acquisition of knowledge, while character development is the essential vehicle for teaching children how to make sound judgments, take into consideration myriad perspectives, behave in ethical ways, engage others collaboratively and empathetically, and persevere in the face of adversity.

 

After perusing our website, I hope that your curiosity is piqued and that you join us on campus to see firsthand the Dutchess Day School difference. While much is conveyed online and through our school literature, there is nothing that compares to seeing and feeling the “buzz and hum” of teaching and learning within a caring community.

 

I hope to see you on campus!

 

Sincerely,

 

Matthew Heard

Head of School

mheard@dutchessday.org

 

“I think that the greatest thing DDS did for me was offer personal relationships with my teachers. Having gone to DDS from kindergarten to 8th grade, it just seemed normal to me to know my teachers well…to have teachers who knew me well, and cared about not only my academic progress, but also about nurturing my personal interests. Today, as a guitar teacher, I strive to create the same positive influence on my students, with the hope that it will benefit them as much as my DDS education benefited me.”

– Alex Nolan ’98