SNAPSHOTS

Lower School

NEW PLAYGROUND FUN ▶

Early Childhood and Lower School students enjoyed a fun addition to their recess and outdoor playtime this year! “The Spider Climber” was a fast favorite.

Assemblies And Plays

Throughout the year, Early Childhood and Lower School students gathered each week for a mix of virtual and in-person assemblies, plays, and performances. Each grade level had a chance to perform a special show. As is tradition, 5th-grade students put on a musical as their final performance in the Lower School.

Art Show

Specials are the pulse of the Early Childhood and Lower School curriculum. Students have the opportunity to meet on a regular basis with art, science, PE, and music teachers. Early Childhood and Lower School students presented a gallery of their finest artwork to their peers and families at the Lower School Art Show in February.

Middle School

Halloween Dance

In October, Middle School students dressed up in their costumes and shared a memorable evening in Bahnik Hall. Mr. Middleton and Upper School student Josh Levy were the DJs for the evening while students enjoyed pizza, snacks, and goodies. Thank you to all of the families who donated items, supplies, and decorations for the event. Additionally, in the days leading up to Halloween, students created “Haunted Hallways,” working collaboratively as a grade to decorate their hallways.

World Puppetry

This year, Middle School students had the opportunity to take World Puppetry as an Arts elective. This course allowed students to learn about different styles of puppetry from all over the world, and as their culminating project, they created their own puppets and produced their own play. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to bring together different art mediums, including voice acting, puppet design and creation, theatre production, and film editing.

Middle School

Annual Trip To Fahnestock

The 6th-grade students enjoyed an overnight trip to Fahnestock this past fall and brought back with them a lifetime of memories and experiences. Students shared cabins, went on a night hike, built skills useful for the outdoors, and bonded as a grade.

All Schools

DEI ASSEMBLIES ▶

Throughout the year, the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Mrs. Douglas, planned a number of assemblies to honor the different cultural backgrounds represented in the Portledge Community. Students were able to gain a better understanding of their peers and their customs through the various opportunities provided. Some assemblies included the Lunar New Year Assembly, Women’s History Month speakers, Black History Month, Pride Month activities, and a new event, World Cultures Night.

Upper School ROBOTICS

Two Portledge Robotics teams advanced to the Regional Championship this year: Portledge

Hit the Switch and Portledge Robotics. After putting up high scores at the Robotics qualifiers hosted by Locust Valley, Team 8818 earned the Promote Award for their “How I Learned about FIRST” video submission. This is the first win in this category for our Portledge Robotics Program. Even more, Team 11649 was the runnerup. Congratulations to our Robotics students for a successful season!

Science Symposium

On April 13th, Upper School students presented their scientific research and work on a variety of topics at the Second Annual Science Symposium. Keynote speaker and Rutgers University Presidential Fellow Mr. Wilson Guillory began the evening, and Portledge research students shared posters and words about their work. This year we also had a special STEAM music interlude on modified instruments.