Poly Prep Country Day School

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Middle School hosted the Bearns Assembly yesterday, one of the oldest traditions at Poly celebrating poetry and student creativity. Congratulations to all the student poets who shared their work on the Richard Perry Theatre stage!

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 🌱 ✨

The countdown to Reunion is on! 🎉 Don’t miss our latest Alumni Profile featuring emerging artist and singer/songwriter Chase Behar '20 and get excited for a special day filled with good friends, great food, family-friendly fun, and celebrations of our ’0 and ’5 milestones. Join us this Saturday, April 26, on the Dyker Heights campus for a Reunion to remember!

https://www.polyprep.org/news/alumna-spotlight-chase-behar/

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Earlier this month, our Grade 3 students took on "Escape the School," a spy-themed adventure packed with STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts & Math) challenges! Guided by their teachers, our junior agents used teamwork and critical thinking to crack codes and solve puzzles, all in pursuit of one mission: escape!

Special shoutout to our Grade 7 "advisory agents" who returned to the Lower School to support the mission!

Grade 11 student Beckett Zrihen ’25 is leading the revival of Poly’s involvement with Kids Walk for Kids With Cancer! Earlier this month, Beckett served as the school’s organizing representative for their walk in Central Park.

School is closed today in observance of Good Friday. Wishing all who celebrate a joyful and peaceful Easter holiday! 🐣🌷✨

Poly parent Tamara Warren delivered a powerful presentation at today’s Upper School Holocaust Remembrance assembly. Organized by members of the Jewish Caucus, the program included an overview of Holocaust history, followed by Warren’s moving account of her grandfather’s experiences as an Auschwitz survivor—exploring the legacy of the Holocaust, identity, and intergenerational memory.

Over Spring Break, Poly students in Grades 7 to 12 embarked on the Curricular Travel Path to China. Students share reflections on their experiences abroad as they immersed themselves in Chinese culture and deepened classroom learning with real-world application.

https://www.polyprep.org/news/poly-on-the-move-in-mandarin/

The Novogratz Gym was transformed for the Middle School Dance earlier this month! ✨ ✨

Let’s secure a gift for every student at Poly, 1161 total gifts, before Giving Day on Friday, May 9. for the Arts to ensure our students have a wealth of arts disciplines to explore. Let’s come together and make this happen—give today at polyprep.org/give.

Wishing all who celebrate a meaningful Passover.

The week wraps up with a heartwarming celebration of performance and voice at the Lower School! We applaud every student who took part in the Women's History Month Oratory Contest—and a big congratulations to Elisa N. in Grade 4, this year’s Grand Prize winner! 🎤✨

Upper School Affinity group MENA gave a thoughtful assembly presentation yesterday, sharing Middle Eastern and North African traditions, religious holidays like Ramadan, and personal stories through music and culture. A special highlight: a stunning performance by Brooklyn-based Oud player, Brian Prunka! ✨ ✨

Last week, Grades 1 and 2 had a special visit from cartoonist Shauna J. Grant, who shared her new book "Baby-sitters Little Sister: Karen’s Prize!" 🖍️📚✨

“Watching our third graders engage in debate was like watching their minds in motion—analyzing, responding, and thinking critically in real time. It was incredible to see their confidence grow with each argument," said Academic Enrichment and Support Department Co-Chair Emily Prior.

Grade 3 took on a new academic challenge with a structured, competitive debate based on their reading of "There’s an Owl in the Shower" by Jean Craighead George!

In honor of Women’s History Month last month, Lower School students were joined by MS/US Girls' Affinity groups including Spirit Captains and the Middle School Girls Athletic Alliance, who shared the power of teamwork and support in sports.

The celebration ended with a beautiful moment of connection across divisions, as 18 Upper School students visited Lower School classrooms to read books, share messages of friendship, and make bracelets together.