After school programs are now underway at the Duxbury Student Union.  Our programs feature a well-rounded staff of counselors committed to youth development with over 100 young participants who make each day new and exciting for all at DSU.

On Monday Sept. 10, DSU opens to middle school students. On Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 12 -14 DSU will be open and free to all middle school students during the hours of 2:45  and 4 p.m.

Our DMS program is priced to be affordable and flexible. We offer middle school students the option of 10-visit punch cards, seasonal passes and the bargain all-access annual option, which works out to be a little more than a $1 a day. Due to popular demand, we’ve added Fridays this year so even highly scheduled students can enjoy DSU time.  To sign-up, download a registration form from our Web site; choose to pay by check or online using PayPal.

Looking to avoid the daily traffic jam at 2:45?  Register your middle school student at DSU and arrange a pick up between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. when traffic is less of a problem.   Middle school students registered in our program may walk to DSU at 2:40 p.m. dismissal, sign-in and take advantage of our daily games and activities, get their homework done, catch up with friends and refuel at the Blender Café.  Think of DSU as that “Third Place” in your middle school student’s life, home being first and school being second, like the Starbucks model. 

Pick up  and  parking  between  the hours of  2 p.m.  to 5 p.m. is permitted only for students who are registered in our after school programs. For the safety of our program participants, we ask that the community abide by traffic rules and refrain from entering our parking lot during the hours of 2pm and 5pm.  DSU families should expect delays, as we will be checking IDs in the parking lot during pick up from our programs.

DSU is thrilled to welcome Gail Wyatt with two great new programs open to all Duxbury youth.  Wyatt, a Duxbury resident, specializes in reading and enrichment programs for youth of all ages. Her “Thinking Out of the Box” program, designed for Alden and Middle School age children, encourages students to ask questions and to explore their creative capacities within a small group setting; including problem solving, deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills.  The seven-week program offers students theme based learning where they are able to develop their own responses, work toward presenting their findings through literature, art, the spoken word, or theater.  This program is offered on Thursdays beginning in September.

Wyatt’s “Let’s Start to Read” is a fun, phonics based, multi-sensory reading group for any preschool child who is ready for the challenge of learning to read.  The program will introduce your child to the wonderful world of letters, and the characters who represent both the sounds and the written word. Through stories, songs, art and small group instruction, your son or daughter will be exposed to the joy of reading in an active and engaging way. The “Let’s Start to Read” program runs for 13 weeks and is offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

We encourage community members to bookmark our Web site, duxburystudentunion.com, and join our newsletter  to stay informed of upcoming community programs.  Consider making a donation to DSU to help support our youth programs.  Donations can be made online or by check to DSU, PO Box 1586, Duxbury, MA 02331. DSU is a 501c3 organization, operating independently from the town and schools, relying on fees from our after school programs, special events and donations from community members like you.