September 30, 2022
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Fourth graders were creating Micro:bit fitness trackers this week with Mr. Robinson in the IMPACT lab.
Opening Message
We’re Off to a Wonderful Start!
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: September 30, 2022
Parent socials are in full swing, and it was wonderful spending time with kindergarten, third, fourth, and fifth grade parents this week. I find myself being asked the same question with each encounter: How’s the start of the school year? My answer—we are off to a wonderful start—seems to resonate with everyone who has asked. The energy in the Schoolhouse, on the sidelines, on Big Blue, and in the carlines is joyful and palpable. “It’s just so nice to be back on campus” is a common refrain.
This year’s themes of community and excellence have something to do with that energy, and being back on campus contributes to our community’s feeling of happiness. I believe being together again also brings families closer to the excellence we promise for each student’s experience.
At this morning’s Sharing Assembly, excellence was on display as each grade recounted the highlights and learning from their summer reading books, and the smiles of both the presenters and their videographer parents were a mile wide. Excellence is also present in the less visible places and moments: Coolidge Hall when it is abuzz with conversation over great food at lunchtime; when Capstone mentors and mentees engage in their weekly 1:1 meetings; at recess when kindergarteners and second graders are sharing Big Blue; and during a field hockey dribbling competition that I was invited to—which I lost, but the results are being greatly contested, and a rematch has been promised!
Simply put, now that we are back in one another’s orbit, the joy we experience is collective and part of a greater whole, and born of community and the celebration of the excellence that is part of every day at Belmont Day School.
So, as pre-kindergarten, first, second, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade parents ready themselves for their upcoming socials, consider this message a headstart on the conversations I hope we get to have about why we are off to such a wonderful start this year, and all that we can continue to look forward to in the year ahead.
Have a great weekend, everyone. Hope to see you at tomorrow’s Fall Festival!
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Admissions Open House
Sunday, October 16, 2022, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Have a friend, relative, or neighbor who may be interested in learning about Belmont Day School and the benefits of an independent school education for their child? We will be welcoming families back on campus later this month for our first in-person Admissions Open House in nearly three years! It’s a great way to be introduced to the school and what makes BDS special. Student ambassadors will provide tours of campus and our dedicated faculty will be available to share insights into their curriculum.
Families will be invited to visit campus at a specific time depending on their student’s grade level. Registration is required and the time of attendance will be shared upon registration. Click here for more information and registration.
Volunteers Needed
We need your help! If you are interested in assisting during the Admissions Open House, please fill out this short survey with your availability on Sunday, October 16.
Tasks include: being a greeter, helping at a registration table, replenishing snacks, mingling with prospective families, etc. It should be an energizing and fun community-building experience! For those of you who can help, our admissions team will follow up at the end of next week with role assignments and additional information.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. In addition to filling out the survey, you can reach out to Judy Bright with any questions at jbright@belmontday.org.
Join Us for the Second Annual BDS Fest: Fall Harvest
TOMORROW! RAIN OR SHINE! We’ll celebrate the start of the new school year with fun, food, and friends on Saturday, October 1 from 12 to 4 p.m. at the second annual BDS Fest: Fall Harvest. If the rains hold off the festival will be on Far Field. If it does rain, we’ll set up the games and activities in the Barn and the food trucks will be parked closeby.
Let the fun begin!
- Complimentary food: Lawless Food truck, Mr. Gourmet Sausage Specialist food truck, donuts, popcorn, and drinks for all.
- Endless activities: archery and basketball hoop blow-ups, bouncy house, craft tables, board games, balloon artist, corn hole and ring toss, photo station, music, and more.
Lunch & Snack Menu
October 3 to October 7
Monday
Snack: pretzels; mixed fruit cups
Lunch: pasta with marinara on the side; gluten-free penne with marinara on the side; crusty rolls; Romano cheese; butter; broccoli; greens with balsamic; fresh fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk and water
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; tortilla chips
Lunch: Asian soy ginger chicken thighs; Asian soy ginger tofu; white rice; green beans; Asian spinach salad; fortune cookies; fresh fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk and water
Wednesday
Snack: apples; Goldfish
Lunch: beef hot dogs with bun; vegan hot dogs with bun; corn and peas; garden salad with ranch dressing; ketchup; mustard; chips; fresh fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk and water
Thursday
Snack: clementines; Popcorners
Lunch: ham and cheese croissant; grilled cheese; gluten-free grilled cheese; roasted cauliflower; Caesar salad; fresh fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk, chocolate milk, and water
Friday
Snack: apple slices; cinnamon oatmeal rounds
Faculty Lunch
Dining In Coolidge Hall
Along with the main menu, students have access to a hot bar with the “hot veg of the day,” as well as a salad bar with fresh vegetables, fruit, deli meats and cheese, roasted tofu, hummus, organic yogurt, greens and a salad of the day. They also have access to cereal, bread, bagels, cream cheese, Wowbutter, and jellies. 1% milk and soy milk are available.
Each table is set with the entrée of the day. There are plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options for those who follow a specialized diet. We also ask that any children with allergies introduce themselves to the kitchen team so that we can make sure that everyone enjoys a safe meal.
BDS News
COMMUNITY EVENT
Trunk or Treat Planned for October 22
Mark those calendars! The Belmont Day Summer Camp & After School programs will be hosting a “Trunk or Treat” event on campus on Saturday, October 22 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. If your children (and you!) are looking for a fun opportunity to put on their Halloween costumes to share with the Belmont Day community, this is your chance!
ALL BDS families from the school, summer camp, and after school programs are invited to deck out their car trunks with Halloween (or other) themed decorations, hand out treats to trick or treaters, and sport your costume a few days before actual Halloween!
If you are interested in reserving a spot for your car, please fill out this sign-up form and reach out to Denali Kikuchi at dkikuchi@belmontday.org with any questions. Please let us know ASAP if you plan to participate. Thank you!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Kick Off
Wednesday, October 19
5:30 to 6:00 p.m. reception
6:00 to 7:30 p.m. program
The location is to be determined
Please save the date for an introductory reception and program with the new equity, inclusion, and belonging team, Connie Yepez, director, and Mike Marroquin-Castillo, assistant director, and Brendan Largay, head of school, to hear about our collective vision for EIB at Belmont Day. All parents and guardians of BDS students are invited.
Detailed information will follow in next week’s Scoop! If you have any questions, please contact Connie Yepez at cyepez@belmontday.org.
FACULTY NEWS
New Hire
Kaleen Moriarty, lower school math specialist
After a brief hiatus from Belmont Day, Kaleen Moriarty returns in a new part-time role to support math instruction in the lower school. A longtime math and science teacher in sixth grade at Belmont Day, Kaleen has longed for the opportunity to work with our younger students. Add to that our desire to bolster support for our rigorous Singapore math curriculum and the fit was a perfect one. We are over the moon to welcome Kaleen back on Tuesday when she begins this newest chapter at Belmont Day.
KITCHEN NEWS
Dining Together Again in Coolidge Hall
We are off to a great start with family-style dining back in Coolidge! We have successfully transitioned from our old schedule of three lunches to four lunches to accommodate the past few years’ increase in numbers in the middle school. Be sure to ask your children about the important roles they play in the lunch systems. Everyone is learning to be part of our community and how they can help make everything run smoothly.
This week we ate a number of delicious and healthy items harvested from the BDS garden:
- potatoes – purple, white, and golden (Some of the potatoes we ate were picked and cleaned by our pre-kindergarten class. They were so delicious! Thank you pre-K!)
- heirloom cherry tomatoes
- kale
- beans – pole beans, green-yellow-purple string beans
We have the planning and work of Kathy Jo Solomon to thank for the bountiful harvest this fall!
Our kitchen team continues to grow:
- Tara Lightbody – food program director
- Vlad Hucko – assistant chef
- Ellen Brandt – customer service kitchen coordinator
- Gwen Hatt – customer service kitchen assistant
We will also be adding Isabelle Dore as a culinary support person. She begins on Monday, October 3!
– Tara Lightbody, food program director, and the kitchen team
COMMUNITY NEWS
Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Book Group
Join us each month for an informal, parent-led EIB book group focusing on books written from the perspectives of marginalized communities. All parents/caregivers and faculty are welcome, and we choose our books democratically.
Currently, we are reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. The choice was inspired by the seventh grade class, who read the young-reader adaptation of this book over the summer. We also recommend listening to the audiobook of this one since it’s narrated by the author, and he is a master of accents.
We will meet on the first Thursday of every month via Zoom. The link will be available on the Parent Portal. Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 6 at 7 p.m.
Please contact Danielle England or Christina Cosman if you have any questions.
ADMISSIONS NEWS
Sibling Applications Now Being Accepted for Pre-k and Grade 6
We welcome parents of current Belmont Day School students who have a child who will turn four by September 1, 2023, or a child who will apply for sixth grade admission to participate in our early admission process for siblings. The preliminary application and parent questionnaire must be submitted by Monday, October 31, 2022, for your child to receive this priority consideration. If you submit by our early deadline, you will also receive early notification of admission.
Families should visit www.ravenna-hub.com, create an account (or add an additional student to their existing account) and then add Belmont Day School. You will see detailed information about the necessary steps and things you must complete for your application. The deadline for submitting all application materials is Sunday, December 4. If you have any questions, please contact Liz Parfit, director of admissions.
Learning Updates
Science Is Making Waves In Seventh Grade
This week in science we started to learn about the properties of waves. Students began the week by working with Slinkys to learn about how a wave can be described as an energy disturbance that travels through a medium from one location to another. Students modeled how longitudinal waves and transverse waves move using Slinkys. As the week progressed, students used a PhET simulation to explore the impact that amplitude and frequency have on a wavelength. A question to ask your student might be, what are the relationships that are present between the frequency, wavelength, and amplitude of a wave?
–Maggie Small, grade 7 science teacher
Kindergartners Draw First of Three Self Portraits
Each year in kindergarten, students work on a series of self portraits. The first is drawn in the first month of school; the second self portrait is created in the middle of the school year; the final round of drawings is done at the end of the year. These self portraits offer a glimpse into the incredible growth that a kindergartener undergoes from September to June.
After reading the book Shades of People, kindergarteners began their first self portrait experience. Using mirrors, pencils, and a variety of crayons, students drew themselves as realistically as possible. Then, they were able to create multimedia self portraits with yarn, buttons, popsicle sticks, and more. Come enjoy our kindergarten self portraits, which are hanging in the hallway in front of the kindergarten classroom!
– Missy Hartvigsen, kindergarten teacher
Athletics Update: Frehywot’s Hat Trick Lifts Boys’ Soccer Over Park
Coming off a lopsided win in their season opener against Charles River, the boys’ varsity soccer team brought a 1-0 record into their home opener against Park this week. In what proved to be an evenly matched game, Belmont Day leaned on their eighth grade talent to separate themselves and eventually come away with a commanding 4-1 win behind Caleb Frehywot’s three goals. Frehywot was a difference maker all game, making runs and creating chances on what seemed like every other play. Marco Frazzoli Cassi buried a penalty kick for Belmont Day’s fourth goal and had a solid two-way game from the right side of the field. Rounding out the notable performances were team captains Nebiyou Elias and Eike Kiecza. Elias was strong in the midfield and made sound decisions with the ball on his foot. Kiecza was dominant in net and kept the opposing offense in check with aggressive reads and solid clears all game. With a good win under their belts, Belmont Day will take on another talented opponent next week when they travel to Pike.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- Kamila Ruiz was spectacular in goal during the girls’ varsity soccer team’s 2-0 loss to Park this week. Annika Vital was active in the midfield and created some chances for BDS.
- After falling behind early the field hockey team rallied behind strong goaltending by Yara Ibrahim and strong defense by Audrey Chuang before eventually falling to Park 3-2.
- Alexander Meredith, Foster Larabee, and Brynn Franklin all ran well during XC’s big win over visiting Fenn/Nashoba. Sebastian Colberg’s fantastic finish sealed the win for the Blue & Gold.
- The varsity football team was shutout in the second half and dropped a heartbreaker to Park 13-12. Quinn McCaffrey made impact plays on both sides of the field.
- Alexander Kiraly, Vicente Aguerrevere, and Mylo Rosenfield had strong performances during JV soccer’s intrasquad scrimmage and are looking forward to starting their season.
- Sixth grade classmates Calum Dunbar and Kiernan Patel will be JV football’s starting QBs when the team opens its season at home against Fessenden next week.
- In their limited time with the team, Eva Peregudov and Angel Geng are making positive contributions to outdoor adventures and are enjoying being active with their peers.
Using a Variety of Learning Tools in Third Grade Math
The third graders have been exploring place value in their math classes. With the goals of reading, writing, and comparing numbers to the ten thousands place and beyond, students have been creating number models in expanded form, relating digits to their place value, and using place value discs, strips, and charts to practice their skills. Using hands-on materials combined with pencil and paper tasks have created differentiated mathematical experiences rooted in joy and excellence.
– Leigh Twarog, third grade teacher
PE Update: Kickin’ It!
All across campus this week there are cones, Pugg nets, soccer balls, and kids on the move. From pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, our lower school students are engaged in a fall soccer unit.
In the younger grades, students are learning to dribble by keeping the ball close to us, kicking with power and accuracy, and practicing gross motor skills at various soccer themed stations. As our students progress, they begin to play a variety of games involving offense and defense, while learning to attack, defend, and working together to score a goal. In third grade, they begin to put all this work together, culminating in an end-of-unit scrimmage. And in fourth and fifth grades, they are ready for more consistent gameplay, starting with small-sided games and progressing to team scrimmages. With the World Cup right around the corner (starting November 20) it is exciting to know that we are cultivating the next generation of world-class soccer players. Say it with me, “Gooooaaaaal!”
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher, coach, and mindfulness director
Parents’ Association News
Parent Socials
Fall parent socials are happening so come and be social! They are a really nice way to connect with other parents, check the school calendar and your emails for the schedule and info.
Any questions about any PA-related activities? Please reach out to us anytime using the parents’ association email, bdspa@belmontday.org. We would love to hear your ideas.
Flower Bulb Fundraiser
Click here to order bulbs now through October 15 for spring cheer. Bulbs will be shipped directly to your house in time to plant them this fall, and the PA will receive 50% of what you spend. The proceeds will support teachers and grade parents and will help secure great guests for assemblies and more. If you have any questions, contact Lia Meisinger or Mamie Cantor.
Pumpkin Patch
Getting excited for the crisp, colorful days of fall? Looking for some pumpkins and mums? Looking forward to cooking hardy fall recipes with real pumpkins instead of canned? The parents’ association is pleased to announce that the Pumpkin Patch Sale will be held on campus Tuesday-Thursday, October 11-13 from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. each day. Field pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, mini pumpkins, mini gourds, and mums will be available to purchase and take home, cash or check appreciated. As in the past, families may also choose to donate a mini pumpkin to show appreciation to the faculty and staff for all of their hard work.
Calling All Book Shelving Volunteers
Do you love organizing? Does being among books give you a sense of well-being? Or would you simply like to make a big difference by volunteering a small amount of your time? Please consider shelving books in the Erskine Library one afternoon from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Contact Susie Kim to volunteer.
Friendraiser Walks
The parents’ association friendraiser committee is hosting a walk every Thursday morning after drop-off, starting at 8:15 a.m. Come discover the trails around BDS, reconnect with friends, and meet new friends. Gather by the benches at the front of the Schoolhouse and then journey through the woodland trails. The duration is about 40 minutes. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash at all times.
Mabel’s Labels
Back-to-school means missing items. Check out Mabel’s Labels to help keep track of all your child’s belongings at school. It’s an easy solution, one that benefits the PA and helps keep the school’s lost and found smaller. Mabel’s Labels provides customized clothing stampers and labels that you can put onto clothing, water bottles, lunch bags, ski gear, gloves, hats, etc. For each order you place, the PA earns 20% of the sale total. Click here to visit Mabel’s Labels’ website, go to “Support a Fundraiser” and enter “Belmont Day School” before ordering. If you have any questions, contact Lia Meisinger.
Lunchroom Flowers
This year we are so excited that students are eating lunch in Coolidge Hall again. This means that we can go back to having flowers and centerpieces for each table in Coolidge Hall. We are looking for volunteers to donate small centerpieces for the dining tables–plants, gourds, etc. This is an easy, low-stress way to contribute to BDS and a nice way to brighten the day for students and faculty. Click here to sign up to drop off 11-13 centerpieces that will last approximately three weeks.
Lost and Found
The lost and found is up and running again. It is currently located in the upper cubbies of the hallway by the first grade classrooms. Swing by and check for your children’s lost items. Contact Caroline Gray for questions or to help out.
Beyond BDS
COMMUNITY EVENT
Belmont Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Join Belmont Against Racism for a joyous celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Sunday, October 9 at 4 p.m. at the Beech Street Center in Belmont. The Eastern Suns Drummers and Dancers will perform and share their traditions. This event is free and open to all. For more information, contact belmontagainstracism@gmail.com.
ARTS EVENT
Learn About Zines at Zine Fest!
On Saturday, October 15, the Watertown Free Public Library will host the second-annual Watertown Zine Fest. Zines are small-batch, DIY publications that provide a powerful platform of expression for underrepresented perspectives and voices. Join WFPL in celebrating and learning about all things zine! For more information, click here.
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