September 15, 2023
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Our middle school athletes are off and running into the fall season.
Opening Message
Inspire and Challenge: The Joy of Learning
Liz Gray, Middle School Head
Post Date: September 15, 2023
Thank you to all who attended last evening’s middle school curriculum night. The remarks below were shared by Liz Gray, middle school head, to welcome families and kick off the event.
Welcome everyone to our middle school curriculum night. I feel so privileged to be able to work with each of your children and the team of educators here on the stage this evening. Each of us plays an important role in your child’s day at school, and I could not feel more fortunate than to be able to collaborate with everyone here this evening to build and deliver our middle school program.
Part of our school’s mission is to “inspire” and to “challenge.” We take this as a charge or a call to action. And in our mission, we also embrace the core value of “joy.” So, I’ve been wondering, as we’re starting off the year, how do challenge and joy fit together?
Sometimes, when people think about “joy,” they think only of “fun.” Some of us struggle to make sense of the word “joy” as it relates to being challenged. The first time I heard someone articulate joy’s relationship to challenge in a way that made complete sense to me was when I read psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow. So, I decided to dip back into the book this fall. In it, Csikszentmihalyi describes decades of research from his work investigating “the optimal experience”–human happiness–or a state of consciousness that he called “flow.” Just as “flow” is not simplistic, as evidenced by his research, neither is “joy.”
Csikszentmihalyi starts his book by describing physical flow—the process of finding delight in what the body can do. This includes achieving four key components:
- Setting goals
- Finding ways of measuring progress in the chosen goals
- Making “finer and finer distinctions in the challenges involved in the activity”
- Raising the stakes if the activity becomes boring
In his chapter entitled “The Flow of Thought,” Csikszentmihalyi quotes Francis Bacon, writing that “wonder–which is the seed of knowledge–is the reflection of the purest form of pleasure. Just as there are flow activities corresponding to every physical potential of the body, every mental operation is able to provide its own particular form of enjoyment.”
He goes on to write:
“Among the many intellectual pursuits available, reading is currently perhaps the most often mentioned flow activity around the world. Solving mental puzzles is one of the oldest forms of enjoyable activity, the precursor to philosophy and modern science.”
Csikszentmihalyi then describes how creating and appreciating art and music, engaging in logic, memorization, and wordplay, giving order and meaning to the sequence of events in history, and countless other mental tasks engender “joy.” He states, “It is important to stress here a fact that is all too often lost sight of: philosophy and science were invented and flourished because thinking is pleasurable.”
And so, where do our middle school students find this in their experience at Belmont Day School? The answer is “everywhere,” but tonight, I want to offer you an example from a seventh grade math classroom.
Students were tackling “the Hailstone problem,” and by the way, if you want to find flow later, I encourage you to google this and try it at home. The directions were simple–they allowed choice, personal wonder, and multiple entry points for engagement–they didn’t even involve a set problem with assigned numbers. They started with “pick a counting number” and ended with “keep going and keep track of each step. (Did anything cool happen?)”. The problem was not being graded, and it wasn’t being recorded anywhere as right or wrong. And yet students spent half the period puzzling it out and could have gone longer if the bell didn’t ring because, as their teacher says, “In this class, you’re never ‘done.’” In the process, not the product, students were appropriately inspired and challenged, and they successfully got lost in the joy of learning.
As Csikszentmihalyi describes it, joy and the “best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times … The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
This is not lost on us as educators. In fact, it’s something we’ve known since we all started working with young people. Whether on the athletics playing fields, in the arts studios, the academic classrooms, or in the countless other creative spaces we engage with our students, we are finding “joy” together in the challenge and stretching ourselves to our limits.
Tonight, you will get to hear from your child’s teachers more about how we do this–how we work to create spaces for flow and experience the joy of learning together. So, at this point, I will stop talking so that we can move on to the next part of the evening, and you can hear more about it from those who know just how to do it best–your child’s teachers!
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Curriculum Night
Thank you to everyone who attended last evening’s middle school curriculum night. Next up, we invite all lower school parents to learn about what’s ahead this year for our their students.
Lower School Curriculum Night
Wednesday, September 20, 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Refreshments in Coolidge Hall at 5:30 p.m.)
The event will start in the Palandjian Arts Center before moving to classrooms.
Student Picture Days
Pictures days for all students will take place next week on Monday and Tuesday. Here is the daily schedule:
- Monday, September 18
Grades 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 - Tuesday, September 19
Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, and 5
Photos will be taken outdoors by photographer Porter Gifford, who has worked with Belmont Day for many years.
If you have any questions, please contact Jen James, assistant to the head of school and registrar, at jjames@belmontday.org.
Fall Fest!
Saturday, September 23
1 to 4 p.m.
Belmont Day School
Join us on the first day of fall for this community-wide event with fun, games, arts and crafts, lattes, seasonal treats, and more.
Volunteers Needed
Join us in bringing Fall Fest to life! There are plenty of ways to get involved, such as assisting in setting up and taking down the event, supervising the arts and crafts table, greeting families, and more. Whether you have a few minutes or a couple of hours to spare, your help is appreciated.
Please check our SignupGenius to find a role that suits your schedule. We look forward to welcoming the fall season together!
Lunch & Snack Menu
September 18 to September 22
Monday
Snack: fruit cups; Sunchips
Lunch: macaroni and cheese; gluten-free macaroni and cheese; pasta with marinara; crusty rolls; vegetable blend; greens with balsamic
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; Fritos
Lunch: crispy fish; citrus roasted redfish; vegan Italian sausage; roasted potatoes; steamed broccoli; spinach salad with goat cheese, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and sherry vinaigrette
Wednesday
Snack: clementines; chocolate chip muffins
Lunch: beef burgers with buns; vegan burgers; beef burgers with gluten-free buns; potato chips; green beans; garden salad with ranch dressing
Thursday
Snack: apple slices; kettle chips
Lunch: wheatberry grilled cheese; gluten-free wheatberry grilled cheese; vegan wheatberry grilled cheese; roasted butternut squash soup; seasoned corn; Caesar salad
Friday
Snack: apples; Popcorners
Faculty Lunch
For a more detailed and updated weekly menu, please click the button below.
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
HEALTH NEWS
Belmont Day’s COVID-19 Guidelines for 2023-24
While the threat of significant COVID-19 community spread has diminished greatly at Belmont Day, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy. The school continues to follow CDC guidelines along with recommendations from the state regarding COVID-19 protocols. For any questions regarding COVID-19 and Belmont Day’s guidelines, please contact Lauren Connors, school nurse, at 617-932-3901 or lconnors@belmontday.org.
Vaccines continue to be the best way to protect individuals against the effects of COVID-19. The school encourages everyone who is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster to do so. The vaccine offers an individual level of protection but also reduces the burden of COVID-19 on schools, healthcare systems, and communities.
Please open the dropdown below for Belmont Day’s current COVID-19 guidelines for the 2023-24 school year.
COVID-19 Guidelines
Individuals who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should remain home and are encouraged to test.
Possible symptoms include:
- Fever (100 degrees or higher), or chills or shaking chills
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- New loss of taste or smell
- Muscles aches and body aches
- Cough (not due to other known causes, does not include chronic cough)
- Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, when in combination with other symptoms
- Headache, when in combination with other symptoms
- Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
- Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other causes such as allergies), when in combination with other symptoms
Individuals who present with COVID-19 symptoms while at school:
Symptomatic individuals will be sent home and allowed to return to school:
- If symptoms remain mild/are improving and test negative
- If a medical professional makes an alternative diagnosis
- If they are fever-free, without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours, and have a negative COVID test
- If they are vomit/diarrhea-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and have a negative COVID test
Surveillance testing is no longer performed at school.
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate for five full days:
- The first day of symptoms is considered Day 0.
- If a person is asymptomatic, the day of the positive test is considered Day 0.
Returning to School
Individuals may return to school on Day 6 if they are asymptomatic or if symptoms are resolving or much improved and they have remained fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication. A negative test is not required to return to school.
- Masks are required to be worn while at Belmont Day through Day 10.
- Students will eat separately through Day 10 in a designated area determined by the health office.
Masks
Masks are no longer required or recommended at school unless an individual is returning from isolation. For any individual who wishes to continue to mask, they will be supported in that choice.
Quarantine and Contact Tracing
Quarantine and contact tracing are no longer required or recommended for individuals exposed to COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. All exposed persons may continue to attend school as long as they remain asymptomatic.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
New Apple MacBooks Distributed to Middle School Students
Over the past week, all middle school students received their brand-new BDS MacBook! This significant upgrade to our 1:1 device program reflects our commitment to academic excellence and an innovative learning environment and officially makes BDS a fully Apple environment. MacBooks offer enhanced tools for creativity, a wider range of educational software, and a greater capacity for carrying out complex, multi-faceted tasks. MacBooks also offer greater reliability in security, performance, and longevity, ensuring a stable and reliable experience for our students.
Our middle school students met with technology team members Annie Fuerst, Conor Garrison, and Patti Domingo to discuss how to care for devices and how to live our core values while using technology.
For more information about our middle school 1:1 device program, middle school parents are invited to a tech orientation on Tuesday, September 26, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The Zoom link was emailed to families and is on the Parent Portal.
– Annie Fuerst, director of innovation
FACULTY NEWS
Welcome!
Elena Jay, associate director of admissions and director of financial assistance
After a thorough search, we are excited to announce that Elena Jay joined us at the end of August as the associate director of admissions and director of financial assistance. Having been fortunate enough to have hired Elena once before (seven years ago when I worked at the Steppingstone Foundation) and seen firsthand the high-quality work she is capable of, it was a true delight to see her application under consideration for this role. I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her again. Elena brings seven years of admissions experience to the role, having previously served as the director of admissions at the Steppingstone Foundation. This nonprofit organization supports Boston students and families on the path to college (including applying to independent schools). Elena received a bachelor of arts degree from Bates College and graduated from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice Community Fellows program at Tufts University. She is excited to get to know the Belmont Day community and to support families throughout the admissions and financial assistance application process. A consummate professional, Elena has already contributed so much to our team. We feel so lucky to have her at BDS!
– Liz Parfit, director of admissions
Learning Updates
Grade 8 Math Starts with Many Pluses
To get the year started, students in the eighth grade standard math class launched into a unit on one-variable statistics. They spent one class early this week gathering data from classmates based on questions provided to them, then took note of how different types of questions generate different types of data (numerical vs. categorical or statistical vs. non-statistical). In the eighth grade enriched math (formerly known as accelerated math) classes, the first unit is on sequences, and students have spent time exploring visual pattern situations and considering the nature of the numerical sequences that can be generated from the images.
Throughout the school year, two curricula for the grade 8 math classes will address the same important Algebra I topics (exponential, quadratic, and other types of functions, systems of equations, one-variable statistics, etc.), with the sequencing, approach, and math textbooks being different to suit both classes. Having completed my first year here at BDS, I can speak firsthand to the power of these curricula–in their similarities and differences–to meet diverse student needs and to promote challenge, curiosity, and joy in all of our learners. I’m excited for a great year ahead!
– Rachel Starks Chaves, grade 8 math teacher and advisor
Second Graders See Themselves, Classmates
In second grade, we have been working on building our community and using our collective intelligence to create norms and guidelines to ensure friendship, fun, and learning for all. After reading This Plus That, Life’s Little Equations by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, we created our own equation of 28 + 3 = 1 to illustrate our new community (28 amazing students + 3 dedicated teachers = 1 awesome second grade class). As part of our social studies curriculum, we began working on our self portraits to help represent the individuals in our community and to help us to understand ‘Who am I?’ as a part of ‘Who are we?’ To help us with this project, we read The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. We talked about the details and vibrant colors that Katz used in her illustrations while following the main character, Lena, as she travels through her community in the big city. We talked about the importance of respecting differences, embracing the beauty of diversity in every community, and learning more about all of the communities that we are a part of.
– Nancy Fell, second grade teacher
Arts Update: Sixth Graders Get Dramatically Creative
In our first theater class of the term, sixth grade students explored ensemble and improvisation skills. The first game, circle slap, asked students to follow a clapping pattern that required them to be aware of themselves and others. Another activity had students thinking on their feet as they came up with crazy answers to silly questions such as “Why do zebras like peanut butter and jelly?” In our final activity, the students formed shapes with their bodies. In the process of creating big, tiny, and twisted shapes, they explored how to make interesting stage pictures while collaborating with their classmates. The session concluded with a discussion about how these activities connect to acting and performing. Bravo, sixth graders!
– Susan Dempsey and Christopher Parsons, theater arts teachers
Athletics Update: Volleyball Begins New Chapter
After a handful of years as an intramural sport, volleyball is taking its show on the road and will take on interscholastic competition this year. The transition has moved the sport from the winter to fall season and attracted 23 middle school athletes into the program. Leading the way for the varsity team will be a pair of eighth graders returning for their third and final campaign on the court. William Li and Sophie Jean have been with the sport since their sixth grade year and are excited to write a new chapter in the program’s young history. Joining the veteran duo on varsity are fellow eighth grade veterans Madoka Hubbard, August Wilmot, and Lucy Yin. The varsity team’s first game is next Tuesday against Buckingham Browne & Nichols at home in the Downing Gym. Come on down to check out the action!
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- Sisters Anna and Zoe Bantham-Livermore have shown off their cross country experience on the trails during the first week of practice and will be counted on to earn points this fall.
- Seventh graders Zazoue Marsan and Jordan Levine pivoted to field hockey this fall and have been quick studies on the pitch. Both athletes are doing a great job learning the sport.
- With a huge smile and a positive attitude, Joshua Harriette brought his best to the first week of football practice and has already shown improvement in his sport-specific skills.
- Returning players Zeke Fine and Alexander Kiraly will be counted on to fill leadership roles on this year’s boys’ JV soccer team. The duo is back for their second season on the squad.
- Altay Jomazer and Murilo Santos were the lone sixth graders to earn spots on the boys’ varsity soccer team. With a small roster, the duo will be counted on for significant minutes this fall.
- Penny Gottesman, Maraki Shiferaw, and Genevieve von Rekowsky will all be counted on to step into leadership roles on this year’s talented girls’ JV soccer team.
PE Update: Hula Hoopin’
A hula hoop may just be a large plastic circle, but hula hoops are one of the most versatile pieces of physical education equipment. You can hula hoop with them, of course, but you can also roll them, kick them, build hula huts, play tag, and use them to work on agility, footwork, and learning to stay in one’s own personal bubble.
This year in PE, many of our students began with a hula hoop unit. Our youngest learners got to explore space in a game called moon craters and practiced chasing and fleeing while remaining in their own space during games of bumper boat tag. Our older students practiced conflict resolution in hula hoop rock, paper, scissors, worked on communication and timing in the game of hunter hawks, got their flee on during hula hoop tag, and worked collaboratively during the hula hut relay. It was an epic display of our values in action and a great way to kick off the year.
– Alex Tzelnic and Abbey Nyland, physical education teachers
Parents’ Association News
PA Meetings
It was lovely to see many of you at our first parents’ association meeting this morning, and we look forward to having you join us throughout the year. Meetings take place at 8:30 a.m. in Coolidge Hall. Here is the 2023-2024 PA meeting schedule:
- Friday, October 13
- Thursday, November 16
- Friday, January 5
- Friday, February 2
- Friday, March 8
- Thursday, April 4
- Friday, May 17
Fall Socials
Please mark your calendars and book your babysitters for your class fall social! A cherished tradition in our community, these are a wonderful opportunity to connect with new community members and to reconnect with others as we embark on a new school year together. This year, all fall socials will take place on Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.—a time we hope you will find convenient. Stay tuned for more details from your grade parents. Meanwhile, the schedule is as follows:
- Thursday, September 28 – grade 5, grade 2
- Thursday, October 12 – grade 1, grade 3, grade 8
- Thursday, October 19 – grade 4, grade 6
- Thursday, November 2 – pre-k, kindergarten, grade 7
Parent Book Group
Our first parent book group gathering will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3, location TBD. We will discuss Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Disclaimer: The book is long (556 pages), but it is an outstanding read and is the winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions or would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact Karla Bays.
Trunk or Treat
This year, the parents’ association is helping the school’s auxiliary programs department with the Trunk or Treat event on Saturday, October 21, including collecting candy donations and providing support on the day of the event. Please contact Courtney Queen if you are interested in lending a hand.
Library Shelving
Parent volunteers are needed regularly throughout the school year to help with re-shelving books. This is a great volunteer opportunity for people who need flexibility and like to work quietly and at their own pace. Please contact Susie Kim to get started.
Book Fair
In November, the parents’ association organizes an annual book fair with Belmont Books designed to spark students’ interest in reading, add to the Erskine Library’s catalog, and raise money for the PA and its “Faculty and Staff Appreciation Fund.” If you would like to be on the planning committee, please contact Karla Bays.
PA Contacts
At any time and for any reason, please feel free to email the parents’ association executive team at bdspa@belmontday.org:
- President – Karla Bays
- Vice President – Courtney Queen
- Treasurer – Andy Stevenson
- Clerk – Gigi Saltonstall
Beyond BDS
COMMUNITY EVENT
BDS Siblings to Perform at Serbian Festival
Eighth grader Jovana Zivanovic and younger brother, Nemanja, a fifth grader, will perform ethnic Serbian and Balkan music during SerbFest 2023 this weekend. The festival will be held at the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, 41 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge. Admission is free, and all are welcome. The siblings’ performance–Jovana on violin and Nemanja on accordion–is scheduled for Sunday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the main stage under the tent. Some parking is available in the Matignon High School Parking lot. For more information, visit the event’s website.
SCIENCE EVENT
Star Gazing Party In Belmont
Wednesday, September 27, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Belmont Public Library will host a star gazing party at the Chenery fields, 95 Washington Street in Belmont. The Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston organization will give a short lecture on what’s currently in the night sky. Then attendees will be able to look through their telescopes and see for themselves. This all-ages event was the superstar of last year’s fall program line-up–you don’t want to miss it!
Pre-registration is required for this free event. For more information and registration, click here.
COMIC BOOK FESTIVAL
Check Out Great New Comics, Graphic Novels
The annual Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) is on Saturday and Sunday, September 30 and October 1.
Each year, MICE plays host to hundreds of independent comics artists and small press publishers alongside thousands of attendees eager to check out new comics, join in on hands-on workshops, and attend inclusive panel discussions. MICE is a free-to-attend event for comics readers of all ages excited to dive into the latest comics has to offer. The event will be held at Boston University’s School of Visual Arts. For more information and to RSVP to attend, click here.
Return to the Parent Portal
