November 8, 2024
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Second graders went to the polls this week!
Opening Message
Our Helping Hands
Jen James, Chief of Staff and Registrar
Post Date: November 8, 2024
Stepping through the front door of the Schoolhouse this month, our students, faculty, parents, and guests are being greeted by a growing gallery of colorful hands. From afar, the hands wave together joyfully to welcome us to the community. As we get closer, the hands beckon us to take a closer look.
From both perspectives, far then near, we are offered messages on the importance and responsibility of being a helper in our community.
To populate the display, students and faculty have been invited to consider how they are helpful within the BDS community. Then they “lend a hand,” by decorating a paper hand and writing about how they are helpful. Zooming in, we can see that even the smallest hands and gestures can make a big difference in someone’s life. Be it opening a door, pushing in a chair, escorting a hurt friend to the nurse, delivering snacks to the Kiva, passing out papers, sharing a book, bringing out the soccer balls for practice, or picking up trash around Big Blue, we all have a part in being helpful in our community.
Zooming out again, we see the collective power of helping. We see how those small actions add up to something much larger. The individual acts coalesce to become a culture of caring.
As we head into the holiday season and our thoughts move toward giving of ourselves, we hope this display also serves as a call to action. What are the ways, big and small, we can care for others? How do we show respect to our classrooms, playgrounds, and gathering spaces? What responsibility do we have to our neighbors and our planet?
So, when you next visit BDS, please take a moment in the Gallery to be inspired by the caring and responsibility of our students and faculty.
Here are some ways that you and your children can together experience the joy that comes from helping others:
- Share outgrown clothes with a local charity.
- Plan a garage sale or lemonade stand to benefit your favorite cause.
- Draw a picture for someone.
- Pick up trash.
- Make a get well card for someone who’s sick.
- Help your family make dinner.
- Participate in local run or walk for charity.
- Hold the door open for someone.
- Help a sibling with homework.
- Collect aluminum cans, then donate the money to charity.
- Bring flowers to a local nursing home.
- Make warm scarves to donate.
- Shovel snow or rake leaves for a neighbor.
- Pet sit for a friend.
Have a great weekend, everyone! Happy Veterans Day and our deepest gratitude to all who have served.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
After School & Enrichment Registrations Open November 12
The three-week enrollment period for the winter trimester of the After School program and Enrichment classes will open on Tuesday, November 12, at 7 a.m. Enrichment class details, trimester dates, and pricing for After School are available on the Parent Portal.
For any program questions, please contact Blair Fross; for registration or database questions, contact Denali Kikuchi.
Save the Date: Winter Concert
Friday, December 13 at 10:30 a.m.
Downing Gym
We look forward to welcoming everyone to campus for our annual Winter Concert! Students in general music classes and ensembles are working hard to prepare for this event. Unlike last year, this event is a week before school closes for Winter Break. After School will run as usual on the day of the concert; if you plan to dismiss your child early please email attendance@belmontday.org. More details will be shared in the Scoop in the next few weeks.
Lunch & Snack Menu
November 11 to November 15
Monday
School Closed for Veterans Day
Tuesday
Snack: applesauce; Smartfood
Lunch: beef tacos with flour tortillas; vegan tacos; beef tacos with gluten-free corn tortillas; salsa, sour cream, and guacamole; fiesta corn blend; taco salad with Roma tomatoes, avocado, and chipotle ranch dressing
Wednesday
Snack: bananas; pita chips
Lunch: hoisin chicken; bao buns; vegan bao filling; gluten-free hoisin chicken rice bowl; sriracha mayo; carrot stick, zucchini, and red pepper blend; crunchy purple slaw and pickled cucumbers
Thursday
Snack: clementines; Popcorners
Lunch: cheese pizza; pepperoni pizza; vegan cheese pizza; warm gluten-free turkey and cheese sub; seasoned green beans; Caesar salad
Friday
Snack: apples; chocolate chip muffins
Faculty Lunch
Please click the button below for a more detailed and updated weekly menu.
BDS News
GARDEN NEWS
Harvesting Continues as We Prepare for Next Year
We are having a great fall with a bountiful harvest extending well into November. Recently, we gathered more tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, parsley, basil, and beans. This week, students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first and second grades brought in food scraps from home to create a “lasagne” or mulch layering garden with vegetable and fruit peels, in addition to other food scraps from the BDS kitchen. The idea is to create highly nutritive soil in a relatively short time (3 to 6 months) with a combination of brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) layers. The brown is from leaves, sawdust from our woodworking studio, and newspaper. The green layers are from fruit and vegetable scraps and coffee grounds. Students will see how these layers can create a rich garden bed as these carbon and nitrogen layers break down to turn into rich composted soil and will be used in the springtime to plant a Three Sisters garden—corn, beans, and squash.
– Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher and sustainability coordinator
Fall Garden Workday
Saturday, November 16, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
As we wind down our harvesting for the season, please join us for the fall garden workday. Lower school students are invited to participate with a parent. Middle school students can come with a parent or on their own. We’ll work together to rake, clear, mulch, and put the school garden to rest for the winter. Please contact Kathy Jo Solomon with questions or if you plan to attend.
CAPSTONE NEWS
Eighth Graders Seek Interviewees
We are still looking for folks who can share their expertise with our Capstone students. Please take a moment to check out their research topics in the dropdown below.
Eighth grade students are hard at work on the research and writing phase of their Capstone journeys. After the Thanksgiving break, students will embark on the second phase in which they will design a project. One aspect of the project phase is an interview, and this is where YOU come in! If you have contacts who could prove useful to students, please be in touch with me at jfriborg@belmontday.org. The eighth graders thank you in advance for your interest and support.
– Jennifer Friborg, French teacher and Capstone coordinator
Capstone Research Topics
- NFL Injuries in the Brain
- Early Detection of Cancer
- Architecture in the Middle East
- The Evolution of GPS Since WWII
- Future of Drones
- Artificial Intelligence and Global Health
- ACL Tear: Prevention and Recovery
- Type 1 Diabetes: How it affects everyday life
- Rising Sea Levels from 2000 to the Present Day
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Social Media Effects on Mental Health in Growing Minds
- Threats of Dead Stars
- Bacteriophages
- How Hip Hop Became Hip Hop
- History of Sketch Comedy
- The Evolution of Rocketry
- Victorian Beauty
- Art Therapy and How it is Used
- Women in Sports Media
- Female Spies in WWII
- Internal Combustion Engines
- Social Media and its Effects on Adolescents
- Deindustrialization in the Midwest
- US Government Policies and the Effect on the Dollar
- How Commercial Fishing Affects the Environment
- Starting an Online Business
- The Importance of the Colosseum in Ancient Rome
- Juneteenth and How It Became a Federal Holiday
- The Battle of Adwa, Ethiopia
- Petroleum
- Perfectionism
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletics
- Animal Navigation
- Shackleton and Survival in the Antarctic
- Growth and Trends in the Sports Card Market
- Political Polarization in our Partisan Country
- Challenging Stereotypes in Fashion Design
- AI Image Generation
- The Link Between Medieval Fashion and Modern-Day Fashion
- Social Media in the Marketing Industry
- The Italian Mafia’s Involvement in the Gardner Museum Heist
- Deep Learning Networks
- The Impact of Music in Your Movie-Watching Experience
- Economics of Airplanes in World War II
- The Ecosystem and Animal Life in the Great Barrier Reef
- Gemstone Identification
- Metal Music vs. Classical Music
- Space Junk
ADMISSIONS NEWS
Virtual Open House
Saturday, November 16
9 to 10:30 a.m.
The Virtual Open House is coming up soon. Please tell your friends, neighbors, and family members who may be interested in learning about independent school education.
Our knowledgeable and expert faculty will share their unique approaches to engaging students. They will provide a glimpse into how they guide each student on their educational journey—from overall skill development, research, public speaking, and more—that ultimately culminates in each eighth grader’s Capstone project and presentation. Attendees will also hear from our head of school and administrators. Pre-registration is required.
BUSINESS OFFICE NEWS
Payments for Fall Trips Due Next Friday
The business office has issued invoices to parents of students in fifth to eighth grades who participated in fall field trips. Payments for the field trips are due by next Friday, November 15, 2024. AutoPay payments will be processed on Friday, November 15, 2024. Please plan accordingly.
Invoices can be accessed and payments can be initiated through the Parent Portal. After logging in to Veracross, use the blue “Invoices & Payments” button to review your account and initiate payment. Payments may also be submitted by mailing a check to: Business Office, 55 Day School Lane, Belmont, MA 02478.
Please email business@belmontday.org with any questions about invoices and payment processing. Thank you!
– Hilary Berkman, chief financial officer
Learning Updates
Songwriters and Recording Technology Students Unite
This week, students in the seventh and eighth grade Songwriting arts elective showcased their work in a Tiny Desk-inspired recording event in the Erskine Library. They collaborated to think about form, lyrical rhyming structures, rhythm, harmonic accompaniments, melody, and instrumentation to write their final projects for this class. Students from the Recording Technology arts elective learned about the pre-production process including microphone selection and placement, gain staging, and collaborative problem-solving in a recording environment. Students performed and recorded two original songs. Check out videos of the songs “Toronto” and “California.“
– Kassie Bettinelli and Tyler Cotner, music teachers
Step Into the Studio Night
Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m.
Palandjian Arts Center
If you’d like to hear more from other BDS songwriters and the a cappella singers, and witness what it takes to conduct a live recording in a studio space, please join us for our first-ever Step Into the Studio event. All families are welcome.
Athletics Update: Boys’ Varsity Soccer Finishes Strong
The boys’ varsity soccer team finished their season on a high note with a dominant 4-0 win over Lexington Christian Academy this week. The win improved the team’s record to 7-3 on the season, with all three losses coming by one goal. Coach Santos was extremely happy with how his team finished. “We played a really good game out there today. It was good quality soccer from start to finish,” Santos noted. He also commented on the play of his three captains, Sam Rodriguez, Vicente Aguerrevere, and Murilo Santos. “All three of those guys have been instrumental to our team’s success this year, and today was no different.” Rodriguez and Santos both scored twice, while Aguerrevere set the tone at center back with his mental toughness and physical presence. Coach Santos also noted the strong play of Mylo Rosenfeld and Adam Ahmed. Rosenfeld created multiple scoring chances from the wing, and Ahmed was active in net, attacked the ball, and communicated well. All in all, it was a successful season for the team that will graduate ten eighth graders and will need to turn the page next year.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- The girls’ varsity soccer team shut out LCA 4-0 this week and finished their season with a perfect 10-0 record. The 10 wins are the most ever for a Belmont Day soccer team.
- Correction: In last week’s Athletics Update, we mistakenly omitted Samantha Cuming as one of the three-time winners at Friday Night Lights. Sammie has been on the girls’ varsity soccer team for three years and has been instrumental in the team’s success during that time. – Coach O’Neill
- The JV soccer teams finished their seasons with wins over Park this week. Santi Aguerrevere returned from injury to score for the boys. Rosie Smith buried a pair of goals for the girls.
- The cross country team went 1-2-3-4-5 in the season finale against LCA. Edwin Voiland finished 1st while Ben Fleming tracked down multiple runners en route to his 2nd place finish.
- The field hockey team evened up their record at 4-4-1 with a 1-0 win over LCA this week. It was the team’s third win in a row thanks to three consecutive shutouts from Griffin Targum.
- Varsity volleyball finished their season with a dramatic three set home victory vs Shady Hill. Team captains Penelope Bern and Melisa Adhikari put the finishing touches on great careers.
- The JV football team flipped the script on last year’s 1-5 season, finishing 5-1 this year by beating Park in their final game. Deniz Kas and Fergus Fagenholz played great for BDS.
- The JV volleyball team got their first interscholastic action of the season this week against Park. Despite losing in two sets, coaches are proud of the team’s growth this fall.
- Varsity football fell in OT to Rashi this week, finishing with a 6-3 record. Every loss came by one score. Jun Murakami and Calum Dunbar provided strong leadership from start to finish.
Eighth Graders Study the Science of Inheritance
In eighth grade science, students have been studying how inheritance works in humans. After looking at simple Mendelian traits such as hair type and smile dimples, students moved on to look at how human blood types are inherited. To determine what blood type could be donated to a recipient, students completed an activity in which they simulated blood transfusions using water and food coloring. If the donated blood caused the recipient’s blood to change from its original color then the transfusion was not successful. Using this model students were then able to apply this to the actual blood types in the A-B-O blood system to understand who can get what blood type. This will set us up to be able to test our blood to determine our blood types later in November.
– Sandra Trentowsky, eighth grade science teacher
Arts Update: First and Third Graders Create Wooden Happy Blocks, Robots
Over the past few weeks in woodworking, the first and third graders have been learning a variety of new skills. The first graders picked up their hammers with enthusiasm and used their new skills to create Happy Blocks. They painted the block and then hammered nails to create the likeness of a happy face. The third graders are taking it up a notch or two this fall and have designed robot creatures. The students started by making drawings of their creatures and then created a collage to represent the different parts to make with wood. Finally, the third graders brought their robot creatures to life by cutting and assembling them in wood.
– Bill Smith, woodworking teacher
Parents’ Association News
Parent Book Group
Our next parent book group gathering will be on Tuesday, November 12, at 7:15 p.m. at Menotomy Grill and Tavern in Arlington. We will discuss Kantika by Elizabeth Graver. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions or want to be added to our mailing list, please contact Karla Bays.
Parent Independent School Network Meeting
The Parent Independent School Network (PIN)—all Belmont Day School parents and guardians are members—hosts informational meetings throughout the school year. The next meeting will be held over Zoom on Tuesday, November 19 at 12 p.m. The topic is “Adolescent Psychology: Strategies for Understanding Your Teen and Preventing Risky Behavior” featuring speaker Joani Geltman, MSW. Click here for more information and required pre-registration to receive the Zoom link.
Book Fair
The parents’ association will partner again with Belmont Books for the annual book fair, which will be held online from November 15 through November 22, with an in-store shopping event at Belmont Books on the afternoon of Friday, November 22. Reading lists will be available by grade level, and wish lists will be available for contributions to the Erskine Library. Please refer to the email from the PA sent to all families on Wednesday, November 6 for more details.
Coolidge Flowers: Six More Volunteers Needed
Help us beautify Coolidge Hall and enhance the school lunch experience. We are seeking six more volunteers to donate twelve small potted plants to be placed as centerpieces on the lunchroom dining tables. The plants should be no taller than 11” with a maximum pot diameter of 4.5”. If you wish to participate, please sign up here. Thank you!
Contact the PA
Please feel free to reach out directly to any of the PA ambassador team or to email us at bdspa@belmontday.org:
President – Shanying Zhang
Vice President – Megan Akkina
Treasurer – Andy Stevenson
Clerk – Jeff Wang
Beyond BDS
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
Belmont Library To Host Fixit Clinic
Saturday, November 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Belmont Public Library at Beech Street Center, 266 Beech Street
Fixit Clinics are do-it-together community-based workshops staffed by volunteer Fixit Coaches who share their time, tools, and expertise to consult with you on the disassembly, troubleshooting, and repair of items. So bring your broken, non-functioning things like electronic gadgets, appliances, computers, toys, sewing machines, bicycles, and fabric items for assessment, disassembly, and possible repair. Fixit Coaches (and helpful neighbors) will be available for consultation and provide workspace, specialty tools, and guidance. Whether an item can be fixed or not, attendees will learn more about how items were manufactured and worked and will be ready to share their newfound confidence and insight with their friends, neighbors, and the community.
This is a free all-ages, family-friendly event: accompanied children are heartily invited. Pre-registration is suggested. Click here for more information and registration.
COMMUNITY CONCERT
2024 Rivers & RSC Jazz Festival
Saturday, November 16
Performances Begin at 1 p.m.
The Rivers School, Weston
The Rivers & RSC Jazz Festival began in 2007 and is a full-day event filled with music performed by The Rivers School and The Rivers School Conservatory’s jazz ensembles. The 17th annual festival will feature a new work composed especially for the school’s combined chorus, orchestra, and jazz band. “Duality,” a work by renowned composer and educator Felipe Salles, is inspired by an ancient Taoist text by poet and philosopher Lao Tzu. The work melds diverse musical voices into one united expression.
Be sure to watch for Belmont Day eighth grader Jack Ward, a member of the RSC Jazz Combo. The jazz combo will start the show at 1 p.m. Click here for more information and a full schedule of performances. Registration is encouraged but not required.
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