March 8, 2019
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Middle schoolers are learning the proper technique on the wheel in Ms. Armstrong’s pottery class.
Message from Head of School
On Being a Capstone Mentor
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: March 8, 2019
You can find this week’s Blue Handprint Studios audio below:
We are on the eve of Capstone week. In two weeks, once we have learned something from our eighth grade students, I will share my thoughts on each presentation. This week, I offer a look behind the Capstone scenes to provide a different perspective on this crown jewel moment for our eighth graders.
A myth about Capstone is that it is singularly an eighth grade experience. Part of the program’s magic lies in the relationships between students and their mentors. These mentors come from all walks of Belmont Day life—from lower school teachers, building and grounds crew, business office staff, specialists, to administrators and middle school advisors. They each serve as a guide for an eighth grade student. While many of you have a general idea of what it is to be a Capstone mentor, I would like to highlight what we mean when we invite faculty and staff to mentor a student.
Capstone mentorship invites adults in our community to be learners. We commit to lifelong learning here at BDS, and the experience of the mentor is deeply rooted in that commitment. Mentors have the pleasure of learning about their mentee’s subject area—topics like public transportation, fear of snakes, the impact of steroids in sports, and gender discrimination in the music industry. The rich and wide variety of topics are not necessarily areas of expertise for mentors, so we get the exceptional opportunity to learn from, and alongside our mentees.
Some of the best community-building moments take place in a culture of collective problem-solving and risk-taking. Through mentorship, adults in our community collaborate and contribute to this culture. There is real magic in watching the entire community rally around the successful learning of our eighth grade students.
The excitement in the faculty room about Capstone builds throughout the year with conversations about student topics and what we have learned from our mentees. Capstone provides a galvanizing moment for our community to gather around the proverbial table to discover something together.
Capstone inspires wonder and awe in the community that comes together to honor each student’s journey. Lifelong learning, community building, and wonder delightfully echo the Capstone mantra: learn, do, share. I hope to see many of you at the students’ presentations this coming week to honor their hard work, and join in this exciting community celebration at Belmont Day. And, if you see Jen Friborg in your travels, congratulate her. Her organization and coordination of the Capstone experience are pretty awe-inspiring in their own right.
Have a great weekend everyone. See you for Capstone next week!
Third graders got into the winter spirit showshoeing on Claflin Field.
This Coming Week at BDS
March 9 through March 15
All School
Saturday, March 9
8 a.m.–5 p.m., Technology Class for Associate Teachers
Capstone Week
Enrichment Expo Week
Monday, March 11
8:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m., Capstone Presentations 1, Kiva
3:45–5:45 p.m., Capstone Presentations 2, Kiva
Tuesday, March 12
8:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m., Capstone Presentations 3, Kiva
3:30–4:30 p.m., Enrichment Share: Bedtime Math, Second Grade Classroom
3:45–5:45 p.m., Capstone Presentations 4, Kiva
4:30–5:30 p.m., Enrichment Share: Basketball Buddies, Barn Gym
Wednesday, March 13
8:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m., Capstone Presentations 5, Kiva
3:30–4:30 p.m., Spring Athletics Tryouts
6–8 p.m., Capstone Presentations 6, Barn Mezzanine
Thursday, March 14
8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Trustee Visit Morning
8:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m., Capstone Presentations 7, Kiva
3:30–4:30 p.m., Spring Athletics Tryouts
3:45–4:30 p.m., Enrichment Share: Dance Club, PAC
5–6 p.m., Drop-In Camp Tour
6–8 p.m., Capstone Presentations 8, Kiva
Friday, March 15
After School, Extended Day, and Enrichment Session 2 Ends
Parent Conferences: School In Session
8:50–9:35 a.m., Cross-graded Partners
10 a.m.–12 p.m., Capstone Presentations 9, Kiva
1:35–2:10 p.m., Enrichment Share: World Drumming, Music Room
2:30–3 p.m., Enrichment Share: Reverse Engineering, Woodworking Studio
Capstone Week
March 11-15
The 2019 Capstone presentations will be held each day next week during morning, afternoon, and evening sessions in the Kiva and the Barn mezzanine. Now in its sixteenth year, the Capstone experience is a highlight for our eighth graders. As you look over the presentation program, you’ll see the wide variety of topics chosen by students. The Capstone program encompasses a year of research and independent project work, and the presentations are a major milestone for each student.
Please visit our website to see a presentation program with the project titles, a schedule, and details for those planning to attend. We hope to see you there!
No Idling Magnet Design Challenge
Deadline: Friday, March 15
Students in all grades are invited to submit a black-and-white original design for our No Idling Magnet Design Challenge. Our goal is to encourage people on campus to keep car engines turned off unless they are moving through drop-off and dismissal lines. Students brought home a design template in Friday Folders. Design submissions are due by this Friday, March 15. Extra templates will be available at Early Birds as well as black markers for outlining the designs.
Submissions can be dropped off at Early Birds or at the corner art studio, both in the Barn. Contact Kathy Jo Solomon with any questions. Look for an update in a future Scoop on the process for selecting the final design.
Lunch & Snack Menu
March 11 to March 15
Monday
Snack: Tostitos; fruit cup
Lunch: cheese lasagna; chef’s choice vegetables; French rolls; Italian-style salad
Tuesday
Snack: saltines; bananas
Lunch: Asian-style beef and broccoli; soy sauce; broccoli; bok choy; carrots and cauliflower blend; basmati rice; Asian-style greens with soy dressing
Wednesday
Snack: NutriGrain bars; apples
Lunch: chicken tenders; ketchup and sweet and sour; seasoned green beans; Lay’s potato chips; spinach salad with bacon, egg and mushrooms
Thursday
Snack: Smartfood Delite; oranges
Lunch: BDS butternut squash soup; bagel muenster; broccoli; garden salad with avocado, tomato and balsamic
Friday
Snack: green apples for St. Patrick’s Day
No Lunch
Looking Ahead
MISSION FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS
Tuesday, March 19, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Coolidge Hall
Wednesday, March 20, 6-8 p.m., hosted by a Cambridge family*
Monday, March 25, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Coolidge Hall
Please join Head of School Brendan Largay and trustees Sasha Ebrahimi and Tom Hancock for a presentation on four school mission statement prototypes. This is an opportunity to provide feedback on what resonates and what may be missing in these iterations.
*For Cambridge families or others who cannot attend either the March 19 or 25 sessions. Contact Catherine David for location information.
CONFERENCE DAYS
Drop-in Care on Conference Afternoons (March 15 and 22) and Conference Day (March 20)
Online conference sign-ups are now open. The time slots are first-come, first served, so if you have multiple conferences it is wise to sign up early. Conferences provide an important opportunity for a conversation with your child(ren)’s teachers and we expect every parent to come to participate.
During conferences, complimentary drop-in coverage will be available in the Barn (changed from Erskine Library) for Belmont Day students only. On the Friday conference afternoons, complimentary drop-in is open from 1 to 4:30 p.m. (students must be picked up by 4:30 p.m.) and from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (students must be picked up by 5 p.m.) on Wednesday, March 20.
Students can play in the gymnasium or come prepared with a quiet activity (no electronics, please). No food will be provided, and children will stay in the Barn during the time of their parent’s conference(s) only, with a maximum of 60 minutes.
Conference Day Program Sign-Up
Our conference day program is open for registration. Children will be going off-site for an exciting day at APEX in Marlborough. Activities will include laser tag, bowling, arcade, plus a pizza lunch. We will be traveling by bus.
Please feel free to contact Blair Fross or Joe Jean-Mary at (617) 932-3894 with any questions.
BDS News
ASSOCIATE TEACHER PROGRAM
BDS Hosts Technology Workshop
The Belmont Day Associate Teacher Program hosted student teachers from Buckingham Browne & Nichols and Shady Hill this past weekend in our innovation studio to launch a new Lesley University course, “Designing A New Context For Learning.” The course modeled best-practices by starting with concrete experiences that gave student teachers time to practice and reflect on coding, building, making, iterating, exploring technologies that could be confidently and immediately integrated into classroom practice.
Belmont Day welcomed Dan Riles, technology integration and computer support specialist at The Brookwood School, who designed the syllabus and will return this again weekend to lead the second of four full-day sessions. The Brookwood School, Belmont Day, Shady Hill, and BB&N are all part of the Collaborative Internship Program which offers student teachers site-based classroom training and coursework while they earn both a masters in education degree and licensure in early childhood and elementary education.
ATHLETICS
Spring Tryouts Next Week
Despite the snow on the ground, spring is right around the corner here at Belmont Day. The spring athletics season is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 13. While the boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, and track & field teams will hit the ground running, the tennis and ultimate programs will both hold two days of tryouts to determine varsity and junior varsity teams. For both programs, it will be the first time that multiple teams will be offered and yet another example of the continued growth of the middle school athletics program. Fortunately, the snow will not effect the tennis tryouts, which will take place on Harvard’s indoor courts. The ultimate tryouts, however, will likely be moved indoors to the Barn. Good luck to all of our middle school athletes this spring!
ARTS
Exploring Ghanaian Drumming
In fourth grade music, students have been learning about the cultural and historical roots of Ghanaian drumming traditions. After learning about the Ewe people and their culture, students learned how to play the grooves of the
ENROLLMENT CONTRACTS
If you are looking for a copy of the fully executed re-enrollment agreement for 2019-2020, please check your inbox (or your spam folder) for an email from “DocuSign via DocuSign” with the subject, “Completed: Please DocuSign: Belmont Day Enrollment Agreement for 2019-2020.” Open the email and then click on the blue button which reads, “View Completed Documents.” From
If you have not received the email with the completed documents it may mean you have not fully completed the re-enrollment process. If that is the case please contact Catherine David, registrar, or Fred Colson, director of finance, immediately.
FILM SCREENING
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Rescheduled: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in Coolidge Hall
From the Kitchen
BDS Turkey or Beef Chili Recipe with Corn Chips
Belmont Day chili is a favorite of students and faculty alike. It’s easy to prepare and will be a treat for the whole family. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 5 lb. ground beef, or 5 lb turkey
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ a large onion, small dice
- 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 red pepper, small dice
- 1 large carrot, peeled and small dice
- 1 stalk celery, small dice
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. taco seasoning
- ½ tsp. cayenne
- 1 can garbanzo beans 14 oz.
- 1 can red kidney bean 14 oz.
- 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 bag (6 oz.) frozen corn
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped fine
- 1 jar salsa 10 oz.
Preparation
- Brown the meat and remove from the pot. Drain any fat.
- Add olive oil to the pot with onions. Saute at medium heat until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, peppers, carrot, celery, cumin, taco seasoning, and cayenne. Let this cook until the spices smell aromatic.
- Add the meat back into the pot. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the beans, tomato sauce, frozen corn, and salsa. Bring to a boil then turn it down and allow to simmer for 1 hour.
- When you are almost ready to serve at the chopped cilantro.
- Serve chili with corn chips, shredded jack/cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and scallions.
Serves 10-12 people
EXTERNAL PROGRAMS
Spring Enrichment Programs
Registration for our spring trimester is now open. Please note that we enroll on a first-come, first served basis. Registration closes on Friday, March 15, which is the last day of the current trimester. Enrollment, if available after March 15, will incur an additional fee. The third trimester begins on Monday, March 18.
Looking Ahead to April Vacation
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our February vacation camps. Nearly 60 students participated in the Jedi-in-Training and ski camps. We had teachers, specialists, alumni, and many of our camp staff return for this themed week full of fun. If you had a great time at these two camps, keep in mind that we will be offering two camps during the April vacation week: Hogwarts Camp and Babysitting & Leadership. For more information and to register, visit our website.
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
New Display of Inspiring Scientists & Mathematicians
Be sure to stop by the Labyrinth to see the Women’s History Month display that is being created throughout March to honor female scientists and mathematicians. Fourth grader, Madeleine Wu, and third grade teacher, Leigh Twarog, have been working on an extension to Madeleine’s notable women project from third grade. Madeleine wanted to delve deeper into her research with a focus on female mathematicians and scientists. They meet almost every week to further their research, and at the project’s conclusion, Madeleine hopes to create a book entitled, Gritty Girls: Mathematicians & Scientists edition.
Get On the Bus Admissions Event
Thursday, March 21, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
This new admissions event will serve families with young children who want to get a head start on a future admissions process and provide an introduction to the school for families that may be interested in submitting a late application for fall admission. With middle school enrollment growth and the coming addition of two new bus service lines—one for Concord-Lincoln-Lexington and the other for Winchester-West Medford-Arlington—now is the time to spread the word and get your friends and neighbors on board!
Those who are interested in learning more about Belmont Day can email admissions@belmontday.org to register or call 617-932-3884.
Planning Ahead for Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Visiting Day
We are looking forward to opening our classrooms to grandparents and special friends on the morning of Friday, May 10!
Grandparent Information
If you have already provided us with grandparent address information in prior years, they are already on our invitation list. Please let us know if for any reason you do not wish for a grandparent to receive an invitation this year by emailing Beth Sousa.
Special Friend Information
We do not hold on to addresses for special friends, as these tend to change from year to year. If you would like to invite someone who is not a grandparent, please submit a form even if it is the same person you invited last year.
Please submit your student’s grandparent or special friend address information using this online form.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety with Katie Greer
Two Adult Sessions:
Wednesday, March 27 at 8:15–9:15 a.m., Coolidge Hall
Wednesday, March 27 at 4:00–5:00 p.m., Coolidge Hall
To accommodate parent and faculty schedules, we will offer two sessions–one in the morning and one in the afternoon–with our guest speaker, Katie Greer. You may enroll your child in after school (for a fee) if you would like to attend the afternoon session and need childcare. Please be in touch with Blair Fross to reserve a space and be sure to complete a dismissal change form. Space in after school is limited.
Greer’s programs, designed to educate students spanning kindergarten to college, are thoughtfully tailored to accommodate the developmental and emotional differences in each age group. She instructs parents, teachers, administrators, and law enforcement officials on internet safety and other issues pertaining to technology safety and responsibility.
Parents’ Association News
Lunchroom Flowers
Thank you to trustee Desirée Ivey who supplied the beautiful Coolidge Hall centerpieces that will provide spring cheer to our children for the coming weeks. We still have three open opportunities for others to support this effort. If you’re interested, please sign up here.
Mabel’s Labels
If you love it, label it! Please put students’ names on everything, from clothing and water bottles to books and boots. If items are labeled, they are quickly and very easily reunited with the student. Mabel’s Labels offers custom or stampers and benefits the PA. To order, visit the Mabel’s Labels website, and don’t forget to select “Belmont Day School.”
Auction
Auction Invitations
Invitations have been emailed. Please purchase your tickets and submit your RSVP by Saturday, March 23. You won’t want to miss this exciting community event!
Calling for Wine Donations
Did you miss the auction donation deadline and are still thinking about how you could contribute? Consider donating a bottle of wine for a new game to be featured at the auction: the BDS Wonder Wine Pull! Donated bottles should have a minimum value of $20 and should be dropped off by Monday, March 18, in the development office. If you would like to donate a higher
Featured Auction Item of the Week
Del Mar Vacation Home
Enjoy a fabulous week at this newly renovated, four-bedroom Del Mar townhouse with ocean, lagoon, and sunset views located near Torrey Pines Reservation and many of Southern California’s main attractions: Legoland, San Diego’s Wild Animal Park, Birch Aquarium, and the San Diego Zoo. Townhouse sleeps eight guests with a master bedroom with a king bed, as well as guest bedrooms with a queen bed, a loft bed (sleeps 2,) and a kids bunk bed. Townhouse also includes a large patio, kitchen, dining room, family room, three full bathrooms, a fireplace, laundry, and an outdoor grill. A fabulous family getaway!
We would like to acknowledge and thank our current Wonder sponsors, which include:
Carolyn Atinizian & John Yardemian P’27
Gail Roberts, Ed Feijo & Team
Keller Williams – Boston and Cambridge Homes, LLC
MANDARINA Interior Design Studio
Orthodontics of Cambridge
Villandry Contracting, Inc
Lexington Management
Marquis Tree Service
Avalon Consulting Group
Belmont Dental Group
Judy Weinberg Realtor, Leading Edge Real Estate
One2One Bodyscapes Personal Training
OTA The Koomar Center
Red Apple Farm
Beyond BDS
Contemporary Art Show
March 16–April 6
Belmont Gallery of Art
Belmont native and now notable Cleveland-based artist/musician Matt Gallagher returns to Belmont with a solo show at the Belmont Gallery of Art. Gallagher’s Research and Development exhibit will feature over thirty unique paintings and sculptural pieces. For more information and gallery hours, please visit www.belmontgallery.org.
International Film Festival
March 22-24
Studio Cinema, 376 Trapelo Road, Belmont
Belmont Against Racism is proud to sponsor the fourth annual Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston at Studio Cinema in Belmont. Over three days, the festival will screen 18 important films from 18 different countries around the world. For details on the films, shows dates and times, and ticket information, please visit Worldwide Cinema Frames.
Parenting Speaker Series
Encouraging Self-Esteem and Managing Anxiety in Students
Tuesday, March 26, 6:30 p.m.
Cambridge Friends School, 5 Cadbury Road, Cambridge
Let’s talk about self-esteem: what true self-esteem is, why it matters, how our culture got it wrong, and what you can do about it. Learn a life tool to help your child develop healthy self-esteem; bounce back from negativity and the hard knocks of life; find their center in the face of conflict and chaos; seek challenge, live their dreams, and have healthy, fulfilling relationships. This presentation and discussion will be lead by Patricia Lotterman, a licensed mental health counselor with a private practice in Cambridge. For more information and to register, please visit the Cambridge Friends website.
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