April 5, 2019
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Kindergarteners enjoy the courtyard on a damp spring morning.
Message from Head of School
Paddle Up for a Re-Imagined Erskine Library
Brendan Largay, Head of School
– Guest writers: Amy Sprung, librarian, and Mary Merrill, director of development
Post Date: April 5, 2019
Fifth graders in music class started a unit on hip-hop by researching the history of the genre.
This Coming Week at BDS
April 6 through April 12
All School
Saturday, April 6
5–10:00 p.m., Parents’ Association Auction, The Barn
Monday, April 8
6:30–7:30 p.m., Neighbor Reception, The Barn
Tuesday–Thursday, April 9-11, ERBs for Grades 7 & 8
Tuesday, April 9
6–9:00 p.m., Parent SEED Group, Coolidge Hall
Wednesday, April 10
3:30 p.m., Varsity Tennis vs Fenn; Varsity Ultimate Frisbee at Needham; Track & Field vs Charles River
5:30–7:30 p.m., Diversity Committee, Barn Conference Room
Thursday, April 11
3:30 p.m., Boys’ Lacrosse at Beaver Country Day; Girls’ Lacross at Beaver Country Day
5–6:00 p.m., Drop-In Camp Tour
Friday, April 12
8:50–9:35 a.m., Grades 1 & 2 Play, Palandjian Arts Center
3:30 p.m., After School Program Closes*
Monday, April 15
Patriots’ Day – School Closed
*School will be closed for vacation week, April 16–19
After School Closes Early on Friday, April 12
With the start of April vacation week, the
Grades 1 & 2 Play
Friday, April 12, 8:50 to 9:35 a.m., Palandjian Arts Center
Join us for a fantastic journey to the great outdoors as our first and second graders present, “Camp Kindness.” Full of fun and friendly woodland creatures, this production is sure to be a delight.
Lunch & Snack Menu
April 8 to April 12
Monday
Snack: Tostitos; fruit cups
Lunch: creamy pesto pasta; chef’s choice vegetable; breadsticks; Italian salad
Tuesday
Snack: saltines; bananas
Lunch: crispy cheesy chicken; ketchup; sweet and sour sauce; chef’s choice vegetable; sweet potato fries; roasted Mediterranean vegetables with romaine
Wednesday
Snack: Goldfish; apples
Lunch: hamburgers; veggie burgers; pickles; sliced tomato; sliced onion; cheese; ketchup, relish, and mustard; chef’s choice vegetable; pretzel twists; greens with bacon and egg
Thursday
Snack: granola bars; oranges
Lunch: BDS tomato alphabet soup; Mr. Burchill’s grilled cheese; chef’s choice vegetable; broccoli salad
Friday
Snack: fruit
No Lunch
Looking Ahead
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Volunteer Clean-Up Day
Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
In the spirit of fostering conservation and supporting our neighbors, Belmont Day will be taking part in the Lone Tree Hill Volunteer Day. Organized by the Belmont Citizens Forum and the Judy Record Conservation Fund, this seventh annual event will include cleanup along the Coal Road area, trail maintenance, and tree planting along Pine Allee.
Lone Tree Hill spans 119 acres of permanently protected conservation land—bounded by Concord Avenue, Pleasant Street, and Mill Street—and is open to everyone. It is stewarded by a public/private partnership with the town of Belmont and McLean Hospital and is managed by the Land Management Committee. Click here to see a detailed map of the area.
Please use the form to let us know if you will join us!
BDS News
TUITION PAYMENT NEWS
New System for 10-Month Payment Plan
Belmont Day has completed the transition to a new tuition payment system–FACTS Management–for the administration of our 10-month payment plan for the 2019-2020 school year. If you elected the 10-month payment plan on your enrollment agreement, please take a moment to review the details in the READ MORE box below. Please contact Dale McGhee in the business office with any questions.
Read More
Tuition Payment Plans
Belmont Day School offers two payment plan options through FACTS Management, one for school tuition and one for tuition for the extended day and
Features of the School Tuition Plan
- Ten monthly payments beginning in May
- Low cost–a $50.00 enrollment fee
- One account per family
- Payment by direct debit from checking or savings accounts or by credit card
- Online and mobile account access
To Enroll
- Enroll online at FACTS Management
- If you have an existing FACTS account from another school, please log in and choose Belmont Day School
- If you are a new FACTS user please select “Create a username & password” to begin
- Then click on the Set Up a Payment Plan link
- Select the appropriate school year
- Complete the steps as prompted
Set Up
During the set-up quick process, you will be asked to enter the following information:
- Name(s) and contact information of the financially responsible parents/guardians. You may also add other third-party payers for access to the site to make payments
- Name(s) and grade(s) of your child(ren)
- Payment method: checking account, savings account, credit card
- Payment schedule: choose the 1st or 15th of the month
- Choose whether to elect the optional “Peace of Mind” benefit ($20 fee) as explained on the FACTS website
- After authorization, FACTS Management and BDS will finalize the payment plan with the correct tuition amount due, less your deposit and any other adjustments to determine your net tuition due
- The net tuition amount will be divided by 10 to determine your monthly payment
If you have questions about the tuition amounts, please call Dale McGhee in the Belmont Day business office at 617-932-3888.
Deadlines
The 10-month payment plan for 2019-2020 begins in May 2019. Enrollment must be completed by the deadlines below for the payments to begin on time:
Payments to begin May 1 – Deadline to enroll: April 18
Payments to begin May 15 – Deadline to enroll: May 2
If you elected the 10-month payment plan on the enrollment agreement, you must complete the FACTS enrollment no later than May 2 or your account will be considered past due.
FACTS Customer Service
- If you need assistance in completing enrollment in FACTS, click on “Customer Service” in the upper right edge of the screen—please consult the Frequently Asked Questions list first
- If you are not able to resolve your question please call FACTS at 866-441-4637
Extended Day and After School Payment Plan
The five-month payment plan for
ATHLETICS
Varsity Tennis Drops First Match
The varsity tennis team put themselves in a position to earn a 4-3 win against Shady Hill this week. Unfortunately, the bounces didn’t go their way and the team dropped three close matches, eventually losing 6-1. Davin Roy secured the team’s only win at first singles (6-4). Philippe Pitts dropped a tough match at second singles (5-7), while doubles teams Eli Burger and Eden Lewis (5-7), and Owen Khanna and Milly Noble (5-6) both came up just short. First-year head coach Jim Walker took plenty of positives from the afternoon despite the disappointing result and is encouraged about the rest of the season.
More Athletics News
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Kaleeen Chen and Camille DeStefano finished 1-2 in the 200m helping lead track & field to an impressive 58-42 win over Shady Hill in the team’s season opener. Elena Ferrari broke a seven-minute mile. -
The varsity ultimate team exercised some demons against rival Shady Hill with a commanding 6-2 win in challenging conditions this week. Nico Rimer and Max Simon both were strong with the disc.
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Classmates Chris McEvoy and Alexander Colangelo earned their stripes during boys’ lacrosse’s season opener. McEvoy was fearless between the pipes and Colangelo was effective offensively.
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Lynn Lewis and Julia Clayton connected on a beautiful goal to start the game, but unfortunately, that was the only offense Belmont Day could muster in girls’ lacrosse’s loss to Shady Hill.
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Jacob Stephenson and Henry Monroe have been solid performers for the JV tennis team this year. The sixth grade classmates have brought a solid work ethic to practice every day.
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The JV ultimate team has benefitted from the experienced play of seventh grade classmates Scott Abbott and Noah Burd during intramural competition this spring.
ARTS
Time to F.A.C.E. the Music
During the month of April, our young music students in pre-k and kindergarten will be challenged to F.A.C.E. the music. They are learning the letter names of the notes in the spaces of the treble clef. Matching the letters with the notes on the staff and differentiating between lines and spaces is the first step to note reading. The notes in the spaces happen to spell the word face. This mnemonic is less challenging than the original mnemonic for the spelling of the lines. Sometimes we use the ampersand to save the day. Therefore: Every Girl & Boy Deserves Fun for the letters: EGBDF.
FACULTY NEWS
Associate Teacher Receives Honor
Congratulations to associate teacher, Emily Davis, who was recently honored as the recipient of Lesley University’s Graduate School of Education June Fox Scholarship Award for 2019. Given once a year to one member of Lesley’s Collaborative Residency Program, the award recognizes outstanding work with children, interest in building equity in the classroom, and the recipient’s potential for educational leadership.
The award was presented at this year’s annual June Fox Lecture held on Wednesday, April 3. The award and lecture series
Read More
Ms. Davis graduated from Brown University in 2013 with a major in education studies, and earned her M.D. in 2018 from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, with a concentration in medical education. She received her M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2017, where she focused on the development of a literacy-based health education program. At Belmont Day, she is currently teaching in fourth grade and taught in the second grade during the first half of the school year.
“Belmont Day School is thrilled that Emily has been chosen to receive the prestigious June Fox Award this year. It’s an incredible honor,” said Heather Woodcock, director of Belmont Day’s associate teacher program. “Her relentless commitment to meeting the needs of all children in the classroom combined with her high expectations and empathy for others make her an outstanding educator. Emily is a lifelong learner whose dedication to the craft of teaching will have a tremendous impact on her future students and colleagues. “
GREENING NEWS
Spring Garden Workday A Great Success!
We had a wonderful crew of Belmont Day faculty, students, parents, and friends join us last Saturday to prepare the school garden for the 2019 season. A beautiful day greeted our participants who enjoyed raking, planting, clearing, weeding, and more. Students planted over 80 feet of snap and pod peas, as well as a full bed of greens. Look for an early bounty for sale on community service day, May 17, where we will be selling these fresh organic greens along with our very own BDS honey. All proceeds will help fund the school garden program. Thank you to all who came to help!
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Collecting Donations for Cradles to Crayons
April 22 to May 18
Belmont Day School is pleased to once again serve as the Belmont collection location for the annual Cradles to Crayons Collect and Sort event. Members of the Belmont community and beyond are invited to clean out their drawers and closets and donate gently used children’s items. Donations can be dropped off in the well-marked collection unit on the BDS campus any time between April 22 and May 18. Volunteers are also needed for a
ANNUAL GIVING NEWS
Pre-k and Second Grade Reach 100%
Congratulations to pre-k and second grade for being tied in reaching 100% participation in giving to the BDS Annual Fund. Several other classes are only a few gifts away from joining them at the finish line.
If you haven’t had time to make your gift to the annual fund yet this year, someone will be reaching out to you in the next few weeks to ask for your support. If you made a pledge in the fall, look for your pledge reminder in the mail in mid-April. If you would like to make your gift today, you can do so easily and securely online at www.belmontday.org/donations.
As always please reach out to Beth Sousa, associate director of development and annual giving, with any questions about the annual fund, bsousa@belmontday.org.
EXTERNAL PROGRAMS
April Vacation Camps
Our vacation camps are filling up fast! We have two great options for the week when school will be closed:
- Hogwarts Camp – Calling all wizards and witches to enter the wizarding world of Harry Potter at Hogwarts Camp. Children will be sorted into houses, create wands, learn spells, await owls, and hop on brooms to learn the magical sport of Quidditch. There will even be a special event with Albus Dumbledore!
- Babysitting & Leadership – Participants will learn about themselves as leaders and gain American Red Cross Babysitter
certification. They will use their new skills in a culminating project with a group of younger campers and enjoy some fun time with peers to celebrate their new knowledge.
For more detailed information and registration visit the website.
Parents’ Association News
Parent Book Club
Please join us to discuss The Enchantress of Numbers: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini on Wednesday, April 24 from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. We are finalizing a location for this event and will update parents when it is determined. Refreshments will be provided. Please contact Nareeluck Stephenson with any questions.
Upcoming Events
PA Meeting, Friday, April 26, 8:30–9:30 a.m., Coolidge Hall
Auction
One Day Away!
The Wonder auction is just 24 hours away. Here are some last-minute details you need to know:
Location and Timing: The event is in the Barn and opens at 5 p.m. and will conclude between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m.
Parking: Please arrive early. Once the parking lot is full, we will be running a shuttle from the Belmont Hill School athletics center from 4 to 10:00 p.m. for additional parking. See the campus map for more information. Please try to come in one car or consider using Uber or Lyft.
Early Bird Gets the Raffle: Guests arriving between 5 and 5:30 p.m. will be entered into a raffle for premium parking and seating at the Moving Up Assembly on June 12.
Pre-Registration: You should have received an email inviting you to pre-register for the auction for the event attendees. You need to do this even if you are already bidding online. This will shorten your check-in process. It allows us to assign you a bidding number for the night-of activities.
Bring your phone: You will need this to continue bidding until bidding closes. There will be charging stations, tech support and mobile kiosks (if your phone fails or you forget it) at the event.
Dress: Come in your “Wonder Best,” which is anything from business to
Have questions about bidding? Contact auctiontech@ belmontday.org.
We would like to acknowledge and thank our current Wonder sponsors, which include:
- Carolyn Atinizian & John Yardemian P ’27
- Dental Restorative Group
- Gail Roberts, Ed Feijo & Team
- Keller Williams – Boston and Cambridge Homes, LLC
- MANDARINA Interior Design Studio
- Orthodontics of Cambridge
- Peak Event Service
- Shawmut Construction and Design
- Villandry Contracting, Inc.
- Arlington Heights Nursery School
- Lexington Management
- Marquis Tree Service
- Watertown Savings Bank
- Avalon Consulting Group
- Belmont Dental Group
- Borislow Insurance
- Coppe & Sears
- Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics
- Dental Restorative Group
- First Republic Bank
- Judy Weinberg, Realtor, Leading Edge Real Estate
- Lake HVAC
- One2One Bodyscapes Personal Training
- OTA The Koomar Center
- Pediatric Dental Arts
- Pleasant St. Dental
- Red Apple Farm
Beyond BDS
Books and Bites
Belmont Public Library, Assembly Room
Monday, April 8 at 11 a.m.
Author Sylvia Ruth Gutmann will discuss her new book, A Life Rebuilt: The Remarkable Transformation of a War Orphan, as part of the Books and Bites program presented by the Belmont Public Library. Born into war, Gutmann’s story chronicles her family’s trauma and loss, and her personal struggles to understand the past she was too young to remember. For more information, visit the library’s events page.
Parent Lecture Series
The Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative and the Belmont Public Schools will present the 5th Annual Parent Lecture Series with three speakers in March, April, and May. The topic this year is “Thriving in a Diverse World: Raising Racially Aware Children.”
The first speaker in the series, on Wednesday, April 10 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., is Debby Irving, author of Waking Up White. The lectures are free and open to all. For more information, visit the
Technology Workshop
Taking Ctrl 2019
Saturday, April 27
Concord Academy, 166 Main Street, Concord
Join Concord Academy for the first annual conference bringing together female and non-binary high school and middle school students who share an interest in technology. The conference will include a keynote speaker, workshops, and an internship social session. Register by April 20. For more details, visit the Taking Ctrl 2019 website.
Learn Robotics
Sensing Spaces
Tuesdays, May 28 to July 2
First Parish of Westwood
This six-session workshop is geared to middle school students who want to learn the basics of robotics. Lessons will include engineering challenges, programming, design, and case studies. For more information and registration, email werklehrereducation@gmail.com
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