February 4, 2022
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Third graders celebrate the fresh snow after snowshoeing through the woods earlier this week.
Opening Message
The Importance of Athletics, Inside and Outside the Lines
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: February 4, 2022
For nearly two decades, this has been the week when I became the most insufferable sports fan to those who don’t root for our local pro football team.
Blame it on the success of the New England Patriots and their nine Super Bowl appearances over the past twenty years. As fortune would have it, these appearances lined up with Belmont Day’s Friday Night Hoops winter sports celebration featuring our boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams facing off with our friendly rival, the Meadowbrook School. For me, this celebration of athletics emphasizes its importance as a critical part of whole-child education.
However, this year, the return of Friday Night Hoops and next Sunday’s Super Bowl brings two conflicting emotions. Welcoming fans back into the Barn has been a pure joy since the start of the month, and the prospect of a nighttime game with fans from both schools hints at a return to something we remember as normal: a community-oriented celebration, joyful to the core. The Super Bowl and the recent announcement of Tom Brady’s retirement may remind us just how important it is to celebrate excellence while you can. Father Time, they say, remains undefeated, so enjoy it while it lasts.
My reflection on Brady’s retirement as it relates to our Belmont Day athletes is this. As the media reflect on his excellence over the years, I find they focus a great deal on the product of his performance: the Super Bowl rings, the MVP trophies, and wins, above all else. But what has always compelled me about Brady has been the process. I am sorry to see him go because of his model work ethic. I am sad to see him go because there was little doubt about his joy in playing the sport he loves, whether you loved him or hated him. Excellence as a direct result of dedication and joy sounds a lot like the values we instill in our athletes at BDS.
More than anything, as an educator, I am drawn to the high-profile athletes of our time because of the role models they can be for our students. When women’s World Cup soccer comes around, I am pulling so hard for the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. And when it’s time for the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, I can’t wait to see Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff succeed and set examples for all of us, both on and off the court. And when scandal erupts in sports, hearing about the discriminatory hiring practices that keep Brian Flores from a head coaching job in the NFL is doubly disappointing.
And now, upon the retirement of one of Boston’s greatest athletes ever, I find myself grateful for the delight he provided on the field and how he has carried himself off of it. May we have another local sports role model to fill that void soon for both our students and (if, for no one else) your head of school.
Join us in the Barn next Friday, February 11, at 5:30 p.m. for the eighth edition of Friday Night Hoops. See you there and go Blue & Gold!
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Ensembles Celebration
Thursday, February 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Please join us for our annual celebration of the talented musicians and singers who participate in the ensembles program. We promise an evening of great music and highlights of our accomplished young musicians.
The link for this event will be available on the Parent Portal.
Parent Social Identity Discussion Groups
Parents/Caregivers of Non-binary, Questioning, or Transgender Students
Monday, February 7 at 7 p.m.
Any questions, please contact Jen James, assistant to the head of school and registrar, at jjames@belmontday.org
Asian/Asian American Parents
Thursday, February 17 from 6 to 7 p.m.
At this meeting, the group will be discussing TIME’s recent article, “How the Pandemic and Anti-Asian Violence Spurred 2 States to Change History Lessons.”
Please RSVP to Minna Ham, lower school head, at mham@belmontday.org.
Both meetings will be held via Zoom. Links are available on the Parent Portal.
Friday Night Hoops
Friday, February 11
5:30 p.m. – Girls’ Game Start
7 p.m. – Boys’ Game Start
Belmont Day School, the Barn
After a year on pause, our winter classic basketball matchup against our friendly rivals, The Meadowbrook School, is returning! Come cheer on the Blue & Gold as the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams play the eighth edition of Friday Night Hoops. Our athletes invite the entire Belmont Day community to attend.
Please note that this is not a drop-off event and children must be supervised by parents at all times. Masks must be worn inside at all times. To attend any event on campus, parents must have proof of COVID vaccination on file or submit a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the event. Click the button below to submit either.
Lunch & Snack Menu
February 7 to February 11
Monday
Snack: apple slices; pretzels
Lunch: pasta with meatballs on the side; pasta with marinara on the side; steamed cauliflower; crusty rolls; butter; Romano cheese; Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches; sliced peaches; milk and water
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; Lay’s potato chips
Lunch: chicken tenders; veggie nuggets; green beans; Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches; sweet and sour sauce; chips; ketchup; fresh fruit cups; milk and water
Wednesday
Snack: apples; cheese puffs
Lunch: beef stew; hearty vegetable stew; veggie blend; naan bread; Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches; apple slices; milk and water
Thursday
Snack: clementines; granola bars
Lunch: cheese pizza; Caesar salad; carrots; ranch dressing; Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches; applesauce; milk and water
Friday
Snack: Craisins; Kettle Corn Popcorners
Faculty Lunch
BDS News
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Keep Those Donations Coming In!
In anticipation of the cold and dangerous weather we’re now experiencing, we decided to make an early delivery of donations to Pine Street Inn. On Wednesday evening, sixth grade teacher, Dean Spencer, dropped off what the community has donated so far:
846 hand warmers
96 pairs of gloves
37 $5 Dunkin gift cards!
Thank you to Dean, Pati Fernández, and Anderson Santos for their work in coordinating the delivery, and thank you to everyone who has made a donation already. There is still time to donate. We’ll be collecting until next Friday, February 11. Look for the bins outside of the Barn and the Schoolhouse at drop-off and dismissal.
Thank you for making a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness this winter.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Re-enrollment Reminder: Deadline is Friday, February 11
The 2022-2023 re-enrollment process will close next Friday, February 11. Your re-enrollment is complete when you have completed all of the steps outlined below. Please be sure to take the time to complete this important process. You can access your contracts via the Parent Portal. Simply sign in and click the “Re-enrollment 2022-2023” button at the top of the homepage.
Once again we are using Veracross for this process which we hope you will find easy to use. When you click the re-enrollment button you will be able to:
- Review and sign the contract for your child(ren).
- Review and approve school policies relating to your child’s enrollment.
- Choose a payment plan for the year: single payment option, 2-payment option, or 10-payment plan.
- Pay this year’s deposit.
- Update your family’s contact information.
If your family is receiving financial aid in 2022-2023, your financial aid award letter will be included with your contract.
In addition to completing your contract through Veracross, you will be able to pay your deposit online through the secure Veracross feature called VC Pay. Parents who have used VC Pay this year must re-register for VC Pay for 2022-2023 to continue using it next year. If you prefer, you can pay your deposit by delivering or mailing us a check payable to “Belmont Day School.” The check must be received by Friday, February 11. Your enrollment is not complete until the contract is signed and the deposit payment has been received. You will receive a confirmation email when you have completed the enrollment process.
Your signed contract(s) and deposit must be finalized by 11 a.m. Friday, February 11. Please note that each of your household’s parents/guardians must sign the contract.
Important note: We have been advised that the Veracross website will be down for a maintenance update between 8 and 11 p.m. on Saturday, February 5. During this time you will not be able to access your enrollment documents.
If you have any questions, please be in touch with Catherine David cdavid@belmontday.org. Thank you!
DEI NEWS
Updates from Faculty DEI Committee
In December and January, nearly twenty faculty and staff members came together to form a faculty DEI committee to continue the work of equity, inclusion, and belonging in our school community. We are delighted to share several updates about some of the projects now underway. For the past few weeks, committee members have been reviewing the data generated from the Belonging Survey conducted in May 2021. The team has worked on data analysis and interpretation, as well as determining the structure of ongoing data collection with the goal of developing a longitudinal understanding of the experiences of students at Belmont Day. The group will continue to meet weekly to identify areas of growth and problem-solve around obstacles and challenges.
The committee is also pleased to announce that middle school students will be invited to participate in a student group focused on Belonging at BDS. Students will come together for team-building activities and facilitated discussions about their experiences and how to build stronger connections among students and between students and faculty. The first meeting will be on Friday, February 11 from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. and lunch will be provided. We are looking forward to seeing your middle schooler there!
Please watch this space for regular updates from the DEI committee in the months ahead.
For more information about the DEI committee, please contact any of the coordinators: Zach d’Arbeloff, Leesa Mercedes, Ana Maria Restrepo, or Dean Spencer. If you have questions about the Belonging at BDS student meeting, please contact Leesa Mercedes.
FACULTY NEWS
Departures
Dean Spencer, sixth grade social studies teacher
Ending his fifteenth year as both sixth grade humanities and social studies teacher, and homeroom teacher and advisor, Dean Spencer will be retiring in June. During his time in the classroom, Dean designed and taught both the world religions and civil rights curricula and developed Freedom Night, a tradition eagerly anticipated by sixth grade students and families and beloved by countless BDS graduates. With his seemingly boundless energy and steadfast devotion to students, Dean also served as a Capstone mentor for thirteen years, mentor teacher for sixteen different associate teachers as part of our associate teaching program, and coached middle school athletics over twelve different seasons. When middle school clubs started eight years ago, Dean founded Echo, the middle school student literary and art magazine, which still runs today. Fulfilling his deep commitment to supporting students to make meaningful and positive contributions to civic life, Dean also served as an advisor to the student-run climate change lunch group and co-taught our sixth-grade Honoring Differences Seminar.
Beyond his work with students, Dean devoted himself to furthering the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging work. As a co-chair of the Braiding Different Strands committee and faculty DEI committee, a member of the board diversity committee, co-facilitator of Parent SEED, and member of the faculty social-emotional learning team, Dean helped steer the school in every aspect of its work to become a more equitable and inclusive community. He also served as a faculty representative on our board of trustees, taught a social studies graduate-level course, led workshops at the AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference, performed the role of affinity group facilitator at the NAIS People of Color Conference, and served on an AISNE accreditation team. Never one to rest long, Dean is also a co-director of Camp Killooleet in Vermont, a treasured spot where several BDS students spent their summers. One of the things Dean will miss most will be singing with students and parents at our all-school assemblies. While our signature assemblies will not be the same without Dean leading us on guitar as we sing This Land is Your Land, and This Little Light of Mine, we know that he will not be going far and look forward to hearing about his future adventures, many of which may, we hope, include moments here at BDS.
Kaleen Moriarty, sixth grade science teacher
This June we will bid a bittersweet farewell to Kaleen Moriarty, sixth grade science teacher, and advisor. Kaleen will be leaving Belmont Day to pursue her interests outside of the classroom. Luckily, Kaleen will not be going far, as she looks forward to tutoring students in mathematics and pursuing Orton-Gillingham certification to be better equipped to work with struggling readers. In her fifteen years at Belmont Day, Kaleen devotedly remained with the sixth grade through its transition from being part of a fifth-to-eighth to a sixth-to-eighth-grade middle school program and was instrumental in its design. Kaleen has been well-known and loved by students and families for her empathy and deep and expert understanding of sixth grade students. Having served in the roles of math, science, and homeroom teacher and in her current role as a science teacher and advisor, Kaleen was invaluable in developing a cohesive, exciting, and joyful sixth grade program over the years.
Kaleen also spearheaded several sixth grade milestone experiences, including astronomy mornings and evenings, solar car design and race competitions, and the signature fall overnight trip to the Farm School. She also ran our popular middle school pop-knitting and mountain biking clubs, served as a middle school athletics coach, took on the role of sixth grade coordinator, and mentored several students through their Capstone journey. Beyond her work with students at Belmont Day, Kaleen also helped to coordinate the new faculty mentor program as the middle school liaison, and mentored several new faculty as part of this program. She also participated as a member of the faculty Sunshine Committee, bringing joy to the whole faculty community. It is with both a heavy heart and great excitement for all that lies ahead for her that we will wish Kaleen all the very best as she departs Belmont Day, especially since we know that while she is leaving her current role, she will not be too far! We fully expect to see her back in some capacity—as a tutor, for example—even as she begins this next exciting chapter. We will eagerly await hearing about her many future adventures.
Faculty Updates
Liz LaRocque, school nurse
We were very pleased to welcome Liz back from leave this week! Nurse LaRocque is now joined by Dario Azzone in the nurses’ office where the duo will divide the duties of managing ongoing COVID-related demands and providing day-to-day care for the health and wellbeing of the community. Liz has returned on a part-time basis and will be in school three days a week.
Deborah Brissenden, assistant head of school and director of curriculum and instruction
Deborah will continue her leave for the time being. We will, of course, let the community know when she is ready to return.
COVID TESTING
Reminder: Remember to Test Monday Morning before School
All students and faculty should use the second of the two rapid test kits that were sent home last week prior to coming to school Monday, February 7.
The kit includes directions on how to administer the test. No action is needed for negative results—students will come to school as usual. Please report positive test results to covidresponse@belmontday.org and follow the school’s positive case protocols. Thank you.
Weekly COVID Testing
This week, a faculty member notified the school of a positive rapid test result that they received on Sunday, January 30. The faculty member stayed at home, where they have been isolating according to the school’s protocol.
Very welcome news from our PCR testing on Wednesday, February 2—no positive cases of COVID-19 were identified!
AUXILIARY PROGRAMS
Climbing, Creating, and Cheering in After School
This week in after school, students have been working out our minds and bodies as we play and learn together. First through fifth grade students tried their hands and feet on the Downing gym traverse wall, challenging each other with new routes and objectives. The after school teachers even got in on the action!
Our youngest learners have enjoyed creative art projects as well as an after school favorite, the big blue blocks! With the blocks, our students have the opportunity to design, build, and then safely send their creations tumbling to the ground. And as always, after school students have served as enthusiastic fans, watching our BDS teams in competition and cheering on the Blue and Gold!
As a reminder to after school families, the school will close at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, February 18 as we transition into February break week. There will not be a 5:30 p.m. after school dismissal and all students must be picked-up by 3:30 p.m.
Learning Updates
Seventh Grade French Students Educate on Climate Change
Following a short unit on weather vocabulary, seventh grade French students learned about various initiatives that can positively impact the effects and course of climate change. They explored some infographics and watched an informational video on the subject. In groups, they used the platform Canva to prepare their own posters (in French, of course) featuring actions we can all take. The posters were then displayed around BDS. The students also filmed a number of public service announcements to complement the messages of the posters.
– Jennifer Friborg, grades 7 & 8 French teacher
PE Update: Sledding for the Win
Upon first glance, the hill behind the Osborne Tennis Courts doesn’t appear very long or steep. Yet add two feet of snow, a bunch of sleds, and enthusiastic athletes, and suddenly there may be no hill more adventurous in all of New England.
All week long, shouts of joy could be heard as students engaged in their annual sledding (as nature allows) in physical education classes. For the students, it was pure joy, as they raced downhill solo, or in tandem, choosing tracks such as “lumpy-bumpy” or a smoother run. For the teachers, the balance, cooperation, and fitness required to fly downhill and then trudge uphill was nothing short of epic. Layers were shed, sweat poured, comfort zones were extended, and it was all via a simple piece of plastic equipment and a gentle slope covered in snow. Sledding for the win!
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher
Athletics Update: Fencing Victorious over Shady Hill
In a season marred by cancellations and uneven match-ups, the fencing team finally faced a full team on Thursday afternoon when they squared off against Shady Hill at the Boston Fencing Club. When it was all said and done, the Blue & Gold took 15 of 27 bouts and emerged with a narrow 15-12 victory.
Highlights of the meet included Zach Cash and Olivia Zhou’s solid foil wins, Asher Sutton’s timely sabre win, and Simon Wright and Simone Pattisall’s first interscholastic wins of their career. One of the most impressive performances of the afternoon, however, was turned in by seventh grader Joshua Flanagan who demonstrated strong technique and tremendous poise in a pair of epee wins. The fencing team will be back at it next week against the International School of Boston.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
More Athletics News
- Matthieu Small and Nikos Axiotis both pinned their opponent during Belmont Day’s wrestling match against Belmont Hill on Thursday.
- Girls’ varsity basketball fought back for a dramatic one-point win over DCD. Eliza Kuechle and Ruby Kokinos led the charge.
- Olivia Dawson had a season-high 8 points and 11 rebounds during girls’ JV basketball’s big win over Carroll this week.
Eighth Graders Examine Different Forms of Poetry
Eighth grade students are deep in the trenches of studying poetry. We explored the ways sound creates meaning by reading “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll and letting the sounds of its many nonsense words lead us to imagine what happens in the poem. Last week we learned about meter and rhythm with Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” which is written in iambic tetrameter. We each found the emphasized syllables in our own names and tried out writing one line in iambic pentameter. This week we are exploring performance poetry, also known as spoken word or slam poetry. Soon we will begin memorizing poems to recite or perform for our peers later this spring.
– Elisabeth Klock, middle school English teacher
Pre-kindergartners Celebrate the Snow and the Lunar New Year
It has been a very busy week for our youngest learners. On top of our daily schedule of learning and fun, this week brought two exciting opportunities for further exploration. First was the greeting of fresh snow which we embraced by engineering tunnels and collecting ice for a science lesson on how ice melts and how different compounds such as salt affect the melting process. We also celebrated and learned about the Lunar New Year. We read several books about the holiday and we’re making lanterns, decorating red envelopes, and creating and painting a dragon.
– Nicole Siverls and Sharon Gillespy, pre-kindergarten teachers
Parents’ Association News
PA Dues
Each family’s contribution to the parents’ association supports the work we do all year. Please consider paying PA dues of $50 per family. Any additional amount may be considered tax-deductible. You can make payment conveniently online with a credit card, debit card, or eCheck (ACH) via the secure BDS PA Payment Portal. Although not preferred with the ongoing pandemic, you can also pay by paper check by contacting the PA Treasurer, Jeana Colangelo. Thank you!
Library Shelving Volunteers Needed
The Library Committee needs your help! We are able to have one volunteer in the Erskine Library one day per week after school from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. to help with shelving books. If you can spare the time (or have a middle school student to pick up at 4:30) our librarian Amy Sprung would really appreciate the help! Please feel free to email Amy (asprung@belmontday.org) directly to volunteer.
Friendraiser Walks
Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m.
It’s cold out there, but what better way to warm up than a brisk walk in the woods with friends new and old! Join us on Tuesday mornings in February to journey through the woodland trails. Hiking shoes or winter boots are recommended as the trails will be snowy and icy. Meet at the front circle of the Schoolhouse at 8:15 a.m. Duration: about 40 minutes.
Beyond BDS
COMMUNITY EVENT
LGBTQ+ Alliance Community Gathering
The Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance invites all to join them for a community gathering on Tuesday, February 15, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The purpose of the event will be to connect the community of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in Belmont; hear from you about your experiences in Belmont and what you’d like to see happen in town; discuss future events and initiatives, and invite you to join us as volunteers in our activities.
Please email belmontlgbtqalliance@gmail.com to RSVP for this event and receive the Zoom link.
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY
Student Calls on Community to Support Campaign to Stop Arctic Drilling
I want to call our community’s attention to a page on the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) website about the oil and gas drilling programs in the Arctic. What the WWF is trying to do is to put a long-term stop to oil and gas programs that threaten that area. Stopping the drilling would be beneficial to the wildlife and the indigenous people who depend on the health of that region’s environment. Our community can help by urging their congressional leaders to repeal the Arctic Refuge oil and gas program in the budget reconciliation package that they are now considering. The WWF has asked anyone who is willing to write a letter to their Congress members asking for support. The letter is pre-written and only requires you to fill in your information. I hope you will join me in this effort. Thank you!
– Quincy Treisman, seventh grader
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