April 10, 2020
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Athletics is back and teams are meeting on a weekly basis with instructions given for daily fitness and sport-specific skill-building.
LEARNING UPDATES
First Graders Get Into Character(s)
In theater arts, first graders were given an assignment to come up with three different characters. These characters could be real, like a police officer, teacher, surfer, or wildlife enthusiast, or they could be make-believe, like Bugs Bunny, a dragon, or a genie. The students were asked to think about each character in terms of physicality, facial expression, and setting. Students used items found around their home to create costumes for their characters. Finally, students had someone at home take a picture of their characters to share.
– Christopher Parsons, theater arts teacher
Sixth Graders Tackle Fractions
Sixth graders just finished a unit on fractions in math class. They learned how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide with fractions using models and applying the strategies to solve real-life problems (see the photo for an example). The students will now take these strategies to support their learning in our new unit on decimals as they learn operations with decimals, their relationship to fractions, and the importance of place value.
– Elinor Hannum, middle school math teacher
Second Grade Absorbs A Lesson On Water
Second graders have been exploring the properties of water in the science lessons. Recently, students did a challenge called “climbing water.” They challenge was to find a way to move water from one cup to another using a paper towel without touching or pouring the water. The challenge allowed students to see capillary action at work. After following an instructional video, students tried out the challenge and shared their work with their teachers.
– Nancy Fell and Sunny Lee, grade 2 teachers
Students Team Up to Investigate Biomes
Students in seventh grade science groups one and two have been learning about the characteristics of the six major biomes of the world—rainforests, deserts, grasslands, deciduous forests, boreal forests, and tundras. With a partner, students split up the biomes so that they each had three to study. Students created a climate graph for each of their three biomes using Google Sheets and then researched information such as climate, world location, longitude, latitude, soil structure, flora, and fauna.
The pairs of students then combined their work into a final submission. This is a project that students usually do in the regular class setting working closely to share information and feedback about their work with each other over the course of about eight class periods. It was great to see each partnership work together online to complete this assignment to the same standards that they would be required to meet in the classroom in less time! Check out an example of their work here.
– Sandra Trentowsky, grades 7 & 8 science teacher
Eighth Grade Scientists Cook Up a Lesson on Bonds
On Wednesday, the eighth grade science gold group had its very first distance learning chemistry lab. In this lab, students found materials in their homes that contained either ionic bonds or covalent bonds. They then investigated properties of these ionic compounds and covalent compounds by melting them, boiling them, and dissolving them in water. Students performed the experiments in their kitchens, applying their knowledge of chemical bonding to better understand some important cooking principles; for example, why sugar will melt easily but salt does not. Our first distance lab was a great success, and we are looking forward to doing more soon!
– Leal Carter, grades 7 & 8 science teacher
LIBRARY NEWS
Great Resources to Find Great Stories!
Authors and illustrators online:
So many children’s book authors and illustrators are streaming free online events. There are almost too many to keep track of! This link will help you chose from the best. Turn one on when you have an hour you want to fill with some great stories! Please note that times given in the link are Pacific times.
Need more to read, watch, or listen to?
If you are looking for books for you or your children to read, audiobooks to listen to, or movies to watch, local public libraries have much to offer. For instance, anyone in Massachusetts can receive a Boston Public Library ecard. Click here to get started!
With an ecard, you can access:
- Hoopla: movies, TV shows, music, eBooks, and comics for online streaming or download to mobile devices, with no waiting lists
- Kanopy: a collection of over 30,000 documentaries, classic films, world cinema, popular movies and films for children of all ages
- Overdrive: thousands of digital titles available for download directly to your computer or mobile device
- RB Digital: over 20,000 audiobooks and full-color popular magazines available to stream or download to mobile devices
To access these resources click here and for a full list of what the library offers online, visit this site.
Need some physical books?
Many of our local brick-and-mortar booksellers are able to fulfill orders from their websites. Here are a few of my favorite local bookstores:
– Julie Saidenberg, interim librarian
HEALTH & WELLNESS NEWS
The Importance of Breathing Breaks
Hello friends! Lately, I have been taking breaks during the day to just breathe, and one of my favorite videos to use the one we use in school, Belly Breathe with Common and Colbie Caillat (and Elmo!). It’s fun no matter your age–and a great way to stop, laugh, and reset. Enjoy!
Parents, remember there are many resources available on the Parent Site–and that we are available for anything you need. Wishing you a peaceful week.
– Liz LaRocque, school nurse
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Use AmazonSmile to Support BDS
We’ve heard from members of our community asking how to add Belmont Day as an organization of choice on Amazon.com. It is an easy way to give back as you shop more regularly online. Register for AmazonSmile and 0.5% of the purchase price of your future purchases will be donated to BDS.
AmazonSmile is operated by Amazon.com and the products, prices, and shopping features are exactly the same. And there is no extra cost to you! To register with AmazonSmile and benefit BDS, please follow these easy directions:
- Step 1: In your internet browser go to smile.amazon.com and log in using your Amazon credentials.
- Step 2: On the AmazonSmile home page, click the “get started” button.
- Step 3: Search for and select Belmont Day School as your benefiting organization.
- Step 4: Shop as usual!
If you ave any questions, contact Beth Sousa or Pati Fernandez.
COMMUNITY NEWS
ICYMI: Parenting Seminar on Managing Screentime
We had the great pleasure to host author Dr. Devorah Heitner last month for a webinar on managing screentime with children during this unprecedented and challenging period for parents. Dr. Heitner provided many helpful tips and strategies. If you were unable to attend, Dr. Heitner will be offering the presentation again on Tuesday, April 14 at 3 p.m. The seminar is being presented free of charge by the speakers bureau that represents Dr. Heitner and does require registration. Click here to register.
RESOURCE CENTER
In addition to links to your student’s academic activities and lessons, the Offsite Learning Site offers activity and enrichment resources, including After School at Home.
The COVID-19 News and Resources Page offers links to important resources including Talking With Your Child About COVID-19 and an archive of school communications.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Thank You For The Delicious Tea!
A great big THANK YOU to the parents’ association for sending a package of warming and wonderful tea to everyone on the BDS team. We hope you saw our smiling and appreciative faces on Facebook earlier this week!
Sharing and Documenting a Moment in Our History
This is undoubtedly a challenging time for our school community and for everyone around the world. As we persevere together, we are also mindful that it is a moment in our shared history. We will continue to ask for photos and videos from home for the joy it brings in sharing them via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. We also request those images to help tell the story of our shared experiences during this time, be it a few months or many decades down the road. Thank you so much for all you’ve shared, and please keep sending us your photos and videos of your BDS education at home. Email to communications@belmontday.org.
In the Kitchen
The kitchen team is still cooking up a storm these days and excited to share some of their favorite recipes. This week, assistant chef Vladimir Hucko offers up recipes for a classic vegetable soup and an easy-to-make stuffed pork loin. The only decision now is which one to make first! Enjoy!
After School at Home
Our after school team has put together a website chock full of wonderful activities for students when school time has ended for the day. These activities continue our program’s mission of fun with the intention of enhancing skills, spurring creativity, and building community. Each week the team will update the site with new options. Click here to visit the site.
This Week: An Awesome Selection of Celebrity Storytimes!
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