December 1, 2023
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Jumping for joy (and exercise!) in physical education.
Opening Message
Winter Already!? How Time Flies When You’re New At Belmont Day
David Gordon, Chief Financial and Operations Officer
Post Date: December 1, 2023
It’s amazing how the seasons have passed so quickly since I joined the Belmont Day team. I arrived in the heat of summer, and in the blink of an eye, here we are, just two weeks from winter break. Having worked for many years in education, I am no stranger to fast falls, but these first months at BDS have been a wonderful blur.
There was no better time to come aboard than summer. The sunny days, the opportunity to meet and create relationships with colleagues, and all the happy campers and counselors filling the campus with their laughs, smiles, and energy. I was greeted with high fives and a limitless feeling of community, and Belmont Day exceeded my expectations from day one.
The summer flew by, and when we opened our doors to students in September, I could not wait to engage and take in everything in my first school year. From my responsibility of keeping an eye on students at dismissal and my travels past classrooms and playing fields, I can see the determination and caring of our students and their teachers and coaches. From my meetings with department heads, trustees, and leadership to set our financial goals and plan for the future, I see the same determination and care focused on bettering the education we provide and the community we create.
Suddenly, the leaves started changing, and just as quickly, the wind picked up and blew those leaves past my office windows. Luckily, just doors away, I have the most amazing teammates—Sarah Barrow and Dale McGhee—to help me run through this whirlwind. Sarah is arguably the world’s best controller. She is patient, supportive, and collaborative at every step. Dale is a true ‘jack of all trades’ and wears many hats. With me, he has been a teacher above all else as I learn to navigate new systems, processes, and procedures. I could not be happier to work with Sarah and Dale. I am also learning that they have long been a dynamic duo here, constantly building up the confidence of others around them throughout the school community.
As with any new job, I was excited and a little nervous when I started during those hot summer days. I was succeeding a person, Fred Colson, whom I respect immensely. I appreciate everyone who has welcomed me here—and a special thank you to my new faculty mentors, Betty Chu Pryor and Liz Parfit. Our lunches and discussions helped to orient me to the school and our community quickly.
It only took a matter of days for me to realize that Belmont Day is a special place with a hardworking, committed, and invested staff. And now, as it feels like it may snow any day, I am proud to be a part of this community and look forward to many seasons ahead of us. I hope to meet more of our families, students, alumni, friends, and neighbors as we walk through the snow, then the mud, and eventually back onto some beautiful green grass.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Mark Your Calendars For BDS Giving Day
Tuesday, December 12
We invite our extended community to show their support for our school, faculty, and students by making a gift to the Belmont Day Annual Fund. This day is all about participation–every gift, no matter the size, will help us reach our goal of 225 gifts in 24 hours!
Together we will rally as a community in support of this special place we all love, as we showcase our strong culture of philanthropy at BDS.
Thank you for your support on Giving Day and throughout the year. Look for Development Office team members as you pass by 37 Day School Lane after drop-off for a token of thanks on December 12!
Winter Concert – Just Two Weeks Away!
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE
Friday, December 15
Downing Gym
Concert Starts at 10:30 a.m. (Doors open at 10 a.m.)
The biggest concert of the school year—the Winter Concert—is just two weeks away! To be efficient, student-centered, and mindful of our youngest learners, the program order has been reorganized, which we hope will improve the transition times between groups. We look forward to seeing you there for a wonderful celebration of music and community!
Attention Middle School Families
Trimester 1 Grades Now Available
Please visit the Parent Portal to review student grades for trimester 1.
Lunch & Snack Menu
December 4 to December 8
Monday
Snack: applesauce; Smartfood
Lunch: macaroni and cheese; baked maple ham; pasta and marinara; gluten-free macaroni and cheese; crusty French rolls; roasted Mediterranean vegetable blend (red pepper, red onion, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini); mixed greens with balsamic
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; granola bars
Lunch: sesame soy chicken thighs; sesame soy tofu; Basmati rice; steamed broccoli; bok choy and greens with red peppers, scallions and soy dressing
Wednesday
Snack: clementines; Popcorners
Lunch: herb-roasted salmon; vegan Italian sausage; Israeli couscous; Basmati rice; green beans; spinach salad with sherry vinaigrette, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds
Thursday
Snack: apple slices; pretzel twists
Lunch: chicken and cheese quesadillas; vegan cheese quesadilla; gluten-free chicken and cheese quesadillas; salsa, guacamole, and sour cream; roasted butternut squash; Caesar salad with croutons on the side
Friday
Snack: apples; Kettle Chips
For a more detailed and updated weekly menu, please click the button below.
BDS News
SUMMER CAMP
Registration Opens Early for BDS Families
Camp registration opens for returning campers and all Belmont Day families on Tuesday, December 12, at 9 a.m.
School-year families enjoy access to priority spots in our summer camp programs and our Swim & Tennis Association membership. Our camp registration period is extremely competitive due to the high volume of interested families and the limited space we have on campus. Spots will be available for Belmont Day families through February vacation week in our general day camp, while specialty, sports, and Journeys camps have limited spaces and are subject to first-come, first-served availability even for BDS families.
Families of returning Belmont Day students can register starting December 12 at 9 a.m., using the account on CampMinder they’ve used in previous years. We recommend you log back in beforehand to ensure you remember your password, and you will have no issues when you start registration.
Belmont Day families new to our summer camp programs will need to register by directly contacting the camp leadership team before January 16, 2024, when registration opens to the public. Please email summer@belmontday.org; we will get the information needed to register your child. If you’re unfamiliar with our camp programs, please visit the Summer Programs page of the BDS website for more information.
Feel free to email us if you have any questions about registration or our programs. Thank you!
– Zach d’Arbeloff, director of summer programs
COMMUNITY NEWS
Braiding Different Strands
Tuesday, December 5, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Zoom Gathering
The December Braiding Different Strands meeting will take place on Zoom on the topic of “Moving From Ally to Co-Conspirator.” The topical discussion will begin at 6 p.m. with an optional conversation from 5:30 to 6 p.m.
Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link to join us.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Connie Yepez, director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, or Mike Marroquin-Castillo, assistant director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We look forward to seeing you there!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Inspire Grant Program Helps New Curriculum Grow
This past summer, the classroom teachers in pre-kindergarten to grade 2 selected books for summer reading related to food and used that theme to start the year. Teachers then worked together across grades to connect this topic to their curriculum as part of the Inspire grant program, which fosters faculty collaboration. This group, along with visual arts teacher and sustainability coordinator Kathy Jo Solomon and librarian Amy Sprung, met to discover other books that connect to the theme and to connect it to the existing curriculum. Everyone was excited to bring their classes to the garden this fall for experiential learning about growing food.
As part of this multi-grade collaboration, pre-kindergarten through second grade students were invited to bring food “scraps” from home to assist in the creation of a “lasagne” or mulch layering garden. Students learned that in a lasagne garden, there is a combination of brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) layers. The brown for our lasagne garden was from leaves and sawdust from the woodworking studio. The green came from fruit and vegetable scraps and coffee grounds, which came from the student contributions. This is a way to create highly nutritive soil fairly quickly. Students in all four grades worked in the garden and added their class’s nitrogen layer contribution. When first graders begin their “three sisters garden” in the spring, they will have fertile soil for their corn, beans, and squash to thrive.
This group of educators was also excited to brainstorm ideas for summer reading themes for future years and will decide in the spring what the early childhood classes might explore next.
The Inspire grant team consisted of:
- Pre-kindergarten: Nicole Siverls, Kim Edwards, and Eric Ridore
- Kindergarten: Missy Hartvigsen and Elizabeth Ho
- First Grade: Geoffrey Fox and Cicely Gibson
- Second Grade: Nancy Fell and Katie O’Brien
- Visual Arts Teacher and Sustainability Coordinator: Kathy Jo Solomon
- Librarian: Amy Sprung
FROM THE KITCHEN
Recipes for Warming Up: Beef and Veggie Stews
As the weather gets cooler, we start looking for hearty meal options to warm us from the inside out. Our beef stew is a favorite here at Belmont Day for these coming winter months. We used the potatoes pre-kindergarten friends had picked from the BDS garden two weeks ago in our yummy stew. Try making this dish for your family at home. The recipe, as well as a vegan version, are linked below. These stews taste best served with warm bread, maybe a buttermilk biscuit, crusty baguette, naan, or gluten-free roll. Enjoy!
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Model UN Club Members Show Leadership and Joy at Conference
On Saturday, November 18, thirteen Belmont Day middle school students participated in a Model UN Conference at Northeastern University. These students were delegates to Brazil, Afghanistan, Albania, the Bahamas, Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia, and Chile. During the middle school clubs period, they worked hard to research their country and the issues they were preparing to discuss. They joined 450 middle school students from many schools around New England to discuss important world issues and worked to pass resolutions to solve global problems. Students worked on the following issues:
- Solutions to support climate migrants
- Disease control in humanitarian emergencies
- Eliminating childhood poverty
- Reducing food waste
- Promoting access to sustainable energy for all
Before they launched into debate, the delegates heard a keynote speech from Dr. Nichola Minott, a professor of international affairs at Northeastern University. She shared her journey from growing up in Jamaica to becoming a college professor, and her message included the importance of curiosity, education, and engagement in the world.
Preparing for a Model UN conference involves extra work outside of school, a commitment to effective collaboration, and a desire to make a difference in the world. All of our students did so well. They brought flair, kindness, and humor to their preparation work and spread the BDS values of excellence and joy at the conference. Many of these students will participate in future Model UN opportunities this year. Be sure to ask one of our BDS delegates about their experiences as international diplomats!
– Jennifer Friborg, French teacher and Model UN club advisor
BUSINESS OFFICE
Invoices Issued for After School and Enrichment Classes
The business office has issued invoices to parents of students who participated in the After School Program and enrichment classes during the first trimester. Payments are due by Friday, December 15, 2023. For those using AutoPay, payments will be processed on December 15, so please plan accordingly. For those that used emergency After School care during the first trimester, invoices will be included in the second semester billing.
Invoices can be accessed, and payments can be made through the Parent Portal. Please log in and click the blue “Invoices & Payments” button on the right side of the screen to review your account and initiate payment. Payments may also be submitted by mailing a check to the attention of the business office.
For questions about After School Program and enrichment classes charges, please contact Blair Fross, director of school year auxiliary & specialty programs.
Please contact the business office with questions about invoices and payment processing.
Learning Updates
Seventh Grade Math Rounds Out a Lesson on Circles
Students in seventh grade math are studying circles. This week, students explored different circle characteristics, specifically the relationship between a circle’s circumference and diameter. To explore this relationship, students measured the diameter and circumference of a variety of round household objects from pretty small to quite large. Items included a frying pan, a can of peas, a mug, a colander, a frisbee, and a hula hoop. Students made a class graph of all diameter/circumference pairs and discovered something amazing: there is a proportional relationship between the circumference and diameter of a circle, with pi as the constant of proportionality! Students explored the different approximations of pi that are commonly used and solved problems with pi. Some students were excited to share how many digits of pi they had memorized. How many do you know?
– Emma Nairn and Sarah Pikcilingis, seventh grade math teachers
PE Update: Jumping for Joy
Several grades began their jump rope unit this week with some epic jump rope inspirational videos. We highlighted that some of the best athletes in the world train by jumping rope. It builds footwork, endurance, strength, and coordination. But more importantly, it hits on two key elements of physical education: fun and fitness.
Our students begin their jump rope journeys with practice jumps over a stationary rope placed on the ground and then progressing to “the turn”—the skill of bringing the rope from one’s heels, over one’s head, and down to one’s toes. Then comes the jumping variations: single bounce, double bounce, ski jumps, X motion, forwards cross, backward cross … the list of new challenges to try goes on. We practice in stations, use our long rope, and work on having a growth mindset and committing the rope movements to muscle memory. At the end of class, the exhaustion and joy are often evenly matched.
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher and mindfulness director
Arts Update: Second Graders’ Clay Creations Will Soon Ring Out
Second graders are making ceramic bells in art class this term. They first learned how to roll clay coils in a consistent diameter. Using a cup as a mold, they wrapped the coils around the mold to form the basic bell shape and then smoothed or welded the coiled surfaces together. Next, students added shapes onto the clay surface using extra clay and used tools to inscribe into the clay to finish the basic form. Using a method called “scratch and attach,” artists learned how to add pieces to clay forms by scratching the adhering surfaces, applying a layer of water, and finally applying pressure to make the pieces stay together. They based their creations on animals, patterns, sports, and other interests. To finish these handmade bells, second graders will add glazes, a handle, and a clay clapper to make the bells ring!
– Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher
Kindergarten Learns All about Shapes
Kindergartners in my class have been learning about 3D shapes in math. This week, they began a deep dive into understanding what makes a shape 3D or 2D. They focused on one specific 3D shape each day. They learned about the characteristics of the shapes, hunted for an example of each 3D shape within the classroom, and even sculpted their own version out of Play-Doh. By the time we reach winter break, we anticipate that the kindergarteners will truly be shape scholars.
– Missy Hartvigsen, kindergarten teacher
Fifth Graders Explore Different Perspectives
To end our second unit, fifth graders created Mind Maps. For this project, students showed their understanding of someone else’s perspective (both internally and externally). Students depicted either Morning Girl or Star Boy (from the novel Morning Girl) in one Mind Map and Christopher Columbus in the other. Students had to use evidence from different texts to support their creative choices. The “external” drawing included an illustration of the person/characters. The “internal” drawing included three descriptive words or phrases, two thoughts the person/character had, and one action or quote that the character/person did or said, all with supporting page numbers.
– Vaniecia Skinner, fifth grade teacher
Athletics Update: Climbing Program Takes Hold
Athletes are literally climbing to new heights in the latest addition to the middle school athletics program. Climbing + Hiking was added as a winter sport this year, drawing an impressive sixteen athletes onto the team. After piloting a couple of off-campus climbing trips last winter, middle school students expressed interest in a more robust program. This year, the team will climb twice a week. One of those days will be on campus on the traverse wall in the Downing Gym, learning about route planning, hand holds, and foot placement. The second day will be off campus at the Bouldering Project in Somerville, a state-of-the-art climbing facility where athletes can boulder or hop on belay to tackle the rock wall. When the team isn’t climbing, they’ll head to the trails for weekly winter hikes. It’s only been one week, but early returns from the athletes and the coaches have been positive. Hopefully, climbing can take hold as another one of Belmont Day’s trademark athletics programs.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- The basketball program wrapped up a competitive week of tryouts and will roster 57 athletes across 5 teams this winter.
- The fencing program begins a new chapter by rostering two teams this winter, both varsity and junior varsity.
- After a few years off, badminton returns to the winter season and will be paired with squash as a new athletic offering.
- The wrestling team is rostering 14 athletes this winter, which matches the most ever for the program.
A Sweet and Salty Lesson In Sixth Grade Math
This week in sixth grade math, students explored how it takes more of a smaller unit or fewer of a larger unit to measure the same quantity. Students used many methods to learn and play with this concept. The pictured student used a teaspoon to see how many teaspoons of salt you need to fill a graduated cylinder to 20, 40, and 50 milliliters. Another group weighed different items to see their weights in ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms. Did you know that a liter is slightly bigger than a quart? Our sixth graders do!
– Brittany Ryan, sixth grade math teacher
Parents’ Association News
Lost & Found
The colder weather has necessitated more layers and that means more items have made their way to the Lost & Found (located just off the Gallery past Liz Parfit’s office). Please stop by soon to take a look for any items that your child may have misplaced. You can also look through all the found items in this spreadsheet and photo gallery compiled by Alison Shnidman. If you see an item and are not able to make it into school to retrieve it, or if you have any questions, please reach out to Alison at alison.shnidman@gmail.com or 617-510-6455. All items will be on display before the winter concert on December 15 and will be donated after the winter break.
Baby Book Collection
We are excited for the next faculty baby—please help us welcome first grade teacher Cicely Gibson’s baby with a donation of a favorite children’s book. Books may be dropped off now through December 14, in the collection bin in the vestibule of the Schoolhouse. The baby welcoming committee will assemble the books into a basket for delivery. Thank you!
Parent Book Group
The parent book group will meet on Tuesday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Menotomy Grill & Tavern to discuss Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome, a collection of essays by comedian Aparna Nancherla. We hope you will join us. Please contact Karla Bays if you have any questions or would like to be added to our mailing list.
PA Contacts
At any time and for any reason, please feel free to email the parents’ association executive team at bdspa@belmontday.org.
Beyond BDS
DANCE PERFORMANCE
Sixth Grader Joins Production of The Nutcracker
Check out this beautiful holiday classic and you may just see Belmont Day sixth grader Annika Cash dancing across the stage. Annika will perform in the Jose Mateo production of The Nutcracker at the Strand Theater in Dorchester this month. You can see Annika in the roles of cherub and party child in the shows on December 9 at 7:00 p.m., December 10 at 1:30 p.m., December 16 at 2:00 p.m., and December 17 at 5:00 p.m.
Click here for more information on the show, tickets, and location.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
BDS Musicians to Perform With NEC’s Youth Orchestra
Join the New England Conservatory’s Youth Repertory Orchestra (YRO) for their winter concert on Monday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Jordan Hall in Boston. Violinist Jovana Zivanovic (eighth grade), trumpeter Nem Zivanovic (fifth grade), and cellist Clara Min (fifth grade) are members of the NEC YRO and will be performing. Musical pieces will include excerpts from Strauss’s Overture to Die Fledermaus and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8.
Tickets are required but free and available here.
SEASONAL CELEBRATION
Winter Lights at Red Apple Farm
Every Tuesday at Belmont Day, we get a delivery of fresh apples from our good friends at Red Apple Farm in Philipston. The variety, freshness, and flavors of these local apples are a nutritious treat for everyone, and it is truly special to have such a wonderful relationship with a local farm. If you want to check out the farm sometime soon, they are hosting a Winter Lights event through December 31. It’s a great way to see a farm during their off-season and celebrate the arrival of winter. It’s a bit of a drive out Route 2 to the farm, but well worth the trip. Click here for more information.
– Tara Lightbody, food program director
MUSICAL THEATER
BDS Students to Perform in “Beauty and the Beast”
Eighth graders Grace Sullivan and Brynn Franklin and fourth graders Anahita Stuti-Bala and Jack Hargrove will take the stage next month in Menotomy Musical Theater’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.” Tickets are now on sale for the three performances, Friday, December 8, at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, December 9 and 10, at 4 p.m. All performances will be at the Belmont Town Hall Auditorium, 455 Concord Ave. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
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