January 18, 2024
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Things are rolling right along in PE for our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students.
Opening Message
Working To Ensure Belmont Day’s Legacy
Anthea Lavergne, Director of Curriculum and the Associate Teacher Program
Post Date: January 18, 2024
Last week in this space, my colleague, Jess Halton, beautifully wrote about how we, as a community, can honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through “Teaching, Learning, and Philanthropy.” Her words got me thinking about legacy and how closely connected a person’s legacy is to our socialization, relationships with history, and personal experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and values.
During his life, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. represented hope and progressive change for some people, while his work and advocacy were despised by others. In his death, he is arguably the most respected and recognized face of the Civil Rights Movement. The mistreatment he experienced while he lived dramatically contrasts the reverence given to him after his passing and exemplifies the subjective nature of legacy.
When I look back at my own schooling (I attended independent schools like Belmont Day) and my experiences as a learner and community member, the adult me reflects through a lens that I did not have the maturity or wisdom to access in my youth. What I learned through hindsight has profoundly changed the legacies of the institutions responsible for my education. While these schools may have a different legacy in the eyes of my peers who attended them, the fact that I was marginalized in my own learning, sets them in a different light today.
So, how do we as a collective, ensure that our legacy will be defined the same by every learner and will not change in the future after reflection? We maintain an unwavering commitment to seeing our mission through to fruition. We embed our mission into every aspect of our work and create an ecology that is safe, supportive, and trauma-sensitive for each and every member. We honor our students, faculty, and community members by supporting their authenticity as individuals. We model humility by being open and receptive to learning about people and groups who do not share our same views, customs, and traditions; and through our willingness to show that we do not know everything about everything and everybody. We prove through our actions that our work is genuine because we live it every day.
In the end, when it is all said and done, our legacy will be defined not by us, but by the individual and collective experiences of our students and community members. And how they remember us, is what matters the most.
As timing would have it, tomorrow we will welcome prospective students and their families to Belmont Day for an admissions event. These students and their families, whether they join us for the 2024-25 school year or not, are just starting to build on their experiences and memories of our school. I am excited as I know that we will greet them, not only with smiles, curiosity, and helpful information but also with the determination and tools to help them feel that they will belong and will excel here.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Lunar New Year Celebration
We are pleased to invite you to join us on Tuesday, February 6, at 5:30 p.m. to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
This will be a celebration of the many Asian countries, cultures, and traditions in our community. If you would like to share your Lunar New Year/Spring Festival traditions at this event, please reach out to Wenting Cai at tingting4805@gmail.com or Connie Yepez at cyepez@belmontday.org.
We kindly ask that you RSVP for this event for our planning purposes. Thank you.
Save the Date: February Ensembles Concert
Join the young musicians in the Ensembles program for an evening of song on Thursday, February 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Palandjian Arts Center. We will hear music from the various Ensembles. More details coming soon!
No School Tomorrow
Friday, January 19
Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow, Friday, January 19, Belmont Day will be closed for an admissions assessment day. The school will be open only to prospective students and their families, as well as staff and faculty, and the student ambassadors who will be assisting with this admissions event. All ensembles, after school, and enrichment programs are also canceled for the day.
We appreciate your understanding and collaboration as we welcome the students and families who may join us for the 2024-25 school year!
Friday Night Hoops
Friday, February 2
5:30 p.m. – Girls’ Game Start
7 p.m. – Boys’ Game Start
Belmont Day School, the Barn
Get ready for our winter classic basketball matchup against our friendly rivals, The Meadowbrook School. Wear your BDS gear and come cheer on the Blue & Gold as the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams play the ninth edition of Friday Night Hoops. Our athletes invite the entire Belmont Day community to attend. See you there.
Lunch & Snack Menu
January 22 to January 26
Monday
Snack: fruit cup; Smartfood
Lunch: cheesy lasagna rolls; pasta with marinara; gluten-free pasta with marinara; garlic breadsticks; pomodori vegetable blend; mixed greens salad with balsamic
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; whole grain granola bars
Lunch: Asian beef and broccoli; tofu teriyaki; basmati rice; broccoli; Asian greens with red peppers, Asian dressing, and pumpkin seeds
Wednesday
Snack: clementines; lemon blueberry cookies
Lunch: chicken tenders; vegan nuggets; gluten-free chicken tenders; kettle chips; green beans; Caesar salad
Thursday
Snack: apple slices; Fritos
Lunch: chicken quesadilla; vegan quesadilla; gluten-free chicken quesadilla; guacamole; salsa; sour cream; roasted corn blend; taco salad with tomato, avocado, and chipotle ranch dressing
Friday
Snack: apples; chocoltae chip muffin
Faculty Lunch
For a more detailed and updated weekly menu, please click the button below.
BDS News
COMMUNITY NEWS
Planning for Upcoming Grade-Level Curriculum Showcases
Starting in a few weeks, families will be invited to campus for an opportunity to observe and engage directly in their child’s learning. Our students and faculty teams are eager to showcase and share with you a curricular highlight of their year in an authentic learning experience in each grade level. We are excited to return to this model of sharing the teaching and learning that occurs at Belmont Day.
Each grade-level team has planned an interactive curricular share, which exhibits a key moment in students’ learning during this school year and which students are proud to present. Below are the dates and times for each grade-level event.
Specific details such as location and format will be shared by the teachers in your child’s grade level as the date for their event approaches.
If you have any questions, please reach out to lower school head, Betty Chu Pryor, or middle school head, Liz Gray. Thank you!
Schedule for Curriculum Showcases
- Pre-kindergarten: Math Game Day – Thursday, March 14, 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.
- Kindergarten: K Guided Games – Monday, April 29, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
- Grade 1: 100th Day Celebration – Tuesday, February 27, 8:50 to 9:45 a.m.
- Grade 2: Student Showcase – Thursday, June 6, 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.
- Grade 3: State Fair – Thursday, May 23, 8:45 to 10:00 a.m.
- Grade 4: Greek Storytelling Festival. – Thursday, May 16, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Grade 5: Movement of People through the Ages – Thursday, May 30, 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
- Grades 6 and 7: STEAM Expo, Tuesday, February 13, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
- Grade 8: Capstone Week from April 8-12 (various dates and times – a detailed schedule will be made available later this winter)
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Personal Growth Reports + Trimester 2 Interim Grades Available Soon
Believe it or not, we are getting to the midpoint of the academic year. On Tuesday, January 23, middle school families will be able to view on the Parent Portal:
- The first of two Personal Growth reports that you will receive this year for your child, written by your child’s advisor. The personal growth report will provide an overview of your child’s academic and social-emotional growth at school over the first half of the year. We hope that it offers you a window into how your child is developing in their many roles as a middle school student at BDS. Please note that the next personal growth report will be available at the end of the year, along with Trimester 3 academic subject reports and grades.
- Trimester 2 Interim Grades serve as a snapshot of your child’s current standing in each class; they are not final and will not appear on your child’s transcript. They also may change over the course of the rest of the trimester as additional information is introduced and assessed in each class.
AUXILIARY PROGRAMS
Registration Open for February & April Vacation Week Camps
Registration for Belmont Day’s February and April vacation weeks camps is now open. If your child has attended summer camp at BDS, you can enroll directly in CampMinder for either vacation week camp. If your child has not attended summer camp at BDS and would like to sign up for a vacation week camp, please email summer@belmontday.org. Enrollment opens to the public now and we fully expect the programs to fill quickly. If this is a program you are interested in having your child attend, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible.
Details for both weeks can be found on the Parent Portal on the Auxiliary Programs page. For program questions, please reach out to Blair Fross, and for CampMinder or enrollment questions, please contact Denali Kikuchi.
CAMPUS TRAFFIC NEWS
Drop-off and Dismissal Traffic Concerns
We would like to remind parents and guardians of the utmost importance of our shared responsibility to ensure community safety during our daily drop-off and pick-up times. These are high-traffic periods for vehicles and pedestrians, and the risk of injury to students, faculty, and families is potentially high.
Follow Traffic Flow Directions: Please follow all instructions from those directing traffic. Our goal is to move vehicles through the line as quickly and as safely as possible. At the busiest times, we work to avoid traffic backing up onto Concord Avenue, which can raise concerns from our neighbors and the Town of Belmont, so please pull up as directed.
Stay in Designated Pick-up Areas: Please do not circumvent the pick-up line by pulling to the side and “standing” in the Coolidge parking lot and having your child meet you there. Students crossing through the parking lots with so many moving cars creates a potentially dangerous situation. Cars standing in the Coolidge lot also impede the flow of traffic.
Stay in Order in Line: Do not speed up to jump ahead of the line. Please wait for your child to come to your car. If students try to reach their cars before then, faculty directing traffic often cannot see children attempting to cross the inside lane to get to their car in the outside lane.
Observe the 10 MPH Speed Limit: After the morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal, parents have been observed speeding through campus when there are no lines. Drivers should observe a 10 m.p.h. speed limit at all times.
We thank you for your patience and your participation in keeping everyone safe on the Belmont Day campus.
MATH NEWS
Sixth & Seventh Graders Get Ready for the AMC8
The excitement for some math fun and competition is growing! On Monday, January 22, 60 sixth graders and seventh graders will be participating in the Mathematical Association of America, American Mathematics Competition (MAA AMC), known as the AMC8. The students will be taking an eighth grade level test consisting of 25 questions with only 40 minutes to complete them.
The AMC8 provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers. Students apply classroom skills to unique problem-solving challenges in a low-stress and friendly environment. We are very excited because we have doubled the number of participants compared to last year. Good luck, BDS!
– Brittany Ryan, sixth grade math teacher
ATHLETICS NEWS
Intramural Basketball Returns for Year Two
After a pilot program a year ago, intramural basketball returned this winter for its second campaign. There are 13 middle school athletes in the program and the group has been working hard on developing their foundational sport-specific skills. Sixth graders Graham Chisolm, Suryavir Nallari-Jhala, and Ewan Wheeler have all rounded into form during the first half of the season while seventh graders Makenzie Ekechukwu and Leeul Miteku have stepped up during the weekly scrimmage sessions.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics Updates
- Wrestling remains unbeaten with a 42-27 win over Fenn. Highlights included a great pin by Altay Jomazer and a double overtime victory by William Li.
- The boys’ JV basketball team squared off against Rashi on Thursday afternoon behind strong leadership from team captains Mylo Rosenfeld and Kiernan Patel.
- Anna Bantham-Livermore and Harper Triesman have been instrumental to the early season success of the girls’ JV basketball team who kept things rolling against Rashi.
- Eighth grade leaders Grace Sullivan, Clive Sutton, Sophie Jean, and Theo Kelman have helped create a positive environment on the badminton team this winter.
- Ella Kamenski and Annika Cash have been tackling the climbing wall at Boston Bouldering Project with increased skill and determination every week.
- Evan Bae was the lone sixth grader to earn a spot on a varsity basketball team this winter. He’s been working hard in practice and making the most of his minutes on the court.
- Liv Dawson and Clem Cradick have been splitting time as girls’ varsity basketball’s post presence. The eighth grade duo has improved tremendously in a short amount of time this season.
- Giddy Borisy and Sal Pattisal have been consistent contributors for the varsity fencing team this season. The squad hosted Beaver Country Day on Thursday afternoon.
- First-time fencers Zoe Bantham-Livermore and Nuria Kumar-Warikoo have been quick studies on the strip for the JV team this winter and are eager for interscholastic competition.
Parents’ Association News
Inaugural Glow Up Winter Bash
Family Fun Night is back and completely reimagined—join us in the Barn on Saturday, January 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. for dinner, refreshments, music, and a lot of fun.
- A professional DJ spinning
- Musical bingo for all ages
- Fun games and contests
- Prizes
- Glow-in-the-dark tattoos
- Glow-in-the-dark face paint
- Glow sticks, light-up rings, and more
After the musical bingo and games, we will dance and glow the night away!
For our planning purposes, we ask that you RSVP here. Thank you.
Glow Up Winter Bash – Call for Volunteers
If you would like to help set up, clean up, apply tattoos, help with face painting, or if you have a special talent that includes making a balloon arch, please reach out to Anita Lieberman. We thank you for helping us make this event a success.
Parent Book Group
Our next gathering will be on Tuesday, January 23. We will read Holding Pattern by Jenny Xie, a “hopeful novel about immigration and belonging, mother-daughter relationships, and the many ways we learn to hold each other” (288 pages). The time and location of the next meeting will be determined soon. We hope you will join us.
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
FILM FESTIVAL
Final Weekend To Catch the Belmont World Film 21st Family Festival
Belmont World Film presents its 21st Family Festival, a four-day celebration of international culture for children ages 3-12 and their families. The festival includes a carefully curated mix of animated and live-action feature-length and short films from around the world in English and multiple languages. Most films cannot be seen anywhere else in New England.
This weekend will wrap up the festival with great workshops and both in-person and online showings of feature-length and short films!
Here are a few great in-person options to consider:
Workshop on Sunday, January 21 at the Belmont Media Center:
- 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Intro to Film Camera Techniques (ages 8-10) – In this exciting hands-on workshop, young enthusiasts can start their creative journey in film by learning the basics of film cameras. Your child will gain insights into both fundamental camera techniques, as well as rarely-used ones that define the unique style of foreign films. Click here to register.
Screenings on Sunday, January 21, at the Regent Theatre in Arlington:
- 1:00 p.m. – LOL With Mo Willems Films (age 3-8)
- 2:15 p.m. – International Films for Young Hearts (age 5-12)
- 3:30 p.m. – TOTEM followed by a discussion about multiple cultural identities (age 10+)
For a full schedule and descriptions of the films and events, as well as theater locations and ticket ordering, please visit please visit the website. Belmont Day is proud to be a sponsor of the Festival.
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