Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Rehearsals are underway for the grades 7 & 8 musical, “The Little Mermaid.”
Opening Message
Whether You’re A Dragon, Snake, or Tiger, Happy Lunar New Year!
Betty Chu Pryor, Lower School Head
Post Date: January 31, 2025
Legend has it that long ago, the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven, was creating a calendar. He decided he would hold a race, and the first twelve animals to cross the finish line would have a year named after them in the Chinese zodiac. Growing up, I loved hearing this myth, which was retold to me with only minor variations depending on the storyteller. Nowadays, several wonderful children’s picture books offer retellings of the legend. My favorite may be Cat and Rat, beautifully authored and illustrated by Ed Young.
While I learned of the Chinese zodiac from a very young age through my family, I suspect that the paper placemats used at many Chinese restaurants introduced many in our community and beyond to the twelve zodiac animals. Each animal has unique characteristics; thus, those born in that animal’s year are believed to embody those personality traits. I have always felt fortunate and proud to have been born in the year of the dragon—one of the most majestic of the dozen animals represented in the zodiac, although notably the only fictitious one.
Dragons are revered in Chinese culture as extraordinary creatures that symbolize power, luck, and nobility. A quick online search finds that dragons possess several admirable qualities, such as confidence, generosity, intelligence, creativity, and ambition. Beyond those qualities, being a dragon was special for me as a child because my Mom is also a dragon, and we are the only dragons in our family! That was impressive since I have over a dozen aunts and uncles and over thirty first cousins on my Mom’s side alone.
Amazingly, when I was expecting my first child in 2013, that was also a dragon year. I was thrilled with the possibility of having three generations of dragons in our family. However, I was disappointed when my doctor told me my due date was on Groundhog’s Day, February 2. The Lunar New Year that year would start February 10 so that meant that if my child arrived a week late, she would be born in the year of the snake.
I kept close tabs on my baby’s growth at every doctor visit. I asked numerous times, “Are you sure the due date is in February and not late January?” I even bought a baby dragon onesie, hoping it would inspire baby Pryor to emerge earlier than predicted. When my doctors eventually determined that the birth would have to be induced in late January, I was a bit nervous but also elated. I would have a baby dragon, after all! My daughter turned twelve earlier this week and certainly displays many of the characteristics of a dragon—many of the same ones that I see in me and my Mom. While I am not a zodiac enthusiast, I’d like to believe that all three of us being dragons has played a role in our shared personality traits.
The connections that bind my daughter, my mother, and myself are familial and cultural. So, it was exciting to see so many families enjoying and learning about an aspect of Asian culture at this morning’s Lunar New Year assembly. We welcomed back the lion dance troupe from the Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy of Newton. I first connected with Calvin and his troupe over twenty years ago when I invited them to perform at a different school. For most of the students, it was their first viewing of a lion dance, and they were mesmerized! Indeed, the vibrant costumes, the upbeat drumming, and the acrobatic feats of the martial artists amaze me every time I see them.
Last week, I was chatting with a fourth grader about how we looked forward to celebrating the Lunar New Year. When I asked the student if she knew that a lion dance demonstration would be happening at an upcoming sharing assembly, she shook her head, then lit up and declared, “That is so exciting! I’ve NEVER seen a lion dance before!” I am so grateful to work at a school that shares this cultural tradition, thereby providing a valuable “window” and “mirror” for the members of our community.
The Lunar New Year kicked off on Wednesday and lasts for fifteen days. Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate the holiday in our community, and may we all be blessed with good health and prosperity in the year of the snake!
To learn what your Chinese zodiac animal is, visit this site. Then read this article to find out what your animal sign may indicate about your personality.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar

Third Annual STEAM Expo
Thursday, February 27, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Join us in the Barn for an exciting evening of hands-on learning and discovery at our STEAM Expo. Bring your family and explore the world of science, technology, engineering, art, and math in a fun and interactive way. Our sixth and seventh grade students will showcase projects and demonstrate how BDS approaches teaching and learning science through experimentation, exploration, and an iterative process.
Interactive activities and exhibits will highlight how this style of learning lives beyond the science classrooms and is woven into the BDS experience.
There will be activities geared toward all grade levels, and this event is open to all families and students. Participate in the learning process with our BDS scientists—we hope to see you there!

See You at Friday Night Hoops
TONIGHT! Friday, January 31
5:30 p.m. – Boys’ Game Start
7 p.m. – Girls’ Game Start
The Barn
Join us for our winter classic basketball matchup against our friendly rivals, The Meadowbrook School. Wear your BDS gear and come cheer on the home teams as the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams play the tenth edition of Friday Night Hoops. Our athletes invite the entire Belmont Day community to attend. Let’s go, Blue & Gold!
Lunch & Snack Menu
February 3 to February 7
Monday
Snack: fruit cups; Sunchips
Lunch: rotini with meat sauce; rotini with marinara; gluten-free penne with meat sauce; crusty rolls; seasoned peas; mixed greens with balsamic and grape tomatoes
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; Cheez-Its
Lunch: herb-roasted citrus salmon; vegan kelp falafel; basmati rice; seasoned green beans; arugula salad with roasted grapes; lemon vinaigrette and parmesan
Wednesday
Snack: apples; Popcorners
Lunch: chicken bao filling; boa buns; vegan bao filling; sriracha mayo; seasoned broccoli; crunchy purple slaw; cucumber salad
Thursday
Snack: apple slices; Tiger Bites
Lunch: turkey soup; warm ham and cheese subs; vegan subs; warm gluten-free ham and cheese subs; sweet potato fries; roasted corn; romaine with Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, and ranch dressing
Friday
Snack: clementines; banana oatmeal rounds
Faculty Lunch
Please click the button below for a more detailed and updated weekly menu.
BDS News

STAFFING NEWS
Departure
Charlie Baird, seventh grade English teacher
We will bid farewell to Charlie at the end of this academic year. He is relocating to the South Shore to be closer to family and has decided that now is the time to begin the next phase of his professional career and fulfill his long-term dream of becoming a music teacher.
After his year as a Belmont Day associate teacher in 2020, Charlie has contributed to our school in many ways—in seventh grade as a social studies teacher, English teacher, and advisor; as English department chair, athletics coach, and mentor teacher for the Associate Teacher Program. In his teaching roles, Charlie has dedicated himself to developing a new curriculum, offering multiple perspectives through which students can view themselves, each other, and the world around them. He has encouraged students to discover and relish the power of literature and writing. Charlie has warmly welcomed and fostered a sense of belonging for each student in his classroom. We will all miss Charlie’s presence on the middle school team next year and wish him every success in his next professional chapter.


BUSINESS OFFICE NEWS
2025-26 Re-enrollment Is Now Open
Please check your email today for a letter from Brendan Largay, head of school, Jessica Turco, board chair, and Matt Kishlansky, board treasurer, announcing the opening of re-enrollment and tuition rates for the 2025-26 school year.
To complete the re-enrollment process, you’ll be asked 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:
- Single payment option
- Two-payment option
- Ten-payment plan
- Pay this year’s deposit.
- Update your family’s contact and demographic information.
- If your family will receive financial assistance in 2025-26, the award letter will be included with the contract.
Information about using VC Pay’s AutoPay function to schedule online payments for tuition, incidentals, and more will be included. VC Pay provides an easy, secure online payment experience using your existing Veracross login. Parents must re-register for VC Pay each year.
Your signed contract and deposit must be received by Friday, February 14, at 5 p.m. Please note that all parents/guardians must sign the contract.
If you have any questions, please contact Jen James at jjames@belmontday.org.
– Jen James, chief of staff and registrar

DEIB NEWS
Book Group to Meet in February
Join an informal, parent-led book group on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The group will focus on the perspectives of marginalized identities. All parents, caregivers, and faculty are welcome.
Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 13, at 8:15 a.m. We will meet outside Coolidge Hall and go for a woodland “walk and talk.” If there’s severe weather, we’ll move inside. The book we will discuss is Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino” by Héctor Tobar.
Our next selection for the March meeting (date TBD) will be Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson.
Contact Danielle England or Christina Cosman if you have any questions or would like to be added to the email list for notifications.

VACATION CAMPS
Space Available for April Vacation Camp
Belmont Day offers two vacation week camps, Tuesday to Friday, during the school vacation weeks. The February camp is at capacity, and a waiting list is available. To be added to the waiting list, please email summer@belmontday.org.
Registration for the April camp is open, and spaces are still available. The camp themes and more information are in the dropdowns below.
If you have any questions regarding these programs, please contact Blair Fross, director of school-year auxiliary and specialty programs.
February Camp
*Space: The Final Frontier
Dates: Tuesday, February 18 to Friday, February 21
Cost: $625
This space odyssey-themed program will explore planets, spaceships, aliens, and NASA with fun, engaging, and educational adventures. Limited space for extended day is available at the rate of $35 per day.
*The February camp is currently at capacity. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please email summer@belmontday.org.
April Camp
Zootopia: The Wild World of Animals
Dates: Tuesday, April 22 to Friday, April 25
Cost: $625
In Zootopia, children will learn about creatures large and small, discover extinct ecosystems, make an animal foot cast, build like an army ant, and more. They will also enjoy a visit from some real-life animal friends. At this time, extended day is not available, but we hope to offer it if we are able.
Registration Process
For children who have previously attended camp:
- Email summer@belmontday.org with the child’s name, which vacation week camp you would like to enroll in, and whether you need extended day.
- We will process the enrollment in CampMinder and confirm your payment information.
For children who have not attended camp:
- Email summer@belmontday.org with the following information:
– Child’s name, current grade, and date of birth
– Home address
– Phone number to reach you during camp hours
– The vacation week camp you would like to enroll in - We will create an account for you, register your child, and send you a login link.
- Use the login link to set a password.
- Add payment information under “Financial Management.” We will then process your payment.
Please email summer@belmontday.org with registration questions. If you have questions about the programs offered, please contact Blair Fross, director of school-year auxiliary and specialty programs, at bfross@belmontday.org.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Upcoming Grade-Level Curriculum Showcases
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.
As the date for your child’s grade-level event approaches, the teachers at that level will share specific details, such as the location and format.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Lower School Head Betty Chu Pryor or Middle School Head Liz Gray.
Schedule for Curriculum Showcases
- Pre-kindergarten: Portfolio Celebration – Thursday, May 29, 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.
- Kindergarten: Games – Tuesday, May 6, 9 to 10 a.m.
- Grade 1: Poetry and Stop-Motion Showcase – Wednesday, March 26, 2:30 to 3:15 p.m.
- Grade 2: Student Showcase – Thursday, June 5, 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.
- Grade 3: State Fair -Wednesday, May 21, 8:45 to 10 a.m.
- Grade 4: Greek Storytelling Festival – Thursday, May 22, 10 a.m. to 12: p.m.
- Grade 5: Movement of People through the Ages – Thursday, April 10, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
- Grades 6 and 7: STEAM Expo – Thursday, February 27, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Grade 8: Capstone Week – April 14-18 (a detailed schedule will be made available later this winter)
Learning Updates

Middle School Students Take on Math Competition
On Monday, eighty middle school students participated in the American Mathematics Competition’s AMC8, an international math competition on an eighth grade level. Students from around the world took part in the online, 25-question, 40-minute-long competition. The organization encourages students to develop and enhance their problem-solving skills. This marks the largest group of BDS students we’ve ever had in the competition. We’re excited to learn our results in the competition but more excited about the students’ growing enthusiasm for mathematics. The middle school math department would like to thank the community for supporting students in developing positive identities as mathematicians. At BDS, we believe that everyone is a math person!
– Brittany Ryan, sixth grade math teacher

Third Graders Design, Build Communities
Third graders have been busy planning, designing, and building their own communities. They first decided if they wanted to design a rural, suburban, or urban community and then made plans for their community. They decided what laws would protect their citizens, what services their government would provide, what utilities were available, accessibility features, and much more. Then, they learned a variety of cardboard engineering techniques and used at least two of these in the construction of their community. This week, they presented their communities to their classmates. These projects will be on display at the STEAM Expo on February 27. Come by and take a look!
– Larissa Rochford, third grade teacher

Kindergartners Ready for a Trip to Outerspace
This week, the kindergarten classes started a project about astronauts and life in a space station with the innovation team. Students brainstormed with Teacher Conroy about what they would need in the space station, including everything from a toothbrush and toothpaste to a rover and satellite. Once they decided what to bring to the space station, students took the first step in their innovation lab—drawing a design. When the designs were completed, students created a prototype out of Play-Doh. Next week, we’ll take another step forward and make those items out of Model Magic again with the help of Teacher Conroy and Ms. Fuerst. The final step in our space plan is to build our space station with the large blue blocks in Downing Gym and use our tools for a fun, dramatic play activity.
– Paige Maguire, kindergarten teacher

Athletics Update: Ekechukwu Shines in First Season
Eighth grader Makenzie Ekechukwu has made an immediate impact during her first season on the girls’ varsity basketball team. The talented lefty is a force to be reckoned with in the paint and is averaging a double-double through her team’s first five games. In the team’s biggest game of the season later tonight at Friday Night Hoops, Belmont Day will lean on Ekechukwu on both ends of the floor and will need another strong performance to overcome a talented Meadowbrook team.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- Fergus Fagenholz and Kabir Sonawane shined during intramural basketball’s weekly scrimmage. Both players have improved tremendously throughout the season.
- Varsity player Woody Evans joined his junior varsity classmates for their game against DCD this week. The talented sixth grader has been learning the ropes against stiff competition this year.
- The JV basketball teams fell to DCD this week. Rowan McCoy played great defense for the girls. Suryavir Nallari-Jhala returned to action for the boys and logged productive minutes.
- The fencing team remains undefeated following a 15-12 win over BB&N. Sixth grade classmates Ben Bradshaw and Jacob Jarbeau each won 2 of their 3 bouts in epee.
- Team captain Jun Murakami wrestled a pair of tough matches and newcomer Hughy Marsan had a great pin during Belmont Day’s tri-meet against Belmont Hill and Fessenden.
- Classmates Rosie Smith and Emily Wang have been quick studies on the squash court this winter while Max Kishlansky and Rubin Xiao have used their athleticism to excel.
- Penelope Wong and Gwen Wagner are extremely comfortable on a climbing wall and have really taken to both the traverse wall and the high elements in the Downing Gym.

Parents Visit First Grade to Celebrate Lunar New Year
A few first graders’ parents joined our classes this week to teach students about and celebrate the Lunar New Year. We watched a video about the traditions of the Lunar New Year, learned a traditional dance, and got an opportunity to explore Lunar New Year items such as a dancing lion costume, drums, and cymbals. Students then created woodblock prints using red paper, stencils, and gold paint. They also wrote their wishes for the new year on charms we hung up in our classrooms. Happy Lunar New Year from your friends in first grade!
– Geoffrey Fox and Julia Fox, first grade teachers

PE Update: Pre-k and K Roll into Biking Unit
Come winter, if you listen carefully, you can hear wheels rolling over the Downing Gym floorboards during pre-kindergarten and kindergarten physical education classes. Of course, those sounds are often drowned out by the excitement of our students as they embark on their two-wheeled adventures.
We launched our biking unit for our youngest classes last year, and it was a pure delight to watch our students learn to ride or improve their shredding skills. Seeing them in action again this year reminds us how joyful and important this skill is.
Pre-k students courageously took hold of their balance bikes in the first lessons and progressed through activities like Follow the Leader and Around the World as they learned the basics. Kindergarten students got right back into the swing of things with a smile (riding a bike is like riding a bike, after all). We look forward to seeing them progress throughout the winter!
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher
Parents’ Association News

PA Meeting
The next parents’ association meeting will be held on Friday, February 7, at 8:30 a.m. in Coolidge Hall. Our guest speakers will be Annie Fuerst, director of technology and innovation, and Tara Lightbody, food program director. All parents are invited, and coffee and light refreshments will be served.
BDS Connections Walk
Grab your cold-weather gear and a friend, and join us for the next BDS Connections Walk led by Ingrid Goldberg and Brian Kinzler on Thursday, February 6, at 8:30 a.m. After morning drop-off, we’ll gather outside Coolidge Hall and take a casual stroll through the woods, sharing laughs and good company with fellow parents and school administrators. It’s the perfect chance to connect with friends, new and old, and enjoy some fresh air. We’d love to see you there!
Two More Coolidge Hall Flowers Volunteers Needed
Help us beautify Coolidge Hall and enhance our children’s lunch experience. We are seeking just two more volunteers to donate 12 small potted plants to be placed as centerpieces on the lunchroom dining tables. The plants should be no taller than 11” with a maximum pot diameter of 4.5”. If you wish to participate, please sign up here. Thank you!
Parent Book Group
Our next gathering will be on Tuesday, February 25, at 7:15 p.m. at Menotomy Grill and Tavern in Arlington. We will discuss The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions or want to be added to our mailing list, please contact Karla Bays.
Family Movie Event
Save the date for a private screening of Inside Out 2 at the historic Capitol Theater in Arlington on Saturday, March 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. There will be popcorn, snacks, and fun for the whole family. This event also kicks off an upcoming series of panels and community discussions on mental health and technology. Stay tuned for more details.
Contact the PA
At any time and for any reason, please feel free to email us at bdspa@belmontday.org:
- President – Shanying Zhang
- Vice President – Megan Akkina
- Treasurer – Andy Stevenson
- Clerk – Jeff Wang
Beyond BDS

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Belle of the Ball Seeks Prom Dress Donations, Volunteers
Have a formal dress at home that would be perfect for a future prom? Belle of the Ball is a local program that collects, cleans, and distributes prom dresses and provides related accessories at no charge to high school junior and senior girls who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend their school’s prom. Belle of the Ball is more than a dress collection drive. It is a powerful personal experience for each young woman who attends. The program has grown from outfitting fewer than 100 girls at its boutique day to inviting nearly 1.000 young ladies for an indulgent day of prom “shopping,” beauty tips, and prizes.
Dresses are being collected between February 3 and March 16 at all Anton’s Cleaners locations. Click here to find a location near you. Belle of the Ball is also looking for student volunteers, ages 12 and older, who are accompanied by a parent for the annual Boutique Day on March 22 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Many volunteer opportunities are available, including personal shopping, alterations, accessories, and more!
For more information on the donation program and volunteer registration, visit the Bell of the Ball website.

FEBRUARY VACATION
Nature Camps and Activities Available at Habitat in Belmont
MassAubudon’s Habitat Education Center in Belmont offers school vacation week programs for children ages 5-10 who are in kindergarten through grade 5. Programs include outdoor winter fun and exploration. Campers search for tracks and signs of Habitat’s many creatures, learn how animals survive the winter, play games in the snow, explore different habitats and much more.
Click here for registration and more information.