June 7, 2024
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Pre-kindergartners welcomed family and friends this week to share what they’ve learned this school year.
Opening Message
Our Culture, Curiosity Matter: Thoughts to Send Us Into Summer
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: June 7, 2024
Happy summer, and welcome to the final Scoop Opening Message for the 2023-24 school year. It has been another tremendous year of growth, discovery, and abundant joy. As our eighth grade students prepare to become Belmont Day’s 97th graduating class, I look forward to the reflections and wisdom three graduates will share at the ceremony. A tradition since the Class of 2004—Belmont Day’s first eighth grade class—every student writes a graduation speech. A group of faculty volunteers reads them and selects three to be presented.
Our “graduating” trustees also have the opportunity to reflect and share their wisdom at the final board meeting of the school year. Members of the board of trustees who have concluded their service to the school offer their insights to guide the board’s continued work next year and beyond. As it happened, this year’s group of departing trustees includes one of Belmont Day’s longest-tenured members.
Brit Dewey P ’19 ’21 has served on the Belmont Day board for thirteen of the fifteen years that she has been a part of our community, and when she talks, people listen. A quick look at the history books reveals that Brit has served on every board committee at some point; she chaired the hiring committee that brought me to Belmont Day and chaired the board itself. Suffice it to say, everyone was rapt with attention when she began her parting remarks.
We can all benefit from her wise words, and I sincerely appreciate Brit and the eight years we have shared at Belmont Day. Many thanks to Brit for permitting me to share them with you:
To start, we live in a particularly challenging world today. What and who do you trust anymore? People don’t trust institutions today. There is incredible societal and global fragmentation—and even denial of truth. Mission and values are more important than ever. Use Belmont Day’s mission and values as powerful guides as you create this institution’s future. Seek to inspire trust in all that you do.
Culture matters. Be very intentional as you consider what Belmont Day’s culture is and what it should be. You are stewards of Belmont Day School’s culture. As we consider our priorities, it should always be about people first. Culture promotes an environment where people can or can’t be the best versions of themselves.
We are stronger and better together as a community. A strong community allows you to be part of something bigger than yourself and to do collectively what’s not possible on your own. It allows you to really dream big and realize those dreams. We have realized big dreams at BDS in recent years and can continue to do so in the years ahead. Do everything you can to have a strong community.
One of my work colleagues, Rawi Abdelal, recently shared this idea: “We are living in a moment where we have suspended curiosity and moved quickly to judgment.” I think Rawi is spot on. Be curious, suspend judgment, be open, be willing to learn, and be willing to change your mind. Change is the constant in life. And, with change, every challenge creates opportunities. Have courage and conviction in evaluating these opportunities and deciding to seize them.
As the school year ends and summer offers a slower pace, I hope you will take the time to reflect on Brit’s sage counsel and imagine the future and how you and your children will contribute to it.
May you have a restful and joyful summer. See you in the fall, BDS.
Upcoming Events
Monthly Calendar
ICYMI: Spring Ensembles Concert
Last Thursday, the lower and middle school students in our ensembles program performed their final concert of the school year. The evening was filled with beautiful songs and a celebration of each eighth grader participating in an ensemble this year. Click here for a recording of the concert.
The 2024 Yearbooks Are Here!
All students who ordered a yearbook will receive them on Tuesday, June 11. Yearbooks will be given to homeroom teachers and advisors for distribution.
We have a very limited number of extra copies that will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis. Copies are $10 each. Please contact Sandra Trentowsky if you would like to reserve one or if you have any questions.
Thank you to the students and faculty who worked on the yearbook!
Moving Up Assembly
Tuesday, June 11
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Barn Gym
Please join us on the last day of school for Moving Up Assembly, a beloved BDS tradition. Each student will be acknowledged by name and welcomed by the teachers who will be teaching them next year. For our eighth graders, this is a symbolic “moving up,” recognizing that they will move on to high school in the fall. Pre-kindergarten students will present their eighth grade partners with a small gift—a handmade paper flower.
Moving Up is a chance to cherish the community we have been in the past year and contemplate the community we will become in September. We hope to see you there.
Dismissal Following Moving Up Assembly
At the conclusion of the assembly, students will return to their classrooms with their teachers, and families will remain seated.
For those in attendance, please pick up your child from their classroom and walk together to your vehicle.
For those who will not be in attendance, please pick up your child at their regular dismissal location at 12:25 p.m. Adults on dismissal duty will call students to that dismissal location. Please note that there is no After School on Tuesday, and school closes for the summer at the conclusion of dismissal.
If you have any questions about your child’s dismissal location, please call the front desk.
Lunch & Snack Menu
June 10 to June 14
Monday
Snack: craisins; Cape Cod Chips
Lunch: cheese pizza; pepperoni pizza; vegan cheese pizza; gluten-free cheese pizza; steamed broccoli; salad of the day
Tuesday
Last Day of School
Moving Up Assembly
Snack: assorted snacks
Faculty Lunch
Wednesday
Graduation Day
Faculty Lunch
Thursday
Closing Meetings
Faculty Lunch
Friday
Closing Meetings
Faculty Lunch
Please click the button below for a more detailed and updated weekly menu.
BDS News
ANNUAL FUND
Help Us Reach 100% Support for 2023-24
The final push for the 2023-24 Belmont Day Annual Fund is on as we approach the end of the school year! We are grateful that 85% of current Belmont Day families have generously participated. If you’ve not yet made your gift, would you help us get to 100%? Our family participation percentage is a vote of confidence we proudly celebrate in the BDS community. Please join our collective effort to reach 100% parent participation by June 30. See where your class stands below!
Current class participation:
Pre-K: 95% | Kindergarten: 96% | Grade 1: 89%
Grade 2: 93% | Grade 3: 86% | Grade 4: 88% | Grade 5: 91%
Grade 6: 85% | Grade 7: 73% | Grade 8: 84%
Please consider making your gift online today or visit our secure giving site to learn about other ways to give!
STAFFING NEWS
New Role
Patrick Murray, interim grade 8 math Teacher and advisor
We are thrilled to announce that Patrick, our current fifth grade math and science teacher, will be returning in the fall as a grade 8 interim math teacher and advisor, filling in for Rae Starks-Chaves as she continues her parental leave. As Emma Nairn returns to the fifth grade next year, we are fortunate to continue to work with Patrick in this new capacity. Patrick was hired in January 2023 to serve as a long-term substitute for Emma in the 2022-23 school year when Emma went on parental leave and stayed on this school year while Emma took on a part-time role in middle school math. Before his tenure at Belmont Day, Patrick taught multiple grade levels in the Natick, Framingham, and Saugus public schools and at the Brookwood School. He has designed and taught mathematics, literacy, science, and reading curricula over the past eight years. Patrick holds a master’s from Lesley University. Patrick has already inspired many students at Belmont Day both in the classroom and as an athletics coach over the past year, and we are very excited to welcome him back in his new role this fall!
BUSINESS OFFICE
2024-2025 Tuition Payments Are Due July 1
While we look forward to summer break with anticipation, parents are reminded that tuition payments for the 2024-2025 school year are due by July 1 for those who elected the Single Payment Plan and the Two Payment (60% – 40%) Payment Plan. For those who elected the Ten Payment Plan, the third payment is also due on July 1.
Please check your account for any outstanding balances from the 2023-2024 school year. There will be one more billing for the After School program for those who have used drop-in care in the last month. Some families also have balances due for After School and for other incidental charges, like field trips, that took place earlier in the year.
All invoices are available on the Parent Portal and can be accessed using the “Invoices and Payments” button on the homepage. Be sure to log in soon. For those who are enrolled in autopay, the payments will be drawn from your bank account on July 1. For everyone else, you can make an online payment through the Parent Portal or you can mail a check to the school at 55 Day School Lane, Belmont, MA 02478, and mark it to the attention of the Business Office.
Any changes made after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 28, 2024, to your designated bank account for autopay will not be used for the processing on July 1 but will only take effect for the processing of August autopay payments.
Please contact the business office team if you have any questions about your bill.
We look forward to seeing everyone in the fall but please make sure to attend to your account before heading out on summer adventures.
– Sarah Barrow, business manager
TECHNOLOGY OFFICE
Tech To-Dos for Summer
Returning Tech Office Equipment
For families with students in middle school, 1:1 devices will be collected early next week. Students should plan to return their device, zippered carrying case, and charger. Please take some time this weekend to ensure that all of these items are accounted for and ready to be returned.
Google Suite Accounts
Following the last day of school, Google accounts and single sign-on applications will be turned off for the summer for students entering grades 4-7. Other applications may be turned on/off at the discretion of the technology department.
Rising eighth graders (Class of 2025) will have access to their Belmont Day G Suite account over the summer so they may complete work related to Capstone. Applications not required for Capstone work will be turned off.
The Class of 2024 will continue to have access to their accounts to allow some extra time for content transfer. Graduates will meet with the tech team next week to walk through saving content from their Google Drives if they wish to do so.
– Annie Fuerst, director of innovation
HEALTH NEWS
Managing Anxiety and Emotions over the Summer
I have been receiving requests from parents about how they can best support their children with managing anxiety or other emotions at home. Summer can be an excellent time for families to reconnect, learn and practice strategies, and develop new routines if needed. I am sharing a few books and virtual parenting resources that might be helpful to your family over the summer.
– Dr. Arlene Silva, school psychologist
Emotional Health Resources
Articles/Books
- How to help kids understand and manage their emotions – for pre-k and up
- The self-regulation workbook for kids; CBT exercises and coping strategies to help children handle anxiety, stress, and other strong emotions – for ages 8-11
- Sometimes I have big feelings; A child’s guide to understanding and expressing emotions – for ages 8-12
- The Anxiety Workbook for Teens – for middle schoolers
- Keeping Teens Safe on Social Media; What Parents Should Know to Protect their kids – for middle schoolers
Virtual Parent Coaching
- Manatee – virtual parent coaching
- Amy Behrens – a highly recommended parent coach
- Triad Adolescent Services – virtual parent support and skills groups
- The Be Center – a team of experienced clinicians who deliver telehealth services, including parent coaching; they do not accept insurance for their services
Virtual Parenting Resources
- Good Inside – online community of resources, support, workshops, and events led by Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical child psychologist, for parents of children ages 0-18
- SPACE: Supportive Parenting for Anxious Child Emotions – virtual parenting class next offered in the fall of 2024
In-Person Summer Group Programming
- Child Therapy Boston – social, emotional, and creative therapy summer groups for children and teens; also offers child therapy and in-person parent coaching in Needham and Sudbury
Learning Updates
PE Update: First Graders Explore Their Athletic Identities
At Belmont Day we often say that every student is an athlete. But what does that actually mean? Our Athletic Identity Project is a chance for first graders to explore that idea and reflect on what it means to be an athlete.
The project begins in physical education. Students spend a class brainstorming different types of athletic endeavors, thinking about their goals, and practicing their favorite movements. During our next class, we take a portrait photo of each student that they feel represents their athletic identity.
Then the students spend a couple weeks working with Ms. Fuerst and Ms. Sprung in the library to plan, design, and create their Athletic Identity cards. Students are introduced to the Book Creator app and use various features to create a trading card. This week the innovation and physical education departments presented the cards to first graders so they could appreciate all the hard work they’ve put in as athletes and innovators! As we told them, the cards one day might be worth millions, but right now they are priceless.
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher and mindfulness director
Rain Or Shine, Second Graders Ready To Embrace A Field Trip
The second graders took the saying “It’ll happen rain or shine!” very literally as we ventured into Boston for a soggy but fun field trip last week. For our first stop, we went to the UNICEF Heart String’s exhibit in the Cyclorama to learn about how to be global citizens and use our voices for positive change. Thanks to Megan Chien P ‘30 for helping to bring this exhibit to Boston!
For our second stop, we got to see the monumental sculpture, The Embrace, on the Boston Common with Jonathan Evans P ‘27, ‘30, who was the chief architect of the project. Students were excited to learn about how a memorial of that scale is built–they couldn’t believe it took seven trucks to bring the pieces from Washington State! They also completed a scavenger hunt to find all the names of local activists who are included in the quilt-like tiles at the base of the memorial.
A little rain can’t stop our intrepid second graders from having a day filled with friendship, fun, and learning!
– The Second Grade Team
Athletics Update: Alums Share Advice for Graduates
Recipients of the 2023 Coaches’ Awards returned to campus Thursday afternoon for the Athletics Banquet. Before recognizing this year’s award winners, Liam Brodeur, Avery Schneider, Nebiyou Elias, and Quincy Treisman shared some advice with this year’s graduating class and then passed the torch to Andrew Green, Annika Vittal, Rhys Kaplan, and Liv Dawson. Thank you, Liam, Avery, Nebiyou, and Quincy! And congratulations, to Andrew, Annika, Rhys, Liv, and all of our graduating eighth grade student athletes!
Click the dropdown below to read the advice offered by our past award winners. Have a great summer, everyone!
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Remarks from 2023 Coaches Award Winners
Nebiyou Elias
Some advice for future high school athletes in this room. Embrace failure: view setbacks as learning opportunities. Each failure teaches you something new and brings you one step closer to success. Understand that failure is not the opposite of success but a part of the journey. Keep a positive mindset, learn from your mistakes, and never give up. I hope all of this year’s eighth graders continue to play sports in high school and continue to have fun, congrats on wrapping up your final season at Belmont Day.
Liam Brodeur
Looking back on my time at Belmont Day, I learned a lot about how to be a leader. In both seventh and eighth grades, I missed a significant part of the lacrosse season, and I had to learn to lead and be a part of the team from the sidelines. This allowed me to see our team from a different perspective and when I recovered from my injury, I was a better leader. My advice to all of you rising ninth graders is no matter the situation: be a leader. It doesn’t mean you need to be the loudest person on the field, and it doesn’t mean that you need to be the best at what you’re doing, it just means you need to be accountable for your actions and you need to hold yourself to a standard that others can follow.
Quincy Treisman
Belmont Day athletics are truly unique, in that they provide an opportunity for every athlete to find success. My time in the athletics program helped shape me into the athlete and teammate I am today. The friendships you formed, the lessons you learned, and the memories you made are things that you will carry with you for the rest of your lives. From my time at BDS, I will always remember running across Harvard’s field after winning Friday Night Lights, decorating teammates’ lockers before Friday Night Hoops, and taking the first draw of the lacrosse season. Good luck next year eighth graders: never stop playing like a BDS athlete.
Avery Schneider
Belmont Day taught me so many things about who I am and who I want to be, but most of all how to be a good teammate and how to embrace mistakes. A team is a safe space to make mistakes or take risks, which helps us improve. But failing is hard, and as a perfectionist, the idea of a mistake can be paralyzing. Even so, I will always remember what Coach O’Neill said to me and our basketball team last year: “Make mistakes at full speed.” We cannot let the fear of failure deter us from taking risks; otherwise, we will not grow. As you begin your first year of high school, I encourage you to embrace your teammates and embrace the challenges that you will encounter.
Athletes Fly To New Heights at State Track & Field Meet
Last Saturday, seven middle school athletes competed in the 12th Annual Massachusetts Middle School Track and Field State meet. In the long jump, sixth grader Violet Hancock and seventh grader Aidan Tan both soared to personal records of 12′ 11″and 14′ 7″, respectively. Eighth grader Alexander Meredith threw an impressive 27′ 2.5″ in the shot put while eighth grader Roudi Youssef ran a speedy 100-meter dash finishing in 15.2 seconds. Fellow eighth grader Clive Sutton ran the 400-meter in a personal record of 1:01.86. Eighth grader Sam Leviton placed third overall in the mile finishing in 4 minutes 53 seconds while classmate Quinn Clark nearly won the 800-meter race finishing second behind the winner by just 8 hundreds of a millisecond! Belmont Day had a wonderful showing and it was great to see their amazing sportsmanship throughout the meet.
– Brittany Ryan, sixth grade math teacher and track & field coach
First Graders Learn Tech To Create E-Books, Audiobooks
First graders have been working hard to finish their final writing project of the year! As they completed writing, revising, and editing their small-moment stories, first graders began publishing their books. They added color and details to their drawings and designed their covers. Then, working with Ms. Fuerst and Ms. Sprung, they turned their stories into e-books using the Book Creator app on their iPads. They were able to take pictures of and add their cover and pages, as well as add additional text and backgrounds. The final touch to publishing was turning their e-book into an audiobook! First graders worked with a partner to record their voices reading their story. First graders worked very hard on all aspects of this project including the three phases of publishing, and they’re finishing their year as strong writers!
– Geoffrey Fox, first grade teacher
Arts Update: Students Shine At Spring Music Showcase
On Wednesday night, over 40 middle school students turned Far Field into an amphitheater for our very first BDS Spring Music Showcase! Like our Fall Music Showcase, the night was completely student-led. Students chose the venue, promoted the night, helped prep and offer feedback to their peers leading up to the event, and led all tasks related to running the show. From setting up microphones and colorful lights, running the soundboard, designing and passing out programs, and hosting, to performing familiar and original music, our students shined. Cheers of support for every performer created a relaxed and celebratory atmosphere for our students to proudly showcase their incredible work. Thank you to all who came out to support this event and our students! Click here to check out a photo gallery of the show.
– Kassie Bettinelli, music teacher
Parents’ Association News
Faculty Appreciation
Next week, the parents’ association will contribute gift cards to every teaching and non-teaching faculty member on behalf of all the parents to express our gratitude to them. Thank you for your contributions!
Thank You!
The PA Executive Team would like to extend our gratitude to the many parent volunteers, who helped make it a great year for the parents’ association! From the grade parents to the committee chairs and members, to the many volunteers in-between (at various events), many hands contributed toward the PA’s efforts to continue to rebuild our community post-Covid. In addition to eliminating PA dues and streamlining the grade parent role, the PA achieved many accomplishments this year that we hope will benefit the school for years to come. We treasure the BDS parent community and volunteerism, which are a big part of what makes Belmont Day a special place!
As the terms end for Karla Bays (President) and Gigi Saltonstall (Clerk), along with Courtney Queen (Vice President), who is stepping down, we are excited for the skilled and enthusiastic incoming Executive Team of Shanying Zhang (President), Megan Akkina (Vice President), and Jeff Wang (Clerk) to join Andy Stevenson (Treasurer) for the 2024-25 school year.
We wish you all a wonderful summer!
Beyond BDS
COMMUNITY EVENT
Belmont Pride March & Celebration
Saturday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m.
The Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance, Belmont Against Racism, and the Human Rights Campaign invite all to participate in the Belmont Pride March and Celebration on Saturday, June 15 starting at 1:00 p.m. If you are interested, please gather on Belmont Town Green, 404 Concord Avenue, at 12:45 p.m. for instructions. The short route through Belmont Center is flat and accommodating. Please join to show your pride and support! Click here for more information.
ART EVENT
Kids Comics Fest To Feature BDS Enrichment Teacher
The Boston Kids Comics Fest is a daylong festival on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Northeastern University that invites children, parents, guardians, educators, and librarians to discover and explore kid-friendly comics, graphic novels, and hybrid books.
Throughout the day, there will be a variety of fun workshops and presentations. Among the great comic book artists at the fest will be Belmont Day enrichment teacher Jonathan Todd, who recently published his first graphic novel, Timid.
Admission to the festival is free. Click here for more information on location and schedule.
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