March 18, 2022
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Eighth graders in Ms. Trentowsky’s science class work on a lab testing the reactions of metals in various liquids.
Opening Message
It’s a Madhouse! … And I’d Have It No Other Way
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: March 18, 2022
Spoiler Alert … There will be no spoilers in this column about the incredible performance of “It’s a Madhouse!”. You’re going to have to see it for yourself! A screening of a video of the play will be held in the Barn, tonight, Friday, March 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The video will also be shared with all families via email.
Seeing our seventh and eighth grade actors race across the stage in all directions this past week may have been the reset I have been waiting for. After the real-world craziness of the past two-plus years, witnessing (live in the PAC!) our skilled young actors commanding the stage and delivering laugh after laugh, brought me, frankly, to tears. I can’t imagine I was the only parent in the audience last Friday evening, tearing up with the joy of the jokes–both big and beautifully subtle–and with a sense of relief.
As we continually turn this long corner, the staging of the world premiere (you read that right!) of It’s a Madhouse! reminded me of the many joys of education itself. First, there was the undeniable energy. Just as the players bounced and bounded across the stage, these same students and their peers bounce and bound all across our campus each day of the school week. It’s truly a madhouse here some days. But don’t let the appearance of chaos fool you. That energy is always directed–as it was that night by masterful teachers, Susan Dempsey and Chris Parsons–to learning, to building confidence, and to expressing our creativity to make each part our own.
Next was the teamwork I saw before me. In one of the later scenes in the play, every actor is on the stage. Every inch of the stage was occupied by a player. I scanned across this incredible tableau to see a masterpiece–every actor was emoting their character in support of everyone else on that stage. I so badly wanted to yell out “freeze!” and just take it in. It was teamwork at its finest. And as it was on the stage, in education, none of us is alone up there as we teach and learn. Each of us has the responsibility in our roles as teachers, students, and parents to support, share, and inquire.
Finally, there was the pure joy of experiencing community. In the audience, we shared the nervousness and pride we had in seeing our children and their classmates taking risks and challenging themselves. And we rejoiced in being together for a wonderful night at the theater. If you remember two years ago, it was Seussical, The Musical, that was the first of far too many live and in-person events that had to be canceled as we entered the pandemic. Appropriately, now it is our seventh and eighth grade thespians ushering us back with a hilarious performance.
Bravo to everyone who had a hand in bringing It’s A Madhouse! to life–all the actors, the backstage crew, the directors, Mr. Parsons and Ms. Dempsey, the buildings and grounds team, and the play’s author, Todd Wallinger. Bravo!
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
TONIGHT! Community Video Screening of It’s A Madhouse!
Join us tonight, Friday, March 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the Barn gym for a screening of the seventh and eighth grade production of It’s A Madhouse! on screen.
Guaranteed laughs from our talented actors, some delicious snacks, and the joyous company of classmates and fellow BDS parents.
You can also enjoy the production from the comfort of home—a link to the recording will be shared this evening by email.
The play screening is part of the BDS Love Campaign focusing on creating opportunities to reconnect and bring joy to our community as we emerge from many of the restrictions in place due to the pandemic. Click here to review all the details!
McLean Parent Workshops in April and May
Dr. Julia Martin Burch, staff psychologist with McLean Hospital, will present two 90-minute, interactive workshops this spring for Belmont Day parents.
Building and Maintaining a Strong Relationship with Your Child
- Thursday, April 28, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
- The workshop will focus on skills that help parents and kids develop and maintain a strong relationship, have open conversations, and communicate concerns in a caring manner.
Building a Resilient Child
- Thursday, May 19, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
- The workshop will cover the many reasons it can feel so hard for parents to step back and grant their child more independence and a concrete, step by step approach for doing so.
Mark your calendars! Both meetings will be held via Zoom. Links will be available on the Parent Portal.
Lunch & Snack Menu
March 21 to March 25
Monday
Parent Conference Day
Tuesday
Parent Conference Day
Wednesday
Snack: clementines; banana chocolate chip oatmeal rounds
Lunch: spaghetti and meat sauce; pasta and marinara; steamed broccoli; Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches; crusty rolls; butter; Romano cheese; fresh fruit cup; milk and water
Thursday
Snack: pears; BBQ Lay’s potato chips
Lunch: butternut squash soup; turkey and cheese panini; cheese panini; sweet corn; Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches; carrots; ranch dressing; applesauce; milk, chocolate milk, and water
Friday
Snack: apple slices; SunChips
Faculty Lunch
BDS News
COVID UPDATES
Next Week’s At-Home Testing
Given that school is closed for students this coming Monday and Tuesday, we are asking students to use the at-home rapid test we’ve provided on WEDNESDAY morning next week (instead of our usual Monday morning). We will also PCR test on Wednesday, per usual.
Weekly COVID Testing Results
Our weekly Wednesday PCR testing, taken on March 16, returned all negative results for all pools. Great job, everyone!
Transition to Optional Masking
This week, our students have been transitioning thoughtfully and positively to this new protocol. With a number of our community members opting out of masking, we would like to remind families to continue to monitor children for illness and to keep them at home if they are exhibiting symptoms.
In addition, if your child is well enough to attend school, but has a cough or runny nose/sneezing, please consider having them wear a mask at school while they are experiencing these symptoms.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us to keep our community healthy!
FACULTY NEWS
Departures
Elinor Klein, middle school math teacher
At the end of this academic year, Elinor Klein will be departing Belmont Day School to pursue the degree of masters of education in school leadership at Harvard University. Since joining BDS in 2019 as a middle school math teacher, Elinor has also served as a grade 8 advisor, middle school math department chair, grade 8 grade-level coordinator, and athletics coach. She also spearheaded a math curricular review and served as a faculty leader on our Summer 2020 COVID Task Force, which helped redesign our pre-kindergarten-to-grade 8 programming within unprecedented safety and health protocols. In every one of her roles, Elinor has brought outstanding expertise and passion for teaching, learning, and faculty collaboration.
In her classroom, Elinor has inspired and supported her students in finding novel ways to approach challenging problems and to become fearless and thorough in explaining their reasoning. Elinor’s belief in approaching math with a growth mindset, along with her confidence in and unwavering guidance of each of her students, has allowed the young adolescent mathematicians under her care to find success in areas they previously might not have felt possible. Elinor’s collaborative, optimistic, and dedicated spirit in her work with colleagues has been invaluable and her strong partnership with students and families will be greatly missed.
We wish Elinor all the very best as she embarks on her next professional venture.
Matt Segil, middle school math teacher
Matt Segil will be departing Belmont Day School after this academic year in order to pursue his interests outside of the classroom and teaching. During his two years at Belmont Day School, Matt has served as a middle school math teacher and advisor, partnered with the math team to research and implement a new middle school math curriculum, worked as an athletics coach, designed student conflict resolution programming, and taught science at the BDS summer camp. In each of his roles, Matt has brought his expertise in and love for math, as well as his dedication to supporting his students with careful guidance and appreciation.
Matt has modeled for the students in his classroom the joy of exploring math using innovative thinking and problem-solving skills and collaborative discussion techniques. He also supported students in reasoning through complex tasks in math, as well as sorting through the critical early adolescent skills of how best to work together and find joy and resolution in friendships, projects, and learning experiences outside of the classroom. A thoughtful and caring colleague and champion for his students, Matt will be greatly missed next year.
We wish Matt all the very best in his next endeavor beyond Belmont Day.
New Hires
Bill Hamilton, grade 6 science teacher
Bill will join Belmont Day to teach sixth grade science. He comes to BDS from Rivers where he currently teaches eighth grade science and seventh grade math. Bill spent seven years at the Meadowbrook School where he taught seventh and eighth grade science and prior to that, he spent two years with the Horace Mann School in the Bronx. Along the way, Bill spent three years working for MilliporeSigma, a Burlington-based life science company where he served as a member of the sustainability and social business innovations team. Bill has a bachelors in environmental geography from Colgate University and a masters in environmental studies from Antioch University New England.
Maria Choi, pre-kindergarten teacher
Maria is very excited to join the team at BDS as a pre-kindergarten classroom teacher. Maria comes to us from Shady Hill School and has been part of the community of independent schools for more than 20 years. Before teaching, Maria worked in admissions at Shady Hill. Prior to that role, she worked in several other careers as a consultant in conflict management and an investment banker. Maria will receive her masters of education from Lesley University this May. She is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.
Maggie Small, grade 7 science teacher
Maggie Small will join the Belmont Day School faculty this fall as a seventh grade science teacher. Maggie comes to Belmont Day School after teaching grade 3 and 4 science for the past seven years at Shady Hill School in Cambridge. Prior to that, Maggie was a middle school science teaching apprentice at Shady Hill while also getting a masters degree at Lesley University. Before becoming a teacher, Maggie worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer working for the Island Institute in Rockland, Maine while she lived full time on Peaks Island and volunteered at the island’s elementary school. Maggie has extensive knowledge of and a passion for inquiry-based learning, social-emotional learning among young adolescents, and coaching middle school sports. She received her undergraduate degree from Clark University and a certificate in the teacher engineering education program at Tufts University.
AUXILIARY PROGRAMS
Staff Change for After School
Mia Thompson, second grade after school teacher, will be moving on from Belmont Day at the end of March to a new teaching opportunity. Mia joined the BDS community this past fall and has served as a teacher and mentor to our lower school after school students, sharing her passions for athletics, arts, and nature. With Mia, our students have learned about sportsmanship and teamwork, had opportunities to explore and enjoy our natural world, and expressed themselves through crafts and creative projects. Mia will be greatly missed by her students, co-workers, and the BDS community. We wish her the best of luck on her next adventure!
Learning Updates
Weather Report: It’s Cloudy and Breezy in Pre-Kindergarten
Over the past two weeks, our pre-kindergartners have been learning about wind and clouds. We began by reading books about wind to learn what wind can do and how it changes. In the classroom, we used fans to experiment with different objects to determine what makes something easy for the wind to move. During our woodland walks, we collected natural materials and predicted which would be blown by the wind and which would not. Then we tested the natural objects. We learned that a light wind is known as a “breeze” and a big wing is known as a “gust’ or “gale”. We also created windsocks which we tested out on Claflin Field.
To start our unit on clouds, we have been looking at pictures of clouds and trying to match them to what we see in the sky. Once we identify a cloud, we also draw them with chalk. And after reading the book “It Looked Like Spilt Milk,” we painted pictures of clouds. Next, we’re looking forward to a science experiment with cotton balls and water to observe how raindrops gather in clouds and then release the rain!
– Nicole Siverls, pre-kindergarten teacher
Fifth Graders Interview BDS Community About Culture & Heritage
Fifth grade students in the language community and culture class are finishing a unit called celebrating community. In the unit, they welcomed members of the BDS community to interview about their culture and heritage. To create a booklet about the various cultures, they marked each visitor’s country on a map and researched about them on CultureGrams, gathering information. After each visitor conversation, students added notes to the page and compared what they found in CultureGrams with what they learned during the visits. They also researched their own culture and shared the information with a peer. At the end of the unit, students shared the booklet and gave feedback to peers. The students developed their interview and listening skills as they learned more about our BDS community. They gave serious thought to the similarities and contrasts between the information we learn from research and the information of lived experiences. Wrapping up the unit, students will put their learning into practice by creating games for their classmates to play. Click here to see a few images and videos of the class in action.
– Ana Maria Restrepo and Jen Friborg, grade 5 language community and culture teachers
Eighth Grade Science Examines Elements
As a culmination to our unit on the periodic table as well as an introduction to our next unit on bonding and reactivity of elements students in eighth grade completed an investigation this week looking at the properties and the reactivity of metals with both water and hydrochloric acid. Students made observations about which metals reacted faster than others, which metals created more exothermic reactions, and also what the differences were in the visual observations for each reaction. Using the information gathered, next week students will discuss how the placement of the elements on the periodic table determines the rate at which each metal reacts. They will also look at the electronic structure of each metal to understand why some metals react faster or more violently than others.
– Sandra Trentowsky, middle school science teacher
Athletics Update: Sun Shines on Spring Athletes
The beginning of the spring athletics season usually coincides with cold, wet weather. As middle school athletes took to the fields, courts, and trails this week, however, the sun was shining and long sleeves were optional. All eighth teams hit the ground running (and pedaling) with the good weather and had a successful week of tryouts and practices. With rosters finalized, teams began to establish their identities, set expectations, and create goals for the season. Initial takeaways from the coaching staff include Alice Guo and Tomas Wright Katz emerging as leaders on the JV ultimate team; Ben Dowers and Angle Geng holding down the fort as the lone seventh graders on the mountain biking team; Wisdom Badgett and Olive Kiraly bringing veteran experience to the JV tennis team; and Oliver Gottesman and Petros Samuel making marked improvement on the boys’ lacrosse team. With athletics offline until next Wednesday, coaches encouraged their athletes to stay sharp during the extended weekend with hopes of picking up where they left off yesterday.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- The girls’ lacrosse team welcomed four sixth graders to an experienced squad. Olivia Dawson, Brynn Franklin, Fiona Holland, and Annika Vittal are surrounded by veteran talent and are positioned to learn a ton this spring.
- Sahana Miduturu, Emme Taylor, Julia Street, and Kalkidan Shiferaw were late additions to the track & field team, but are off to a great start so far as they work to improve their stamina and figure out their distances.
- Eidan Kulman-Tamanaha and Brendan Bandar will look to translate their baseball talents to the tennis court this spring. Both students used their athleticism to earn spots on the varsity team this spring.
- Aleta Sandoski, Lila Abruzzi, and Betel Zewude all earn spots on the varsity ultimate team after strong performances during tryouts. The trio will get significant time on the field due to small ultimate rosters this spring.
Mountain Biking Gets Rolling With Help From Visiting Experts
As our mountain biking program continues to grow we’ve made some friends in gnarly places. One of those places is the New England Mountain Biking Association (NEMBA), and we were fortunate enough to have an introductory clinic during our second practice of the year, led by local chapter president Mary McCarthy and regional board president Adam Glick.
Mary and Adam talked to us about the finer points of trail etiquette, demonstrated various riding positions and talked about the center of gravity, and led a drill where we practiced safely going over implements in the parking lot. Our riders were attentive and engaged, turning into mountain biking sponges for the session and soaking up the expert instruction. It was an awesome start to what is sure to be a thrilling spring season. Our fleet of riders will be conscientious shredders, and we look forward to further partnership with our NEMBA colleagues.
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher and middle school coach
First Grade Starts Programming on ScratchJr
Students in first grade were introduced to the program, ScratchJr, this week. We began with identifying the start of sequences in real-world scenarios and learned that sequences in ScratchJr need to be started with the green flag. We also talked about how a sequence of commands has an ‘outcome” and they made predictions based on the code of what the outcome would be. In the weeks ahead, we’ll having more fun exploring what we can create.
– Kurt Robinson, innovation and art teacher
Parents’ Association News
Virtual Family Fun Event
Don’t forget this weekend’s second annual virtual Family Fun event on Saturday, March 19 from 4 to 5 pm. It’s not too late to register to join the fun. Register now and you will receive instructions for printing materials at home. All ages can play, so gather around the computer together, or split up for some extra family competition!
Parent Book Group
The parent book group will next meet via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 28 (link on available on the Parent Portal). This month we will discuss Honor by Thrity Umrigar. As always, we would love to welcome new faces, so please don’t hesitate to join us—whether you’ve just picked up the book or read it until the end. You can reach out to Karla Bays with any questions, or to be added to our email list. We hope you will join us!
Friendraiser Walks
Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m.
Next Walks: March 29, April 5, 12 & 26
Our Friendraiser Walks will resume Tuesday, March 29. The weather is warming and the ice has melted, but you may still want boots as the trails during are pretty muddy. Meet at the front circle of the Schoolhouse at 8:15 a.m. and then journey through the woodland trails. Duration: about 40 minutes.
Nominations Sought for PA Executive Committee
The parents’ association is seeking enthusiastic individuals who would like to serve a two-year term, June 2022 to June 2024, as clerk and vice president on the PA executive committee. Both positions offer wonderful opportunities for involvement and influence in our school community. We encourage you to nominate individuals who you believe will represent the voices of our parent body. Self-nominations are strongly welcomed and encouraged!
Nominations may be sent to bdspa@belmontday.org by Friday, April 1. The nominating committee will review all nominations, and the final slate will be announced by May 9. Elections will be held at the annual corporation meeting on May 19.
Beyond BDS
EDUCATIONAL PANEL DISCUSSION
A Candid Conversation on SEL
Tuesday, March 22, 3 to 4 p.m.
Join Discovery Education and a panel of education and corporate leaders for a candid conversation that explores the challenges and paths needed to prepare and secure future talent with both the technical skills and emotional capacity to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce.
Registration is required for this event. Click here for more information and registration.
COMMUNITY EVENT
Panel Discussion: Trans Day of Visibility
Thursday, March 31, 7 to 8 p.m.
Join the Belmont Public Library for an online panel discussion with:
- Krysta Petrie (she/her) is an engineer, singer, maker, crafter, tinkerer, woodworker, and all-around nerd. She lives in Greater Boston with her wife Katie, their pet dog and cat, and two sugar gliders. She holds several identities: transgender, queer, sapphic, and feminist, among others.
- Noah Stang-Osborne (they/he), a speaker, activist, member of LexPride’s board of directors, and art therapy student at Lesley University. Noah holds several identities: Black, Crow, disabled, trans, nonbinary, and queer.
- Parker Morii-Sciolla (they/them), a speaker, cosplay aficionado, and architecture student at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Parker holds several identities: Japanese-American, Italian-American, and trans (nonbinary, agender).
The panelists will share their stories and answer questions about their favorite depictions of trans people in books and film, what else the community should know about trans people, and what allyship looks like.
In addition to the library, this event is sponsored by Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance, Belmont Human Rights Commission, LexPride, and Network for Social Justice.
Registration is required for this event. Click here for more information and registration.
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