Sixth Graders Prepare for Freedom Week

Our sixth graders are throwing themselves into their civil rights projects, which they will share with families during Freedom Week, May 26-29. Students have designed their own projects connected to the issues and situations they have been studying in their civil rights unit. Some students are digging deeply into events or people they have begun to learn about such as Birmingham, Selma, Little Rock, the Freedom Rides, Gandhi. Others are pursuing topics ranging from the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements to access to medical education, Madame CJ Walker, race and Vietnam, the Equal Pay Act, and the legacy of Harvey Milk. The forms of the students’ projects include poetry anthologies, children’s books, models, paintings, research reports, quilting, and musical compositions.

Ordinarily, these projects would be shared with families as one part of Freedom Night, in an open gallery format. This spring, the projects will be available online beginning Tuesday, May 26, and during the rest of the week, the students’ families will be able to visit with the student experts in virtual small group sessions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

– Dean Spencer, middle school social studies teacher

Lauren Catalano Wins Honor From Lesley University

Lauren Catalano, a member of this year’s associate teacher cohort, is the recipient of the 2020 June T. Fox Scholarship Award given on behalf of the June Fox Lecture Series Committee and the Lesley University Graduate School of Education. The committee recognizes only one member of the Collaborative Residency Programs at Lesley each year for that individual’s outstanding work with children, academic scholarship, effective collaboration with peers and colleagues, and their potential for educational leadership. This is the second year in a row that a Belmont Day School Associate has won this distinguished award!

Alice Henry, Lauren’s teaching mentor in the pre-kindergarten classroom this fall, wrote about the qualities that Lauren brings to the classroom in her nomination letter to the committee: “Lauren has great regard for children which supports their learning, nurtures a sense of independence, and shows a keen appreciation for who they are. In every interaction with students, Lauren uses a calm and warm voice that invites their words and lets them know that she wants to hear what they have to say … She doesn’t give up or give in. Lauren deftly re-engages the child who is distracted or grown tired of listening by asking a question that draws their attention back … Lauren has always sought constructive feedback, and her growth mindset has helped her develop skills and strategies characteristic of more experienced teachers.”

Congratulations to Lauren for this great honor, and congratulations to all of the associates and associate mentors this year who have shown such dedication to their students and their teaching craft.

Update on Early Session Cancelations and Further Planning

As of today, we have canceled on-site camp programming through Friday, July 10, that includes the entirety of our pre-camp programming and session A. Registrations for those canceled sessions have closed and tuition is being refunded in full to families impacted by the cancellation. As more guidance is shared about if and how we are able to safely reopen programs this summer, we will make decisions about the remaining summer sessions. We are in frequent contact with local and state health officials as well as organizations offering guidance to schools, camps, businesses, and the general public. We are simultaneously planning how to create a virtual camp environment and how to implement new processes, procedures, medical and safety protocols, and more to ensure a safe in-person program should that become an option. We will update on the camp’s website, directly to the camp community via email, and here in the Scoop as we have more information. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding.  

– Bea Rooney, director of summer programs

Capstone Week Starts Monday

The presentations are ready to go and we are excited to celebrate and learn from the hard work of our eighth grade class. Capstone Week launches on Monday, May 18 and will go through Friday, May 22. As we have done in previous years, we will have groups of 3-4 students present in blocks. This year, all presentations are being pre-recorded and presented via Zoom. Each presentation will be followed by a live Q&A with the students. See the dropdown below for a full list of Capstone projects and the presentation schedule. Please join us!

Please check your email for a message with the Zoom invitations to the Capstone sessions.

Next PA Executive Team Announced

We are excited to announce the new PA executive team for the 2020-2021 school year. Judy Bright will serve as president; Kelly Baker will serve as vice president; Alex Min will serve as treasurer; Michele Walters will serve as clerk. We extend a warm welcome to this dynamic team and thank them in advance for devoting their time and energy to Belmont Day School.

Book Club Meeting
Wednesday, May 27 at 3:00 p.m.

Please join us as we discuss The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. According to a recent review on Amazon: “[The Dutch House] is an astute psychological study of what it means to be a family and how those relationships—no matter how damaged they may be—ultimately determine who we are as adults. This a 10-star book in a five-star world. Read it. Savor it. It’s a very special book.”

Even if you haven’t read the book or only read a portion of it, you are encouraged to attend. If interested, please email Nareeluck Stephenson to be put on the ZOOM invite.