May 2, 2025
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Spring has sprung at BDS!
Opening Message
Let’s Go to Space Over The Break!
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: May 2, 2025
Hey, how was your break?
Over this first week back from the April break, it’s the question most asked by colleagues, students, and parents. Consider, for a moment, what your answer might be. Stories of faraway travels, family time, staycations, and good books filled the responses I heard. For some, however, the adventures and joys of both the February and April vacation weeks are experienced right here on the Belmont Day School campus.
And what incredible experiences they are! Under the creative and innovative leadership of Blair Fross, director of school-year auxiliary programs, her team transformed our campus into two unique and captivating vacation camps this year. In February, our campers blasted off to the far reaches of the galaxy. Campers created customized cardboard robots before boarding an inflatable Millennium Falcon in the Barn. Last week, the campers went wild in Zootopia! There were science presentations on animal skulls, creative animal costumes, and an Animal Olympics and scavenger hunt led by a ferociously funny Chris Parsons as Baron von Big Roar and Blair herself as Trixie the Toucan. While our vacation week camps are primarily populated with students from the Belmont area, most of whom do not attend Belmont Day School, the parents who drop off their children each day marvel at the joy they are bringing home with them.
How does this magic happen? It takes a visionary leader in Blair, to be certain, and it takes a skilled and caring staff who work diligently behind the scenes to bring the camp experience to life. Like our school-day program, our school-year auxiliary programs center the children and their social-emotional development, their support, and their joys in the design of all activities and schedules. Through it all, our core values are on full display.
Our After School families can fully attest that the same joyful creativity that dreamed up Mad Lib walls, student artwork coming at you from every direction (watch your head!), a Mars-ready rover model, countless obstacle courses, and crazy cooking classes, for their students, would obviously create wonders for campers over the break weeks.
So, if you hear animal noises or lightsaber sounds coming from the Downing, there’s no need to worry or run the other way. Those are the beautiful sounds of a program that sets the standard of excellence for auxiliary programs in the region.
Welcome back, everyone.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Middle School Families
Interim Grades Now Available
Attention all Middle School families! Students’ interim trimester three grades are now available for your review on the parent portal.
BDS Garden Workday
THIS WEEKEND! Sunday, May 4
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Parents, students, and faculty are invited to help wake up the school garden for the new growing season. We will be clearing, raking, adding nutrients, mulching the pollinator garden, planting, and having a great time. A parent must accompany lower school students; middle school students are invited to come on their own. Bring a water bottle, a pair of gloves, and a shovel if you have one (we have them too), and enjoy being outdoors and working together to maintain our outdoor classroom and community gardens. Email Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher and sustainability coordinator, with questions and to RSVP.
Modern Band Night
Tuesday, May 6 from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.
Palandjian Arts Center
Please join us Tuesday evening for our Modern Band Night. The concert will feature six bands performing pop songs they’ve learned this winter and spring. It’s sure to be a lively and fun show! (The full band will come back together to perform a large group number at our Spring Ensembles Concert on May 29.)
Every Wednesday morning, forty-six Middle School students show up at 7:15 a.m. to rehearse before their first classes of the day. To get some extra practice time in, many of these groups have opted to get together during several of their recess times, as well! In both large and small group rehearsal spaces, students have demonstrated flexibility, kindness, incredible musicality, and leadership. Our Belmont Day School core values were exemplified in each of these rehearsals and will be on display for you to see and hear at our upcoming performance.
Lunch & Snack Menu
May 5 to May 9
Monday
Snack: fruit cups; Fritos
Lunch: beef tacos; veggie tacos; flour and corn tortillas; sour cream, guacamole, and salsa; fiesta corn blend; taco salad with tomato, corn, and chipotle ranch dressing
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; Goldfish
Lunch: chicken tenders; sweet chili tofu; gluten-free chicken tenders; herb roasted potatoes; seasoned green beans; spinach salad with sherry vinaigrette, cranberries, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds
Wednesday
Snack: clementines; Sunchips
Lunch: grilled chicken; smokey grilled tofu; garlic bread; gluten-free garlic bread; roasted Mediterranean vegetables; and Caesar salad
Thursday
Snack: craisins; Popcorners
Lunch: cheese pizza; pepperoni pizza; vegan cheese pizza; gluten-free cheese pizza; Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and onions (no cheese)
Friday
Snack: apples; chocolate chip oatmeal bars
Faculty Lunch
Please click the button below for a more detailed and updated weekly menu.
BDS News
CURRICULUM UPDATE
Change To World Language Program Starting In 2025-26
As part of our ongoing curricular reflection, and in alignment with Belmont Day’s mission to foster empathy, global awareness, and meaningful connection, we will transition our Lower School world language offering from French to Spanish beginning in the 2025–26 school year. This decision follows a community-wide feedback process, which included input from families and faculty, and reflects both strong community support and our long-term educational goals. We are grateful for the thoughtful engagement and partnership of our families and colleagues throughout this process.
This shift reflects our continued commitment to providing students with learning experiences that build cultural understanding and communication skills that are relevant and impactful in both local and global contexts. Spanish is spoken by approximately 41 million people in the United States, and this change will offer our students rich opportunities to engage with the language and cultures of Spanish-speaking communities, both locally and globally.
Our French program in the lower school has been integral in helping students build foundational language skills, appreciate global cultures, and foster curiosity about the world. As we make this shift, we honor that legacy and the strong connections students have formed through French. French will continue to be offered as a choice in Middle School, alongside Latin and Spanish, allowing interested students to continue their studies in the language.
– Anthea Lavergne, director of curriculum and the associate teacher program
COMMUNITY EVENT
Spring Parent Celebration & Annual Corporation Meeting
Thursday, May 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Coolidge Hall
Please join us for a Spring Parent Celebration and the annual open meetings of the Belmont Day School Corporation and Belmont Day School Parents’ Association (PA)—both of which include all current parents of the school.
This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and socialize, and attend to our brief annual Corporation and PA business that will include:
- A vote to elect new trustee nominees to fill vacancies on the board
- Renewal of trustees whose terms are expiring
- A vote on the incoming PA executive team roles
Hope to see you there!
ADMISSIONS NEWS
Be a Buddy to a Newly Enrolled Family
What is a buddy family? A buddy family is a current family paired with a newly enrolled family—typically in the same grade as your student(s). With direction and support from the admissions team, volunteers will reach out with congratulations, schedule a meet-up over the summer (in-person or virtually), and be a point of contact for the first few months of school. Buddy families help new families feel welcome and keep the excitement going throughout the summer until school begins.
It’s easy. Admissions emails you outreach reminders with talking points.
It’s not too much work. You do your outreach over the summer through early fall only.
It’s fun! You and/or your student(s) might make new friends at BDS.
Please complete this survey as soon as possible if you are interested. Pairings will be made in mid-May.
If you have any questions, please contact Judy Bright, admissions and outreach program manager.
COMMUNITY EVENT
Friday Night Scoops
Friday, May 16
The Meadowbrook School, 10 Farm Rd., Weston
Girls’ game at 5 p.m. | Boys’ game at 6 p.m.
Join us for the third annual Friday Night Scoops event at The Meadowbrook School, featuring games between the two schools’ varsity lacrosse teams. The entire Belmont Day community is invited and encouraged to attend. Bring a picnic dinner, some folding chairs, or a blanket.
Bonus cheering opportunity! Get to Meadowbrook at 3:30 p.m. and root for varsity tennis as the team gets the triple-header of great athletics started! See you there!
BUSINESS OFFICE NEWS
Invoices Issued for After School & Enrichment Classes
The business office has issued invoices to parents of students participating in the After School program and enrichment classes during trimester three. Payments are due by Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Invoices can be accessed and payments can be made through the Parent Portal.
- Click on the blue “Invoices & Payments” button on the right side of the homepage to review your account and make your payment.
- For those enrolled in AutoPay, payments will be processed on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Please plan accordingly.
- Payments may also be submitted by mailing a check to the business office.
- Please check your VCPay account in the Parent Portal for any outstanding or overdue incidental invoices and include payment for those items by May 15, 2025.
For questions about After School and enrichment classes charges, contact Blair Fross.
Please contact the business office with any questions about payment processing.
– Hilary Berkman, chief financial officer
SPECIAL EVENT
Volunteers Needed for Grandparents & Special Friends Days
Thursday and Friday, May 8 and 9
Help us make this event an easy and unforgettable experience for our special guests! We need help greeting guests, running registration, and ensuring everything runs smoothly in the transition to and from classrooms. Please add your name to sign up and a member of the development team will follow up. Thank you!
Please reach out to development@belmontday.org with any questions.
Learning Updates
Fifth Grade Launches Inaugural ParaCon
Fifth graders have been creating a wiki site to keep track of the fantasy elements in their current class novel, The Marvellers. This week, the students participated in the inaugural ParaCon (Paragon Convention). Students were sorted into paragons (vision, sound, taste, spirit, and touch) and given specific roles to further develop and fine-tune the wiki. This event helped students to lean into the collaborative nature of the wiki, think more critically about the book and what information/format would be helpful for a reader, and saw students building up more skills in HTML, site design, summarizing and synthesizing text, and designing for an audience. Students also enjoyed some convention perks like a keynote presentation from Headmarveller Skinner and vouchers for a shortbread stapier stick.
– The Fifth Grade Team, Annie Fuerst, director of innovation, and Amy Sprung, school librarian
Athletics Update: JV Ultimate Outlasts Carroll, Remains Undefeated
The junior varsity ultimate team traveled to Carroll this week for a closely contested game, eventually emerging with a 12-10 win. The victory improved the team’s record to 3-0 on the young season. Joshua Harriette was a force on the defensive end of the field, covering Carroll’s best player and limiting their effectiveness. On the other end of the field, Noah Yang showed some great hustle and had multiple scores for the Blue & Gold. With their eighth grade teammates away on a class trip, the team played without any subs and persevered through some challenging situations and will now take their undefeated record into a home game against Park next week.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- The junior varsity tennis team took down Nashoba 4-2 this week. Fergus Fagenholz won at second singles (6-4) and paired up with Sam Springer for another win at fourth doubles.
- The junior varsity girls’ lacrosse team outscored Nashoba 5-4 in the second half but came up short in the end. Maren Whitman scored twice. Kaia Wentzell and Noor Khan shined on offense.
- LaMay Zhang used effective volleys during intramural tennis competition this week. Clara Min stood out in the doubles match thanks to her quick reflexes and great hustle on the court.
- Gwen Wagner and Indira Yeshwant have improved tremendously in the saddle this spring and continue to tackle more advanced terrain with their mountain biking teammates.
Sixth & Seventh Graders Add Energy To Math Meet
On Tuesday, seventy-seven of our enthusiastic sixth and seventh graders participated in the Purple Comet Math Meet, an international team-based competition. In groups of six, students tackled 20 challenging math problems in just one hour—demonstrating not only their problem-solving skills but also a love for learning and collaboration. The energy throughout the Middle School was electric, filled with encouraging “math-speak” and teamwork. Our students continue to prove that a positive math mindset is for everyone!
– Brittany Ryan, sixth grade math teacher
Parents’ Association News
Faculty Appreciation Week
Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week! With the generous contributions from our parent community last fall, the parents’ association will be giving a small flower or plant to each faculty and staff member as a token of our appreciation. Thank you for your support!
Call for Grade Parents 2025-26
Thank you to all the parents who expressed interest in volunteering for the 2025-26 school year. We greatly value your support and partnership! We are still looking for a few more Grade Parents for next school year. If you are interested or have any questions about the role, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the PA leadership team.
Click here for a full listing of committees and volunteer opportunities. If you’re interested in getting involved, please complete the volunteer sign-up form.
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 EVENT
BDS Laces Up To Celebrate Alum At Local Race
On Sunday, April 27, a great crew of Belmont Day School alumni, current students, faculty, parents of alumni, family, and friends, laced up their sneakers for the Dana Chang Foundation 5K for Heart Anomalies at the Walnut Hill School in Natick. The 5K run and 1K walk celebrated the life and spirit of Belmont Day School alum Dana Chang ’21. Current students and alumni who participated are Kiernan Patel ’25, Ethan Zipkin ’25, Evan Bae ’26, Elena Ferrari ’20, Jovana Zivanovic ’24, Aleta Sandoski ’23, Kendree Chen ’21, Vivian Chuang ’21, Sue Kelman ’21, and Ripley Bright ’21.
The Dana Chang Foundation was created in loving memory of Dana, an exceptionally gifted young artist and musician who passed away suddenly in April 2024 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
ARTS EDUCATION
New Theater Arts Opportunity for Young Performers
Christopher Parsons, BDS theater arts teacher, is launching a new initiative outside of school—A Broadway Kids Company (ABC)—for young performers ages 6–13 in the Arlington/Belmont community. ABC is a multi-award-winning program dedicated to nurturing creativity, building confidence, and celebrating each child’s unique voice through the magic of musical theater. The first production, Willy Wonka Kids, will debut in Fall 2025 and promises a joyful experience for all participants. With over 20 years of professional and educational theater experience, including leadership by managing director Anita Lieberman, ABC offers a supportive, inclusive environment where every child has the chance to shine.
To learn more about the program, dates, and location, visit abroadwaykidscompany.com, or go directly to the Arlington/Belmont Players registration page.
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