May 3, 2019
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Middle school students enjoyed a visit from Jason Alexander Holmes with the Boston Children’s Choir for a workshop on music and social justice.
Message from Head of School
In Search of a Phoenix: Hope Rising from the Ashes of Notre-Dame
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: May 3, 2019
I visited Notre-Dame Cathedral on Easter Sunday in 1998, nearly 31 years to the day of the devastating fire that ravaged its beautiful spire, wooden arches, and much of its roof. As you might expect, the Mass that day was said entirely in French. I remember three things with crystal clarity from that morning—I didn’t understand a word of French, it didn’t matter, and I may never have so spiritual an experience again.
The second grade has started its Read for Seeds fundraising campaign for Gaining Ground.
This Coming Week at BDS
May 4 through May 10
All School
April 22–May 18 – Cradles to Crayons Donation Drive
Saturday, May 4
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Grades 7 & 8 Play Rehearsal
1–5:00 p.m., Board of Trustees Retreat
2-4:00 p.m., Spring Camp Community Event
5:30–8:30 p.m., Board Social, Coolidge Hall
May 6–May 9 – ERBs for Grades 3 & 4
Monday, May 6
Faculty Appreciation Breakfast
4:30–7:30 p.m., Faculty SEED Group, World Language Group
Tuesday, May 7
9 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Pre-k Field Lab, deCordova Museum, Lincoln
6–9:00 p.m., Parent SEED Group, Coolidge Hall
6:30–8:00 p.m., Parent Learning Forum, Palandjian Arts Center
7–9:00 p.m., Investment Committee, Barn Conference Room
Wednesday, May 8
12:15–3:15 p.m., Grade 2 Read for Seeds Readathon, Grade 2 Classroom
3:30 p.m., Boys’ Lacrosse at Meadowbrook; Girls’ Lacrosse at Meadowbrook; Varsity Tennis at Meadowbrook; Track & Field vs Meadowbrook; Varsity Ultimate vs Needham
5:30–8:30 p.m., Grade 6 Freedom Night, Grade 6 Classrooms, Coolidge Hall, and Palandjian Arts Center
Thursday, May 9
8–9:30 a.m., Grade 7 Parent Coffee, Coolidge Hall
9:30–11:30 a.m., Freedom Night Exhibits, Grade 6 Classrooms
3:30 p.m., Girls’ Lacrosse at DCD; JV Ultimate at Shady Hill; Varsity Tennis at Fessenden; Boys’ Lacrosse vs DCD; Varsity Ultimate vs Shady Hill; JV Tennis vs Shady Hill
3:30 p.m., Pay It Forward Club Refreshment Stand, Belmont Day School
5–6:00 p.m., Drop-In Camp Tour, Belmont Day School
Friday, May 10
Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Visiting Day
8:45–9:35 a.m., Sharing Assembly, The Barn
Spring Camp Community Event
Tomorrow! Saturday, May 4, 2 to 4:00 p.m. (Rain or shine)
Join us for an afternoon of fun—face painting, crafts, an obstacle course and animal experience, and refreshments. The ever-popular Jeff Jam will perform at 3 p.m. Reconnect with summer friends or meet new ones and enter a raffle for $400 off camp tuition (open to those in attendance). This event is free and open to the public so invite your friends and neighbors! In case of rain, we’ll move the fun indoors.
PARENT LEARNING FORUM
Strategies for Helping Anxious Students
Tuesday, May 7, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Palandjian Arts Center
Kathryn D. Boger, Ph.D. and Julia Martin Burch, Ph.D., both clinical psychologists at McLean Anxiety Mastery Program (MAMP) will join our own Dr. Leesa Mercedes for a presentation on Supporting Anxious Students: Focusing on What Works.
Parent Survey
We hope that many of you will take the time to participate in the annual parent survey. Your honest and specific feedback is valuable to the school and will help us to better serve our students and families moving forward. The survey is open until Friday, May 17.
Pay It Forward Club Fundraiser
Thursday, May 9, 3:30–4:45 p.m.
Third, fourth, and fifth graders from the Pay it Forward Club will be offering refreshments at the boys’ varsity home lacrosse game versus Dedham Country Day. All proceeds will benefit the Playspace Program run by Horizons for Homeless Children. Come cheer on the Blue and Gold, and enjoy some snacks for a great cause.
Lunch & Snack Menu
May 6 to May 10
Monday
Snack: chocolate chip cookies; fruit cup
Lunch: BDS macaroni and cheese; baked ham; summer blend vegetables; green salad
Tuesday
Snack: saltines; bananas
Lunch: fish ‘n chips (locally caught fish prepared with potato chip crust); roasted Acadian redfish; green beans; krinkle cut fries; cucumber and tomato with romaine and honey mustard salad
Wednesday
Snack: Kids Snack Mix; carrots
Lunch: Asian-style beef and broccoli; Asian-style vegetable blend; basmati rice; spinach salad with ginger and soy dressing
Thursday
Snack: CheezIts; apples
Lunch: chocolate milk; warmed turkey and cheese sub; seasoned broccoli; crudite and ranch dip; Caesar salad
Friday
Snack: GoGurt
No Lunch
Looking Ahead
CORPORATION MEETING & PROXY VOTING
Thursday, May 16
Cocktail Reception at 6 p.m.
Annual Meeting at 7 p.m.
All parents are members of the Belmont Day School Corporation and the Parents’ Association and are invited to be part of this special annual event.
The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. in Coolidge Hall where we will recognize our faculty members who are reaching Belmont Day milestones this year and honor Mary Merrill, who is leaving at the end of June after 22 years of service to the school. We will also recognize Deborah Brissenden’s 25 years of service to the school—we look forward to her excellent guidance in year 26 and beyond.
The evening continues with the annual meeting of the parents’ association and corporation in the Palandjian Arts Center, starting at 7 p.m. At this meeting, Jill Finnerty ’84, president of the board; Katherine Sayn-Wittgenstein, president of parents’ association; Brendan Largay, head of school; and Matt Kadnar, board treasurer, will share important information about the current school year, introduce the trustees who will be joining the board in 2019-2020*, and honor our retiring trustees.
We hope you will plan to attend this important evening! Whether or not you will be there, please take a minute now to submit your proxy, which will help us reach a quorum for the meeting and corporation vote. Click here to complete your proxy!
*Read more about the new trustees here.
PLANT SALE
Wednesday and Thursday, May 22 and 23
Plan ahead for the ever-popular fourth grade plant sale! Students are now growing a variety of wonderful plants, from artichokes to sunflowers and lavender, which will all be available for purchase. The sale, now in its seventh year, will take place before and after school with all proceeds going to a charity chosen by the students.
BDS News
ATHLETICS
Sparks’s Late Surge Leads to Second Place Finish
Running in the friendly confines of Claflin Field, the Blue & Gold track & field team had some strong performances against Fenn and Nashoba Brooks this week. Highlights included Cole Sparks making up 50m in the final lap of the mile to capture a second place finish, Camille DeStefano breaking out for a team best in the 200m, and a dramatic win by the girls’ 4x200m relay team of Piper Morris, Dana Chang, Breah LeGrand, and Kiki Friedbauer.
More Athletics News
- The doubles pairings of Audrey Wu and Claire LaFarge (5-3) and Amanie Yusef and Lauren Kopperl (4-3) helped lead JV tennis to a dominate 7-0 sweep of Nashoba Brooks this week.
- The boys’ lacrosse team dropped a heart-breaker at Fenn this week, falling 6-5 in OT. Paul Lyons was strong in net for the visitors while classmate Cole Lemack-Bremen paced the offense.
- Lucy Myers, Harry Reitshamer, and Jake Walsh all played well for the JV ultimate team this week during their season opener on the road against Carroll. The Blue & Gold fell 13-5.
- Sonia Kim shined on defense during girls’ lacrosse’s tough loss to Nashoba Brooks this week. Elena Dainora Cohen was the lone goal scorer for the Blue & Gold.
- Despite a rained out match, varsity tennis players Eden Lewis and Julian Tinmouth had a great week of practice and showed marked improvement in the strength and accuracy of their shots.
- Following up their first-place finish at the middle school invitational, the varsity ultimate team cruised to a win over Fayerweather this week. Captains Nico Rimer and Mina Cho paced the victors.
MORNING DROP-OFF
Important Reminder
The front circle of the Schoolhouse is a fire lane and drop-off area only. Parents are reminded that there is no parking or idling in the front circle at any time. During morning drop-off, please pull all the way up to the fire hydrant to drop off your child to allow other cars to pull up as well. Thank you for your cooperation.
ARTS
Fourth Grade Students Create Greek Ceramics
In conjunction with their study of Ancient Greece, each fourth grade student made a ceramic relief tile in art class depicting a scene or character from a story that they planned to tell at the Greek Festival. First, students each created a sketch of the hero or a scene from the stories they researched. Next, they transferred their sketches directly onto a wet clay slab. Working with their hands and various tools, the artists worked to add clay to build up areas of their designs, as well as carving away clay to emphasize parts of their individual stories. Then they inscribed elements into the clay to add patterns and details in both the main part of the tile and in the border areas. As a final step, each student used watercolor paint to add color and illustrate the individual tiles.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWS
Happy National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!
May is a great month for fitness, sports, and physical education! It’s National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. And, as part of the month-long celebration, the week of May 1-7 is National Physical Education and Sports Week. This year’s theme is HEALTH. MOVES. MINDS. The mission is to inspire healthy habits, fuel active minds, and to teach children to thrive physically and emotionally. Let’s do our part and spread the word!
More Physical Education News
In pre-k and kindergarten classes, students continued to learn locomotor skills and worked on crawling, balancing, skipping, and hopping with warm-up songs, such as “Boogie Down and Cruise” and “Popcorn Calling Me”. Pre-k students used bean bags to learn about balance by playing a game of Bean Bag Freeze and continued to develop catching and tossing skills. In kindergarten, students were introduced to jump ropes. They used the jump rope in a variety of ways from interdisciplinary activities, where students used the jump rope to make shapes and letters, to engaging in the basics of individual jump roping through the four-step method of 1- Ears, 2 – Find it, 3 – Flip it, and 4 – Jump.
In first grade and second grade, students engaged in warm-up activities of yoga and tag games. In the yoga warm-up activities, students performed downward dog, tree pose, cat, and warrior pose to name a few. In station activities, they worked on balancing, coordination, catching, footwork, and endurance using different equipment, such as ladders, scarves, and balance beams. They practiced skills by using hula hoops, jump sticks, and jump ropes as they developed timing and built up technique.
Our third and fourth grade students focused on five areas of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, core strength, muscular strength, and agility. They shared examples of activities in physical education class as well as individual experiences that focus on developing those areas of fitness. Then, they engaged in different exercises from the five areas of fitness, such as planks, downward dog, burpees, wall sit, jumping jacks, and leg lifts. Fourth graders were able to dig deeper into fitness and started to learn about ways to measure fitness by designing their own fitness trackers in a cross-disciplinary unit with technology and information literacy. Huge thanks to Mr. Robinson and Ms. Sprung.
In fifth grade, students participated in sport-specific units of rugby and tennis. The focus at the start of each unit was skill development through drills and partner activities. The units ended with the students getting an opportunity to play in a friendly game, such as flag rugby and tennis dungeons and dragons.
Physical Education Tip of the Month:
Check the following websites to learn more about National Physical Fitness and Sports Month:
CURRICULUM NEWS
Presentations on Mathematics Review
Grades Pre-k-5: Monday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Grades 6-8: Tuesday, May 14 at 8:30 a.m.
The math faculty have been hard at work over the past 18 months reviewing the lower school and middle school math curriculums. The in-depth process included reviewing our current practice, comparing our curriculums to state and national standards, identifying our strengths and weaknesses, and making recommendations for future improvements and adaptations.
Please join us on Monday for an overview of the math curriculum review process and the launch of our pre-k to grade 5 Singapore Math program. Please join us on Tuesday for an overview of the math curriculum review process and the launch of our Connected Mathematics Project program for grades 6 to 8.
BUILDINGS & GROUNDS NEWS
Universal Design Initiative
A sub-group of the buildings and grounds committee has formed to incorporate the principles of universal design—a framework for the design of spaces that benefit the widest range of people in the widest range of situations without special or separate design—at Belmont Day.
The seven principles of universal design are Equitable Use; Flexibility in Use; Simple and Intuitive Use; Perceptible Information; Tolerance for Error; Low Physical Effort; and Size and Space for Approach and Use. Learn more about universal design.
The group’s goal is to develop a layered plan to address physical, sensory, visual auditory, ambulatory, or environmental challenges at our school so that every student, parent, faculty member, and visitor is welcome and fully able to participate.
We invite you to complete this survey to help us identify elements of our campus and learning spaces that may impede the principles of universal design.
Your input will help us develop a prioritized list of challenges, identify remedies and costs, and create a timeline.
We value your input and thank you for your help.
-Corrado Paramithiotti, Director of Operations
LIBRARY NEWS
Returning Books for End of School Year
Please check your bookcases at home, under the bed, in those backpacks, and even in the freezer! Please bring back any library books that your student is not currently, or is about to read. If your student has been hanging on to some books for a while, it would be helpful to have those back as soon as possible. This summer we will be renovating the Erskine Library and we’ll be packing up every book in the collection.
Notices will be going out via email over the course of the next several weeks, and book check-outs will continue through Friday, May 10. All books are due back by the next Friday, May 17.
If your student would like to check out a book after May 17, please talk to Ms. Sprung. Students will need to have returned all other books. If students are interested in taking out books to read over the summer, please also make arrangements with Ms. Sprung.
SPECIAL VISITING DAY & CALL FOR PARENT VOLUNTEERS
Welcoming Grandparents and Special Friends
We are excited to share the schedule for next Friday’s Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Visiting Day! See the full schedule in the dropdown below.
In addition, we have a few important reminders about this fun day:
- While all parents are invited to the sharing assembly from 8:45 to 9:35 a.m., the rest of the visit day is strictly for our grandparents and special friends.
- Please contact Mary Merrill, director of development, if you need to request an accommodation due to a guest’s medical needs.
- If you would like to volunteer for this special community event, please see the online sign-up.
Event Schedule
Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Visiting Day
Friday, May 10
- 7:45–8:30 a.m. – Registration and Coffee in Coolidge Hall
- 8–8:30 a.m. – Middle School Classroom Visits (grades 6 – 8 only)
- 8:45–9:30 a.m. – Sharing Assembly in the Barn Gymnasium (all grades)
- 9:40–11:30 a.m. – Classroom Visits (all grades)
- 11:30 a.m. – Grandparents and Special Friends Depart
- 11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. – Optional Forum in Coolidge Hall with faculty and Head of School Brendan Largay
- 12:25 p.m. – Friday Dismissal
LOST & FOUND
Missing Something? Check the Bins Before May 18
As we head toward the end of the school year, now is the time to check for your student’s missing items. The lost and found bins are located across from the faculty room and are quite full. All items will be displayed at the corporation meeting on May 16 and again at the parents’ association meeting on May 17. All unclaimed items will be donated to Cradles to Crayons during the sorting event on Saturday, May 18.
GARDEN NEWS
BDS Honey and Garden Greens For Sale
Friday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Just a month ago the middle school beekeeping club installed two new colonies of bees, each with three pounds (approximately 10,000) of bees and one queen. As the new honeybee community gets established, worker bees are making honeycomb and have begun flights to forage for spring pollen and nectar from flowers, helping to pollinate and enhance local habitats, our own school vegetable and pollinator gardens, and local farms. The beekeeping club also extracted and bottled over six pounds of honey. Look for this limited edition all-natural raw honey for sale on the morning of Friday, May 17 during community service day in front of the school.
MUSIC NEWS
Visiting Faculty From Boston Children’s Choir
This week, a special guest conductor from the Boston Children’s Chorus, Jason Alexander Holmes, worked with sixth and seventh grade students on a workshop entitled, “Social Justice Conversations Through a Musical Lens.” Students learned about protest songs and made interdisciplinary connections with choral singing and social justice. Some students will be performing at the Wang Theatre on Saturday, May 18 with the Boston Children’s Chorus as part of the concert, Lift Every Voice: Her Song. We look forward to this collaboration that raises awareness of female empowerment through the celebration of powerful female composers and musicians. For more information on the concert, please visit the BCC website.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Community Service Day 2019
Friday, May 17
Community service day is an important opportunity for our community to put our values into action. Students in pre-k to grade four will each engage in a whole-class activity while students in grades five to eight will choose from several on- and off-campus project options. We are looking forward to an excellent day of joyful service and we need your help.
The middle school Roots and Shoots club is coordinating three donation drives in conjunction with community service day and ask for your support with the following items:
For Furnishing Hope – Gently used, clean, and in good condition, or new
- Bath towels and washcloths
- Shower curtains and hooks
- NEW shampoo, conditioner, bars of soap (preferably unscented), and liquid soap (unopened)
For Room to Grow
- NEW board books, especially Spanish/bilingual board books
- NEW infant and baby toys; check out their wish list on Amazon
For Grandma’s Pantry – please check the use-by dates on items before donating
- non-perishable food items; sugar-free and no-salt items welcome
Donations can be dropped off in the Schoolhouse Gallery or in the communications office. Thank you for your generosity!
ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE
ERBs for Grades 3 to 6
- Third and fourth grade classes will be taking the ERB assessments on May 7, 8, and 9. Students will have a practice session on Monday, May 6.
- Fifth and sixth grade classes will be taking the ERB assessments the following week on May 14, 15, and 16. Students will have a practice session on Monday, May 13.
Please contact Mary Ellen Coyne-Gordon with any questions.
Parents’ Association News
Parents’ Association Meeting
Friday, May 17, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Barn Mezzanine
Please join us for a special thank you breakfast for our PA and auction volunteers. We’ll have a light agenda with a focus on celebrating the end of another wonderful year. All parents are welcome to join!
Faculty Luncheon Sign-up
Show your gratitude to the hard-working faculty and staff by contributing a purchased or homemade dish to the faculty appreciation luncheon on May 31. Beverages, food, tablecloths, and more are all needed and appreciated to make this event a success. We still have lots of items on the list, so please consider helping. Instructions for where and when to drop-off are available here.
Library Cleaning & Library Committee Meeting
Monday–Wednesday, May 13-15
Lend a hand to dust, wipe, do inventory, catalog, and pack books and shelves to keep the Erskine Library in tip-top shape and ready for the renovation. Drop in any time during the cleaning and stay for as long as you are available. Any time you can give is greatly appreciated. Refreshments will be provided.
Monday, May 13 from 8:15 to 10 a.m.
Tuesday, May 14 from 8:15 to 10 a.m.
Wednesday, May 15 from 8:15 to 10 a.m.
*Please note that the library committee will be meeting at 8:15 a.m. prior to Monday’s cleaning. All welcome! Come to hear about the latest library news and initiatives.
Upcoming Events
Cradles to Crayons Sorting Event
Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Barn Gym
Parent Book Club
Wednesday, May 29, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m., Erskine Library
Book Selection: Naamah by Sarah Blake
Auction
Volunteer Celebration
Friday, May 17, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Barn Mezzanine
As a special thank you to our auction volunteers we are hosting a celebratory breakfast at the last parents’ association meeting of the year. The final results from the auction will be announced the evening before during the at the corporation meeting on May 16. Early signs indicate that the event was a great success!
The Wonder Auction could not have happened without the dozens of volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes. Please see the list of volunteers below, and join us in thanking them for their hard work. (If you volunteered in any way, and we inadvertently left your name off of this list, please accept our most sincere apologies and our appreciation for your contribution.)
Auction Volunteers
Thank you!
| Alex Min | Amy Schneider | Angel Williams |
| Angela Robinson | Anne Armstrong | Antonia von Gottberg |
| Anya Leonova | April Bradshaw | Augusta Sparks |
| Beth Sousa | Bill Chipman | Carol Lu |
| Carolyn Atinizian | Catalina Guillermety | Cathy Fullerton |
| Charlene Hamilton | Christina Cosman | Cindy Kuechle |
| Courtney Queen | Dan Cantor | Danielle England |
| Deborah Kokinos | Dinna Joseph-Louissaint | Dolly Ryan |
| Fay Chang | Gigi Saltonstall | Isabella Jean |
| Jeana Colangelo | Jeannine Mathurin | Jen Abbott |
| Jen Blecher | Jen Stine | Jim Walker |
| Jordan Hampton | Judy Bright | Julie Rosenberg |
| Karla Bays | Kate James | Katherine Sayn-Wittgenstein |
| Kathryn Geismar | Kathy Jo Solomon | Kathy Keegan |
| Kelly Baker | Kelly McIntosh | Keri Baugh |
| Kim Morris | Kim Truong | Lauren Kiraly |
| Lizzie Casanave | Lyle Bibler | Maria Gesiorek |
| Marianna Vulli | Maribel Sandoski | Mary Merrill |
| Matthew Pearl | Michele Walters | Nareeluck Stephenson |
| Pam Cuming | Patty Harlow | Paul Sullivan |
| Rachel Garber | Rose Lotin | Sang-Jeong Lee-Min |
| Shannon Conry | Shannon Planck | Stephanie Kadnar ’84 |
| Stuart McCoy | Susanna Rowe | Tara Lightbody |
| Tobey Pearl | Tyl Pattisall | Vera Garibaldi |
Beyond BDS
Science on Saturday
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 255 Wood St., Lincoln
Saturday, May 18, 10 to 11 a.m.
Join Lincoln Laboratory for Light, Sound, Vibration, and their Remarkable Relationship, a fun discussion of photon-to-phonon interaction, photoacoustics, and laser vibrometry. Lincoln Laboratory will use light to create sound and vibration in objects at distances from a few inches to a kilometer. Then they use light as a microphone to measure sound and light from far away. This provides ways to find damages in bridges or jet engines from a safe point on the ground and helps surgeons perform ultrasound without touching the patient.
Arts Festival
Miles of Murals Boston 2019: Walls That Speak Public Art Festival
Saturday, May 4, 2 to 5:30 p.m.
David Ortiz Drive, Boston
Join the Arts Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK) for the Miles of Murals – Walls that Speak. For more information on this fun-filled, free event, please visit the ARCK website.
Return to the Parent Portal
You can share a link to the entire newsletter here—or share individual articles using the icons to the right of each article.