November 22, 2024
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Pre-kindergarten PE is always a blur of activity and learning.
Opening Message
Gratitude In Connection
Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: November 22, 2024
Few heads of school have the regular opportunity to share what is on their mind with their community. I am grateful to have this privilege and consider it a meaningful way to foster connection with the school’s parents, faculty, and friends.
As Thanksgiving break and the winter holiday season approaches, I invite you to consider the power of connection. Increasingly, daily life has become transactional. Everything from Amazon ordering to TikTok scrolling to self-checkout has many operating from an ‘asked-for-and-answered’ posture that involves little to no interaction between us. The holiday season, and Thanksgiving in particular, offers us the chance to shift our focus away from what others might do for us to what we might do for others.
I’m inspired by the seventh grade teaching team’s ‘Seven Wonders,’ which updates parents about the goings-on in their children’s classes. Instead of sending home a summary of the work, the team offers a question for parents to ask their children: What type of solutions are acids? What types are bases? What differences or similarities are you finding between the Kingdom of Mali and another ancient African kingdom? How do socioeconomic and gender norms inform our assumptions about others? Conversation and questions about ideas and learning at the dinner table, or commuting to school or a game amplify connection.
Holiday celebrations are often multi-generational events. What questions would you ask at a family gathering to foster moments of intentional connection across generations? Perhaps your children will have questions, too. Why does our family hold onto its unique traditions? What made them special the first time they happened around the table? What is a favorite memory?
Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering, suggests that moments of intentional connection, particularly when opinions at a gathering differ, are both relationally and neurologically beneficial. Connecting across differences–indeed, honoring differences–has never felt more critical, and the bonus neurological benefit is (pardon the pun) a bit of gravy.
As a school community that honors joy as one of its core values, take time to foster it around your table. Family members can engage children in conversations about highlights of the school year, a new friendship, or something exciting they’ve learned, allowing them to share their joyful moments. These conversations can also be an antidote to challenging conversations that may crop up.
Parker would likely celebrate the decision to remove cell phones from the school day and encourage them to stay put away for Thanksgiving dinner. Being fully present is hard to do these days. Devices at the dinner table interrupt connection. Engage your children in a conversation about the ‘why’ of a device-free meal. Can your children identify the benefits? Can they name why devices can be detrimental to them? No one wants to accept a “because I said so” decision, especially children. So, be transparent about why the absence of digital distraction is important for them, your family, and your holiday.
However you will be spending this Thanksgiving break, I hope it gives you a chance to give thanks, connect, and find joy. From all of us at Belmont Day, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving, and we look forward to seeing you in December!
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
School Closed Monday, December 2
Thanksgiving break is extended by one day this year. Belmont Day will be closed on Monday, December 2, for a professional development day. Trimester 2 begins and school reopens on Tuesday, December 3.
Attention Middle School Families
Trimester 1 Reports Available Soon
Check the Parent Portal on Friday, December 6 for middle school reports.
State of the School 2024
Thursday, December 5 at 8:30 a.m.
Coolidge Hall
Along with reviewing some of the 2023 parent survey feedback, Head of School Brendan Largay will engage parents in a conversation about Belmont Day’s future. Informed by research, the recent AISNE accreditation visit, and our perennial pursuit of living our mission, the presentation will explore how we deliver on our promise of excellence at Belmont Day.
The State of the School will be presented as part of the parents’ association’s December meeting.
If you cannot attend, all PA meetings are recorded and available on the Parent Portal.
Pre-Thanksgiving Break Celebrations
Pajama Day
Monday, November 25
We will joyfully close out our penultimate day of learning before Thanksgiving break with Pajama Day! Students in all grades are invited to wear their coziest, comfiest, school-appropriate pajamas to school. Slippers are fine, but please send in a pair of sneakers and essential outdoor gear—coats, hats, gloves—with students for recess.
Gratitude Assembly & Early Dismissal
Tuesday, November 26
Assembly from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
School Closes at 12:30 p.m. | no After School Program
Join us in the Barn gym for reflections, sharing, and celebrating how Indigenous Tribal Nations honor community and family. Tribal Nations continue to be leaders in understanding the importance of communal care. On this day, BDS will engage with Indigenous-centered content, share how we show gratitude and enjoy music together. We hope you will join us.
Early Dismissal Plan
After the assembly, parents are asked to stay seated in the Barn while students and teachers are dismissed to their classrooms. Once this happens, parents are welcome to pick up their child from the classroom, making sure they check out with the teacher and then head directly to their vehicles.
There will be parents queued up in their vehicles waiting to pick up their children, so if you are on foot, please go directly to your car and exit campus, circumventing the pick-up line. There will be no After School or enrichment classes on Tuesday and participants will be dismissed from their assigned default dismissal door. Please check with the front desk before Tuesday if you do not know which default door your child is assigned to.
Lunch & Snack Menu
November 25 to November 29
Monday
Snack: fruit cups; granola bars
Lunch: Breakfast for Lunch – waffles; vegan waffles; gluten-free waffles; scrambled eggs, bacon; vegan sausages; seasoned broccoli; chef’s choice salad
Tuesday
Snack: bananas; Cheez-Its
Early Dismissal: No Lunch
Wednesday
School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Thursday
School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Friday
School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Please click the button below for a more detailed and updated weekly menu.
BDS News
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Giving Day 2024
Mark your calendars! BDS Giving Day is Tuesday, December 10, and we need your help to make it a record-breaking success.
We invite our extended community to express their vote of confidence in the school, faculty, and students by making a gift to the annual fund. BDS Giving Day is all about participation–every gift, no matter the size, will help us reach our goal of 300 gifts in 24 hours. Let’s come together and show what we can accomplish when we rally in support of Belmont Day. Can we count you in?!
Join us at the tent in front of Coolidge Hall at drop-off or swing by during pick-up on Giving Day. We will have coffee, tea, treats, photo opportunities, and other activities to celebrate our philanthropic culture at BDS.
Thank you for your support. Let’s make this Giving Day our most successful yet!
– Kyle Beatty, associate director of development
Winter Coat Drive for Cradles to Crayons
December 2 to December 13
Ready to share the warmth? In conjunction with BDS Giving Day on Tuesday, December 10, Belmont Day will host a winter coat and clothing drive in partnership with Cradles to Crayons to provide much-needed cold-weather gear to children experiencing clothing insecurity. If your family would like to participate, please send in new or gently used children’s coats, snow pants, or boots to donate between December 2 and December 13. Collection bins will be located in or near student classrooms.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and families to make a difference in the lives of children and for BDS to give back to the community in a meaningful way. Thank you!
COMMUNITY EVENT
Winter Concert
Friday, December 13
Downing Gym
Concert Starts at 10:30 a.m. (Doors open at 10 a.m.)
Join us on Friday, December 13 to welcome the winter season. Together, as a community, we’ll celebrate and enjoy the musical talents of our students.
Please note these important changes for this year:
- The concert is a week before school closes for Winter Break.
- After School will run as usual on the day of the concert; if you plan to dismiss your child early please email attendance@belmontday.org.
- Only middle school students who are in the ensembles program will be performing. (All lower school students will perform with their grades and their ensembles, as in past years.)
Concert Day Details
Drop-off for School Day: Students should be dropped off for school at their regular times and locations.
Parking for Concert: Please coordinate your plans so that the fewest possible cars arrive on campus, as parking is limited. The buildings and grounds team will direct traffic and parking. The procession of students into the Downing Gym will begin promptly at 10:20 a.m.
Entry and Seating: Please enter using the front door of the Schoolhouse and follow the signs to the Downing Gym. The gym doors will open at 10 a.m. so families can find seats. Rows of chairs will be reserved for student performers, but all other rows are available for family and friends. Seating is first come, first served. All students will sit with their classes for the concert.
Concert Dress: This is a formal, celebratory event. Students should come to school dressed appropriately for their performances–simple patterns and solid colors are recommended.
Dismissal: At the end of the concert, the audience will remain seated while students and teachers process out and return to their classrooms.
- Students with a parent in attendance will be picked up and checked out from the classroom. Please go directly to your car and exit campus, circumventing the pick-up line that will be formed by those who were not in attendance.
- If you are picking up in the car line, students will be dismissed from their assigned dismissal door. If you do not know which dismissal door your child is assigned to please check with the front desk before the day of the concert.
- Please make sure to have your name placard displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Lost & Found Items Will Be Donated After Thanksgiving Break
Please check the Lost & Found for your students’ missing items as soon as possible. All unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity after Thanksgiving break.
The Lost & Found is located in the hallway between Liz Parfit’s office at the front of the Schoolhouse and the sixth grade classrooms. Check in at the front desk, and you will be directed right to it.
Click the button below for a photo gallery of found items. If you see an item and are not able to make it to school to retrieve it, or if you have any questions, please contact Becca Doyle at becca@macdoyle.com or 617-416-6390.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Winter is coming—layer up and be prepared!
This week’s chilly rains are a good reminder that colder weather is coming. Now is the time to ensure you have all the cold-weather gear your children will need for outdoor activities before, during, and after school.
At Belmont Day, we aim to get outside for recess every day. However, on days when it is exceptionally cold (the temperature with the wind chill falls below 15 degrees), we will limit our outside recess time. Hopefully, there will be very few days when it is so inclement that we are unable to go outside at all!
All students–pre-k through grade 8–participate in outdoor recess every school day. To be safe and comfortable, your child should always have:
- A warm coat (a sweatshirt, fleece, or vest is not warm enough below 40 degrees)
- A hat or hood
- Gloves or mittens
- Boots and snow pants (students without this gear will be unable to join their friends playing in the snow)
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It is a good idea to keep extra outdoor gear in your child’s cubby or locker so they are always prepared. It is also a great idea to keep spare clothes at school, no matter your child’s age, in case clothing becomes wet or muddy while playing outside.
Middle school athletes should have long pants or sweatpants available each day, as well as appropriate gear for the weather. After School students enjoy the outdoors daily as well, especially on Fridays.
If any family has questions or needs regarding proper cold-weather clothing, please contact Lauren Connors, school nurse, or Blair Fross, director of school-year auxiliary and specialty programs.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Model UN Club Excels at Conference
On Saturday, November 16, seventeen middle school students participated in a Model UN Conference at Northeastern University. These students were delegates representing Guatemala, South Africa, the US, Somalia, Russia, South Korea, and the Philippines. During the middle school clubs period, they worked hard to research their countries and the issues they were preparing to discuss. They joined 600 middle school students from many schools around New England as they discussed important world issues and worked to pass resolutions to solve global problems. The issues our students grappled with at this particular conference included:
- Ensuring access to quality education for all
- Protection of endangered animals and threatened wildlife
- Evaluating the progress of the Paris Climate Agreement
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Preparing for a Model UN conference involves extra work outside of school, a commitment to effective collaboration, and a desire to make a difference in the world. All of our students did so well. They brought flair, kindness, and humor to their preparation work and spread the BDS values of excellence and joy at the conference itself. Many of these students will be taking part in future Model UN opportunities this year. Be sure to ask one of our BDS delegates about their experiences as international diplomats!
Students participating in the Model UN Conference were Henry Mallet, Bella Tan, Elena Li, Eileen Luo, Reema Wulfsberg, Kabir Sonawane, Ashley Fleming, Penelope Wong, Kiernen Patel, Dalia DiCrescenzo, Adam Ahmed, Eden O’Sullivan, Ethan Zipkin, Tadhg O’Sullivan ’24, Vatche Balikian, Sohan Shah, Ronan Patel, Rubin Xiao.
– Jennifer Friborg, French teacher and Model UN club advisor
LIBRARY NEWS
Grab Some Books for a Break or Beyond!
Did you know families are welcome to browse our library catalog from home and place holds on books? You may request books to be delivered to your child’s cubby. Click here to browse the catalog. Requests are typically processed and delivered twice a week. Please return your books to your classroom return cart when you’re finished with them.
For pre-kindergarten to grade 3 students, your child’s username for the catalog is their first initial, last name, and year of graduation (e.g., asprung25). Their password is the year the school was founded. Students in grades 4 to 8 may log in to the catalog with their BDS Google account to request books.
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Another way to access books is using our ebook and audiobook catalog, Sora. If you’re familiar with Libby from your public library, Sora is very similar as it is the school version. We share access to these collections with other schools in Massachusetts to provide a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and read-alongs. Sora can be accessed via the app or website. Click here for instructions on how to start listening to great stories on upcoming car rides with your student.
Please email asprung@belmontday.org with any questions, and thank you for being patrons of the Erskine Library.
– Amy Sprung, school librarian
AUXILIARY PROGRAMS
After School & Enrichment Registrations Close November 29
Registration Open for School Vacation Week Camps
Planning ahead for the February and April vacation weeks? We are offering Belmont Day families the opportunity to register now for both the February and April vacation camps. We are only opening registration to school families at this time and all registrations will be processed manually through the camp office. Camp descriptions and instructions for how to register are in the dropdowns below.
February Camp
Space: The Final Frontier
Dates: Tuesday, February 18 to Friday, February 21
Cost: $625 | Extended day is available at $35 per day. Space is limited.
This space odyssey-themed program will explore planets, spaceships, aliens, and NASA with fun, engaging, and educational adventures.
April Camp
Zootopia: The Wild World of Animals
Dates: Tuesday, April 22 to Friday, April 25
Cost: $625
Participants will learn about creatures large and small, discover extinct ecosystems, make an animal foot cast, build like an army ant, and more. They will also enjoy a visit from some real-life animal friends. At this time, extended day is unavailable; we hope to offer it if we can.
Registration Process
For children who have previously attended camp:
- Email summer@belmontday.org with the child’s name, which vacation week camp you would like to enroll in, and whether you need extended day.
- We will process the enrollment in CampMinder and confirm your payment information.
For children who have not attended camp:
- Email summer@belmontday.org with the following information:
– Child’s name, current grade, and date of birth
– Home address
– Phone number to reach you during camp hours
– The vacation week camp you would like to enroll in - We will create an account for you, register your child, and send you a login link.
- Use the login link to set a password.
- Add payment information under “Financial Management.” We will then process your payment.
Please email summer@belmontday.org with registration questions. If you have questions about the programs offered, please contact Blair Fross, director of school-year auxiliary and specialty programs, at bfross@belmontday.org.
BUSINESS OFFICE NEWS
Trimester 1 Auxiliary Program Payments Due December 13
Parents are reminded that payments for After School and Enrichment programs for the first trimester are due by December 13, 2024. View invoices and initiate an online payment by logging into the Parent Portal and clicking the “Invoices and Payments” button. Payment may also made by check. Please make checks payable to Belmont Day School and mail or drop off to the school.
Payments will be processed for those registered for AutoPay on Friday, December 13. Please contact Blair Fross or the Business Office if you have questions about your bill or payment.
– Hilary Berkman, chief financial officer
Learning Updates
Middle School Music Students ‘Step Into the Studio’
On Wednesday evening, students from the songwriting, a cappella, and recording technology music electives joined forces to put on the first-ever BDS Step Into The Studio night. Unlike a typical performance night, the audience was invited to participate in the live recording process of original student works and arrangements. Designed, organized, and led by the seventh and eighth grade students, our musicians and recording technicians demonstrated incredible leadership, collaboration, and musicality. Click here if you’d like to see, hear, and share this fun new musical event.
– Kassie Bettinelli and Tyler Cotner, music teachers
Athletics Update: Fall Season by the Numbers
Last Friday, our team captains officially closed the book on the fall season during the all-school assembly by sharing lessons learned, highlighting successes, and expressing appreciation for teammates and coaches. Speeches were focused on collective improvement, overcoming challenges, and sharing team experiences. If you were in attendance that morning, you likely left feeling that the fall season was a success. You may not have known, however, just how successful it was. This fall, the athletics program supported 142 athletes across ten interscholastic teams. Twenty-two faculty coaches led teams. Twenty-four middle school athletes earned the opportunity to serve as a team captain. Teams competed in seventy-one interscholastic contests and combined for a record of forty-seven wins, twenty-three losses, and one tie. What a season! Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches on a job well done. Now it’s time to start all over again…
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics Extra: Volleyball Players Watch Harvard vs. Princeton Match
Last Saturday, the BDS volleyball team made its annual trip to the Malkin Athletic Center in Cambridge to watch the Harvard Women’s Volleyball Team face off against Princeton. Although the match didn’t go in Harvard’s favor, our middle school athletes were inspired by the power and strength of the players. A big thank you to the Harvard Women’s Volleyball team for once again demonstrating how student-athletes can excel both academically and athletically!
– Brittany Ryan, sixth grade math teacher and varsity volleyball coach
Arts Update: Sixth Graders Create Unique Stencils
The sixth grade launch 2D art class has been exploring various art techniques, including drawing, painting, and printmaking. At the end of the trimester, students focused on printmaking based on symmetrical designs. After learning about bilateral and radial symmetry, they were challenged to create two different stencil designs. These designs were then laminated and students carved out the positive shapes with X-acto knives to create openings that the ink could pass through to make a series of one-of-a-kind prints. Using watercolor paint and stencil brushes, artists transferred their designs on paper through the openings of the stencils based on a technique called “Pochoir Printing,” used by artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to illustrate books with limited editions of stencil prints. Students also had an opportunity to create an overlapping print on top of an existing print to combine their unique designs.
– Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher
A Delicious Lesson In Sixth Grade French
Parents’ Association News
Book Fair: Last Day
Today is the final day of the PA 2024 Online Book Fair with Belmont Books. Join us at Belmont Books TODAY, Friday, November 22, from 1 to 6 p.m. for an in-store shopping event. Keep shopping online until midnight tonight on Belmont Books’s website and enter the code BELMONTDAY24 in the “coupon code” field (not to be confused with “online gift code”) at check-out.
Visit the book fair website for grade-level reading lists, wish lists for contributions to the Erskine Library, and further details. Thank you for your support and happy reading!
PA Meeting & State of the School
The next parents’ association meeting will be on Thursday, December 5, at 8:30 a.m. in Coolidge Hall. Our guest will be Head of School Brendan Largay who will present the 2024 State of the School. All parents are invited, and coffee and light refreshments will be served.
BDS Connections Walk
Our next BDS Connections Walk will be on Monday, December 9, starting at 8:30 a.m. Join fellow parents and school administrators for a fun, casual walk through the woods surrounding campus after morning drop-off. We’ll meet at the exterior entrance to Coolidge Hall to start the walk. This is a great opportunity to get to know parents in other grades and school administrators
Parent Networking Breakfast
You may be looking for something to do between morning drop-off and the Winter Concert on Friday, December 13. If you are, please join us at 8:30 a.m. in Coolidge Hall for breakfast and a networking event for BDS parents. The event format will consist of small breakout groups centered on topics of common interest. Attendees will suggest the topics and choose which discussion groups they wish to join. The range of topics is open-ended, but examples might include summer camps, favorite recipes, personal hobbies, career development, or volunteering.
Through this event, we hope to foster connections across grades, discover shared interests, and tap into the rich pool of knowledge and expertise within our parent community. We hope you will join us! If you have any questions or would like to help with organizing this event, please reach out to Jeff Wang at bdspa@belmontday.org.
Contact the PA
Please feel free to reach out directly to any of the PA ambassador team or to email us at bdspa@belmontday.org:
President – Shanying Zhang
Vice President – Megan Akkina
Treasurer – Andy Stevenson
Clerk – Jeff Wang
Beyond BDS
LOCAL THEATER
Sixth Grader to Take Stage With Revels
Midwinter Revels: The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman
Sanders Theater, Harvard University, Cambridge
December 13 to December 28
Catch Belmont Day sixth grader Sabine Rooney as she joins the cast of Revels for The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman: A Celtic and Cabo Verdean Celebration of the Solstice. In a small fishing village off the shores of Galway Bay, a community gathers in the local pub to celebrate the season. A child enters looking for a package that may have been delivered for his mother, who comes from another coastal town–in Cabo Verde. Songs and dances are shared, and the pub dissolves into a portal for fantasy with a transformative retelling of the Selkie story, a Celtic myth about living between two worlds. Irish songs, jigs, and reels share the stage with dance, drumming, and traditional songs from Cabo Verde. In the Revels tradition, a new community is catalyzed, and with it hopes for a new year.
Click here for performance dates and ticket information.
DANCE PERFORMANCE
Seventh Grader Joins Production of The Nutcracker
Check out this beautiful holiday classic and you may just see Belmont Day seventh grader Annika Cash dancing across the stage. Annika will perform in the Jose Mateo production of The Nutcracker at the Strand Theater in Dorchester. You can see Annika in the role of party child in the shows on December 7 at 2:00 p.m., December 8 at 5:00 p.m., December 13 at 7:00 p.m., and December 14 at 7:00 p.m., December 15 at 1:30 p.m., December 21 at 2:00 p.m., and December 22 at 5:00 p.m.
Click here for more information on the show, tickets, and location.
Return to the Parent Portal
