October 7, 2022
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‘Toilet paper’ Olympics this week in the Bedtime Math enrichments class!
Opening Message
Living Our School Values
Connie Yepez, Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Post Date: October 7, 2022
As we enter the second full month of school, I marvel at how I see our school values on display every day! Certainly, as a new member of the community, I’ve been adjusting to Belmont Day culture, lingo, events, traditions, and schedule. There is much to learn and take in—and so much that I already appreciate about this wonderful community.
How are respect, honesty, responsibility, caring, joy, and excellence visible in our community to me? From my travels around the school and from my office in the sixth grade hallway, I see and hear:
- Students beaming with smiles and alive with laughter
- Joyful play on Big Blue and Claflin Field during recess
- Students reaching out to faculty when they have a concern, question, or problem
- Faculty modeling that we are all every child’s teacher
- People learning and using each other’s names
- Student focus and engagement in classes
- “Hello” and “Good morning” are spoken consistently in our hallways
- Beautiful and inspiring displays of student work
- A spirit of cooperation and support when others need help
These are just a few of the ways we actively demonstrate the values of our school community. These values are also aspirational. Are we all always responsible, caring, or joyful? Speaking from the “I” perspective, I am not. In the moments when we lose our way and behave in ways that do not show our best selves, I hope we can lean into the aspirational nature of our stated values. Demonstrating care and love for each other sometimes will mean that we will need to apologize, change our behavior, and repair fractured relationships.
We are all BDS! This reminds me of the concept of UBUNTU, which I have seen translated as “I am because we are.” This definition speaks to me because it names the connectedness in communities—families, friend groups, schools, teams, etc. Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote that the essence of ubuntu is, “My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours.” Our ability to acknowledge our common humanity as we navigate challenges is what will keep us connected, compassionate, and empathetic as we all try to know better and do better.
I am so excited to be here at BDS and be “bound up” in this community. I look forward to sharing what I know will be a year of learning, excellence, challenges, growth, and joy, and experiencing with all of you many more examples of our values in action.
Upcoming Events
Coming Up This Week
Monthly Calendar
Admissions Open House
Sunday, October 16, 2022, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
We will welcome prospective families to campus for our first in-person admissions open house in nearly three years! Visitors will be introduced to what makes BDS special by student ambassadors who will provide tours of campus and our dedicated faculty who will share insights into their curriculum.
Prospective families will be invited to visit campus at a specific time depending on their student’s grade level. Registration is required, and the attendance time will be shared upon registration. Please share this link for more information and registration with any friends, neighbors, or relatives who may be interested in learning about an independent school education for their child. Thank you!
Parent Conference Sign-ups
The fall parent conference days are Monday, October 31, and Tuesday, November 1, and school will be closed except for conference visits. Please keep an eye out on Friday, October 14, for an email from your child’s homeroom teacher or advisor with a link for reserving a conference time. Childcare will be available during the time that families are visiting for the conference. More details will be shared in next week’s Scoop.
Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Kick Off
Wednesday, October 19
5:30 to 6 p.m. – reception
6 to 7:30 p.m. – program
The location is to be determined
Please join us for an introductory reception and program with the new equity, inclusion, and belonging team—Connie Yepez, director, and Mike Marroquin-Castillo, assistant director, and Brendan Largay, head of school, to hear about our collective vision for EIB at Belmont Day. All parents and guardians are invited. If you have any questions, please contact Connie Yepez at cyepez@belmontday.org.
Lunch & Snack Menu
October 10 to October 14
Monday
School closed for Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Tuesday
Snack: apple sauce; granola bars
Lunch: cheese lasagna with marinara; pasta with marinara; broccoli; mixed greens with vinaigrette; crusty rolls; Romano cheese; mixed fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk and water
Wednesday
Snack: bananas; Teddy Grahams
Lunch: beef tacos; corn tacos; flour tortillas; vegetable taco filling; corn fiesta blend; taco salad; shredded cheese; salsa; sour cream; guacamole; diced tomatoes; fresh fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk and water
Thursday
Snack: clementines; Lay’s potato chips
Lunch: warm turkey and cheese subs; warm cheese subs; gluten-free turkey and cheese subs; soup of the day; carrot and bean blend; Caesar salad; potato chips; fresh fruit; canned fruit; yogurt; milk, chocolate milk, and water
Friday
Snack: apple slices; Sun Chips
Faculty Lunch
Dining In Coolidge Hall
Along with the main menu, students have access to a hot bar with the “hot veg of the day,” as well as a salad bar with fresh vegetables, fruit, deli meats and cheese, roasted tofu, hummus, organic yogurt, greens and a salad of the day. They also have access to cereal, bread, bagels, cream cheese, Wowbutter, and jellies. 1% milk and soy milk are available.
Each table is set with the entrée of the day. There are plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options for those who follow a specialized diet. We also ask that any children with allergies introduce themselves to the kitchen team so that we can make sure that everyone enjoys a safe meal.
BDS News
COMMUNITY NEWS
Middle School Affinity and Gender-Sexuality Alliance Launch
We are very excited to announce the launch of our affinity spaces and our Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) group. These spaces allow students and faculty facilitators to be in community together in a self-identified affinity or ally space.
It is important to understand the difference between an affinity group and an ally group. An affinity group is a space for individuals who share a common identity to be in community with each other. All group members speak from the “I” perspective and share a common lived experience to create a safe, supportive, and brave space. An ally space is open to everyone in the community, and it is a space for its members to gather in support/activism for a specific group.
This year, students may select from the following affinity and ally spaces at BDS:
- Black Affinity Group
- LatinX Affinity Group
- AAPI (Asian-American/Pacific Islander) Affinity Group
- Jewish Affinity Group
- Trans/Nonbinary Affinity Group
- GSA (Gender-Sexuality Alliance)
Read More
Participation in affinity and ally groups is optional and, just as we all have many strands of identity, some students may choose to participate in more than one group. As meetings are scheduled this month, the full roster of times and places will be shared again with middle school students.
In the spirit of creating a sense of belonging and support for all in our community, we encourage students to advocate for affinity and ally spaces that they’d like to see at BDS. We welcome and appreciate these conversations!
We would like to thank our faculty facilitators who have offered their time, energy, and passion in leading our spaces this school year. Through consistent check-ins, professional development, and support we know these spaces will be well-supported this year.
For more information about affinity and alliance groups, please contact Mike Marroquin-Castillo, assistant director of equity, inclusion, and belonging, and Connie Yepez, director of equity, inclusion, and belonging at eib@belmontday.org.
COMMUNITY RESOURCE
Introducing The Toolkit, A Wellness Newsletter for Families and Faculty
In support of our community’s work in the area of social and emotional learning (SEL) and our mindfulness efforts, next week, we will launch The Toolkit, a biweekly newsletter that will highlight a simple exercise that you can use in the classroom or at home. The Toolkit is a collaboration between Josh Sussman, school counselor, Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher and mindfulness director, and our consulting psychologist Dr. Julia Martin Burch.
Our aim is to share tried and true practices that will help expand your own toolkit as well as help us develop common strategies for nurturing wellness and wisdom among our students. Stay tuned for the first issue! We plan to have a newsletter in your inbox every other Tuesday during the school year.
GREENING NEWS
Middle Schoolers Pitch In to Pick Up Recycling
Middle school students began their school-wide recycling job last Friday. Every space in the school has bins to collect recyclables, including paper, bottles, and cans. On Fridays, each advisory group will take turns with this important community service job. The students collect recycling from offices, classrooms, and shared spaces and then place the collections in the single-stream recycling dumpster. Third graders also participate in this job by collecting the recycling in the Labyrinth areas (grades 3-5) and then placing their collections into large receptacles that the middle school volunteers will then empty.
This shared job connects directly to our school values and sustainability. Students see the importance of their commitment to participating in caring for our natural world. They act responsibly and promote respect for our community and how they can make a difference at BDS and beyond. Finally, they take joy in a group activity that is both helpful and fun.
If you see these hardworking individuals at pick-up on Fridays, please cheer them on and appreciate their excellent work!
– Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher and sustainability coordinator
COMMUNITY EVENT
Trunk or Treat Set for Saturday, October 22
Belmont Day Auxiliary Programs will host a Trunk or Treat event on campus on Saturday, October 22, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. If your children (and you!) are looking for a fun opportunity to put on their Halloween costumes to share with the Belmont Day community, this is your chance. All school and summer camp families are invited. Deck out your car trunks with Halloween or other themed decorations and hand out treats, or come sporting your costumes and participate in a scavenger hunt and other fun activities.
If you are interested in reserving a spot for your car, please fill out this sign-up form and reach out to Denali Kikuchi at dkikuchi@belmontday.org with any questions. Car spots are limited, so please sign up as soon as possible. If you will not be decorating your car and just wish to attend as a trick-or-treater, no need to RSVP. Thank you!
Learning Updates
Eighth Grade Math Tackles Spreadsheets
We’ve been getting acquainted with spreadsheets (specifically, Google Sheets) in some of the eighth grade math classes this week. As we’ve been studying one-variable statistics, students have also had the chance to see how a spreadsheet can increase the efficiency and simplicity of data analysis in a major way. Students have been using spreadsheet functions and formulas to collect summary statistics, graph the data, perform calculations with the data, and more. We have also taken this opportunity to squeeze in some conversations about budgeting and using a spreadsheet with formulas for managing money.
– Rachel Starks Chaves, eighth grade math teacher
Second Graders Working Together to Make Something Beautiful
Second grade’s summer reading book was Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael Lopez. This story is about a young girl and a muralist who decided to transform their neighborhood through art. Everyone who lived in the neighborhood came to help out and created something beautiful together.
We decided to make some beautiful things to decorate our own BDS neighborhood. First, we brainstormed one goal we each have for second grade. Our goals are based on things in our control that we can achieve in one year. We then created colorful puzzle pieces with an image representing each of our goals. We put all of our puzzle pieces together because we know that when we work together, we can create great things.
Our second project will be to create our very own mural with Ms. Solomon in art class. We will work together, just like the people in the book, to make something more beautiful than we can make alone. Stay tuned!
– The Second Grade Team
French Vocabulary Harvested in the BDS Garden
In third grade French, the students aim to reach the novice mid-level in writing. This means that they will be able to recall some words and phrases in context from memory and become comfortable writing on well-practiced, familiar topics. With this goal in mind, they will work on several multi-step projects throughout the year.
The third graders visited the BDS garden to start their first project this year, and we were lucky to enjoy a beautiful sunny day. Students established lists of things you find in the BDS garden and are in the process of learning the relevant French vocabulary. Their next step will be to draw their ideal garden, label the drawing and write descriptive sentences. The project will conclude with students presenting their ideal garden to the class in French!
– Nathalie Pellenq, lower school French teacher
PE Update: October Is Made for Layers
It is a good time to talk about PE-appropriate apparel now that October is here. September was sunny and delightful, but with autumn in full swing, the temperatures are dropping, and some much-needed rain has arrived. That means many students are now wearing boots and warm clothes. This is a great thing! We pride ourselves on having an indoor/outdoor PE program and taking advantage of the trails, fields, tennis courts, and gymnasiums to keep our students active and engaged.
Yet having an additional pair of sneakers at school can be really helpful in the cooler months. Those boots that keep out the rain and snow might not be so good for the precision kicking activity we have planned for PE class. In addition, that lovely wool sweater that is super toasty will cause some overheating after a few warm-up laps, so having tees on underneath is ideal—as well as a water bottle on hand.
There is that old saying in New England, “If you don’t like the weather wait about 15 minutes.” Well, something similar could be said about our internal weather during PE—a student might feel chilly on the walk over to the Barn and then be sweating just a few minutes later. With smart layering, we can be prepared for all conditions, so please help students keep that in mind as they prep for school each morning. And if you have any questions about recommended PE attire, don’t hesitate to reach out. In our department, we happen to be athleisure experts.
– Alex Tzelnic, physical education teacher, coach, and mindfulness director
Lawrence’s Migration Series Inspires Fifth Grade Art
Fifth grade students were “commissioned” this week by the Phillips Collection to create the sixty-first panel to add to Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration Series. Students created a piece of artwork that built on the artist’s visual narrative while adding a modern-day twist. Students’ paintings included the stylistic elements found in Lawrence’s work and incorporated the themes of the Great Migration. Students wrote artistic statements to explain their paintings.
– Vaniecia Skinner, fifth grade humanities teacher
Athletics Update: Varsity Football Rebounds vs Fenn
After a frustrating one-point loss last week against Park, the varsity football team rebounded with a commanding 36-6 win over Fenn this Thursday, improving their record to 2-1 on the season. The Blue & Gold jumped out fast in this one and never looked back. Liam Brodeur highlighted the offensive attack, tossing a career-high four touchdown passes to four receivers—Ezra Wolfson, Ellis Anderson, Bodhi Demers, and Zach Kromah. On the other side of the ball, the defense didn’t allow Fenn to get going. Andrew Green and Quinn McCaffrey each had a pair of sacks, while Gianni Squillante and Kavi Kumar-Warikoo combined for seven pass deflections. Overall it was a dominant effort for the home team.
– John O’Neill, director of athletics
Athletics News
- Annika Vital scored girls’ varsity soccer’s first goal of the season on a beautiful corner during the team’s 4-1 loss to Pike. Grace Sullivan and Claire Huang played well on the wing.
- Jun Murakami scored multiple TDs in JV football’s heartbreaking 20-18 loss to Fessenden in their season opener. Calum Dunbar secured the QB1 status for the team in defeat.
- Olivia Garrity and Aria Goodpaster popped in goals during field hockey’s 2-2 tie this week. Yara Ibrahim and Cordie Goldstyn made some huge stops in net to keep the game close.
- The boys’ varsity soccer team lost to Pike (2-0) this week. Petros Samuel and Eidan Kulman-Tamanaha had strong performances for the Blue & Gold, especially challenging the ball on defense.
- The JV soccer team dropped their season opener 3-2 to Cambridge Friends this week. Zeke Fine had a great goal while Natalie Jean and Emme Taylor provided strong leadership on the field.
- Pike handed XC their first loss of the season in a tight race. Jovana Zivanovic recorded her third consecutive PR while Emmett Mack and Jonathan Laipson each PR’d by a ton.
- The Outdoor Adventures crew took to the woods for some cairn building this week. Ben Dowers built the tallest structure for the second year in a row. Zazoue Marsan’s structure was also excellent.
Parents’ Association News
PA Meeting
The next parents’ association monthly meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 14, at 8:30 a.m. in Coolidge Hall and via Zoom (link available on the Parents’ Association page of the Parent Portal). All parents and caregivers are part of the parents’ association.
Flower Bulb Fundraiser
Click here to order bulbs now through October 15 for spring cheer. Bulbs will be shipped directly to your house in time to plant them this fall, and the PA will receive 50% of what you spend. The proceeds will support teachers and grade parents and help secure great guests for assemblies. New this fall! You can order daffodils for the Belmont Day campus. When you order them, please note in the order to have them sent to Belmont Day School (Attn: Anderson Santos). If you have any questions, contact Lia Meisinger or Mamie Cantor.
Pumpkin Patch
Getting excited for the crisp, colorful days of fall? Looking for some pumpkins and mums? The parents’ association is pleased to announce that the Pumpkin Patch Sale will be held on campus Tuesday-Thursday, October 11-13, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m. each day. Field pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, mini pumpkins, mini gourds, and mums will be available to purchase and take home, cash or check appreciated. Families may also choose to donate a mini pumpkin or a mum to show appreciation to the faculty and staff for all of their hard work.
Friendraiser Walks
The parents’ association friendraiser committee hosts a walk every Thursday morning after drop-off, starting at 8:15 a.m. Come discover the trails around BDS, reconnect with friends, and meet new friends. Gather by the benches at the front of the Schoolhouse and then journey through the woodland trails. The duration is about 40 minutes. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash at all times.
Lunchroom Flowers
We are so excited that students are eating lunch in Coolidge Hall again. This means that we can go back to having flowers and centerpieces for each table in Coolidge Hall. We are looking for volunteers to donate small centerpieces for the dining tables–plants, gourds, etc. This is an easy, low-stress way to contribute to BDS and a nice way to brighten the day for students and faculty. Click here to sign up to drop off 11-13 centerpieces that will last approximately three weeks.
Beyond BDS
COMMUNITY EVENT
Check Out The Cool Municipal Vehicles!
Kids of all ages are to the annual Belmont Touch A Truck event on Saturday, October 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Claflin Street Municipal Parking Lot in Belmont Center. Stop by to see and experience the town’s fire, police, and public works vehicles. For more information, click here.
CULTURAL EVENT
Belmont Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Join Belmont Against Racism for a joyous celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Sunday, October 9 at 4 p.m. at the Beech Street Center in Belmont. The Eastern Suns Drummers and Dancers will perform and share their traditions. This event is free and open to all. For more information, contact belmontagainstracism@gmail.com.
ARTS EVENT
Learn About Zines at Zine Fest
On Saturday, October 15, the Watertown Free Public Library will host the second-annual Watertown Zine Fest. Zines are small-batch, DIY publications that provide a powerful platform of expression for underrepresented perspectives and voices. Join WFPL in celebrating and learning about all things zine. For more information, click here.
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