September 18, 2026
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Working hard in the woodshop!
Opening Message
Fridays Are A Lesson In Community
By Brendan Largay, Head of School
Post Date: September 18, 2026
If I had to choose one word to describe Fridays at Belmont Day School, it would be community. We start each Friday gathering in some way, intentionally coming together to share in our learning and simply be with each other. The power of presence is, and I’m sorry/not sorry for the alliteration here, profound.
We know of a community’s power not only from our ninety-nine years of existence, but from the growing body of research on the importance of learning how to build and manage relationships in what can be an isolating tech-first world. Thus, at BDS, we lean into Fridays.
Just this morning, I filled my metaphorical cup at our first monthly parents’ association meeting. Coolidge Hall was packed with parents across our grades, and they shared their energy, their questions, and their desire to take an active part in the community.
Next Friday, we kick off our first all-school Sharing Assembly of the school year. Under the leadership of theater teacher and assembly coordinator Christopher Parsons, these assemblies are both a heartfelt celebration of fellowship and a powerful teaching tool. If you haven’t experienced it in past years, you’ll experience that teaching firsthand next week. Mr. Parsons is very clear on how everyone in the room, presenters and audience alike, has an equal measure of responsibility to the gathered community. How we manage our bodies and listen. How we react and applaud. How we speak into the microphone. How we support everyone. How we learn to do each of these things well goes right to the heart of our core values.
Future Friday mornings will also be filled with meetings of our cross-graded partners, a sharing and leadership opportunity and tradition that may not have an equal here at Belmont Day. I’m very excited that our innovation team is programming a variety of activities and projects for our partners this year. I’m sure when cross-graded takes flight in a few short weeks, the experiences will be filled with creativity, joy, and a love of migratory birds!
Then there are the class plays (third grade kicks it off next month!), sports sharing assemblies each season, and enrichment assemblies. Together, these moments highlight learning, reinforce lessons and values, and open and excite minds about what may lie ahead in the curriculum at BDS and in life beyond our campus.
Oh, and I almost forgot our weekly middle school meetings. A relatively new tradition here at BDS, the meetings each Friday are decidedly middle school in all the best ways. Students step up to lead the meetings; students share updates from their classes, clubs, and athletics; they perform music, tell jokes, give each other shoutouts, and much more.
I find that Fridays are what our children talk about the most when they get home and head into the weekend. I’ve learned over the years as a parent, teacher, and head of school that what they’re really talking about is their community, and the skills they’re building to live joyfully and responsibly with others.
I hope you can join us on a Friday soon and experience why it’s such a special day here at BDS.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Upcoming Events
Monthly Calendar
School Picture Days Are Next Week
Picture days for all students will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 22 and 23. The schedule for each of those days is below:
- Tuesday, September 22 – pre-kindergarten and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8
- Wednesday, September 23 – kindergarten and grades 2, 4, and 6
Photos will be taken outdoors by photographer Porter Gifford, who has worked with Belmont Day for many years.
If you have any questions, please contact Jen James at jjames@belmontday.org.
Curriculum Nights
Please join us for our annual back-to-school curriculum nights.
Middle School Curriculum Night
Thursday, September 24, 6 to 8 p.m.
Lower School Curriculum Night
Thursday, October 1, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Both events will start in the Palandjian Arts Center before moving to classrooms.
Upcoming Assemblies
Sharing Assembly
Friday, September 25
8:30 to 9:15 a.m.
Barn Gym
Join us for the first Sharing Assembly of the year! Everyone is invited.
Please note the earlier start time this year, and stay tuned next week for more information about these wonderful community gatherings.
Correction To Recent Email
We hope you saw our email earlier this week about assemblies this year. Thank you for your feedback and questions. We noticed a timing error for the Gratitude and Share the Warmth assemblies; those gatherings will be held at 11:30 a.m., and students will be dismissed from school afterward. Please mark your calendars with the dates and times below. Thank you!
- Gratitude Assembly, Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.
- Share the Warmth, Friday, December 18, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.
– Divya Muralidhara, assistant head of school, Betty Chu Pryor, lower school head, and Liz Gray, middle school head
Strategic Planning
Community Design Day
Saturday, October 3
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Coolidge Hall
As Belmont Day will celebrate its centennial in 2027, we are thinking boldly about the school's future and the next century of education. In partnership with the nonprofit organization Leadership+Design (L+D), we are in the process of developing the school’s next strategic plan. And we need your help!
We encourage all parents to join us for a Community Design Day, the morning of our annual Fall Fest. Led by L+D, the session will be a hands-on and collaborative design experience to brainstorm future directions for Belmont Day. The exercises are designed to elicit your reflections on the value of a Belmont Day education and actively involve you in shaping the school's future.
Thank you for your dedication to our mission, core values, history, and culture, and for taking part in a plan that advances them for the future.
We ask that you RSVP so we can best plan for this event.
Fall Fest 2026
Saturday, October 3, from 1 to 4 p.m.
BDS Campus
Mark your calendar and join us for one of our favorite community traditions as Belmont Day families, faculty, and staff come together for a fun-filled fall afternoon featuring food trucks, live music, dessert stations, lawn games, seasonal crafts, and plenty of fun for all ages.
New to BDS? Fall Fest is a wonderful way to get to know fellow families and experience the spirit that makes our community so special. We can’t wait to welcome you!
Want to get involved? Fall Fest is a true community effort! If you’d like to share a skill or lead a craft, help with an activity, or lend a hand as a volunteer, we would be so grateful for your support. Reach out to Pati Fernandez, Director of Development, or Avia Navickas P ’35, Fall Fest 2026 Co-Chairs.
Please RSVP so we can best plan for this event. Thank you!
Lunch & Snack Menu
September 21 to September 25
Monday
Snack: craisins; tortilla chips
Lunch: creamy pesto gemelli; penne and marinara; gluten-free creamy pesto pasta; crusty rolls; roasted zucchini and summer squash; Italian salad with mixed greens and artichokes
Tuesday
Snack: apples; apple oatmeal bars
Lunch: coconut crusted fish; sweet chili tofu; roasted whitefish; herb roasted potatoes; seasoned broccoli; spinach salad with goat cheese, craisins, and maple sherry vinaigrette
Wednesday
Snack: bananas; pretzels
Lunch: beef burgers with buns; vegan burgers with buns; beef burgers with gluten-free buns; kettle chips; honey carrot coins; kale salad with lemon vinaigrette
Thursday
Snack: clementines; Cheez-Its
Lunch: cheese pizza and pepperoni pizza; vegan cheese pizza; gluten-free cheese pizza; seasoned green beans; Caesar salad
Friday
Snack: apples; chocolate chip muffins
Faculty Lunch
Please click the button below for a more detailed, up-to-date weekly menu.
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. One percent milk and soy milk are also available.
Each table is set with the entrée of the day. There are 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
OPERATIONS NEWS
Ensuring the Safety of Our Community
As we start a new school year, we want to remind the adults in our community that we all share in the responsibility of keeping each other safe. Campus safety is an ongoing process that is most effective when everyone participates. During our opening meetings, our faculty receive extensive training on safety procedures. Throughout the school year, we practice all-school fire drills with the students and discuss our safety protocols and expectations at age-appropriate levels.
For our parents and guardians, we are asking for a commitment to another level of vigilance in keeping us all safe. Specifically, we ask the following:
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- Enter the Schoolhouse only through the front entrance and always check in with staff at the front desk.
- Exit through the main entrance of the Schoolhouse and let the staff at the front desk know that you are leaving.
- If you are on campus for a meeting, you should receive a visitor badge from the front desk and wear it while on campus. Visitor badges are not required if you are attending classroom or schoolwide events, assemblies, or performances. If a scheduled event is in the Barn, you can proceed directly to the Barn. For scheduled events in the schoolhouse, please follow the entrance instructions for the event.
- Please note that middle school students receive a door code for their use during the school day, and it is not intended for parents to access the building.
- Please note that ensemble students receive a code for the Coolidge door only, with limited timed use, and it is not intended to be used outside of ensembles arrival time.
- Do not ask faculty or students to open any doors for you other than the main entrance of the Schoolhouse.
We understand the convenience in accessing the school quickly, but it is vitally important to everyone's safety, including your own, that we know who is in our buildings and when.
Thank you for doing your part in creating a safe place for learning and community. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at hberkman@belmontday.org. Have a great school year!
– Hilary Berkman, chief financial officer
COMMUNITY NEWS
Authorized Adults for Student Pick-Up Must Be Added to Parent Portal
This is a gentle reminder that anyone who is not the parent and is scheduled to pick up a student from Belmont Day School must be added to the authorized driver list in the parent portal. This needs to be done for each child enrolled in Belmont Day School. This would include family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc.), a babysitter or nanny, and any other special friend.
Instructions for adding authorized drivers on the parent portal are in the dropdown below.
Exceptions to adding drivers to the portal are when the pick-up is happening on a one-off basis and an email has been sent to attendance@belmontday.org by 9:00 a.m. the morning of the change; this email is sufficient.
If your child consistently goes home with another BDS family, this family (parents or sitters) should be added to the parent portal as well. In this way, there is a standing authorization for that family to pick up your child or vice versa. Children in carpools should add each member of the carpool who may pick up to the authorized drivers list as well.
Please call, email, or stop by the front desk with any questions. Thank you!
– Barbara Carey, front desk administrator
Instructions: Adding Authorized Drivers
Steps for Adding Authorized Drivers:
- Navigate to the parent portal
- Click on Family Information Form (light yellow rectangular block halfway down the first page)
- Click on Contacts for My Children (under the contact information portion — middle of the page — on the lower right)
- Click the blue box: Add New
- Fill in the information - name, phone number, etc.
- Answer two emergency questions
- Click Create button
AUXILIARY PROGRAMS
Save The Date for Trunk-Or-Treat 2026
The Auxiliary Programs' annual Trunk-or-Treat will be held on Saturday, October 17 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. For those new to our community, this is an event hosted by our auxiliary programs department to bring our after school and summer camp communities on campus for an autumnal celebration! Everyone in the school community is cordially invited to join us
There will be trunk-or-treating, scavenger hunts, snacks, drinks, and live music with our very own Mr. Staples and his band. There is no need to RSVP, and you do not have to decorate a trunk to attend. We hope you can join us in your favorite costume or outfit to gather with the auxiliary programs community to share in some fall joy.
If you would like to decorate your trunk, please click here to sign up. For any questions regarding trunk sign-up, please reach out to Hannah Kleppner, assistant director of auxiliary programs. See you there!
– Blair Fross, head of co-curricular & auxiliary programs
ADMISSIONS NEWS
Represent Belmont Day at Boston Preschool Fair
We need a few friendly faces to represent Belmont Day at a preschool fair on Thursday, October 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Beacon Hill Nursery School, at 74 Joy Street in Boston.
This is a great opportunity to connect with prospective families and share what makes our school special. Tables and light refreshments provided. Team up with a friend for a fun night meeting local parents who are interested in Belmont Day.
If you're interested, please contact Elena Jay, director of financial assistance and associate director of admissions.
Sibling Applications for Pre-K, Kindergarten & Grade 6 Due October 30
It’s hard to believe that with the school year now hitting its stride, we are already looking far ahead and planning for 2026-2027.
As part of that planning, we open the admissions process early for siblings of currently enrolled Belmont Day students. We welcome parents of current BDS students with a child eligible for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or sixth grade admission (for pre-k, students must turn four by September 1, 2026) to participate in our early admissions process for siblings.
The preliminary application must be submitted by Friday, October 30, 2026, and supplemental materials by Friday, December 4, 2026, for your child to receive this priority consideration. If you submit by this deadline, you will receive an early admission notification during the first week of February.
Please be sure to review the sibling application process and timeline detailed here. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Liz Parfit by email at lparfit@belmontday.org or call 617-932-3884.
The admissions team looks forward to working with your family again!
– Liz Parfit, director of admissions
SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
Belmont Day's Commitment to Reduce Vehicle Idling
We, as a community, have agreed to only idle our cars as we move through the pick-up and drop-off lines. If you arrive for pick-up or drop-off early, please turn off your engines and open your windows in warmer weather, and plan for the cooler weather as we approach the colder months. At BDS, we turn off our car engines to help conserve energy, promote good health, and model good citizenship. Not only that, Massachusetts has an Anti-Idling law that states:
“No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the unnecessary operation of the engine of a motor vehicle while said vehicle is stopped for a foreseeable period of time in excess of five minutes.”
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Every time you turn off your car engine instead of idling, you will:
- Make the air healthier for our children and others by cutting down on hazardous pollution in your town or community.
- Help the environment. For every 10 minutes your engine is off, you'll prevent one pound of carbon dioxide from being released (carbon dioxide is the primary contributor to global warming).
- Save money and save fuel. Save between 1/5 and 7/10 of a gallon of fuel for every hour of not idling.
Thank you for being a steward of the environment and keeping us healthy.
– Kathy Jo Solomon, visual arts teacher and sustainability coordinator
Learning Updates
First Grade's Class Project Rocks!
To start the year, first graders are creating a painted rock garden on the Belmont Day School campus. First, the students entered the trails on a hunt for a rock that was just the right size and just the right texture for them to paint. Next, the rocks needed to be scrubbed clean. This simple, hands-on task allows the students to relax in the present moment and offers a sense of calm. Next, students will plan and sketch out what they want (and what will fit) on their rocks. Painting on the rocks will provide moments of mindfulness, as well as an opportunity for self-expression. An additional step will involve some democracy! The first graders will have to choose prospective locations on campus and vote on the rock garden's final location.
The main goal of this endeavor is to grow our community and have a positive impact on the whole-school community. Look out for the BDS rock garden in the near future, and look for first graders beaming with pride at their accomplishment!
– Amy McCann, Geoffrey Fox, and Eunice Lee
Arts Update: Alternative Photography and Drawtober!
Alternative Process Photography in the IMPACT Lab
The grades 7 & 8 arts elective, alternative process photography, has officially kicked off, and the results are already impressive. Students jumped straight into hands-on experimentation, manipulating light sources and testing textures to produce beautiful compositions.
Working in collaborative groups, the artists layered translucent images, masked light, and stacked textures to create dynamic, high-contrast compositions. Watching these groups work with color and play with light has been a joy.
Sixth Grade Preps for Drawtober
Pencils are sharpened, and plenty of G.O.O.S. (good on one side) paper is being sourced: Sixth Grade Innovation Arts is preparing for Drawtober 2026! The list of daily drawing prompts for the month of October has been selected by our sixth graders, and they are ready to draw. Keep an eye out; the prompt reveal and full calendar drop are coming soon!
– Brit Conroy, innovation coach
Second Graders Explore Identity and Community
In second grade, we have been working on building our community and using our collective intelligence to create norms and guidelines to ensure friendship, fun, and learning for all. After reading This Plus That, Life’s Little Equations by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, we created our own equation of 29 + 2 = 1 to illustrate our new community (29 Amazing Students + 2 Dedicated Teachers = 1 Awesome Second Grade Class).
As part of our social studies curriculum, we began working on our self-portraits to help represent the individuals in our community and to help us to understand Who am I? as a part of Who are we? To help us with this project, we read The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. We talked about the details and vibrant colors that Katz used in her illustrations while following Lena as she travels through her community in the big city. We talked about the importance of respecting differences, embracing the beauty of diversity in every community, and learning more about all of the communities that we are a part of.
– Katie O'Brien Claflin and Nancy Fell, second grade teachers
Parents' Association News
PA Meeting Dates
Thank you to everyone who joined us today for the first parents' association meeting of the year. Don’t forget to put the next few meeting dates in your calendar! Each meeting will be held at 8:15 a.m. in Coolidge Hall.
Upcoming Meetings:
- Friday, October 9
- Friday, November 13
- Friday, December 2
Ready to Get Involved?
There are many ways to get involved at Belmont Day. There’s truly something for everyone, from PA volunteer opportunities to admissions support and development events. Here is a full list of opportunities: Volunteering at Belmont Day School.
Pumpkin Patch 2026
A great fall BDS tradition! Each October, the PA holds its annual Pumpkin Patch sale on campus. It's a wonderful opportunity to purchase your field pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, mini pumpkins, mini gourds, and potted mums. Families may also choose to donate mini pumpkins for faculty and potted mums for classrooms to show their appreciation.
If you’re interested in supporting this year’s Pumpkin Patch, please reach out to CuiCui Chen or bdspa@belmontday.org
Seeking Volunteers for Coolidge Flowers
One of the highlights of the day for our children is having lunch in Coolidge Hall. Beyond the amazing food prepared by the talented and dedicated dining staff, the dining experience is further enhanced by small plants placed as centerpieces on the lunchroom tables.
We are seeking volunteers to donate 12 small potted plants at the beginning of a month of their choosing (these plants will be displayed for that entire month). The plants should be no taller than 11” with a maximum pot diameter of 4.5”. Please sign up here to donate plants. Thank you!
Fall Socials
Please save the date for a beloved BDS tradition! Our grade-level Fall Socials are a wonderful opportunity to spend time with other parents in your child’s grade over a glass of wine and delicious small bites.
Whether this is your family’s first year at BDS or you have been part of the community for many years, we hope you will book those babysitters and join us! Stay tuned for more details from your grade parents on the timing of each social.
- Pre-Kindergarten – Thursday, October 8 – Barn Mezzanine
- Kindergarten – Wednesday, October 28 – Barn Mezzanine
- Grade 1 – Wednesday, October 28 – Schoolhouse Gallery
- Grade 2 – Wednesday, October 21 – Hanami Sushi Bar & Grill
- Grade 3 – Thursday, October 15 – Schoolhouse Gallery
- Grade 4 – Thursday, October 15 – Barn Mezzanine
- Grade 5 – Wednesday, November 4 – Kiva
- Grade 6 – Thursday, October 8 – Schoolhouse Gallery
- Grade 7 – Wednesday, November 4 – Schoolhouse Gallery
- Grade 8 – Wednesday, October 7 – TBD
Parent Book Group
The first parent book club meeting for the year will be held on Tuesday, September 22, at 7:15 p.m. at Menotomy Grill & Tavern in Arlington. Our book for the month is Whistler by Ann Patchett. It's a quick and great read! Regularly throughout the school year, the club will meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month. For the full schedule of meetings, please visit the Parent Portal. If you have questions or would like to get on the email list for the book club, please reach out to Karla Bays.
Beyond BDS
ARTS EVENT
COUNTDOWN TO ZINE FEST: Submissions Open Now!
Zine Fest is officially around the corner! Join us on October 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Watertown Public Library! Stop by Belmont Day's table in the teen room to check out student work, or even pull up a chair and make a zine with us.
We would love to have as much schoolwide participation as possible, so please consider submitting your work to be displayed at our table.
Don't wait until the last minute; get your final layouts to Brit Conroy, innovation coach, by Friday, October 13 to ensure your work makes the official print run!
If you have any questions or want any help with your zine, email bconroy@belmontday.org or visit Teacher Conroy in the IMPACT Lab.
Return to the Parent Portal
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