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Talented Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team Sits at 2-2

Middle school students in the quilting arts elective are well on their way to learning the skills of the craft and creating their first finished pieces. These photos capture the basic steps in the process of creating a quilt. First, students design a pattern and cut out shapes from fabric for their quilts. The fabric squares are then arranged by color and pattern. And after the three parts of the quilt—top, center batting, and back—are put together, the final step is to add quilting stitches through all layers adding stability and a decorative element.

JV Football Working Hard

This week our pre-k students helped to complete the cycle of a wonderful garden-to-table lesson started this past spring. Last year's pre-kindergartners planted a potato patch in the school garden during community service day. Over the summer, the potato plants grew very well, and as they got taller we “hilled” the plants by adding soil at their bases so that the developing tubers would stay underground.

Third grade students are busy rehearsing for their upcoming musical entitled "Pirates - The Musical." Students are set to "sail the rollicking sea, pirates all are we!" But "arrrr! "and "shiver me timbers!" there are stowaways on board! Perhaps the Queen of the High C's will know what to do. Join the salty crew of colorful scallywags when Bluebeard, Yellowbeard, Whitebeard, Purplebeard (and all the rest of the pirates) – along with the No Beards, hoist the Jolly Roger and set sail for a mighty adventure! 

Students in photography are getting more comfortable with their Canon T3 cameras and began uploading some of their first images for an assignment simply called "Lines." The goal of this lesson is to look for and photograph compositional elements that help give their photos interesting content and feeling.

We've heard so many wonderful sounds during these first two weeks of school. Colorful boomwhackers playing chords, string orchestras rehearsing for a concert, one-on-one guitar lessons focusing on improvisation, and ukuleles strumming with a backing track, just to name a few. The music department at Belmont Day is a vibrant soundscape filled with many instruments, genres, and voices.

We've made some important changes to our school-wide composting program and as a result, the program is this year's recipient of the Zofnass Sustainability Award, funded by the Zofnass Family Environmental Sustainability Endowment at Belmont Day. 

During the first full week of school, sixth graders started work on a new project—creating a snake of blocks. This project builds on fundamental woodworking skills and emphasizes accurate measurement markings to make repeatable sawing cuts. The goal is to produce consistent blocks of the same size and with similar slot cuts. 

Ready. Set. Go!

With more athletes (103) and more teams (7) than ever before, the middle school athletics program is poised to make history this fall. The season officially begins on Monday, September 10 for the soccer, football, field hockey, and cross country programs; all of which will be fielding talented squads this fall. Be sure to check out the interscholastic schedule, and find a time to watch our athletes in action.

Athletics News

Teachers at Belmont Day are dedicated to best practices and innovation. During opening meetings, faculty shared their professional development experiences with colleagues. Over 70% of our faculty engaged in PD work this summer including:

We welcome you to Belmont Day! These excellent educators and administrators will join our community of learners and leaders for the 2018-19 school year.

Nicole Buck – Latin Teacher

Middle School Head Liz Gray attended Leadership+Design's Wonder Women! conference—a women's leadership program held at Moses Brown School in Providence.

Workshops and activities included:

Faculty and families gathered on Friday, June 8 to celebrate and bid farewell to the Class of 2018. 

Thank You Eighth Grade

Each year, second graders engage in a year-long service learning project to support Gaining Ground, a nonprofit in Concord that grows and distributes 100 percent of its fresh produce to local hunger relief agencies. Last year Gaining Ground grew and distributed over 80,000 pounds of organic produce. In April, students collected pledges from relatives, friends, and neighbors for the number of pages read during a two-week period.

The cast of the seventh and eighth grade musical, Mary Poppins Jr., had their tech rehearsal today. It was the first time they ran through the production with elements of costuming, light, sound, and scene shifts.

Track & Field Finishes Strong

The fourth grade class spent the day at Northeastern University's Marine Science Center in Nahant. The Center is on East Point, the former site of a World War I and World War II coastal defense reservation. Northeastern graduate students led hands-on activities—students measured water salinity and learned about food chains and adaptations. After the classroom activities, we explored tide pools that are home to small crabs, a variety of algae, and even sea anemones; thanks to the Center's touch tanks, students got to hold a sea urchin!

Beyond the Studio: The Lasting Legacy of the Things We Make

Girls’ Lacrosse Gaining Experience

Awad & Timmins Dominate Doubles Match

While the cast of Mary Poppins Jr. is busy learning lines and rehearsing in the PAC during arts block, the seventh and eighth graders who have elected to be part of the production crew are busy in the studios designing, building, and painting an array of props and scenery.

Don't miss it! Mary Poppins Jr.: Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m.

We are delighted to announce that Raul Gonzalez III aka Raul the Third will be the 2018 Carol Cirillo Author Series speaker. He will visit with middle school classes on Friday, May 4 and lower school classes on Thursday, May 10.

Ultimate Bounces Back with 10-3 Win vs BTA

Monday to Friday, July 23 to 27, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

This spring Belmont Day will incorporate "Different and the Same," a program that addresses the complexities of human relationships and helps students identify bias, into the health and wellness program. "Different and the Same" features short videos created by Family Communications, Inc., the producers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and will be taught by a group of Belmont Hill School seniors who have been trained to teach the curriculum.

Sixth graders are in the process of creating portraits of human rights activists. In conjunction with their American Civil Rights unit in social studies, students chose a person that promoted equality or actively championed causes contributing to the betterment of the human condition. Using a 4x6 inch photograph of their subject and 12x18 inch drawing paper, each student superimposed grids on both the photo and the paper. In order to enlarge the image threefold, they created one-inch grids on the photo image and a three-inch grid on the drawing paper.

Rehearsing for "Hats!"

Each of the theater productions at Belmont Day features an overture—an orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, play, or other composition—by students in the class. Here, second graders are rehearsing the overture for their upcoming production, "Hats!"

Boys’ Lacrosse Filled with Experience

The boys’ lacrosse team includes six athletes beginning their third and final season in the Blue & Gold. Danny Alpers, Jordan Clayton, Anand Hudson, Gabe Klug, Leo McKee, and Alex Tobias all earned spots on the team as sixth graders and will now be counted on to lead this year’s campaign, which will look to improve on a 2-5-1 record. The first game is scheduled for Thursday, April 5 on the road against Shady Hill.  

Athletics News

It is that time of year when we turn our focus on staffing for the next school year. With enrollment growth in sixth grade, this has been a particularly busy season for us, and there is plenty to update you on.

First, to share the staff changes for this year that are not related to enrollment growth:

Athletes Eager to Begin Spring Season 

With over a foot of snow delaying the start to the spring athletics season, our interscholastic athletes are ready to kick things off for their respective teams this week. Coaches, too, are excited to get started and begin preparing for games, which are just shy of three weeks away. Best of luck to our five teams—boys' lacrosse, girls' lacrosse, tennis, track and field, and ultimate frisbee—as the athletics program looks to build off of a successful winter campaign.

School is closed due to the ongoing winter storm.

Sixth Grade Athletes Prepare for Tryouts

School is closed on today due to the ongoing winter storm.

Sign Up for the Conference Day Program!

Unfortunately, our concert with Tim Seston ant the Camp Info Session are canceled. The force of Friday's nor'easter has caused downed trees and power lines on Concord Avenue, which is temporarily closed.

Reduction Printing with Fourth Grade

Fourth grade students have been exploring reduction printing. After sketching an animal from photographs, illustrations, or their imagination, they transferred the animal outline to a Styrofoam printing plate. After printing a series of these, they added details to the printing plate and reprinted them over the original series. To finish these artworks, students will add a third color and print their final details.
 

Fencing Completes Perfect Season

Over February break, fifth grade teacher Debbie Grossman will join eleven others on a mission trip to Kenya through the Jewish Federation in Boston (Combined Jewish Philanthropies) and the Israeli Consulate. The group, called Project Inspire, will be in Kenya for seven days to visit schools, NGOs, and meet with local politicians and other leaders to learn about Israeli innovation and sustainable development in Kenya. The purpose, "Get Inspired, Inspire Others," begins with Ms. Grossman's fifth grade class.

Varsity Teams Sweep Friday Night Hoops

On February 26, faculty and staff will spend the day engaged in professional development featuring a variety of peer-led offerings that center around tech innovation, engineering, design, productivity, and assessment.

SESSION 1: Ozobots

Ozobot is a small, smart robot that is programmable. Through drawn lines and color codes users can create autonomous behavior.

SESSION 2: The Maker Toolbox

“How can you create a two-color series of successful silkscreen prints in which you print the colors with separate screens?” This question, directed to the seventh and eighth grade printmakers last week in the Coolidge Art Studio, only hints at the underlying challenge: printing successive layers of ink, resulting in a coherent image, or final print, on multiple papers. Students responded with a variety of strategies; with each print pulled, the level of success in creating a clear image was immediately apparent.

Fencing Team Continues to Dominate

After a handful of cancellations to begin the season, the Belmont Day fencing team has come out of the gates on fire with an undefeated 3-0 record. So far, the squad has two wins over the International School of Boston and one win over Beaver Country Day School. This past week, newcomers Eden Lewis and Stella Balter each recorded their first bout victories, while veterans Anand Hudson and Cole Abbott continued to dominate the strip.

Athletics News

You can support our community of bold, inspiring, and remarkable learners and leaders by shopping on AmazonSmile. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Belmont Day.

Exploring Podcasting

Awad Paces Boys’ JV Basketball

Eighth grade co-captain Sami Awad scored a team-high 8 points in Belmont Day’s hard-fought 32-26 loss to DCD this week. The Blue & Gold also received a strong performance from sixth grade newcomer Owen Khanna who pulled down 6 rebounds and was active on both ends of the floor. Despite a pair of solid performances to start the year, the team currently sits at 0-2 and will look to pick up their first win next week against Cambridge Friends.

Athletics News

This year, we will transform our MLK Assembly into a morning of cross-graded service activities to honor Dr. King. On Thursday, January 11, students will work with their cross-graded partners in the classrooms.

This afternoon's Future Leader meeting this afternoon is canceled and will be rescheduled—date and time TBD. Check back soon more information!

School will be closed on Friday, January 5, due to expected high winds tonight, a considerable drop in temperature on Friday morning, and no guarantee of safe travel or clear roads.

During this record-breaking cold streak, we are warmed by dreams of Summer 2018...and delighted to announce that enrollment is now open!

One way the Belmont Day program supports the burgeoning ability of middle school students to take ownership of their learning and develop independence and responsibility is by offering choice to students. Middle schoolers choose an arts elective each trimester, a sport each season, and a language for the three middle school years. As middle school enrollment grows, it is natural for our program offerings to grow as well. 

On Saturday morning, Belmont Day hosted the first meeting of the English Teachers’ Collaborative—a gathering of educators from area independent schools—to share best practices, ideas, successes, and opportunities in the English classroom. Faculty from the Meadowbrook, Shady Hill, Fenn, and Brimmer and May schools joined BDS teachers Dean Spencer, Julia Juster, and myself.

In the studios, one expects to see artists working with a variety of materials using different techniques to create original artwork. While this element—the work of “turning thoughts into things”—is indeed a critical part of art classes, it is only one part of learning and growing as an artist at BDS. This week, visitors to the Coolidge Art Studio observed middle schoolers working on the pottery wheels, first graders learning how to make paper, as well as:

Director of Technology Dolly Ryan and Assistant Head of School Deborah Brissenden have introduced something special to the Early Birds program. The "Wednesday Challenge" involves activities that introduce new tools and provide students with opportunities to develop and reinforce creative design skills. They can explore design language: How will I approach this task? What materials might I need? How do these materials work or how can they be adapted? What do I do if my idea doesn't work at first?

Fourth graders work on their wood burning design project.

We thank Quinn Fitzgerald '01 for returning to campus as our Alumni in Action speaker! The Alumni in Action Speaker Series showcases the ways that the BDS experience helps shape the careers of our alumni. As the co-founder of Flare Jewelry, Quinn beautifully articulated the process of becoming an entrepreneur—beginning with an idea, creating a prototype, building empathy, and then creating a finished product. This process is reflected in the work of our eighth grade students, who are now entering the project phase of Capstone.

Scenes from the Coolidge Art Studio this week:

• Grade 1 finished their abstract paintings;
• Grade 3 worked on multi-color monotype prints;
• Grade 5 printed their personal logos using block printing;
• Ceramics 2 students focused on centering clay while working on the pottery wheel.

Get ready for Giving Tuesday on November 28, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving break. Giving Tuesday is a national event celebrating the importance of philanthropy. The Belmont Day community will celebrate this special day with a focus on reaching 100% parent and faculty participation in annual giving.

Share the Warmth at the Winter Concert
Friday, December 15, 10:30 a.m., Gymnasium

The construction of the Barn has given us an opportunity to try a new format for our winter concert and Share the Warmth send-off assembly. We will be bringing these two special events together to share music, light, and poetry with the community.

Seventh and Eighth Grade Arts Elective: Movement and Dance

Today's assembly was a meaningful expression of respect and appreciation for those who have served and are serving in America's armed services. We welcomed Vietnam veteran George Moriarty as a speaker, accompanied by his wife, former BDS third grade teacher Pattie Moriarty. Other presentations included 3-D freedom monuments designed by fifth graders, a sing-along led by sixth graders, a stirring solo by a seventh grade student, and a dynamic dance choreographed and performed to Pharrell William's Freedom.

Pfeffer Continues Dominant Play for Field Hockey

Thanks to Librarian Amy Sprung, Belmont Day has received a Portable Maker Studio provided to the school by Novel Engineering (NE) at Tufts University’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO). NE began as an innovative approach to integrate engineering and literacy in elementary and middle school classrooms. The goal of the Portable Maker Studio is to connect classrooms with the tools and materials students need to expand and fulfill engineering goals.

Seventh and eighth grade arts electives are wrapping up next week. This is the first of four sessions throughout the school year. Thirteen electives from various disciplines were offered this term, including “Upcycled Fashion.” Using conventional and nonconventional materials—paper, maps, discarded books, paints, fabric, dyes, embroidery thread, used clothing, and sewing machines—students created wearable artworks. For one project, middle school artists were challenged to create garments only using newspaper and discarded book pages.

Boys’ Soccer Rolls Over Fenn

Middle school students joined over 1.5 million students in more than 100 countries to participate in Global Math Week. One activity in particular, Exploding Dots, was designed to actively foster students’ sense of wonder and enjoyment of mathematics. Exploding Dots pushed creative thinking and pattern recognition through solving real-life problems.

While third graders have been rehearsing for their upcoming musical in performing arts class, they have also been busy in the art studio creating the scenery for their production. First, students visually brainstormed how to turn the director’s vision into scenery (yes, we first heard what Mr. Parsons envisioned as the “atmosphere” for the PAC stage), and then spent the last two weeks working on painting and printing the large flats. We are all looking forward to the upcoming production on Friday, October 27, when the PAC will be transformed into “The Deep Blue Sea”!

Football Wins 42-38 Thriller over Fessenden

The flag football team improved to 2-0 on the season following a dramatic back-and-forth win at Fessenden this week. Sophie Dornstein, Dylan Skenderian, and Anand Patil-Hudson all broke through with key TD receptions. Patil-Hudson also had the game winning deflection as Fessenden attempted to score from the 5-yard line as time expired. The team will look to continue its winning ways next week in their home-opener against Thayer.

Athletics News

I'm Not Racist...Am I?

I Don’t Know If You’ve Read This Yet, But…

In the life of a school—once the tear for another summer gone by has been shed—September is about restoring routine both in the classroom and at home. We rediscover old friends and make new ones, and the familiar context of school highlights the growth that has taken place since June. For teachers, administrators, and parents, there is an additional trend to September that seems impossible to ignore—currently trending articles on what students need.

Field Hockey Opens Season with 4-1 Win over Fay

Sign Up for the Conference Day Program!

Support our athletes on October 3!

The community is invited for an update on the recently approved Barn project and driveway. Information about the construction schedule and an introduction to the project management team will be provided. Refreshments will be served.

Reply requested to Assistant to the Head, Neelangi Gunasekera at ngunasekera@belmontday.org. If you are unable to attend the reception and you have questions, please reach out to Head of School Brendan Largay directly at blargay@belmontday.org.

Parents participating in Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) will meet monthly. SEED is a nationally recognized peer-led program of community, personal, and professional development focused on issues of identity, equity, and social justice. The group will be facilitated by Tina Fox and Dean Spencer. Meetings will take place on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m.

October 10, November 14, December 12, January 23, February 13, March 20, April 10, May 8

Team Captains Announced

We are delighted to introduce Belmont Day's new school store! 

The BDS Spirit Store offers quality branded gear for Spirit Day and every day, including activewear and outwear. The store is hosted by Amerasport, a vendor that offers a wide range of styles and sizes at reasonable price points. We will be adding items periodically and welcome suggestions from the community. Highlights:

The buzz during this first full week of school in the visual art studios is all about digging in and getting started! This week, students in kindergarten through sixth grade established routines and expectations in the art studios, and made their individual portfolios. Next week, students will create paste papers to use for sketchbook covers. (Don’t know what paste paper is or how it’s made? Wonder what we do with the sketchbooks?

Athletes Gear Up For Fall Tryouts

This week our interscholastic athletes focused on fitness in preparation for the Fall athletics season. Tryouts for Fall athletics teams will begin next week. Coaches would like to remind all athletes to bring their gear to athletics next week. We are excited for what should be a fantastic season of Fall athletics here at Belmont Day.

Click here to view our athletics gallery from last Spring.

“It is always quietly thrilling to look at a world you know well but have never seen from such an angle before.” - Bill Bryson

The Belmont Day Garden has had a great growing season this year. We are still harvesting greens of all kinds including kale, chard, lettuces, collards, spinach, and arugula. We have several varieties of tomatoes and, while the chipmunks seem to enjoy taking bites, we still have some ripening on the vines to be harvested in the coming weeks. Sunflowers and edible flowers are ready for the picking including borage and calendula flowers. We are still waiting for carrots, beets, and a second planting of radishes to be harvested.

Our community of bold, inspired, and remarkable learners and leaders has kicked-off the 90th year!

Welcome to Heather Woodcock, new director of the associate teacher program! Heather has jumped right in to the business of getting to know Belmont Day and spreading the word about our remarkable community of learners and leaders. She recently met with 15 EXPLO program staff members at Wellesley College who are thinking of becoming early childhood or elementary educators. Heather reports that there was high interest in the BDS program “because it's hands-on and offers close mentorship and collaboration with veteran teachers.

Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2013 on the completion of their secondary school educations! 

Teachers experiment with electronics to advance teaching and learning.

Belmont Day marched as proud allies of the LGBTQ+ community in the Boston Pride parade today! The BDS values of respect and caring were on full display as our small and joyful contingent made its way through the city, cheered on by thousands. Thank you to our GSA members for inspiring us to march for the first time as a school community and to the faculty, students, families, and friends who participated. And a special shout-out to the students who handed out goodies to the crowd and Señor Yepes for most spirited attire!

The Belmont Day School Coaches’ Award recognizes two middle school student-athletes who best embody the school’s values through athletics. Recipients of this award value honesty on the playing fields by following the rules of the game. They demonstrate caring by participating unselfishly with a focus on teamwork. They embody joy through their positive attitude and cheerful nature in both practices and games. They value responsibility by always being prepared and committed to their teams.

Student Summer Reading Selections
On Monday, June 5, homeroom teachers distributed summer reading books to students as they visit the next grade. Our students will be enjoying the following books:

Thank You Eighth Grade

Annie!

The seventh and eighth grade musical, Annie, was a true culminating experience for the middle school Arts program. Each seventh and eighth grade student made a distinct contribution to the production through their role as a cast or crew member. Thank you to the students, faculty, and community members who made Annie such a wonderful success! 

Karaoke Fun!

As is the tradition every year in performing arts class, the students get an opportunity to showcase their voice and bravado through the fun-filled medium of karaoke! In these pictures, you will see the unbridled joy of third grade as they step forth to dance, sing, and frolic to a wide variety of musical genres. This is an event that every grade looks forward to and is a great ensemble-building opportunity to help conclude the year's many theatrical performances!

Today's interscholastic games and meets are canceled due to weather.

Last Friday, second graders spent the morning at Gaining Ground in Concord. Gaining Ground is a nonprofit that grows and distributes 100 percent of its fresh produce to local hunger relief agencies—last year growing and distributing over 60,000 pounds of organic produce! Students planted seeds, spread compost, and mulched beds as they helped the farmers in their work to fight food insecurity. 

Track Team Beats the Heat, Runs Down Pike

My first corporation meeting.

Like the horses that will run the Preakness Stakes this weekend, Belmont Day is also rounding the turn and headed down the home stretch. Every year, May is full of closure activities for each class, each student, and of course, the community as a whole.

Clayton and Marquis Lift Boys’ Lax to First Win

The boys’ lacrosse team held on for a dramatic 9-8 win yesterday at DCD. After holding a 9-5 lead, the Blue & Gold surrendered 3 goals in the final two minutes, narrowly escaping Dedham with a 1-goal victory. Jordan Clayton and Sam Marquis scored 3 goals a piece for the victors who also received strong midfield play from Gabe Klug and Ethan Smyke. Boys’ lacrosse will look to carry their momentum into next week for a pair of games against Carroll and Park.

Athletics News

Summer Reading

It is as sure a sign of summer’s imminent arrival as flowers blossoming and later sunsets: the assignment of summer reading.

Since I started teaching, I have come to love summer reading. It offers a delightful reminder to escape into another world, an opportunity to learn something new, or simply a chance to hear a story you’ve heard before told with a new twist. Summer reading also serves as an early reminder of what comes next—a new grade, a new opportunity, a new understanding.

Girls’ Lacrosse Battles Hard, Falls Short to CRS

The girls’ lacrosse team had their best game of the season this week behind strong goalie play from Marielle Randall and Anyara Zapata. The duo combined for 15 saves and kept the Blue & Gold within striking distance until the end. On the field, newcomer Ellie Kadnar played great defense through the middle and created multiple scoring chances for her teammates. When the final horn sounded, Charles River walked away with a 13-10 victory, but Belmont Day will be carrying positive momentum into next week.

Stargazing at BDS

Sometimes in life strange confluences happen, and we find ourselves—after not thinking about a particular subject for months, perhaps even years—suddenly hearing about it three times in a week. Such has been my experience of late with the night sky and the stars that reside there.

Tennis Sweeps Nashoba to Even Record

As many know, there are beehives alongside the school garden. Our plants in the garden rely on pollination to produce fruits and vegetables. Honey bees, along with native bees, butterflies, insects, birds, bats, and the wind all contribute to pollination—or the fertilization of plants—resulting in the formation of seeds and then the fruits. Pollinators move the pollen from the male parts of the plant to the female parts to ensure fertilization. Studies have shown that at least of 30% of our food crops rely on honey bees and other pollinators.

Head of School Brendan Largay and Board President Brit Dewey wrote the following guest commentary to the Belmont Citizen Herald.

April 24, 2017

Dear Editor:

Scenes from kindergarteners carding wool!

Innovation

Steve Jobs once said that innovation distinguishes the difference between a leader and a follower. One of the reasons I so gladly accepted the opportunity to be the head of school was the opportunity to work with the talented group of leaders already assembled here—teachers and administrators, alike—and continue the powerful thread of innovation that runs so deep here at Belmont Day.  

Belmont Day parents Bradley and Kristen Lewis wrote the following letter to The Belmontonian in support of the school's building project plans.

April 9, 2017: Letter to the Editor, The Belmontonian

Dear Editor:

Track & Field Schedule Expands

Historically, the track & field team has competed in 5-6 interscholastic meets per season. This spring, the team is scheduled for 8 meets, including new additions Pike and Lesley Ellis. Led by a handful of committed eighth graders, this year’s group of 18 athletes is anxiously anticipating their first meet, which takes place next week at Park. Dalia Dainora-Cohen, Margo Danahy, and Sam Dornstein are all returning for their second year on the team and are hoping to contend in their respective events.  

21 days and counting! Kindergarten's chick eggs hit day 21 of their gestation period today so we expect there will be hatching activity soon. Follow the live web stream of the egg incubator and brace yourself for signs of life over the coming days!

Middle School Math Specialist Kathy Gruzynski recently presented at the Association of Mathematics Teachers in Massachusetts’ Spring Conference. The theme of the conference was Taking Risks in the New Frontier: Rigor, Reasoning and Relevance. Kathy’s presentation focused on rich math tasks-activities that can be used in the classroom that pair teaching specific math skills with critical thinking skills.

Lacrosse Programs Benefit from Sixth Grade Additions

Today at BDS, kindergarteners welcomed a very special visitor to their classroom. Dr. Dawn Binder, veterinarian and owner of the Cushing Square Veterinary Clinic in Belmont, spoke to students about her job as part of the class's unit on community helpers. The students learned about different types of vets, had a chance to ask thoughtful questions, and met some very special animals; a duck and a sugar glider. After the presentation, students proudly gave Dr. Binder a tour of the animal hospital that they had created during drama. 

Auditioning for Annie, the Seventh and Eighth Grade Musical

Warp and Weft

Fourth grade art students worked in the wood shop to create triangular looms, and then in the art studio to dye and hand weave fabric. Check out their exhibit outside of Coolidge Hall.

Last week, I wrote about our efforts to nurture curiosity here at BDS and promised a look at our commitment to community with this week’s installment. In the interim, something extraordinary has happened that inspired me to reconsider my plan—Capstone. It has moved a different NAIS mission into place for this week…changing the world.

Collection pod on campus through April 9. Donate now!

Tuesday, March 14

Athletes Gear Up for Spring Season

With a successful winter season of athletics in the books, athletes are gearing up for the wpring season. Next week, sixth grade athletes will be trying out for all five spring sports offerings: boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, track and field, tennis, and ultimate frisbee. 

As promised, here begins the first installment of a six-part series inspired by the NAIS annual conference theme of Mission, Vision, and Values.  As a reminder, six themes of mission were showcased throughout the conference - curiosity, diversity, community, wellness, innovation, and changing the world. Each week, I will be commenting on one of the six themes and how they manifest here at Belmont Day.

Greetings from the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference!

The Belmont Day community looks forward to an exciting and informative week of Capstone presentations.

This week, seventh and eighth graders from Mr. Parsons' theatrical makeup class spearheaded preparing fifth graders for their play, One Midsummer Night. It was an excellent opportunity for them to put their training to use, and cast members reveled at seeing them in action!

Monday, February 13

The studios have been busy over the past few weeks with artists creating work for themselves and for others! Fifth graders have paused working their ceramic projects to help design and create the scenery for their upcoming production of “One Midsummer Night.” Third and first graders have been making their contributions for the Homegrown Auction class art project—be on the lookout more information about these stunning works!

School closed on Thursday, February 9 due to weather.

Athletes Share Season Highlights at Assembly

Kalin and Kim Win Marathon Match

Fifth Grade Woodworking Water Towers

Good evening everyone,

Like many of our students and families, I have spent the week fighting off one of those wintertime colds that often plagues a small school like ours in January—and this winter’s model is a particularly fierce one. It is my hope that anyone who has been snagged by this bug takes advantage of this weekend to rest up and get well. Finally, for those of you who have navigated along so far without getting hit, I offer you my envious congratulations. May your luck continue!

Have a great weekend everyone. Be well.

Dotted Notes Spotted in Music Class

Proceeds to benefit Native American Heritage Association and American Association of University Women.

Girls’ Basketball Program Trending in the Right Direction

Special Effects and Stage Make-Up Class

The studios have been buzzing with activity during these first few days back from winter break! A few snapshots from Thursday include kindergartners using watercolors to complete their printed cityscapes, first graders discovering how to make multicolored sheets of paper, and fifth graders applying their printmaking blocks and skills to create a design cube with clay.

Joshua Burek, Director of Communications and Outreach at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, was a guest at Belmont Day School today. Mr. Burek met with the middle school Model UN club to discuss leadership, international affairs, and careers in public policy.

Join us to learn more about the exciting and enriching summer camp options at Belmont Day. We offer general and specialty camp programs for children entering pre-k to grade nine from June 19 to September 1, 2017. Our programs are led by dedicated and experienced counselors who support campers in making new friends, pursuing interests, and gaining independence. Be part of the Belmont Day community, where kids explore, play and grow.

Thursday, January 26, 2017 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, February 16, 2017 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Send-off Assembly goes mysteriously quiet...

Varsity Hoops Teams Upend Waldorf

The BDS Tech Team, iRobot, and Apple Education deliver an afternoon of robots, coding, and fun!

Acting with Masks

In this seventh and eighth grade elective students work with Basel and Expressive Masks.
 

Join us to learn more about applying to be a Future Leader at Belmont Day! We will host info sessions on Friday, January 13 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Erskine Library and Tuesday, January 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Coolidge Hall.

Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Approaches in the Arts

Students Explore Printmaking

Casey McQuillen is a Boston-based singer/songwriter and former American Idol Contestant. She’s performed her anti‐bullying program, The “You Matter”Tour, at over 75 middle and high schools in New England over the past two years. On November 18, Casey performed for middle school students at Belmont Day School.

Cross Country Shines at State Invitational

First, a heartfelt thank you to all of our service men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. I get to write the article that follows here because of the work you have done and continue to do to defend our freedoms as a nation. Thank you.

Second, I have been giving those freedoms a great deal of consideration this week.

Field Hockey Wins Back-to-Back Games

Belmont Day had the great fortune, through the generosity of the Ko Family and Wellesley Toyota Speaker Series, to welcome Rosetta Lee to campus today. Ms. Lee, a nationally recognized leader in diversity, inclusion, and anti-bias work, spoke to families this morning about strategies for difficult conversations about current events—a particularly salient topic with the election nearly upon us—then met with and led workshops for our middle school students, concluding her day doing professional development work with our teaching and non-teaching faculty.

Third Grade Presents "Imagine"

Printmaking

As the halls fill this afternoon for the first of our three parent conferencing opportunities this term, I am struck by the critical role that parents play in an educational community and the premium we place on that involvement here at BDS. Belmont Day has long prided itself on the strength of our parent-student-teacher investment in one another that ensures the strength of our community as a whole.

Unconditional Love

Today marked my first Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day at Belmont Day.  

Film Screening—Thursday, October 27, 6 to 8 p.m. 

Girls' Soccer Battles Carroll to 2-2 Tie

Cross Country Runs Down Pike

Sign up for Fall Conference Day Programming!

Conference Day is Wednesday, October 26. We have a great trip planned to Roll On America. Programming is available for children from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with extended day coverage until 5:30 p.m. Roll On America Includes unlimited access to roller skating and laser tag, arcade tokens, and a pizza lunch. Minimum enrollment of 25 children is needed to run the program. Download a registration form.

Raise Y[our] Voice Co-Chairs Margaret Wade (P ’14, ’14, ’17, ’18) and Bradley Lewis (P ’17, ’20) cordially invite Belmont Day families to join Head of School Brendan Largay and Belmont Day School Faculty for dinner and conversation about the school’s strategic initiatives, including construction of The Barn and school growth. We are excited to share the latest plans and timeline, as well as answer any questions you may have. Please join us for one of six gatherings—in Lincoln, Winchester, Cambridge, Lexington, Belmont, or on campus.

Boys' Soccer Evens Record with Win

The BDS Story, Chapter 2

Pfeffer and Dainora-Cohen Shine in Opener

Join us today for our middle school interscholastic teams' season openers! Go BDS!

Flag Football Looks to Turn it Around

The Belmont Day arts faculty is delighted to be back on campus and looks forward to engaging students in a wide array of creative projects.

Girl’s Soccer Prepares to Rebuild

Anne Armstrong, Meg Lloyd, and Kathy Jo Solomon complete their cross-country bike trek.

Campologists say "We welcome you to Belmont Day, Mr. Largay!"

The community gathered to celebrate the leadership of retiring Head of School Annette Raphel. 

Announcing this summer's theme: Wheels, Wings, and Other Things!

We are experiencing ongoing telephone service interruptions; until service is restored, please email us.

To the Class of 2016: I could not be prouder than to be “graduating" with you although as you head off to high school I will, for the first time in my life since I was five-years-old, not be looking at Labor Day as a proxy for New Year’s Day. Like you, I am heading off into a kind of unknown, and like you I am dependent on my friends in the communities in which I participate to support me through the transition.

Hi, my name is Meredith and when given the task of writing a graduation speech, I tried to think of everything I’ve done here at BDS, and what tied it all together. I quickly realized that through the years, songs and chants have made us all closer together. Here’s an example, and I would have to ask my classmates to join me in a chant.

The annual sports banquet is a celebratory event for our student-athletes, coaches, and families.

Student Summer Reading Selections
On Monday, June 6, homeroom teachers will distribute summer reading books to students as they visit the next grade. Our students will be enjoying the following books:

In sixth grade, students designed, built, tested, and raced solar cars.

Ultimate Completes Perfect Season

The fourth graders have been growing plants since the beginning of April for the fourth annual plant sale!

At the Corporation Meeting, three faculty members were acknowledged for reaching milestones.

Siekman and Everett Help Girls’ Lax Secure Winning Season

Fifth grader Kaeleen Chen was recently named first place winner of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s (MWRA) Annual Writing Contest. Kaeleen will be presented with her award at a ceremony scheduled for later this month at the Deer Island Treatment Plant. The MWRA received close to 500 writing entries this year and only selected 7 winners in each category (grades 3 to 5 and grades 6 to 8). Kaeleen received a second place prize in the grades 3 to 5 category last year.

Performances: Wednesday, June 1 , 7 p.m; Thursday, June 2, 7 p.m
PAC
Our seventh and eighth grade students are very excited about their work on Oliver! The anticipation of the upcoming performances has energy soaring. We invite you and your family and friends to enjoy the fruits of their exceptional efforts. Performances will be held on Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, June 2 at 7 p.m.

As mentioned in the fall, we will be offering a bus route to and from Belmont Day this summer. The route will run in Cambridge. We have finalized the stops and are excited to share the information for those interested in taking advantage of this great new service.

Friday, May 20
Belmont Day community members are invited to come support local business by visiting Belmont shops, restaurants, and other local businesses on Friday, May 20. Our business neighbors help us as regular vendors who deliver to the school or provide a place for us to consume excellent local fare. In appreciation please consider wearing a “B” sticker and shopping near the school.  

Track & Field Outruns Meadowbrook 

We were thrilled to kick off the RAISE Y[OUR] VOICE Capital Campaign for Belmont Day School at the BDS Barn Raising event on Saturday, May 7.

Belmont Day was delighted to welcome author Bill Harley to campus on Monday, May 9. Mr. Harley also happens to be an accomplished storyteller and Grammy winning singer-songwriter. In addition to presenting to larger groups, he conducted a writers' workshop with third graders who recently finished reading his book Night of the Spadefoot Toads. View photos from Mr. Harley's day at BDS in our gallery.

A Throwdown Challenge to Experience Joy

This Week in the Woodshop
The woodshop has been busy this week with exciting projects, including first grade snakes, second grade rocking people, third grade hole ’n’ a boxes, fourth grade wooden boxes, and middle school wooden puzzles and clocks. Take a peek at our busy students at work! Visit our Arts gallery. 

Roots & Shoots is looking forward to the coaches vs. eighth grade ultimate frisbee game that is happening on Wednesday, June 8 on Far Field from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.! Members of the BDS community can cheer on the players and participate in a Roots & Shoots friendraiser for Shelterbox, an incredible organization that provides life-saving aid to those affected by natural disasters. Roots & Shoots will teach volunteers about Shelterbox through interesting, engaging, and hands-on activities.