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Transitions

Seventh and eighth graders in the pottery wheel arts elective class finished their work this week by glazing their thrown ceramic works. The transition from a raw, amorphous lump of clay into a functional piece of pottery is a journey including many different steps. In the beginning days of the course, students experimented with strategies to succeed at the first, crucial step: centering clay on the wheel. Ask a student from the class about all four steps they focused on while creating their pottery, and be on the lookout for their final creations!

Exploring Polyrhythms through Ghanaian Drumming

Beautiful Bandsaw Boxes

Seventh and eighth graders in woodworking are making great progress in designing and creating bandsaw boxes. Each student starts  their boxes from one solid block of wood that they cut a dozen times to make the components for the box. The students' designs differ greatly, from linear pieces to those featuring asymmetrical abstract curves.

Sign Up for the Conference Day Program!

Volleyball Caps Inaugural Season on a High Note

Wear your favorite cardigan and join us for popcorn, snacks, and a screening of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m.

The documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville looks back on the legacy of Fred Rogers, focusing on his radically kind ideas and his beliefs about the importance of protecting childhood.

Please bring a non-perishable food item for our food drive to benefit the Belmont Food Pantry.

February Is a Month for Reflection and Action!

During February, we honor Black History Month, Heart-Health Month, and National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The physical education department is taking time to inform our students about how sports have served as an arena for equal rights.

Black History Month is a great way for all to celebrate, reflect on, and understand the stories of those athletes who broke barriers and changed society through their actions in sport.

Fourth Grade Artists Create Beaded Bracelets

Fourth graders are learning about indigenous designs and artworks from the Americas. After looking at various examples, they were inspired to develop repeating geometric patterns, and are now using beading looms to create bracelets based on their own unique designs. 

Badminton Program Strong As Ever

After spearheading an interscholastic middle school badminton league six years ago, Belmont Day found itself as the only school left standing this winter. Despite the lack of opponents, the program is as strong as ever and welcomed a record 18 athletes to the team this year. Thanks in large part to its core group of eighth graders, including team captains Colton Largay and Sophie Myers, the team’s spirit never wavered and athletes embraced the unique intramural structure employed by head coach Abbey Nyland.

Boys’ JV Basketball Continues to Battle

On Thursday, February 14, Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer will present to students in grades four and up.

Holly Goldberg Sloan is a film director, producer, screenwriter, and author of the middle grade books Counting By 7s and Short, both New York Times bestsellers, as well as I'll Be There, Keeper (Dream Series), Just Call My Name, and Appleblossom the Possum. 

Balanced Attack Leads Girls’ JV Hoops to Win over Meadowbrook

Our music classes enjoyed a visit from Dr. Brett Abigaña, an accomplished composer, music educator, and conductor at Boston University Academy. Students learned about a variety of topics ranging from composing music for movies and shows, the role of physics in the overtone series, the history of musical notation, healthy vocal technique and breathing, and the history of dissonant music! Students in the middle school music class also had the chance to ask questions about high school requirements for music, and the course and ensemble offerings at the high school level.

Now Showing! Student Artwork Everywhere

Be sure to take a stroll through the Schoolhouse and the Barn to check out the newly installed displays of student artwork.

Now showing in the Schoolhouse: large abstract paintings by first graders, a variety of pieces from the sixth grade two-dimensional ARTS Launch class, and micrography portraits from the seventh and eighth grade Words as Art class.

Now showing in the Barn on the second level, outside of the new art studios: direct prints, including gyotaku (fish prints), also by the first graders. 

Wrestling Takes Down Park

Fencing Comes Up Just Short Against Beaver

Varsity Basketball Teams Open the Barn with a Pair of Wins 

Volleyball Takes Flight 

Pre-k to Fifth Grade Students Learn and Develop New Skills

It was a wonderful November in our physical education classes. We are so thankful to our students for giving their best effort as they learn foundational skills and the benefits of physical activity.

Winter Season Shaping Up to be Best-Ever for Athletics

Sixth Graders Learn Bucket Drum Basics

In music class, sixth grade students have started jamming on bucket drums this week to learn about basic techniques, rhythmic foundations, and composition. Students have been composing their own short, four-beat rhythms as well as larger group compositions.

What’s Happening in Middle School Theater Arts?

The first term of theater arts classes for middle school students wrapped up recently and we are now into our second term of offerings. These include Special Effects Make Up, Acting in Mask, and Footlight Productions (how to sing, act, and dance onstage).

This week, we peek into the Coolidge Art Studio as it hums with activity. Many students are at the stage of finishing projects, while others are just beginning to create new artworks. Third graders worked on mastering various embroidery stitches on their samplers; first graders began new abstract pieces by sketching lines and shapes inspired by music (Vivaldi's Four Seasons); and sixth graders worked to complete their ceramic sculptures.

It was an awesome October in our physical education classes. Students have been developing their knowledge, skills, and confidence through physical activity.

The middle school arts elective in woodworking is exploring shadows. The class is casting a whole new light on how students approached creating lamps. The focus of their designs was not the aesthetic of the lamp structure itself, but rather the light profile and shadow created by the it. By overcoming a number of challenges, including light source location, delicate details, and limitations of wood as a building material, students' lamps shine brightly while casting distinctive shadows. 

Boys’ Soccer’s Big Win Over Fenn Sets Stage for Friday Night Lights

Cross Country Runs Past Shady Hill

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

Last evening, over 40 middle school and lower school parents joined us for a tour of the nearly completed Barn and an overview of how these new teaching spaces will impact student engagement and learning across disciplines. After the tour, they returned to the schoolhouse for a faculty/parent panel question and answer session on the topic of middle school excellence. In case you missed it, here is a recording of the forum, with opening remarks by Middle School Head Liz Gray.

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. 

Faculty and staff 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 William Yepes and Leesa Mercedes. Meeting will take place on Mondays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

September 24, November 5, December 3, January 14, February 4, March 4, April 1, May 6

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

Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2014 on the completion of their secondary school educations! 

Belmont Day math teachers are engaged in a two-day training on Singapore Math, a powerful teaching method and curriculum created in Singapore and used extensively in the U.S. that emphasizes mastery of concepts through dynamic problem-solving and communication. 

Belmont Day School athletics teams honored the school’s 90th anniversary year with strong seasons across the board. The fencing team went undefeated, while boys’ varsity basketball logged a record of 9-1. Girls’ field hockey charted a record of 4-2-1; boys’ soccer ended its season with a 6-2 record; the Ultimate frisbee team finished its season with a record of 6-1; and several competitors from the track and field team qualified for the State Championships.  

The Class of 2018 will attend the following schools:

Beaver Country Day School (2)
Belmont High School (3)
Belmont Hill School
Brooks School
Buckingham Browne and Nichols School (3)
Cambridge School of Weston
Concord Academy (5)
Concord Carlisle High School
Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
Commonwealth School
Lexington Christian Academy
Middlesex School
Minuteman Career and Technical High School
Newton North High School
Northfield Mount Hermon School
Rivers School

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

During the last week of school, fifth graders will test towers they engineered and built during woodworking class. Their goal was to design and create a tower 24-inches tall and capable of supporting 40 pounds. Anticipation and excitement will abound as towers are pushed to catastrophic failure.

From June 25 to 29, Concord Avenue will be closed to through traffic while trenching for underground power connection to the new driveway takes place. Police details will be posted at both ends of Concord Avenue to facilitate access for local traffic and school families.

Visit these websites for details, including hours for the road closure:

Town of Belmont website
Belmont Police Department Facebook page

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.

On the evening of May 22, the Town of Belmont Board of Selectman—Adam Dash, Chair, Mark A. Paolillo, Vice-Chair, and Thomas Caputo, Selectman—issued the following proclamation in honor of the accomplishments of seventh grader Kaeleen Chen and fifth grader Kendree Chen.

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS:    Belmont Day School of 55 Day School Lane, Belmont is a private school teaching from before pre-kindergarten all the way up through eighth grade; and

Ultimate Improves to 5-1 on Season

Girls’ Lacrosse Gaining Experience

The middle school Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) will represent Belmont Day in the 2018 Boston Pride Parade on Saturday, June 9, and you are invited to join in! Boston Pride is a fun, affirming event—hundreds of community groups, faith groups, non-profits, schools, and businesses gather to celebrate LGBTQ communities. Participating is another way to celebrate our diversity, encourage diversity in the wider community, and enjoy each other’s company. Everyone is welcome!

Here are the details:

Heart and Soul: Musically a Big Deal

Gregor Scores as Time Expires for the Win

We had a great turnout this past Saturday for our garden work day and sawmill project. The milling project was very successful—many boards were milled from the cleared oak trees, and volunteers helped stack boards and seal the end boards. Stay tuned for upcoming projects in the school curriculum and on campus using this wood. In the garden volunteers cleared leaves, added compost, and planted a variety of seeds including greens, peas, and radishes.

Grades 7 and 8 Musical: Mary Poppins Jr.
Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m.

Concord Avenue will be closed from Monday, April 16 to Friday, April 20.

FE French, the site subcontractor for the Barn project, has received a permit to connect the school's storm water system to the Town's system. In accordance with the permit from the Belmont Police Department, Concord Avenue will be closed to all but local traffic during these hours:

• Monday: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

School and vacation camp families headed to campus are considered local traffic. 

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.

Kindergarten's chick eggs will hit day 21 of their gestation period on Monday, April 9, so we expect there will be hatching activity soon. Follow the live web stream of the egg incubator and watch for signs of life over the coming days! (Note, the service for this live stream is not ad-free.)

Strong Leadership on Girls’ Lacrosse

Podcasting: Part 2

Fifth grade students create tableaux during their improvisation unit. 

From left to right: the Who Cares! Club, the Poets Club, the Puppetry Club, the Heat Wave, and On Thin Ice.

Over February break, while the nation reconciled the sadness of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, and watched students organize a national movement in its wake, a group of seventh and eighth grade students added their voices to the chorus of young people around the country. They urged us to consider joining the 17-minute National School Walkout to be held on Wednesday, March 14 at 10 a.m.

Belmont Day will be closed due forecasted severe weather conditions that will begin tonight and carry on until Tuesday night. As the storm is expected to end by 10 p.m. on Tuesday, school will be open on Wednesday, March 14.

HATS! 

The first and second grades proudly present a musical that celebrates what's underneath on Friday, March 23. The clever, rhyming script and song-writing in this production explore all kinds of hats, their uses, and the people who wear them. After watching this musical spectacle, audience members will discover that it’s not the hat that makes a person special, but what’s underneath that truly counts! From hilarious to heart-warming, this musical entertains and educates at the same time. 

School will close at 12:30 p.m. in advance of the forecasted winter storm. After school and enrichment classes are canceled as well as all evening meetings.

“What are you doing for February break?”
“I’m going to Kenya!” I answered.
“On a safari?” was the typical response. It would have been mine too, until now.

Athletes Celebrate Winter Season

Schools are reeling after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida this week. We are left with a terrible feeling of vulnerability when schools—the institutions that celebrate innocence, demand safety, preserve childhood, and generate the leaders of the future—are sites of such tragic violence. Every school is reflecting on its own policies and procedures to ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep our students safe.

Woodworking Creations in Grades 1 through 8

The woodworking studio is busy all year with students from grades 1 through 8. Over the past few months, students in these grades have been busy working on a range of projects including:

• Grade 1: Hole ‘n’ a Box
• Grade 2: Challenge Project
• Grades 7 & 8: Wood Carvings

Fifth grade students are beginning a project for which they must make an object out of wood and combine that with a makey makey to interact with their scratch projects. The photos below are projects from last year and were shown to these fifth graders for inspiration. 

School will close an 12 p.m. due to expected winter weather conditions.

Boys’ Varsity Improves to 5-1 on Season

Sixth grade teacher Dean Spencer attended a four-day Leaf and Pen Writing Retreat for Educators at The Carey Institute for Global Good in Rensselaerville, NY. Leaf and Pen designs its workshops and retreats to provide immersive writing experiences—away from the distractions of everyday life—for writers who are teachers across disciplines. Unstructured writing time, daily workshopping sessions, an idea lab, and camaraderie with other teacher-writers established a nurturing space for him to work on these pieces among others:

Hats!

Lewis and Friedbauer Lead Girls’ JV Hoops to Win

Sixth grade classmates Lynn Lewis and Kiki Friedbauer propelled the girls’ JV basketball team to a hard-fought 3-point victory over Cambridge Friends this week. Lewis took charge on the offensive end of the court with great ball handling and timely scoring, while Friedbauer shined defensively by shutting down the opposition’s best player. All in all it was a breakout performance for the Blue & Gold who will look to keep things rolling in the right direction when they square off against Rashi next week.

Each year's graduating class raises money to leave a lasting legacy of their time at Belmont Day. The Class of 2018 is selling BDS socks and drawstring bags. Complete your school spirit collection and purchase these fun items outside the PAC on both parent visiting days—Friday, January 19 for the middle school and Friday, February 2 for lower school. Thank you for your generosity!

Grades 7 and 8 Arts Elective - Special Effects Makeup

In this elective, students learn how to apply stage makeup and create special effects. Students who choose this class often become the make-up artists for class plays throughout the year. Check out the time-lapse video where students demonstrate two different applications. Enjoy!

Team Captains Announced

Following a long winter break and a snow-shortened week, all seven interscholastic teams are eager to get back into the swing of things on Monday, January 8. Every team is led by a pair of captains who were nominated by teammates and selected by coaches. Captains for this winter are as follows:

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 Thursday, January 4 due to anticipated severe weather conditions. 

Stay warm and safe and see you all on Friday!

Clayton and Klug Pace Boys’ Varsity in Season Opener

Eighth graders Jordan Clayton (15) and Gabe Klug (10) combined for nearly half of Belmont Day’s points in boys’ varsity’s 51-29 win over Waldorf this week. The duo was a formidable inside-outside threat with Clayton as the playmaker up top and Klug as the finisher down low. The remainder of the scoring was spread out evenly as all nine active players made it into the book. All in all it was a solid team effort for the BDS cagers who will resume their season on the other side of the break.

Sixth graders are using a digital sandbox to recreate "the clapper." Students wrote a program that directs the onboard microphone to turn on a light when it detected a loud sound like a clap and then to turn off when it detected a second clap.

Fresh Faces Add Energy to Girls’ Varsity Basketball

After a successful stint on the JV team last winter, Mina Cho, Sophie Dornstein, and Delia Moore have already made an impact on this year’s varsity squad. The trio earned spots on Belmont Day’s top team thanks to their dedicated work ethic and focused approach. With newcomers helping to set the tone, head coach Kathy Gruzynski is confident that a healthy competitive environment will be created among her 9 players. The girls tip off their season next Wednesday at Waldorf.  

Athletics News

Ready, Set, Code!

Fencing Program Expands

Six alumni returned to BDS to speak with eighth graders about Capstone and share their experiences and wisdom about their projects. They also talked about how the Capstone experience has been helpful to them in high school. Students asked great questions, and got some needed inspiration as they launch into their own projects. Thank you to Jamie McCreath '17, Ethan Smyke '17, Margo Danahy '17, Gabe McCreath '17, Sarah McCluskey '14, and Samantha Friborg '14.

We had a great crew of students, parents, and faculty helping to put the garden to rest for the winter. Weeding, mulching, harvesting, raking, and clearing were among the many tasks our volunteers participated in. We thank these volunteers and, with this important work, we anticipate our spring season coming soon. Look for opportunities in April to help wake up the school garden to get ready for another stellar season in the BDS garden.

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.

We are thrilled to announce that a group of parents has generously increased their own giving and offered us a Raise the Roof Challenge for the Barn project. Any new or increased gift to the Raise Y[our] Voice Capital Campaign will be matched 1:1 up to $450,000. This is both an incredibly generous offer and a significant challenge.

Enrollment is open for our fun after school enrichment programs for the second trimester. Here are the new offerings:

MONDAYS

• Experimentivity
• Master Chef
• LEGO Designer

TUESDAYS

• Jewelry Workshop
• Bedtime Math
• LEGO Builders

WEDNESDAYS

• Dollar Scholars
• Soap Making

THURSDAYS

• Become a Yogi
• Herb Gardens
• 21st Century Skills: Engineering and Design

FRIDAYS

Football Tops Fessenden in Final Game

Join us to learn more about applying to be a Future Leader at Belmont Day! We will host info sessions on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 5 p.m. and Friday, January 5, 2018 at 4 p.m. in the Erskine Library. The January 5 event is canceled for weather. We will post information about a new date soon!

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.

Learn more about the ways in which you can get involved with Capstone.

Every grade has a shared summer and back-to-school experience thanks to summer reading. Students shared the academic and creative projects that emerged from their book at sharing assembly today. Learn more about third grade's book Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola.

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.

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

Learn about the educators and administrators who joined our community this year.

Free concerts for toddlers and preschoolers featuring some of the Boston area's favorite performers!

Follow along with the fun and excitement on campus this summer!

Carpooling helps families save time and resources and reduces traffic in our communities.

Intensive four-day workshop offers deep dive into the practice and methods of design thinking.

Faculty and families gathered on Friday, June 9 to celebrate and bid farewell to the Class of 2017. 

Yesterday the Class of 2017 had the amazing opportunity to meet Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It was the highlight of the day and the experience will likely become one the most important memories of the trip to Washington, D.C. for many of us. Justice Ginsburg very graciously decided to answer students' questions rather than delivering formal remarks. The eighth grade class posed well thought-out questions and Justice Ginsburg shared some of her important life experiences.

Student Summer Reading Selections
This summer our students will be enjoying the following books:

I can barely believe that this is the last official Scoop article of the year. Fresh off the fields from Field Day, I feel as though I have simultaneously only just begun and been here for decades. This has been an extraordinary year full of growth, learning, excellence, and joy, and I am so grateful to have been along for this incredible ride.

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!

It’s a big job, I was told, being a Head of School. “Lot of responsibility,” they said. “Are you ready?” “No doubt,” I replied. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” “24/7/365,” they said. That’s when I corrected them. “More like 364,” I advised.

Today, I got to hang up the tie, kick back, and watch Emmett Plante, Head for the day, take the reins. Now, there are those of you out there reading this thinking, ‘well, isn’t that a bit cavalier?’ I mean, what kind of credentials does Emmett bring to the job?  

The middle school Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) is starting a new tradition—for the first time, Belmont Day will march in Boston’s Pride Parade as a school! Come take a look at the colorful participation poster created by GSA members in the lobby and add your name if you can join us in celebrating together on Saturday, June 10.

On a beautiful May day, a team of six students from the Roots & Shoots club turned out Community Service Day to pitch in with Furnishing Hope of Massachusetts, Inc. Furnishing Hope is a nonprofit organization that provides furniture and home goods to families transitioning from homeless shelters.

First Graders Sew Pillow Covers

Support our athletes on this five game day!

Fly Like an Eagle

In this Space Jam-inspired music class, students use hand bells and rubber balls to play melodies and rhythms. 
 

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.

Thank you for your help, you fantastic volunteers
From the start you welcomed families with warmth and good cheers
In Fall functions you helped the new folks allay all their fears
Then you REALLY got to know them over Novemberfest beers

The success of this year is truly due to you
From an enrichment kangaroo
to a hospitable halloween ‘boo’
(don’t forget the back-to-school goodies too!)

While there has certainly been plenty going on of late with our proposed plans for The Barn project, I wanted to take some time in this space to come back to The Main Thing.  

In February I shared a community update on the exciting program and campus growth that is underway. I take this opportunity now to provide another update on our progress.

One bus route will run to and from camp each day from June 26 to September 1 according to the following schedule:

TO CAMP:

• Huron and Sparks intersection (206 Huron Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138) - 7:40 a.m.
• JFK School (5 Cherry St. Somerville, MA 02144 - right behind the Porter Square shopping center) - 7:50 a.m.
• Crosby Park (34 Winter Street, Arlington, MA 02474) - 8:05 a.m.
• Ed Burns Skating Arena (422 Summer St., Arlington, MA 02474) - 8:20 a.m.

FROM CAMP:

Skenderian and Huntington Shine for Belmont Day

“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”

“The sun will come out tomorrow…”

“Any interest?” My question, asked to our nurse, Liz LaRocque, felt innocent enough. It was attached to a forwarded email regarding the “AISNE Health and Wellness Symposium” in May. Given Belmont Day’s leading work in Health and Wellness–a program that has been showcased for other schools with consistency from year to year–this felt like the right question to ask, knowing that they want to stay abreast of the latest and greatest of professional development opportunities.

Middle school students are using both their engineering and workworking skills in the ID8 Lab to create an interactive table. They used drills and saws to cut out the middle of an IKEA side table. They will add LEDS into the middle and cover them with a piece of acrylic. Then they will use a Makey Makey to trigger the LEDs to light up when touched. The final picture shows the model that inspired the project.

Ten middle school students spent Wednesday evening, March 29, listening to nationally acclaimed poet Marie Howe read her work as the 2017 recipient of the Robert Creeley Award in Acton. Two Massachusetts high school students, winners of the statewide Helen Creeley Poetry Contest, also read.
 
“It was wonderful to be in a room of hundreds of people listening to live poetry. There’s nothing like seeing and hearing great living poets to help students understand the possibilities for their own expression,” said Mr. Spencer. 
 

“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”

The call of the Freedom Riders rings through history, and will certainly ring true this Thursday night as our sixth grade welcomes the BDS community to Freedom Night. Their study of civil rights—the sacrifices made in an effort to achieve them, the progress we have made as a nation, and the distance we have yet to travel—has been deep and meaningful. Freedom Night showcases one grade’s comprehensive exploration of issues of racial, socio-economic, and gender diversity, to be certain, but also diversity of thought and opinion.

Tennis Team Heads Outside

Following indoor tryouts at Harvard, and a few practices in the gym, the tennis team braved the cold temps on Thursday and finally got outdoors, traveling off campus to their “home away from home.” This spring, the tennis team will host their home meets at the Pequossette Courts on Trapelo Road in Belmont. The town courts were recently refinished and provide the opportunity for more matches with four side-by-side courts. Coaches are excited about the addition of eighth grade newcomers Will Levy and Madison Liesching.

Last week, I looked at the ways that our eighth grade students have already set off to change the world through their Capstone work this year. As promised, the three hearty students who presented their work on Monday are honored here in this week’s Scoop. As you’ll recall, Capstone is a journey into the remarkable curiosity, leadership, insight, and talents of our eighth grade student leaders as change agents for the future. Here is what I learned from our final three presenters:

Spring Season Underway Despite Weather

Nearly a foot of snow on Tuesday canceled the first day of interscholastic tryouts and forced teams inside the remainder of the week. Excited for the new season, coaches and athletes made the best of the situation and had productive starts to their seasons. The lacrosse and ultimate teams utilized gym space both on- and off-campus, while tennis traveled to Harvard’s indoor courts, and track ran on nearby roads.

Athletics News

Wednesday, March 15

It is with great pleasure that I write to share some exciting staffing news with you. Carl Geneus will be returning to camp this summer as our seasonal camp director! 

Carl is our physical education teacher at Belmont Day during the school year and began his journey with Belmont Day Camp last summer to cover while Betsy Kelder, our former director of summer and external programs, was out on maternity leave. 

Music and the Rubik's Cube 

Athletes Gear Up for Spring Season

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

Seventh and Eighth Grade Carving

Sign up for Spring Conference Day Programs!

Conference Day is Wednesday, March 22. We have a great trip planned to LEGOLAND. Program hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with extended day coverage until 5:30 p.m. OUR LEGOLAND trip Includes unlimited rides, workshops, free building time, LEGO films, and a pizza lunch. Minimum enrollment of 25 children is needed to run the program. Download a registration form.

Dance Performance a Huge Success

The dance program is only in its third year of existence yet is already expanding opportunities for students. This week, lead instructor Valery Marcantonio took her nine dancers to Sunrise Senior Living Center in Weston to perform for residents. The team performed two routines, each one a unique creation inspired by different music and styles. Following the performance, students had the opportunity to connect with the audience making for a great experience for all involved. 

Athletics News

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.

On a morning when the entire community came together to celebrate fifth grade and their Shakespeare mash-up, One Midsummer Night, the closing monologue of Robin Goodfellow Puck has given me pause as we move towards break.  

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!

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I provide this update to you. It is the upshot of a tremendous amount of work by faculty and countless other members of our community. As many of you already know, the board of trustees voted to approve an enrollment growth initiative last year that would add up to forty-five students in total to our sixth, seventh, and eighth grades over the course of the next four to five years, with approximately fifteen more students in each grade than are currently enrolled today. We would also add faculty to support this enrollment growth.

For those of you who are not inclined towards professional sports fandom, forgive me. I don’t know how many more times I will have the opportunity to write an article like this one, and every now and then, you just have to scratch that itch.

Our eighth grade students were born in 2002-2003. That means—if they are rooting for their Boston-based home teams—that they have witnessed eight local professional sports championships in their fourteen years of life.  

Students in the Trust Your Crazy Ideas club use Leap Motion to read sign language and have the computer show and say the letter.

Keep up-to-date on the progress of our capital campaign!

Fencing Victorious in First Match

Balanced Attack Leads Boys’ JV Past CFS

Windows and mirrors. I first learned of them through the National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) and the work of Dr. Peggy McIntosh years ago. But this morning, as we welcomed parents for lower school visiting day, I found myself thinking about the difference between, and the value of, windows and mirrors. Through a window, we are granted access to a world that may be very different from our own—filled with experiences and ideas that perhaps we haven’t seen before.

Three faculty members will present a workshop at the 2017 AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference on Saturday, February 4. The conference theme is "Using My Difference to Make a Difference." Fifth grade teacher Debbie Grossman, middle school performing arts teacher Susan Dempsey, and fourth grade teacher Mary Norman will present "Privilege and Allyship," a workshop for white conference participants. Through discussion, activities, and role play, students will learn about their privileges, what it means to be an ally, and gain new understandings and tools for action. 

Raising [My] Voice

Badminton Gears Up for First Match

After three weeks of practice, the badminton team will finally kick off its interscholastic season next week at Shady Hill. With only four returning players from a year ago, this year’s team will be relying heavily on a handful of experienced eighth graders, including team captain Ethan Smyke and standout performer Max Reitshamer.

Athletics News

A New Year's Resolution

A freshly sharpened pencil. A song I haven’t heard before. The stillness of daybreak. A baby’s first cry. I am a sucker for anything new. The unspoiled potential of it all. 

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for summer camp and vacation week programs!

If you are new to Belmont Day, please visit our registration website to enroll.

Returning families can follow this link to register for 2017 or to make additions or changes to their registration.

Applications for pre-k through grade 7 candidates must be submitted online by Wednesday, January 11.

Beginning the Journey into Artificial Intelligence

“Our story, post PoCC, involves a recommitment to encouraging authentic and mutually respectful dialogue and a call to action to support all members of the Belmont Day School community.”

Fencing Moves On Campus

Lenny and Lino’s Tree

Dance Program Expands

With the addition of five sixth grade athletes, the Belmont Day dance program continues to grow. In its third year of existence, this year’s team has a total of nine dancers including veterans Lucia Cartmell Toffoli, Katey Finnerty, and Rayne McNerney. The team hopes to expand its performance schedule this winter, so stay tuned for dance-related news!

Athletics News

A Love of Reading

Thanksgiving break always seems to arrive just in time—Labor Day to Thanksgiving provides the longest stretch of uninterrupted school days we will have all year long and everyone is ready for some down time, family time, turkey time or, as is the case in my house: curl-up-with-a-good-book time. Annually, the quiet that comes with that tryptophan-induced sleepy Thursday afternoon offers an ideal time for our family to reacquaint ourselves with the magic of literature.

Students Wrap-Up Fall Season with Win over Coaches

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” - Cicero

As we approach Thanksgiving, I figured now would be as good a time as any to articulate that for which I would like to give thanks. Forgive me for writing in a list this week, but then, good writing often changes syntax (at least, that’s my intellectualized excuse)…

On this Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks for...

Middle School Projects: Wooden Lamps and Structures

On the heels of their work with educator and diversity leader Rosetta Lee last Friday, three Belmont Day students attended the AISNE (Association of Independent Schools New England) Middle School Diversity Conference at Thayer Academy on Saturday, November 5. The keynote speakers were Oliver Arias and Eric Axelman, a teaching and performing team from Pushed Learning and Media.

In music classes, students explore of a variety of specific skills through monthly topics. In September classes focused on musical letter names for the notes in the spaces of the treble clef staff; October was rhythm month with an emphasis on the practice of quarter notes and eighth notes. In November are exploring musical preludes. Older students are challenged to consider whether a prelude is a piece of music that precedes a work or is actually a movement that marks the beginning of the work. Non-musical forms like prefaces, prologues, and preambles are included in these discussions.

Boys’ Soccer Stays Hot, Blanks Fenn

Screenagers

"I have been on the road with this documentary for eight months all over the country, and I have never heard a collection of thoughtful questions like the ones coming from your students tonight." - Delaney Ruston, speaking about BDS students after viewing her film, Screenagers.

Flag Football Starts Strong

Online/Blended Education Symposium for Independent Schools, or OESIS, is a think tank igniting transformation in independent schools.

The Ko Family and Wellesley Toyota Speaker Series Presents Rosetta Lee

Repetitive Shape and Form

Sawing, Drilling, and Hammering