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Athletes Share Season Highlights at Assembly
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Seventh and Eighth Grade Carving
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March 3, 2017
Greetings from the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference!
Belmont Day enjoys a robust commitment to professional development for our faculty, staff, and administration. The opportunity for Deborah Brissenden, Assistant Head of School, and I to attend the conference in Baltimore, Maryland is only the latest in a long line of opportunities to learn about the latest shifts and best practices in the larger independent school world that members of our learning community have seized this year. Whether attending workshops locally or nationally, we are dedicated to keeping our school on the leading edge of research and practice so that we can provide the very best programming for our students.
This year, the theme for the NAIS Annual Conference is “Make Your Mission Matter: From Vision to Values,” and it is hard not to feel like it has been designed expressly for us given all of the strategic work we have been doing lately. It has also, coincidentally, given me an idea for my weekly address in the Scoop.
As you walk into the Baltimore Convention Center, a massive building located in the heart of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the site of this year’s conference, signs abound promoting the conference’s theme. Right next to the registration desk stands a kiosk whose sign asks this question: “Choose your mission: which of these pins resonates most for you and your school?” Beneath the question there are six boxes, each filled with small pins that offer distinct and discrete missions: Leading Innovation reads one; Cultivating Community, the next; Embracing Diversity; Developing Wellness; Nurturing Curiosity; and Changing the World read the remaining four.
I had two thoughts upon seeing this: the first was ‘wow, this kiosk could save schools a lot of time and money on strategic planning and their consultants.’ The second was, ‘I wonder if it is that easy.’
READ MORE
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NEED TO READ
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, March 4 to Saturday, March 11
Saturday, March 4: Belmont SaturDay Concert with Ben Rudnick, 10 to 10:45 a.m., Coolidge Hall; Summer Camp Info Session and Tour 3, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Erskine Library
B Week
Monday, March 6 to Friday, March 10: Mud Week
Monday, March 6: Grade 4 Parents Library Coffee, 8:15 to 9 a.m., Erskine Library; Braiding Different Strands, 6:15 to 8:15 p.m., Erskine Library
Tuesday, March 7: Finance Committee, 8 to 10 a.m., Bungalow; Enrichment Class: Robotics II Sharing, 4 to 4:30 p.m., ID8 Lab; Enrichment Class: Robotics Lab Sharing, 5 to 5:30 p.m., ID8 Lab; Race-Based Discussion Groups, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Coolidge Hall
Wednesday, March 8: Grade 6 Literary Tea, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Coolidge Hall
Thursday, March 9: Third Grade State Fair, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m., Coolidge Hall; Board-Faculty Dinner, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Coolidge Hall
Friday, March 10: Admissions Decisions Released; Enrichment Assembly, 8:50 to 9:35 a.m., PAC
Friday, March 10 to Saturday, March 11: Steppingstone Foundation Retreat, 6 p.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Monday
Snack: RF Cape Cod chips; fruit cup
Lunch: spaghetti with meatballs*; garlic bread; hot veg special; greens with balsamic
*GF options available
Tuesday
Snack: Saltines; bananas
Lunch: turkey chili; vegetable chili; salsa, sour cream, and guacamole; taco salad
Wednesday
Snack: granola bar; raisins
Lunch: Mediterranean roasted Acadian redfish; krinkle cut fries; hot veg special; arugula and grape tomato salad
Thursday
Snack: garden salsa SunChips; grapes
Lunch: corn chowder; carrot ginger soup; ham and cheese croissant*; hot veg special; garden salad
*GF and DF available
Friday
Snack: cheese and apples |
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CAMPAIGN NEWS
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One of the important and exciting elements of our impending construction project is the new driveway that will enter campus from Concord Avenue on the north side of Far Field and create a one way loop through campus. This point of ingress will initially be the service drive during construction and will be paved and opened to BDS families upon completion of The Barn at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. As parents who have been navigating Day School Lane during drop-off and pick-up times daily for the last ten years or more, we couldn’t be more excited about the prospects of the new traffic pattern. Gone will be backups to Concord Avenue. Gone will be trying to work our way around cars waiting to pick up children at the front door to get to Coolidge or the Walkway. Perhaps most importantly, gone will be the school's vulnerability to being cut off if and when another tree falls across Day School Lane, preventing even emergency vehicles access to campus. Our new driveway will not only be safer and more convenient, it will provide a beautiful entrance to the school lined by trees, a stone wall, and playing fields.
Our special thanks go to all BDS community members who have participated in the community forums introducing the idea of the driveway to the neighbors, as well as to those Belmont residents who wrote letters on the school's behalf to Belmont’s Office of Community Development. It takes a village to raise a Barn.
Click here to see an aerial view of the proposed driveway.
Margaret Wade and Bradley Lewis, Campaign Co-Chairs |
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DIVERSITY NEWS
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Braiding Different Strands Meeting
Monday, March 6, 6:15 p.m. in Erskine Library
“Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you and me.” ― Carlos Fuentes
We invite you to join us at our upcoming Braiding Different Strands meeting. This meeting will feature a presentation on current immigration law intended to put current news around immigration into context and provide suggestions for supporting immigrant populations. Our hope is that participants will come away feeling better informed on the immigration stories being reported by various news outlets. In addition, participants will have more information about the complexity of laws and policy surrounding immigration and immigrant rights.
In addition to the presentation, we will have a Q&A with an immigration lawyer and provide resources for parents and students about immigration, immigration laws, and advocacy work. A light dinner will be provided at 6:15 p.m. and the meeting will start promptly at 6:30 p.m.
"There comes a time when silence is betrayal" ― MLK
Race-Based Discussion Groups
Tuesday, March 7, 6 p.m. in Coolidge Hall
This will be the second of four sessions of honest, open, and supportive dialogue around race. Our hope is that you can attend many/all of the sessions so that work can continue from previous sessions and a brave space can be attained for all. Attendees will split themselves into race-based discussion groups—either Witnessing Whiteness or Person of Color (POC). A light dinner will be served in Coolidge Hall and then we will begin our separate work at 6:30 p.m. If you have any questions please email parent co-chair Jill Seeber at jill.seeber@me.com
To prepare for the March 7 session, we ask that all members of the Witnessing Whiteness group complete this reading. There is no homework for the POC group.
We also encourage you to go see local spoken word artists and dancers perform Invisible: Imprints of Racism at Emerson College Theatre. There are only a few shows offered March 3-11, so get your tickets asap!
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CONFERENCE DAY NEWS
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Online Conference Sign-ups Coming Wednesday, March 8
Online conference sign-ups will open at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8. The time slots are first-come, first-served, so if you have multiple conferences it is wise to sign up early. Conferences provide an important opportunity for a conversation with your child(ren)’s teachers and we expect every parent to come to a conference. Specific slots will be available at sign-up time and include two Friday afternoons, March 24 and March 31, and a full-day Wednesday, October 26, when there is no school for students.
Optional programming is available for Belmont Day students on March 22 (see below). Registration forms will be available on the Parent Site under Parent Conferences, and at the front desk. To ensure proper staffing you must enroll no later than Wednesday, March 15. During conferences complimentary drop-in coverage will be available in the Erskine Library. This service is open to Belmont Day students only. Children must come prepared with a quiet activity. No food or activities will be provided, and children will stay in the Erskine Library during the time of their parent’s conference(s) only. Complimentary drop-in in the library is open at 1 p.m. and closes at 4 p.m. on the Friday conference days, and is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday the 22. We are unable to accommodate non-Belmont Day siblings in our conference day coverage. If your conference is scheduled to occur before or after these times, or on another day, please make childcare arrangements for your child(ren).
Conference Day Program Registration Open
We are offering an exciting off-site program at LEGOLAND on Wednesday, March 22. The day will include unlimited access to rides, building areas, LEGO films, workshops and a pizza lunch. To ensure a space for your child and help us plan for the appropriate staffing ratio please register as soon you know you need childcare. We must have 25 participants to run this program. Download a registration form or pick one up at the front desk. Please return the completed form, along with a check, to Barbara Carey. |
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CAPSTONE NEWS
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Capstone Program Now Available!
March 13 to 16
The 2017 Capstone presentations will be held during morning, afternoon, and evening sessions on March 13 to 16 in the Kiva. Now in it’s fourteenth year, the Capstone experience is a highlight for our eighth graders. As you look over the presentation program, you'll see the wide array of topics and interests of this year's eighth grade class. The presentations are the culminating event in the 'triathlon' of the Capstone experience, which encompasses a year of research and independent project work for our eighth graders. As these presentations are a major milestone for every one of our eighth grade students, we ask you to please keep the following key points in mind:
- Students in pre-k to grade six must be accompanied and supervised by an adult if they wish to attend an afternoon or evening session.
- We ask that you and your child(ren) plan to stay for the entire session to show support for all of our presenters if you attend an afternoon or evening session.
- If your child is enrolled in after school or an after school enrichment class and would like to attend an afternoon Capstone presentation session, a DISMISSAL CHANGE SLIP MUST be given to Barbara Carey at the front desk NO LATER than 9 a.m. on the morning of the presentation. These students will be dismissed to the adult specified on the dismissal form at their dismissal door.
- After school program staff are not able to take students to the afternoon presentations.
- If your child is not enrolled in after school and he or she wishes to stay to attend an evening session on Tuesday or Thursday, you may sign up for emergency after school care (3:30 to 5:45 p.m.) for a fee of $55. To sign up, fill out a DISMISSAL CHANGE SLIP, attach a check, and give these to Barbara Carey at the front desk NO LATER than 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the presentation. Gentle Reminder: after school dismissal starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 5:45 p.m.
It's been an exciting year for our Capstone students and their mentors, and we're looking forward to an engaging and informative slate of presentations from this year's class. We hope to see you there! |
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AUCTION NEWS
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Homegrown News
If you won an Online Auction item and have not yet picked up your envelope, please stop by Coolidge Cottage.
The online auction may be over, but we sincerely hope that you consider staying involved:
Underwriting
Place a winning donation! If you did not win a package online and would like to show your support, please consider purchasing a faculty ticket or table or underwriting general auction costs.
Become a Volunteer
Contact the auction committee at auction@belmontday.org to learn about current opportunities.
Attend the Auction
Mark Your calendars for our big Homegrown Auction and Community Event on April 29, 2017. Invites will be coming soon!
Please contact auction@belmontday.org with any questions or concerns.
DIY Terrarium Party
Winners of online auction items will be enjoying a wide range of outings, parties, sporting events, vacations, and more over the coming months. Last night, the winners of the DIY Terrarium Party, led by Mary Merrill and Koreen McQuilton, crafted their own mini-botanical world by creating a terrarium!
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PA NEWS
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Shop Wilson Farm Day Success
Many thanks to Catalina Guillermety and Gigi Saltonstall for organizing the successful PA fundraiser at Wilson Farm on Wednesday. Wilson Farm donated 20% of all BDS purchases back to the school!
Coolidge Flowers
Did you notice the spring bulbs decorating the tables in Coolidge? Tammy Sisitsky has organized the Coolidge Hall centerpieces sign-up all year, in addition to providing this week's color. Thank you Tammy! |
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TECH TIP OF THE WEEK
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In today’s world, privacy is less about being alone and more about protecting our identities and information. But if we’re all so concerned about protecting our personal data, why do we regularly give it away to apps, marketers, social media, and websites? That’s the privacy paradox. And it’s time to tackle it.
Start by tuning into the Privacy Paradox, from the talented team behind the popular Note to Self podcast from WNYC Studios. You’ll get a week's worth of daily challenges to understand where your information goes, consider the tradeoffs, and make smart digital decisions. The inventor of the Web, a reality television producer, an information ethicist, and a renowned cryptographer weigh in on this interactive project to improve online privacy for you, us, and everyone.
Mozilla’s Lightbeam browser add-on offers an interactive visualization of the sites you visit and the hidden third parties that track you along the way. Turn it on for a day, go about your online business, and discover the dozens (hundreds?) of data miners on your trail. It’s an experience that may change your view of privacy forever. |
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BEYOND BELMONT DAY
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Arlington Reads Together
Saturday, March 4 at 1 p.m.
Arlington Town Hall
Arlington Reads Together (ART), along with several other local organizations, will be hosting an event with transgender activist Nicole Maines of "Becoming Nicole." If you are interested in attending, please be sure to RSVP by clicking here. To request more information, or if you have questions, contact mdeedy@minlib.net or 781-316-3202.
Science on Saturday: Chemistry
Saturday, March 4 at 10 a.m.
MIT Kresge Auditorium, 48 Mass Ave., Cambridge
The next free Science on Saturday event will be "Chemistry." Volunteers from the audience will be able to assist with on-stage demonstrations of fun chemical reactions. After the stage show, there will be many hands-on activity tables where children can do their own chemistry experiments. There is also half-price, same-day admission to the MIT Museum for Science on Saturday attendees. For maps of the event and parking garage locations, please see the attached flyer or visit Science on Saturday.
Upcoming Science on Saturday events:
- April 1, 2017 - How the Internet Works
- October 14, 2017 - Biotechnology
- December 2, 2017 - Nuclear Science and Engineering
Camp Merrowvista Discovery Webinar
Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
Learn more about Merrowvista Summer Camp during this informational webinar hosted by Kris Light, Director of Camp Programs. Kris will discuss available sessions, daily schedule, camp activities, and program outcomes. You'll take a virtual tour of the camp, orienting you to living spaces, program areas, and the beautiful natural setting. A Q & A session will follow the presentation. Camp Merrowvista comes highly recommended by parent of alumni Jenny Keller and her daughter Susanna '16! If you would like to talk to Jenny about the program email her at jmkeller02@comcast.net.
How to attend:
Click the link https://join.me/AYFMerrowvista or copy and paste it into your browser at or near the time of the event. |
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PRINT EDITION
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Download this week’s Scoop to save or print. |
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