The BDS Story, Chapter 2
September 30, 2016

It was wonderful to welcome so many of you at Back-to-School Night last Thursday. I am awed and delighted by the thoughtful responses to the “in-class assignment” I gave you all that night. In my first Scoop article I shared some data about our faculty’s answers to the question “What is the BDS Story?” The answers you provided—now on display in the Gallery—align precisely with those given by the faculty. 

These are the characteristics your identified as intrinsic parts of Belmont Day:

• students-centered; individualized learning experiences for every student
• deep appreciation of community and values
• excellent teaching faculty

Here are some of your expressions of the BDS story:

"Warm community to nurture a love of learning and sense of community; creating the base for a future of goodness."

"BDS is a place where children come first. It is a place where colleagues are celebrated for all the creative ways they bring learning to the classroom. It is a community in the truest sense of the word."

"It’s a very rigorous and also a very supportive school where faculty have high expectations of students and students rise to meet those expectations."

"BDS is the only place that greets us every day with warmth, enthusiasm, joy, and love when we walk in the door."

And parents called out a fourth characteristic—magic:

"My BDS Story: What’s the Magic? My daughter entered at grade five and returned home every day reborn! Full of joy, smiles, and chattering with stories of new friends. We found her, and she found herself again—she is once more an engaged, happy, curious, and supported learner."

There’s a lot to say about what makes BDS great. As we move forward together through the school year, watch The Scoop for more installments of the BDS Story, Parents' Edition.

Upcoming Events
Saturday, October 1 to Saturday, October 8

Saturday, October 1: Belmont First SaturDay Concert with Tim Seston, 10 a.m., Coolidge Hall; GLSEN Massachusetts Fall Conference, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School

A Week
Sunday, October 2 to Tuesday, October 4: Rosh Hashanah

Tuesday, October 4: Green Team, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., Lower School Art Room; Kindergarten Parents' Library Coffee, 8:15 to 9 a.m., Erskine Library; Boys Soccer vs Waldorf, 3:30 p.m.; Girls Soccer at Waldorf, 3:30 p.m.; Field Hockey vs Pike, 3:30 p.m.; Cross Country vs Pike, 3:30 p.m.; Flag Football at Fessenden, 3:30 p.m.; SSAT Prep, 5 to 7 p.m.; Board of Trustees, 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, October 6: Cross-Graded Partners, 8:50 to 9:35 a.m.; Grade 1 Parent Social, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Erskine Library

Friday, October 7: Parents' Association, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Coolidge Hall; SSAT Prep, 1 to 3:15 p.m.
 

Lunch & Snack Menu

Online Conference Sign-Ups Coming Next Thursday, October 6

Online conference sign-ups will open at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 6. 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, October 21 and October 28, and a full-day Wednesday, October 26, when there is no school for students. For some grades, other times are available.

Optional programming is available for Belmont Day students on October 26. Registration forms are available here, at the front desk, or on the BDSG parent site. To ensure proper staffing you must enroll no later than Friday, October 19. During conferences complimentary drop-in coverage will be available in the Erskine Library. This service is open to Belmont Day students only. Please have your child bring a favorite quiet activity for that time. No electronics please. Complimentary drop-in care 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 p.m. on Wednesday the 26. 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).

Braiding Different Strands Meeting
Tuesday, October 18 in Erskine Library

Come one, come all to our first Braiding Different Strands meeting on Tuesday, October 18 in the Erskine Library! Braiding Different Strands is a group that engages in lively conversation around equity and diversity, sharing resources, ideas, and challenges in a collaborative and safe environment. All adult members of the Belmont Day community are welcome to attend and contribute ideas or questions, whether you can make one meeting or all of the meetings. This month our focus will be on getting to know each other and working through challenging vignettes that our children/students might pose to us around issues of diversity. 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

Family Community Service Day Update

October is Farm to School Month!

Show Your Spirit! Be at Harvard for Friday Night Lights!
Friday, October 21, 6:15 p.m.
Harvard Soccer Stadium

Come and show your Belmont Day pride and support our boys’ and girls’ soccer teams at Friday Night Lights on Friday, October 21 beginning at 6:15 p.m. This annual classic features each interscholastic soccer team playing a full game against the Meadowbrook teams, with the boys’ game beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by the girls’ game at 8 p.m. Not many middle school students get the opportunity to play under the lights at Harvard—it is an experience that the players eagerly anticipate every year and remember long after they graduate. And what makes the experience even more special are the BDS fans wearing their Blue and Gold gear cheering on the teams. This event pulls together the entire Belmont Day community—faculty, students, parents, alumni, and friends. Let’s fill the stands and show Meadowbrook how much spirit we have!

Attendees will be treated to free pizza, snacks, and drinks provided by the PA and the alumni relations office. Plus, Roots and Shoots will once again hold a bake sale at the game!

Please remember that this is not a drop-off event. Please keep an eye on your children throughout the event and make sure they throw their trash away in the receptacles. 

If you have questions, or to request more information, please contact Andy Rentschler at arentschler@belmontday.org.

It's Not Too Late

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Visiting Day invites were mailed last week, but if you still have someone to invite, please let us know and we will get an invite in the mail. Please note: while the school keeps grandparent address information on file, we do not keep the address information for special friends. Please complete this form to provide the name(s) and address(es) for your child's guests. If you would prefer that we NOT send an invitation to your child's grandparents, or if you have questions, please notify Development Associate Beth Sousa at bsousazois@belmontday.org. Thank you!

Calling All Bakers, Greeters, and Guides! 

Please help the parents' association welcome visitors on Grandparents' and Special Friends Visiting Day! Volunteer opportunities are available for greeters, bakers, classroom representatives, and more. 

Lice

Enrichment Assembly Thanks

Pumpkin Patch Success

Cushing Square October Festival
Saturday, October 1, 12 to 6 p.m.
Cushing Square, Belmont, MA 02478

Kick off the new month at the October Festival in Cushing Square this Saturday, October 1. Throughout the afternoon and early evening there will be pumpkin painting, face painting, sidewalk store sales, raffles and prizes, food tastings, live music, and more. Bring family and friends and enjoy a celebration of the new season!
 

BU Academy Robotics Workshop
Tuesday, October 11, 3 to 5 p.m.
BUA, 1 University Road, Boston, MA 02215

The BUA Robotics team is holding a free afternoon workshop for girls in grades 6 to 9. The workshop will feature a guest speaker and a hands-on VEX IQ Robotics activity. Participants will get a Girl-Power T-shirt. The REC Foundation launched Girl Powered, in collaboration with VEX Robotics, Inc. with the goal of doubling the number of girls on robotics teams and engaged in the classroom over the next 5 years. Click here to sign up.

The Scoop, Print Edition - September 30

Click here to find all of the articles from this week’s Scoop, formatted together for easy printing or conversion to a single PDF.