Health and Wellness

Each school has nursing services available for its students. Health screening is conducted as appropriate at all grade levels. In addition, health programs are a part of the curriculum at each level of the system.

The Belmont Public Schools sponsor a parent education series each year. A parent volunteer coordinates the program and provides workshops on topics of interest to parents with children at every level of the school system.

Guidance

Students have access to guidance counselors and other pupil support staff including psychologists, social workers, and community outreach staff. Belmont High School offers a developmental guidance program which focuses on academic growth and success, personal development, and future planning. The staff provides direct support in assisting students in their decisions concerning academic programs, college selection, work opportunities, and other issues that students face inside and outside the classroom.

English Language Education (ELE)

ELE tutorial assistance is offered to students for whom English is not the native language. Services are designed to enable students to acquire spoken and written fluency so that they may be successful with their regular classroom work. Placement in the program is a mutual decision involving teachers and parents.

Community Service

The Belmont Public Schools have a rich tradition of community service. Individual elementary schools provide numerous opportunities for children to participate in service projects. Activities range from a yearlong fourth grade Intergenerational Project to food drives, clothing collections, and fundraising for relief work.

Middle school students are involved in a wide variety of community service activities coordinated by teachers, parents, and volunteers. Grade six students participate in several schoolsponsored events after school as well as independent events outside of school such as volunteering at Habitat, at the elementary schools’ afterschool programs, and at the Belmont Food Pantry. Many students in grades seven and eight join an after school Community Service Club, led by a school advisor who coordinates student participation in one event per month. All middle school students who participate are expected to reflect on and write papers about their experiences.

At Belmont High School, which has a community service requirement for graduation, the Community Service Program offers many service opportunities in Belmont and beyond. Each fall, freshmen and their upper class “Connectors” participate in an afternoon of local service. This “Connecting with Belmont” program involves teens providing service at several worksites in the Belmont community. An active Belmontian Community Service Club implements projects monthly, and a senior elective course in community service provides opportunities for sustained placements throughout the year. We are proud of the large number of students who perform service regularly, including those who have earned a Presidential Student Service Challenge Award for performing over 100 hours in a twelve-month period.

Fine and Performing Arts

The Belmont Public Schools offer a diverse array of opportunities for students interested in the fine and performing arts. Recognized as having one of the best fine and performing arts programs in the state, Belmont students perform in regional and national music festivals and competitions, and often return with honors and awards. Visit DFPA web site.

The town-wide Saturday Morning Music School provides instruction to students in grades three to five in the areas of choral and instrumental music (band and orchestra). This program supplements the instruction offered once a week during the school day. Each school year, about 60% of students in grades three to five are involved in the band and orchestra programs.

The department presents over thirty performances and events throughout the school year including concerts, dramatic productions, and art exhibitions. Belmont High School Bands, choirs, and orchestras have performed in the British Isles, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and Spain. Bi-annual tours to Paris provide Advanced Placement Art students a special opportunity to study the great masters. The Parents of Music Students (POMS) and Parents of Performing Arts Students (PARTS) provide extensive support for the performing arts programs.

Interscholastic Athletics

Belmont High School offers an extensive interscholastic athletic program for boys and girls throughout the academic year consisting of 26 sports with 54 levels of competition. Our teams are members of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and compete in the Middlesex League. Over the past five years Belmont teams have won 12 league championships and three divisional championships and have been divisional finalists on three different occasions. In the fall of 2005 Belmont High School was recognized as one of only eight schools state wide to be honored with the prestigious MIAA District Sportsmanship Award.

Interscholastic sports are offered at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity levels. Each year, approximately 73% of Belmont High School students participate in interscholastic athletics. The Belmont Boosters’ Club, a group of dedicated and enthusiastic residents, supports the schools’ athletic programs through fund-raising activities. Visit BHS Athletics web pages.

Department of Educational Technology

The Department of Educational Technology supports the mission of the school system by integrating technology into the management operations of the district, providing instructional tools for student and staff use, and maintaining multiple means to communicate with faculty, staff, students, parents, local officials, and the larger community. The goal is for students and staff to have full access to the tools and skills needed to use technology effectively for teaching and learning. The school system has multiple websites that are designed to provide information to students, parents, and the community. E-mail listserver functions are also used to communicate with various school constituencies. A student/staff web portal exists to facilitate access to syllabi, assignments, and other course information from outside of school.

The Belmont Public Schools have over 900 computers, 3,000 individual network accounts, and a myriad of software applications. The schools maintain numerous devices from digital cameras to science probes throughout the system. Wireless access is available in all schools. Visit DET web site.