The month of January was busy and productive with many school events. The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast was held, and this year's breakfast, as always, was highly attended and had great speakers, a panel of METCO alumni inspiring the audience with their stories, and student performances. In addition, so far the threats of snow turned into rain, and the Pats are going to the Superbowl!
I hope your new year is off to a great start. Below is the latest news from the district. Please join me at the Winn Brook PTA meeting and/or the Chenery PTA meeting, listed in the Calendar Section, where I will be discussing class sizes, enrollment, and budget.
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
― Margaret Mead
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
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CMS Modulars: Beginning the week of January 16, teachers and students went to classes in the new modulars. The spaces look great, and the teachers and Custodian Gene O'Brien did a great job packing, unpacking, and setting up the rooms. We thank them for all their hard work.
- BHS School Presentation: In an effort to showcase the work of our building principals, the School Committee is asking each principal to present at a School Committee meeting for the 2016-2017 school year. Principal Daniel Richards presented at the January 24 meeting. Principal Richards highlighted the continuing growth of the high school enrollment, and showcased some great programs going on this year at BHS. See his presentation on the BPS website.
- BHS Programs of Studies: The BHS Programs of Studies was presented at the January 24 meeting. There were some exciting class offerings requested for next year. Those courses included subjects such as AP Computer Science, Personal Finance, and a Physical Education class called Mindful Marauders-Emerging Leaders. The BHS Programs of Studies will be voted on at the next School Committee meeting on February 7. Please see the presentation on the BPS website.
- Elementary Instrumental Music: Director of Visual and Performing Arts Arto Asadoorian presented changes to the Grade 3 through 5 elementary music program. The changes reflect a response to increased enrollment, limited teaching space, and instructional time--strains on the program which have been building over time. Please see his presentation to the School Committee at the January 24 meeting. Mr. Asadoorian believes these changes will be great for the students. Parents with any questions can email him at aasadoorian@belmont.k12.ma.us or call the Visual and Performing Arts office.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
As you know from my last newsletter, a school climate survey as part of our district's SEL initiative is being sent to parents, guardians, educators and middle and high school students. The first group was sent their survey on January 30--please be on the lookout for it. Below is information about the survey:
The Belmont Public Schools launched a district-wide Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) effort eighteen months ago (though some schools had been implementing components of SEL prior). Research makes it clear that effective self-management and interpersonal skills are needed by all students for school and life success, and that SEL skills improve academic learning experiences.
As part of our district's SEL initiative, we want to assess and enhance our progress. One long-established and highly regarded tool for this purpose is a school climate survey. Administering school climate surveys will give us insights regarding the degree to which the environment is conducive to learning SEL, and give us information about ways that SEL skills and principles are/aren't being demonstrated in the environment. The surveys are a tool for our own continuous learning, showing us patterns of success and areas for improvement.
Following best practices, we will invite all professional staff, all parents/guardians, and middle and high school students (selected grades) to fill out the school climate survey tailored to each group. The parent/guardian survey will be sent by email to each parent/guardian in the school. Those with students in more than one school will receive a separate email and survey link for each school. The parent/guardian survey will be emailed to you on January 30, and will remain open until February 10. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your feedback to help us learn.
If you have any questions or if you would like more information, please contact Assistant Superintendent Janice Darias at jdarias@belmont.k12.ma.us.
SCHOOL TRAFFIC AND STREET SAFETY NOTE
In response to the January 11 incident where a Burbank crossing guard was hit by a car, the Burbank PTA held an informational meeting on January 19 for parents and local residents to hear about efforts to address safety concerns and move forward with improvements. I met on January 13 with Belmont Police Department and Belmont Planning Department leaders to discuss the safety of our students and staff, and members of both of these departments were present at the January 19 meeting at Burbank to listen and discuss improvements to the safety of this area. For more information on the Burbank meeting, please see the Burbank PTA website. We should all be mindful of driving slower and keeping alert while turning a corner to watch out for pedestrians in our paths, and of crossing a street only when checking and re-checking safe passage.
FOOD SERVICES NEWS
Food Services Director Dustin O'Brien announces BPS Food Services is joining forces with Walden Local Meats based in Burlington, MA. The goal is to feature local, 100 percent grass-fed beef and pork items monthly on our lunch menus. All products are sourced from within 250 miles, and is what Farm to Table is all about. Walden Local Meats will join the other local vendors the BPS uses such as Iggy's Bread, Sal's Pizza, and Fantini Bakery. Look for Walden Local Meats items on the February menus at Cheney Middle School and Belmont High School, which helps us support local farms.
SCHOOL NEWS
- Registration: Online kindergarten registration opens after February 8. Please see the registration page on that date for other information regarding registration and School Information Nights. The kindergarten online registration has been very successful, and we are continuing with this process. We are also expanding online registration for grades 1-12, which will be available after April of this year. This registration is for school year 2017-2018 and only for new students to the district. Students already attending Belmont Public Schools are automatically moved to the next grade.
- We recently had a very generous anonymous donation of $35,000 from a Belmont resident to purchase a new grand piano for the high school. Many years of use rendered the previous piano unusable. We thank this person and for a caring community such as Belmont.
- Chenery reports a very successful Book Fair, organized by Librarian Karen Duff. The event sold over $13,000 worth of books which means over $3,000 goes to the Chenery for new library books.
- Kindergarten Teacher Wendy Pellegrine's class has been working on a new bulletin board in their classroom focusing on promoting kindness at home and at school. Principal Tricia Clifford says the focus connects nicely with the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at Burbank.
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Wellington PTO hosted a Tudisco Skate Night, the first annual in honor of retiree Sue Tudisco, and Moira Gavin Bingo Night, honoring the memory of Moira Gavin. Looks like two great nights of events.
- Wellington first graders were visited by Storyteller Diane Edgecomb of Living Myth Productions. Ms. Edgecomb shared folk tales about legends and animals in the rainforest.
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Winn Brook has a new extracurricular class called, "The Bucket Fillers," led by Grade 3 teachers Kathleen Calhoun and Danielle Pandolfo. The intent is to show how children can think about others and make a difference in the world. The first project recognized school custodians Timothy Daye and Philip Imboywa. Here, Mr. Imboywa models a paper "key chain" that has sections showing appreciation for the work he does. A great way to show gratitude towards the hard working custodians.
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
Here is the latest from Director of Visual and Performing Arts Arto Asadoorian. Congratulations to all the students.
- All-State Results: The Belmont Public Schools Department of Visual and Performing Arts is proud to announce that the following students have been accepted to perform in the 2017 Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) All-State Festival this year.
Mary Galstian (Grade 11), Chorus
Hisako Gutterman (Grade 12), Trombone
Eliza Jones (Grade 11), French Horn
Oliver Leeb (Grade 12), chorus
Alex Park (Grade 10), Jazz Trumpet
Calvin Perkins (Grade 11), Trumpet
Edward Stafford (Grade 12), Chorus
Amy Wu (Grade 10), Oboe
Yanzhe Xu (Grade 9), Bass Clarinet
- In addition, two 4th Graders from Burbank Elementary School were accepted to perform in the MMEA All-State Treble Chorus. Congratulations to Sam Geiger and Leila Topi for earning this honor. The Treble Chorus will begin rehearsal on Feb. 11 at Algonquin Regional H.S. in Northborough, and will perform on March 11, the final day of the MMEA Conference, at 2 PM at the Sheraton Hotel Boston.
- The nine BHS students accepted to perform in All-State ensembles will attend the All-State Festival in Boston on March 9-10, which a performance on Saturday, March 11 at Symphony Hall in Boston.
ATHLETICS
- Results from the State Division 3 Relay Meet held on January 14: Athletic Director James Davis reports Belmont HS was fourth overall out of 28 schools in the Division 3 relays with 28 points. The girls also broke the school's 4x400m relay record set back in 1990. The new record is 4:06:91, and was set by Senior Danielle Kelly, Freshman Soleil Tseng, Junior Emily Duffy, and Senior Julia Cella. Congratulations to all.
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Here is the Athletic Schedule for BHS and CMS from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4, 2017:
Tuesday, January 31
3:30 PM Boys Freshman Basketball Watertown High School Home
3:30 PM Coed Varsity Skiing OPEN DATE League Race S Away
4:15 PM Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Watertown High School Home
4:15 PM Girls Freshman Basketball Postponed- Watertown High School Away
5:40 PM Boys Junior Varsity Ice Hockey Holliston High School Home
6:00 PM Boys Varsity Basketball Watertown High School Home
6:00 PM Girls Varsity Basketball Postponed- Watertown High School Away
Wednesday, February 01
6:10 PM Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Watertown High School Away
7:00 PM Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Catholic Memorial Away
7:00 PM Boys Varsity Wrestling Reading High School Away
Thursday, February 02
2:00 PM Boys Varsity Swimming Middlesex League Swim & Dive Meet Away
3:30 PM Girls Chenery Middle Basketball Waltham Kennedy MS Away
5:00 PM Boys Chenery Middle Basketball Waltham Kennedy MS Away
Friday, February 03
3:30 PM Boys Freshman Basketball Arlington High School Home
3:30 PM Girls Freshman Basketball Arlington High School Away
3:30 PM Coed Varsity Skiing OPEN DATE League Race S Make up Away
5:15 PM Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Home
5:15 PM Girls Junior Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Away
5:40 PM Boys Junior Varsity Ice Hockey Waltham High School Home
7:00 PM Boys Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Home
7:00 PM Girls Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Away
Saturday, February 04
9:15 AM Coed Varsity Cheerleading OPEN DATE Red Raider Invitational - Cheerleading Away
1:00 PM Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Arlington High School Home
2:00 PM Boys Junior Varsity Indoor Track Lexington High School Away
2:00 PM Girls Junior Varsity Indoor Track Lexington High School Away
6:00 PM Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Arlington High School Away
7:00 PM Boys Varsity Swimming Last Chance Meet @ Reading Away
SAVE THE DATE
The Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) is holding their annual fundraiser on March 18. Tickets are on sale soon, please see the FBE website for more details.
CALENDAR
Below are some of the numerous events going on through mid-February. Please check school websites and communications for more events and any additional information or changes in dates, times, and venues.
DATE/TIME - PLACE/EVENT
February 1 - 7:00 p.m. - Winn Brook Cafeteria - PTA Meeting: Guest Speaker Superintendent John Phelan
February 1 - 7:00 p.m. - BHS Library - PTO Meeting
February 2 - 7:00 p.m. - Chenery Large Community Room - Chenery PTO Meeting; Guest Speaker Superintendent John Phelan
February 2 - 7:00 p.m. - Chenery Auditorium - CMS Chamber Concert
February 3 - 7:00 p.m. - BHS Little Theater - IMPROV Night
February 3 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Viglirolo Rink - Butler Skate Night
February 6 - 7:00 p.m. - BHS Auditorium - A Cappella Concert
February 6 - 7:00 p.m. - Burbank PTA Meeting
February 7 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Community Room - School Committee Meeting
February 8 - 6:00 p.m. - BHS Auditorium/Little Theater - Eighth Grade Parent Night
February 9 - 6:30 p.m. - CMS BASEC Parent Lecture Series
February 10 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Butler Library Night and Bake Sale
February 10 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Viglirolo Rink - Winn Brook Skate Night
February 10 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Grade 7/8 Dance
February 10 - 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Wellington Multicultural Night
February 11 - ACT Testing at BHS
February 15 - Burbank STEM Night
February 15 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Art Show
February 15 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - BHS Library - Boosters Speakers Series - Nutrition for Athletes
February 16 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Auditorium - CMS Instrumental Symphonies and Parent/Teacher Concert