It is hard to believe we are more than halfway through the school year, as February 7 marked the 100th day of school. It is equally hard to believe that daylight savings time begins on March 10 (clocks go forward one hour). We are six weeks away from the astronomical first day of spring on March 20 with February recess just around the corner. We hope you enjoy the time away and have a relaxing week. Please see the calendar below, busy with events into mid-March.
“What we want to see is the child in pursuit of the knowledge not the knowledge in pursuit of the child.”
― George Bernard Shaw
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Belmont High School Building Project (BHSBC): The BHSBC attended the Belmont Planning Board meeting held on February 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Board of Selectman meeting room. There, the Belmont community provided comments on the high school design to the BHSBC and the Belmont Planning Board while the design is being considered. As always, for more information and to sign up for email updates, please go to www.belmonthighschoolproject.org. Questions can be received at BHS-BC@belmont-ma.gov.
BPS District Configuration Education Plan: The BPS District Configuration Education Plan was presented to the School Committee on February 5. The configuration plan represents the conceptual model of committee work and professional development that our educators will engage in over the next five years. The goal of this work is to be proactive in our efforts to ensure a smooth and thoughtful educational and social emotional transition for our staff and students into their new buildings in five years. I would like to thank our administrators and teachers for their efforts and expertise thus far and in the future on this important work. Please go here to view this presentation.
Class Size Working Group: The Class Size Working Group presented their recommendations to the School Committee on February 5. It was reported that despite increased enrollment that important measures were made in reducing class sizes over the past few years. This was due to the support of the override from the Belmont community, which enabled us to add teachers to the district. However, as we all know, enrollment continues to grow, and we still face challenges at different levels in the district. At that meeting, the Class Size Working Group also provided recommendations on class sizes in the future. We value the partnership of the Belmont Education Association and their members as we jointly look at this issue to support the teaching and learning in our schools. Please go here to see that presentation.
BPS School Calendar for 2019-2020: The 2019-2020 School Calendar has been approved by the School Committee. Please go to the BPS website.
BHS AND WELLINGTON PRINCIPAL SEARCHES
BHS Principal Search: As you know, we recently announced to the Belmont community that Mr. Isaac Taylor, currently the principal of North Middlesex Regional High School in Townsend, accepted the position of Principal of Belmont High School. He will begin at Belmont on July 1. In addition to his administrative and educational experience, Mr. Taylor was also involved in coordinating the building of and moving into a new school while at North Middlesex. We are excited to welcome Mr. Taylor the Belmont Public School District and specifically to Belmont High School. Please go here for for more about Mr. Taylor.
Wellington Principal Search: The Wellington principal job has been posted. We will keep the community informed as we go through this process.
BPS SUMMER ENRICHMENT
Registration is now open for the BPS Summer Enrichment Program. Classes are available for students entering grades Pre-K through 6 and include courses in Engineering, Coding, and Graphic Design. There are also new classes for grades 5 and 6 such as Model UN and Foreign Language and Culture. Please go here to register and for more information on the program.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
We thank the 300 plus people who braved torrential rain to attend the first annual Kindergarten Information Night on January 24 at the Chenery Middle School. We appreciate all your positive feedback from that evening. For your information, the presentation is on the BPS website. Next step is Kindergarten Central Registration in March. Once you register your child online, you will receive a link to choose a registration appointment. At that appointment please bring the documents required for registration and residency and the health documents for the school nurses. If you have any questions on the documents required, please call your school's main office.
SCHOOL NEWS
- BHS Marauders of the Week for January 15 are Noah Merfeld and Moushe Babroudi, and for the week of January 30 are David Hwang and Carla Maier, and for the week of February 8 are Jane Mahon and Yo-Lei Chen. Please go to the BHS website to read more about these students
-
BHS students from Chinese Language Teacher Mu Qing Gu's AP class and students from Social Studies Teacher Adam Zilcoski's Modern World Issues classes went to Shine's Fresh Asian restaurant in Belmont Center to learn how to make, cook, and wrap dumplings from the experts at the restaurant. The students had an opportunity to experience firsthand a tradition from the culture they have been studying in both classes during this time of Chinese New Year celebrations.
- BHS Record Robotics Club is kicking off their build season (1/5-2/19) and competitions in March. The team has built award-winning robots that compete as teams against other teams in timed matches. The team will be going to the NE District SE Mass Qualifying Event FIRST Robotics Competition March 8-March 10 at Bridgewater-Raynham High School, and the NE District Central Mass Qualifying Event March 29-March 31 at Shrewsbury High School, and hope to go on to the New England District Qualifying Championship at Worcester polytechnic Institute April 10-April 13. To donate online to the club, please go here.
- Wellington had an all-school assembly on February 1 combined with Cozy Comfort Reading Day with Gwen Irish, a retired second grade teacher, who narrated a picture book about Michael Jordan's perseverance as a child and the theme of goal-setting titled, Salt in His Shoes. The assembly ended with one of the 2nd grade classes singing Happy New Year under the direction of music teacher Craig McMahan and closed with everyone singing This Land is Your Land. The event was a great way to welcome in 2019.
-
Winn Brook promoted community spirit and teamwork by holding a Wacky Winter Olympics just before the winter vacation. Students and most staff members competed in multi-age teams and enjoyed the "wacky" races that Physical Education Teacher Wayne Franey designed. Principal Janet Carey said students and staff left the event feeling uplifted and bonded as a school community.
- Chenery Library is partnering with BASEC and Belmont Books to hold "Meet the Author" events during the month of February. The authors will visit the Chenery cafeteria from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the dates listed below, and will have book signings that night at Belmont Books from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Previously, Jerry Craft, author of New Kid visited on February 5. Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan, authors of Watch Us Rise, will visit on February 12. Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer, authors of To Night Owl from Dogfish, will visit on February 14. Please go here for more information.
-
CMS Soap Box Derby Team raced at the Cambridgeside Mall on February 2. The team, comprised of nine students in grades 5-8 and organized by CMS Technology Education Teacher Leon Dyer, has worked hard over the past two to three months planning, building and calibrating their cars. The team started last school year with four members/cars, and the team has grown to nine members/cars, and hope, through their fundraising, to get three additional cars next school year. If you missed the February 2 race, there are more races listed below. For more information on the April and June races and about the derby, please go here to the website representing the local groups.
-March 16 - Cambridgeside Mall, Cambridge, MA (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the parking garage)
-April TBD - Waltham, MA (outdoors)
-June 1 - Arlington, MA (outdoors all day) State Event
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
- Thirty-one students from Belmont High School earned a total of fifty-two awards this year from the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. Please go here to read more about these students and their outstanding work - congratulations to all.
- Congratulations also go to the 18 students from Belmont High School who were accepted to perform in the Massachusetts Music Educators (MMEA) All-State Festival. The auditions were held on January 26. Director of Visual and Performing Arts Arto Asadoorian says that this is the largest number of students accepted to the festival in recent memory. Mr. Asadoorian reports all the students gave great performances. Please go here to see more.
ATHLETICS
-
Congratulations to the December 2018 Belmont Boosters Athletes of the Month; Katie Guden,Girls Ice Hockey, and Dylan Jones, Boys Swimming.
- BHS 2019 Spring Sports sign-ups are on February 11 at 2:40 pm. Please see below for the sport and room location:
Sport - Room Location
Baseball - Mod 3
Boys’ Lacrosse - BHS Auditorium (Front)
Girls' Lacrosse - BHS Auditorium (Back)
Boys’ Outdoor Track - BHS Café
Girls’ Outdoor Track - BHS Café
Girls’ Tennis - Room 221A
Boys’ Tennis - Room 221B
Softball - Room 113
Boys Rugby - Chorus Room
Girls Rugby - Room 132
-
Schedule
All Events
2/8/2019 to 2/15/2019
Belmont HS
Friday, February 08
3:45 PM Girls Junior Varsity Basketball Reading High School Home
4:15 PM Boys Freshman Basketball Reading High School Away
4:15 PM Girls Freshman Basketball Reading High School Away
4:30 PM Girls Junior Varsity Ice Hockey Lincoln Sudbury R.H.S Home
5:15 PM Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Reading High School Home
5:30 PM Girls Varsity Basketball Reading High School Home
5:50 PM Boys Junior Varsity Ice Hockey Natick High School Home
7:30 PM Boys Varsity Basketball Reading High School Home
Saturday, February 09
10:00 AM Boys Varsity Wrestling MIAA Metro Sectional Meet @ Woburn HS Away
1:00 PM Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Winchester High School Home
2:00 PM Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Winchester High School Away
Sunday, February 10
8:45 AM Boys Varsity Swimming MIAA Boys Swim Sectional Meet @ MIT Away
10:00 AM Boys Varsity Indoor Track OPEN DATE MSTCA Last Chance to Qualify Meet Away
10:00 AM Girls Varsity Indoor Track OPEN DATE MSTCA LAST CHANCE TO QUALIFY MEET Away
Tuesday, February 12
3:30 PM Boys Freshman Basketball Arlington High School Home
3:30 PM Girls Freshman Basketball Arlington High School Home
4:00 PM Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Away
4:00 PM Coed Varsity Skiing OPEN DATE Alpha Division Ski Race S Away
5:00 PM Girls Junior Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Away
5:30 PM Boys Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Away
7:00 PM Girls Varsity Basketball Arlington High School Away
Wednesday, February 13
5:00 PM Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Reading High School Home
8:00 PM Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Reading High School Away
Thursday, February 14
4:15 PM Boys Freshman Basketball Woburn High School Away
4:15 PM Girls Freshman Basketball Woburn High School Away
5:00 PM Boys Varsity Basketball Woburn High School Home
5:00 PM Girls Junior Varsity Basketball Woburn High School Home
5:00 PM Girls Junior Varsity Ice Hockey Austin Prep Home
6:30 PM Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Woburn High School Home
7:00 PM Girls Varsity Basketball Woburn High School Home
Friday, February 15
4:30 PM Boys Varsity Indoor Track OPEN DATE MIAA Div 2 Meet @ Reggie Lewis Track, Roxbury, MA Away
4:30 PM Girls Varsity Indoor Track OPEN DATE MIAA Div 2 Meet @ Reggie Lewis Track, Roxbury, MA Away
SAVE THE DATE
The Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) is holding their annual fundraiser on Saturday, March 16, with a Roaring 20's theme. Please go here for tickets and more information.
NEWS FROM BELMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY
Please go here for the February newsletter from the Belmont Public Library.
CALENDAR
Below are some events going on through mid-March. Please check school websites and communications for any additional events, information or changes in dates, times and venues.
DATE/TIME-PLACE/EVENT
February 8 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Viglirolo Rink - Winn Brook Skate Night
February 9 - 6:00 p.m. - Wellington Multicultural Night
February 9 - ACT Testing at BHS
February 11 - 7:00 p.m. - BHS Room 113 - Boosters Meeting
February 13 - 7:30 p.m. - BHS Library - BHS-PTSO Meeting
February 13 - Chenery Grade 8 Elective Art Show
February 14 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Auditorium - CMS Symphonies Concert
February 16-24 - February Recess - All Schools Closed
February 26 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Community Room - School Committee Meeting
February 27 - 7:00 p.m. - BHS Auditorium - Grade 8 and BHS Orchestra Concert
February 28 - MMEA All-State Festival - Off Site
March 6 - All Elementary and High School Early Release
March 6 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Auditorium - BHS/CMS Winds Concert
March 7 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Auditorium - Grade 8-12 Chorus Concert
March 11 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Auditorium - Grade 6 and 7 Orchestra/Chorus Concert
March 12 - 7:00 p.m. - Wellington Community Room - School Committee Meeting (change of venue for this meeting)
March 13 - All Elementary Early Release
March 13, 14, 15 - 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - CMS Community Room - Kindergarten Central Registration (by appointment only)
March 13 - 6:00 p.m. - BHS Auditorium - Winter Athletics Awards
March 14 - 7:00 p.m. - CMS Auditorium - Grade 6-8 Band Concert
March 14 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Winn Brook Math Night
March 20 - All Elementary Early Release