It is hard to believe we are more than halfway done with the school year. Elementary schools celebrated 100 days of school on February 8 with activities to mark the occasion (see the picture gallery below). A reminder at this time that schools are closed for February break, Monday, February 20 through Friday, February 24. We hope you have a wonderful week off, and we look forward to seeing you all on Monday, February 27.
In this issue:
School Committee
Registration for 2023-2024
BPS Summer Enrichment Program Registration
School News
Visual and Performing Arts
New State Behavioral Health Help Line
Helpful Links
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Math Working Group: The Math Working Group presented to the School Committee at the February 14 meeting. Please see the presentation and the recommendations memo and more information on the Math Working Group page on the BPS website.
District Priorities Updates: Please see the district priorities update Director of Reconfiguration Transition Karla Koza and Director of DEI Chont'el Washington gave to the School Committee at the February 14 meeting. For more information, please see the DEI page and the Reconfiguration Transition page on the BPS website.
FY24 Draft Budget: The FY24 Draft 2 Budget was presented at the joint meeting of the School Committee, the Warrant Committee, and Select Board on February 9. The FY24 School Budget is informed by a significant body of work, including presentations and other documents provided during public School Committee meetings. The documents are an integral part of the FY24 Budget development process; and all stakeholders are encouraged to review these materials to gain a greater understanding of the underpinnings of the budget. These documents may be accessed from the budget page on the BPS website. We will continue to discuss and make possible revisions to the budget from February to April before the final budget is presented at Town Meeting for a vote in May/June.
BHS Programs of Study: On January 17, the School Committee voted to move forward the Program of Studies BHS Principal Isaac Taylor presented at the January 3 meeting. There are five new course proposals and changes to current courses. The presentation also outlines the process and considerations when looking at new course offerings.
Belmont Wellness Coalition (BWC) Student Ambassador Program: The BWC gave a presentation on the Student Ambassador Program, consisting of volunteer participants from grades 9-12 and a BPS staff member liaison, at the January 3 School Committee meeting. The program was created this fall to form more meaningful relationships with our youth as one data area looked from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a national survey administered to middle and high school students (grades 7-12), and the data from the follow-up survey the BWC gave to parents and students last March. The BWC presentation gave key takeaways from the group and an overview of the program. Please see the BWC website for more information.
School Calendar FY24: The School Committee voted on the school calendar for 2023-2024 at the January 17 meeting. School will begin after Labor Day due to the needs of the Belmont Middle High School Building Project and construction work occurring during the summer in order to get the building ready for grades 7 and 8.
REGISTRATION FOR 2023-2024
Belmont Public Schools Online Registration for your Incoming Kindergartner for School Year 2023-2024 is now open.
Please see Important registration information for current BPS families:
- You do not need to register an existing upcoming grade 1-12 Belmont Public Schools student again
- You do need to register your incoming kindergartner even if you are a current Belmont Public Schools family. To ensure placement of your incoming kindergartner at the same elementary school as your upcoming grade 1-4 child, please submit all required documents to complete registration for your incoming kindergartner by April 8
- To enter Kindergarten, the child must be five years old on or before September 1st of the year they will attend school
Please look for more information on our registration pages (K-4 and 5-12) on the BPS website closer to the date.
BPS SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
Belmont Summer Enrichment (BSE) registration is now open for summer 2023. BSE offers a variety of different classes for incoming Pre-K through incoming grade 7, in addition to an intern program for incoming grades 8 and 9, and an early drop off option. Please see more information on the BPS website.
SCHOOL NEWS
Chenery:
Grade 5 students participated in their Second Annual Dress like an Idiom Day on December 16. Students and staff dressed as clever and literal meanings of idioms. English Teacher Rachel Hausman shows she's "all ears", and Math/Science Teacher Christine Nicholson shows you can "count on me". Please see more photos in the gallery.
Grade 8 French students welcomed Marie-Josée Duqette, Attachée for Culture & Francophone Affairs at the Canadian Consulate. Students learned about the history of French in Quebec as well as exploring the opportunities available by learning French.
Engagement at Chenery: Principal Nicholette Foundas shared pictures of recent learning opportunities and student engagement (see gallery), "Students were actively learning how to code, practicing measurement and safety with wood working, art, physical movement, and participated in gallery walks to demonstrate scientific understanding of magnetism. Students in sixth grade were hands-on with their exploration of sound waves, and both lower school and upper school students' were learning about colonial America. The Student Council presented the opportunity for students to participate in celebrating their culture. It also has been wonderful to have parents in the building to listen to the beautiful music of our students."
BHS:
Students from Chinese 1 and 2 classes spent an afternoon making dumplings at the Belmont Beech Street Senior Center with Belmont residents. Chinese Teacher Muqing Gu's students had an opportunity to practice their language skills and connect with Chinese culture while making fresh, authentic dumplings.
Marauder of the Week highlights students' accomplishments ranging from scholastic to extracurricular activities to community service. Marauders of the Week for February 10 are Ayessa Greenwell, Daniel Titus, and Lauren Ji; for February 3 are Ella Orem, Katie Brown, and Patrick Henriquez Rivas; January 27 are Ella Pettine and Olympia Kazantzidis, January 20 are Thomas "Tommy" Windemuth, Kareem Amira, and Jandel Rodriguez Guzman; January 13 are Sophie McDevitt, Nora Guzikowski, and Hedvig Hellsvik; January 6 are Austin Cambridge, Grace Deane, and Layne Doherty. To read more about these Marauders, please go to the BHS website.
From BHS Social Studies Teacher Jeffrey Shea: For the tenth time, Belmont High School Global Leadership students participated in a field trip with the global health non-profit Partners in Health (PIH). This organization is world renowned in part due to the leadership of one of its co-founders, Dr. Paul Farmer, who tragically passed away in 2022. Before the field trip students read and discussed the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, which showcases PIH's revolutionary approach to providing a preferential healthcare option to some of the poorest people in the world. During our visit to the PIH's office, students learned about PIH's work in many different settings. We heard from a panel of nurses, including Sierra Leonan Vicky Reed and Rwandan Florence Musabyemariya, who described their day-to-day work in their respective countries. Students were also fascinated by the story of Dr. Manzi, PIH’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, who spoke of the challenges in post-Genocide Rwanda and how he joined PIH to make a difference. Students also had the opportunity to speak with a member of PIH's staff during a small group lunch break. We had a great experience learning about PIH's missions and talking to their passionate team. We thank Sam Kelts, former BHS student who now works for PIH and helped organize the field trip, and Belmont Against Racism (BAR) for sponsoring transportation for our students.
BHS Class of 2023 is taking orders for a Senior Sign to display in your yard this spring. Order by March 14, and get your sign mid-April. General supporter signs are $20. This is a fundraiser for the All Night Party, a long standing Belmont tradition (in its 49th year!) that provides seniors with a fun-filled and safe celebration on graduation weekend.
Elementary:
Elementary Students celebrated 100 days of school on February 8 with counting and art activities. Please see pictures in the gallery below.
Wellington students had a visit from a member of the Discovery Museum who introduced the concept of sound as vibration that travels in waves through gas, liquids and solids. Students played with pitch and resonance as they created and engaged with unique sound makers made from common household materials.
Butler students shared their winter traditions they have with their families on a Winter Holiday Celebration display, organized by School Social Worker Molly Quinn and the DEI committee.
Burbank PTA reports over $10,000 in sales from the book fair held in late January (the online portion ended on February 5). The proceeds will be used to fill the classrooms and library with many new books.
Elementary grade 2-4 students participated in a Kids Heart Challenge event organized by P.E. teachers during their regular P.E.class time. Originally known as the Jump Rope for Heart, this is an event organized by the American Heart Association for the purpose of raising awareness of cardiovascular disease and overall heart health. There is a fundraising component as well for doctors and researchers. Students learned how their hearts work and ways to keep them healthy by focusing on jump rope skills to work on building cardiovascular endurance.
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
BPS students receive high honors in visual art and music. Please see the announcement on the BPS website.
BHS Modern Band held a concert on February 9. Please see comments from Arto Asadoorian, Director of Visual and Performing Arts, "I wanted to share a couple of photos and videos from last night’s Modern Band concert. I am very proud of these kids - they are the most engaged, curious and supportive group of students I’ve ever encountered. It took a lot of bravery and a lot of work for them to pull this together, and for this to be a completely student-run performance. They performed eleven songs last night to an enthusiastic capacity crowd in the Black Box theater. It was a great night for kids and families."
BPS K-12 teachers' personal artwork will be showcased in an exhibit called "Off the Clock". Curated by Burbank Art Teacher Nicole Pond, the exhibit is held at the Belmont Gallery of Art until February 26.
NEW STATE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HELP LINE
Please see information from DESE: The Department of Mental Health has launched a new Behavioral Health Help Line that people can call or text at 833-773-2445. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 200 languages. The help line can help individuals and families navigate the behavioral health system and access treatment, including mobile crisis services. For more information, please see the FAQ. Anyone with questions or concerns about the help line can email the director at Mio.Tamanaha@mass.gov.
HELPFUL LINKS