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Mission Statement

With a commitment to teaching and learning, the Belmont Public Schools strive to nurture the knowledge, skills, and emotional development of each student in order to create a community of engaged learners who contribute to the common good and are of service to others.

Core Beliefs

We believe that

    • All students are capable of learning at high levels.
    • Everyone deserves to learn in a safe and supported learning environment in which all members of the school community demonstrate respect for each other.
    • Successful students and educators need 21st century skills, including the ability to solve problems, communicate effectively, collaborate, and think critically.
    • A sense of community is essential for the development of every learner.
    • Education for the whole child requires development of the child’s academic, social, physical, and emotional well-being.
    • Education is best achieved when students, teachers, and parents work together.
    • Students will work and live in a world very different from the one in which they, their teachers, and their parents grew up.
    • Student success is measured in a variety of ways.
    • Public education is the primary means society has for safeguarding democracy and achieving social justice.

Vision Statement

The Belmont Public Schools provide an innovative environment where all adults and children develop and apply the curiosity, skills, and habits of life-long learners. Our success is built on a partnership of educators, families, and community members that is committed to providing the means for Belmont’s children to create happy and successful lives.

All students in the Belmont Public Schools will

    • Learn: Develop the confidence and resilience that result from exceptional effort;
    • Think: Authentically engage in a rigorous curriculum;
    • Create: Apply their learning to address important challenges;
    • Serve: Make a positive difference in the lives of other people.

Motto

Learn * Think * Create * Serve 

Strategic Plan

Strategic Goals Key Initiatives
A. To prepare all students for college, career, and life-long learning through
  • a balanced and healthy school experience,
  • continuity of curricula aligned with Commonwealth and community standards,
  • support for educators to experiment and innovate, and
  • clear articulation of instructional models.

Focus Areas:

A1. Implement short term plans and develop long term vision to support culturally responsive teaching practices.
A2. Utilize the District Configuration Education Plan (DCEP) committee work to frame and organize the district vision for teaching and learning, culture, and new school groupings.

Ongoing Operational Work:

A3. Continue district-wide implementation of Social Emotional Learning framework.
A4. Adopt new state model for English language learners (LOOK Act).

B. To support continuous improvement and overall programmatic and fiscal stability by
  • engaging administrators, teachers, students, and community stakeholders in generally accepted practices of long-term strategic planning.

Focus Areas:

B1. Collaborate with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the BMHS Building Committee, Building Team (Architect & Owner’s Project Manager), and BPS and Belmont community members to design and build our new Belmont Middle and High School.
B2. Work collaboratively to identify the ongoing and future fiscal needs of the district to support the advocacy of an override for the FY21 budget process.

Ongoing Operational Work:

B3. Continue to work with town officials to develop short and long term plans to support the fiscal needs of all town departments including schools.
B4. Conduct an audit of current special education programs and service-delivery models and develop plans to improve in-district capacity to meet a variety of special education needs.
B5. Continue to collaborate and advocate for the upkeep and maintenance of school facilities and to work toward the goals of Belmont’s Climate Action Plan.
B6. Develop the new Technology Plan for technology infrastructure and integration in support of teaching and learning at the new Belmont Middle and High School.

C. To ensure that students receive instruction from consistently highly qualified educators who pursue continuous improvement of their art by
  • hiring well-prepared and diverse professionals,
  • sustaining continuous professional development by means of clear and coherent plans, and
  • implementing a successful educator evaluation system in line with new Commonwealth standards.

Ongoing Operational Work:

C1. Continue to expand recruitment and retention efforts to increase the diversity of BPS faculty and staff.
C2. Develop shared expectations for observation and evaluation.
C3. Facilitate opportunities for adult learning especially in support of these key initiatives.