Belmont Public Schools News

Testing and Vaccination Update

As we approach Labor Day weekend we wanted to provide you an update on two important health mitigation strategies that support a safe opening of school. The Belmont Public Schools applied for and received approval from the state for Routine COVID Safety Checks (formerly referred to as Routine COVID Pooled Testing) and Test and Stay (close contact testing).  We are partnering with Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) for these testing programs.

Superintendent Update - Friday, February 19, 2021

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff, I hope you had a restful time over the February break with family. I write to provide you an update on several important issues from the School Committee and school department.

Return to In-Person Learning Working Group

Understanding the urgency of students needing more time in person, and the challenges we have in Belmont with space and enrollment, we are starting a Return to In-Person Learning working group to identify these challenges and provide guidance to move the work forward. This working group will provide information for review by the Superintendent and the public on a rolling basis, looking at the remainder of this school year and towards September.

Belmont Public Schools Update

Since Monday, 1/11/2021 we have been engaging in negotiations with the Belmont Education Association (BEA) to consider two important documents that will impact both the elementary and middle school hybrid schedules:

Week of December 7 Important News - School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #20

Week of December 7 Important News - School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #19. Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff: This communication is to inform you we are returning to our hybrid in-person learning schedules for grades K-8 on Monday, December 7. In addition, we are happy to report BHS grades 9-12 will start in-person hybrid on Thursday, December 10. Each building principal will send out a communication today with more details. We appreciate the patience of our students, parents, faculty, and staff in pivoting to remote learning after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We feel these proactive measures help keep the school community safe and gives us a chance to assess and “reset” the buildings for a healthy return to hybrid in-person learning.

An Important Message from the Superintendent

I write to inform the community of an important decision that will impact how school will reopen following the Thanksgiving holiday. Like all school districts, we are responsible for making a decision regarding the safety of students, educators, and families. After thorough consideration of the elements involved, it is our conclusion that the appropriate course of action is to transition all students to a remote schedule for the entire week following Thanksgiving, 11/30 - 12/4/2020.

Return to School Update

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 28, 2020 our elementary school buildings will open for our students to return to hybrid in-person learning. Please see the schedule below: Wednesday, October 28: All students PreK-4 will return to school hybrid in-person at our four elementary schools. This will be a Cohort B day. Thursday, October 29: Chenery Middle School begins their hybrid model.

Remote Learning for Grades PreK-8 Continue into Next Week

Superintendent's Bulletin #18 - School Opening Fall 2020. Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff, We are writing to inform you remote learning for grades PreK-8 will extend to Monday, October 26, and Tuesday, October 27. Our expectation at this time is for hybrid in-person learning to resume at the elementary level on Wednesday, October 28, and at the middle school level on Thursday, October 29. The October 20 email sent to families initially informed you of this delay. Your principals will communicate if there will be any impact to cohort schedules. The reason for these additional days is to ensure the accuracy of the data. This is a time consuming process, and we do not want to rush.

Superintendent's Letter: Remote Learning Wednesday through Friday

Dear Belmont Public Schools Community, I write today to inform you that all students and staff, PreK-12 will remain home and pivot back to remote learning on Wednesday, 10/21/2020 through Friday, 10/23/2020.

First Day of School Communication K-4 and SC Presentation

School Opening Fall 2020 - Superintendent's Bulletin #17 - First Day of School Communication K-4 and SC Presentation. School begins on Thursday, October 8, for hybrid-in person learning for grades K-4 beginning with Cohort A. The following communications will be sent by your schools.

Move to Hybrid for Grades K-4

School Opening Fall 2020 - Superintendent's Bulletin #16 - Move to Hybrid for Grades K-4. Per the School Committee request, and subsequent vote on September 22, we are moving to our hybrid in-person learning phase for grades K-4 the week of October 5. At this time we anticipate the first day of hybrid learning will be on Thursday, October 8. This start follows phase 2 of the Accelerated Phased Plan, as noted in the full Return to Learning Fall 2020 presentation submitted to the School Committee on September 22.

Accelerated Phased Plan

School Opening Fall 2020 - Superintendent's Bulletin #15 - Accelerated Phased Plan. On Tuesday, September 22, the School Committee accepted the updated accelerated Phased Plan for grades K-4 to return to hybrid in-person learning during the week of October 5. Please see the Return to Learning Fall 2020 presentation. You will receive further communication with more detail while we continue planning to achieve that accelerated start.

Remote and Hybrid Pros and Cons Presentation to the School Committee

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #14 - Remote and Hybrid Pros and Cons Presentation to the School Committee. For those who missed last night’s School Committee meeting, please see the presentation given on Hybrid and Remote Pros and Cons.

Welcome Back and Note on Hybrid/Remote Responses

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #13 - Welcome Back and Note on Hybrid/Remote Responses. We want to welcome you back to school year 2020-2021. As you know, school begins on September 16 with is a remote start to the school year with our Phased Plan approach toward our in-person hybrid model. Phase 1 children, those with high needs and complex students per DESE guidelines, will be the first to start in-person learning. 

Start of School Information and Updates, SC Meeting September 8, 2020

Superintendent's Bulletin #12 - Start of School Information and Updates, SC Meeting September 8, 2020. As we approach the opening of school on Wednesday, September 16, I want to take this moment to provide you with information and updates.

Hybrid Model and Revised Phased Presentations, Kindergarten Fee Announcement

Superintendent's Bulletin #11 - Hybrid Model and Revised Phased Presentations, Kindergarten Fee Announcement. Principals from the elementary, middle, and high school presented the hybrid learning plans and schedules at the September 2, 2020 School Committee meeting. This meeting can be viewed on Belmont Media Center’s website. The schedules show the priorities of families and the district; increased contact with teachers, remote days involving “pen and paper” learning as well as live with a teacher, and the hope to keep cohorts intact from the remote start to school to the hybrid transition.

Form to submit questions/concerns after September 2 School Committee Meeting

Thank you to all who participated in the September 2 School Committee meeting. If you have questions or concerns, please click on this Google Form to share it with us. Your feedback will be used to inform the continuing work of the School Department and the School Committee. If you were not able to watch the meeting, you can view the recording at the Belmont Media Center website.

School Committee Presentations on Remote Schedules and Revised Phased Plan

Superintendent's Bulletin #10 - School Committee Presentations on Remote Schedules and Revised Phased Plan. Dear Belmont Community, Please see the remote schedules presented at the August 25 School Committee meeting for elementary, middle, and high school students on the COVID-19 School Opening Fall 2020 page as well as the School Committee documents page. These remote models and schedules were presented by BHS Principal Isaac Taylor, Chenery Principal Karla Koza, and Butler Principal Danielle Betancourt for the elementary schools with principals in attendance at the meeting. These remote schedules give you an idea of an academic day for the student. We are fortunate to have been able to collaborate with our teachers regarding these schedules, and we thank all of our principals and educators for their planning and work throughout the summer. If you wish to view the August 25 meeting, please go to the Belmont Media website.

Form to submit questions/concerns after August 25 School Committee Meeting

Thank you to all who participated in the August 25 School Committee meeting. If you have questions or concerns, please click on this Google Form to share it with us. Your feedback will be used to inform the continuing work of the School Department and the School Committee. If you were not able to watch the meeting, you can view the recording at the Belmont Media Center website.

School Opening Fall 2020 - SC Meetings, Flu Shot and COVID Testing Mobile Units

School Opening Fall 2020 - Superintendent's Bulletin #9 - SC Meetings, Flu Shot and COVID Testing Mobile Units. Dear Belmont Community, We have School Committee meetings coming up that are of interest to our families. Please go to the Notices and Agenda section of the School Committee page on the BPS website the day before the meeting for access to the agenda.  To view the meetings live or On Demand later, please go to the Belmont Media Center page.