Belmont Public Schools News

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.

DESE and MIAA Guidance on Modified Sports

Superintendent's Bulletin #8 - DESE and MIAA Guidance on Modified Sports. We received joint sports guidance for the 2020-2021 school year from the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE), the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). This guidance has identified some sports as safe to play and some sports as “practice only.”

Fall 2020 Return to Learning Plan 2.0

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #8 - Fall 2020 Return to Learning Plan 2.0. In an effort to provide continuous updates we would like to share with you the Fall 2020 Return to Learning Plan 2.0 which includes several updates. The additions to the document include an updated community letter along with the newly voted  2020-2021 School Calendar/Professional Development Days section representing the Department of Elementary and Secondary of Education delayed start for students.

Register Now for the FBE Virtual Apple Run 2020!

2020 COUCH-2-5K TRAINING PROGRAM - START TODAY! This year we are inviting you all to join in the Couch-2-5k training program at no additional cost. Please email our race co-director, ultra marathoner, finisher of over 180 events, and Couch-2-5K coach Scot DeDeo to receive training details via your email. Weekly emails include beginner and moderate training programs and articles, and they will also be posted weekly to the FBE Facebook page.

Update on Opening Plans for Special Education Students

As many of you know already, the school district will be taking a phased approach to instruction this Fall.  For many of our special education families, this has prompted a lot of questions about the delivery of IEP supports and services during the various phases.  In an effort to provide some clarification for our families, please find some informational bullet points below.

Vote on Return to Learning Plan

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #7. Vote on Return to Learning Plan. Last night, August 12, the School Committee voted for a phased approach toward reopening our schools with full remote learning beginning Phase 1 when we return to learning in September. We have had tremendous feedback from the community through the survey submitted, numerous emails, and questions presented to the School Administration and the School Committee. The information from the survey is valuable to inform a hybrid model that incorporates families’ schedules of what works best (day/week/split day). Please see the Return to Learning presentation given to the School Committee on August 12.

Fall Re-Opening 2020 Survey Data

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #6 - Fall Re-Opening 2020 Survey Data. Thank you for your participation and feedback during the School Committee meeting last Thursday and for your survey input over the weekend. We would like to share the survey data we collected so you may review in advance of the School Committee meeting tonight at 6:30 pm. 

Fall 2020 Return to Learning Plan 1.0 Document and Presentation to the School Committee

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #5 - Fall 2020 Return to Learning Plan 1.0 Document and Presentation to the School Committee. Thank you for participation in the School Committee meetings this week. Hundreds of you attended both School Committee virtual meetings on August 4 and 6. More than 600 questions were submitted in the Google document in preparation for the community forum on August 6 in addition to many of you asking your questions during the meeting.

2020-21 School Opening Options and Survey and Questions

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #4 - 2020-21 School Opening Options and Survey and Questions. We presented the hybrid and remote learning options for fall 2020 school opening at the August 4 School Committee meeting. You can view the meeting at the Belmont Media Center website if you were unable to attend. The presentation presented at the School Committee meeting can be viewed here.

DESE Remote Learning Guidance for Fall 2020

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #3 - DESE Remote Learning Guidance for Fall 2020. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released the final Remote Learning Guidance for Fall 2020. We also received Additional Staff Training Days (changes to 180 day requirements) outlining the agreement the Commissioner made with the state teachers’ unions to allow for additional staff training days at the start of the 2020-21 school year. This will be discussed and voted by the School Committee at their meetings next week.

Save-the-Date FBE Fall Events 2020!

FBE FALL EVENTS 2020. Mark your calendars for the FBE VIRTUAL Apple Run, October 2-12, AND the FBE VIRTUAL Spelling Bee, November 7, 2020!

Update on School Opening and School Committee Presentation

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #2 - Update on School Opening and School Committee Presentation. At the School Committee meeting held on July 16, Assistant Superintendent Janice Darias gave a presentation called Update on School Opening 2020-2021. As you know, DESE requested a feasibility study looking at a 3-foot physically distanced full-opening, which is due by July 31. This was originally reported to you in the Superintendent’s Summer Update, sent on July 9. We are also preparing plans for hybrid and remote options, due to DESE by August 10.

DESE Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance

School Opening Fall 2020 Superintendent's Bulletin #1 - DESE Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance. I write to you today with an update on the School Opening for fall 2020. As you may be aware, for the past several months the School Department has been working on options for opening school in September given the evolving  challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work has included meetings with our educators, Leadership Council, PTO Presidents, Belmont Health Department and other Town Leaders. In addition we have held two School Committee meetings dedicated to this subject.

Creating Change for Racial Justice - Discussion with Community Leaders

Creating Change for Racial Justice - Live Call-in Discussion with Belmont Community Leaders on Tuesday, June 23 at 7 PM. Belmont Against Racism and the Belmont Media Center are sponsoring a panel discussion. Two high school graduates are moderators.

FBE Thank You with STAR Awards

The FBE would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the Belmont Public School teachers, staff, and administrators for an amazing year, and of course, a particularly incredible last three months! We wish you, and the Belmont community, a restful summer, and look forward to seeing everyone, hopefully in person, in September!

FBE Announces Grant Awards Totaling $29,547

Congratulations! The Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) is pleased to announce and summarize the awards that were recently approved for the 2019-2020 academic year. Attached is a summary of twelve Learning Excellence Grants, awarded to Belmont Public Schools on May 29, 2020, totaling $29,547.

Twenty Ninth Annual Staff Recognition Day

Staff Recognition Day was held on May 20 to celebrate 55 members of Belmont Public Schools for their years of service ranging from 10 to 35. Although the reception was a bit different this year, virtual instead of everyone gathering, the sentiment is the same in that we thank everyone for all of their years of service to Belmont Public Schools and the students of Belmont. A recording of the virtual event is available on YouTube.

FBE Update & Thank You!

The FBE sends a hearty THANK YOU to each and every teacher, administrator, and school staff member for helping Belmont’s students during this unsettling time. We greatly appreciate the amount of planning, teaching, and communicating that is happening during Phase II of the District’s distance learning plan. The FBE would also like to send our very BEST WISHES to the BHS class of 2020.

Belmont Helps - Resources for Families

Helpful resources for Belmont families in one place created by the Belmont Helps group. Belmont Helps is an all volunteer grass roots effort formed to help connect neighbors during this difficult time. They accept all volunteers who can help run errands, deliver food and supplies for porch drop-off. If you need help, ask.

FBE Casino Royale Candy Giveaway!

Starting April 30th, the Foundation for Belmont Education will kick off a fun candy campaign via our FBE social media posts. Due to the canceled Casino Royale Annual Spring Fundraiser, we found ourselves left with large amounts of candy. Some of the candy was donated to the wonderful healthcare workers at Mt. Auburn Hospital, but we also have enough to share with our local community! Every Thursday, we will be post a jar of candy on Instagram and Facebook, and invite our followers to guess the numbers of pieces in the jar.