This is a busy weekend with Halloween on Saturday and the clocks turning back on Sunday when Daylight Savings time ends, giving us that needed extra hour of sleep. Also marking our time is the upcoming end of the first quarter of school, where exciting stuff is happening in teaching and learning. Happy Halloween to all, and have a great weekend.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
I have been fortunate to be a guest speaker at several PTO/PTA meetings, and will continue to visit others in the future. These meetings are a wonderful way to be in touch with so many parents about the issues facing our district. In past communications, I talked about our focus on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and the great work done in each school regarding that new initiative. We also discussed the rising enrollment every year and the impact on the budget, which we continue to monitor. You can find details on the budget and other information in the Belmont Public Schools website.
On October 20 we had our School Committee meeting in Boston. Our Boston/Belmont School Committee meetings are important for us to have a presence in Boston for meetings with the METCO Board and meet the parents of the children who attend Belmont schools. We are making great progress in having parents, directors, and superintendents from various districts be on the METCO board for more inclusion and to hear about programming in different school districts. I look forward to more of these meetings.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Last week I sent out an email to all parents, caregivers and staff members on the recent recommendation by the Commissioner of Education--it bears repeating. The Commissioner, Mitchell Chester, recommends that the Commonwealth consider a third option to PARCC and MCAS--MCAS 2.0. The Commissioner describes this as a new MCAS exam which contains components of the PARCC exam. The decision will be made by the Board of Education in the next month. As your Superintendent I want to assure you that our teachers and administrators focus their teaching and learning on high standards in each subject that is aligned to Common Core as well as customizing our curriculum locally to meet our high exceptions of our community. We will not change our teaching strategies based on PARCC or MCAS. As a school district we place a high value on academic rigor, fine and performing arts, athletics, co-curricular opportunities, community service and civic involvement, and all the components of a well-rounded education.
GOOD NEWS
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More than $18,000 was raised in the PTA Fun Run at the Butler School on October 16, where teachers dressed up as Batman, Wonder Woman, Super Woman and Supergirl. Principal Mike McAllister came as Spiderman when the PTA reached their goal of $11,000, and Custodian Bob Johnson joined in on the fun dressed as Captain America. All grades participated at designated times, with parents, families and caregivers invited to participate and cheer the students as they walked or ran in a course designed by P.E. Teacher Ted Trodden. See more on the BPS website and pictures of some favorite superheros in action!
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Burbank is now part of the Weather Underground community of local weather reporters. The Burbank Gardens has a weather device that transmits data that can be accessed on the Weather Underground website. The data is accessible online to all teachers, and data can be displayed on Smart Boards and devices.
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Each grade level at Burbank will be working on an art unit that ties directly to the Burbank garden. From printmaking to sketching to still-life drawing the garden-inspired art is on display around the Burbank school.
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The BHS Making Strides Against Breast Cancer team has been fundraising for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides High School Challenge for the metro area during Breast Cancer Awareness month. So far this year, they have raised almost $10,000, with more events to come, such as a car wash at Belmont Car Wash on Saturday, November 7. Belmontian Club members will be drying cars from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and all the tips will go to the American Cancer Society and the Belmont Car Wash will donate $1 per car to the cause. See the BPS website for other ways to donate.
ATHLETICS
The Following BHS Athletic teams have qualified for MIAA State Tournament play:
Boys Cross County
Girls Cross County
Girls Field Hockey
Girls Soccer
Girls Swimming & Diving
Teams still in contention to qualify for MIAA post season action:
Girls Volleyball
Cheerleading
Following the MIAA seeding process, the tournament game schedule for all the teams that qualified will be posted on the MIAA website.
Congratulation to the following BHS teams who have won Middlesex League Championships this fall:
Golf
Field Hockey
On Sunday, October 25, the BHS JV and Varsity Cheerleading team competed at the Panther Invitational at Marlborough High School. JV competed in the Junior Varsity Division, placing 4th out of 8 teams, hitting all their stunts and putting on a great show. Varsity competed in the Coed Division, placing 5th out of 10 teams. Varsity had all the spectators at the Panther Invitational very engaged and clapping along throughout their routine. With such great success, the BHS Cheerleading team is very excited to compete at the Middlesex League Cheerleading Competition on Thursday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. at Woburn High School.
BHS Fall Athletic Awards Night will be held on Thursday November 19, at 6:00 p.m. in the BHS Auditorium.
Chenery Middle School Girls & Boys Cross teams completed another successful season. The Girls team finished with an 8-0 records as well as winning the Carlisle Invitational meet at both the Varsity & JV level. Forty members of the co-ed Chenery Cross Country team, comprised of 7th and 8th graders, traveled to the Carlisle Invitational on Monday, October 19. Sixteen teams from the area competed in Varsity Girls, Varsity Boys, Junior Varsity Girls, and Junior Varsity boys’ races. Chenery won the varsity girls’ race and girls’ junior varsity race for the first time in school history. The varsity boys placed 5th and the junior varsity boys finished in 6th.
The Boys team final record for the season 6-2 record.
All 93 of the runners on the team have made great improvements and important contributions to the team this season.
FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
- The Belmont High School Marauder Marching Band were invited by the Harvard Lampoon to accompany this year’s recipient of the Elmer Award for Excellence in Humor, “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, who was crowned by the Lampoon as the “Emperor of Comedy”. Congratulations to the Marauder Marching Band members and their director, Paul Ketchen, Fine and Performing Arts Director Arto Asadoorian, all those who came to cheer them on. See more on the BPS website and pictures and video on the Fine and Performing Arts Facebook page. There's a few mentions of the band if you go to the NBC website and watch the beginning of the October 26 show.
- The BHS and CMS Orchestras performed with folk violinist Hanneke Cassel on October 22 after she spent two days in our district working with students to prepare this program that blends American bluegrass with Scottish fiddle music and “hip grooves and musical innovation”. This concert was sponsored by the Belmont Foundation for Education, as well as Parents of Music Students (POMS). See video here on the Fine and Performing Arts Facebook page.
- The Masquerade Concert and Haunted House on October 28 was an evening of Halloween-themed music from scary movies as well as superhero movies. The Student Leadership Haunted House was on hand to further thrill and chill the audience with a "non-scary" house for the younger audience. Congratulations to all who put these two great events together for one thrilling evening!
SAVE THE DATE
- Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) is holding it's 15th Annual Spelling Bee on November 14 at Belmont High School beginning at 2:00 p.m. The Bee is open to all students in grades K-6. This event has raised more than $275,000 over the years to benefit Belmont Public Schools. More than 600 Belmont students participate in the Bee each year. A reminder that this Friday, October 30th, is the registration deadline for the Spelling Bee. Please register online at www.fbe-belmont.org/bee. Spellers may participate in three-or-four person teams. Teams will be on stage at Belmont High School, in groups at assigned times. Word lists & FAQs can be found online at http://www.fbe-belmont.org/spelling-bee. Registration must be completed by each child participating in the Bee. Space for this popular event is limited, so be sure to secure a spot this week.
- "The Laramie Project" is presented November 5, 6, and 7 at BHS. The play is about the reaction of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student. The murder was considered a hate crime. Director/Playwright Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, Wyoming, after Shepard's death and interviewed people in the town which became the play and then the movie. It continues to be performed by colleges, high schools and community theaters across the country. The play deals with sensitive subject matter and contains mature content and, therefore, is not suitable for children and parental discretion is strongly advised for young teens. The show is a series of monologues and scenes taken directly from the transcripts of those interviews. A powerful night of theater. See here for more information.
CALENDAR
Below are some of the numerous events for the beginning of November. Please check the schools websites and communications for more events and any changes in dates, time, and/or venues:
DATE/TIME - PLACE/EVENT
11/1 - Daylight Savings Ends (Clocks go back one hour)
11/2 - 8:45 a.m. - Wellington Community Room - General PTO Meeting
11/3 - 2:30 p.m. - BHS Various Locations - BHS Winter Sports Organizational Meeting and Sign Ups. See here for more information and locations.
11/4 - Early Release All Schools
11/4-11/10 - BHS - MCAS Testing - ELA and Math Retest
11/5, 6, 7 - 7:00 p.m. - Belmont High School - BHS presents "The Laramie Project". Free for BHS students and staff; $15 for adults and $10 non-BHS students. Not suitable for children, and parental discretion is strongly advised for young teens due to the mature content.
11/7 - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - BHS Cafeteria - Belmont High School Ski Team Annual Ski & Snowboard sale, featuring new and used equipment. Drop off consignment items between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. that day. See more here.
11/9 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. - Burbank Cafeteria - PTA Meeting
11/10 - 7:00 p.m. - Chenery Large Community Room - School Committee Meeting
11/10, 13, 14 - Wellington - 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (on 11/14 until 6:00 p.m.) - Wellington Book Fair - Pizza and bake sale items available on November 10. If more than 6,900 books are sold, Principal Amy Spangler will put on her dancing shoes and do a monster dance.
11/11 - All Schools Closed for Veterans' Day Holiday
11/14 - BHS - 2:00 p.m. - FBE Spelling Bee
11/18 - Early Release All Schools
11/18 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. - Butler PTA Board Meeting
11/17 - Burbank - Library Night
11/19 - 6:00 pm. - BHS Auditorium - Belmont High Fall Athletic Awards Night
11/19, 20 - 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ends 11/20 at 7:30 p.m.) - Butler - Book Fair
11/20 - 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Butler - Ice Cream Social