Dear BHS Students and Families,
Please see the BHS news and updates below.
Isaac Taylor, Principal
Belmont High School
Belmont Wellness Coalition
Belmont Wellness Coalition’s Parent Group: Fall Schedule and Topic Areas
Wed., Oct. 30 – Themes of Respect. How to guide our kids to respect the needs/viewpoints of others, especially those less privileged than they (without becoming defensive or overly apologetic). Also - how to encourage respectful discourse on controversial topics (e.g., the current wars in Ukraine and in Israel/Gaza, the upcoming election).
Wed., Nov. 20 – The impact of nutrition and of music on mental health. BWC’s Kim Raubenheimer will offer guidance on nutrition and explore its impact on youth mental health. Also, Chey Eagle, Music Therapy Director at Powers Music School in Belmont, will be on hand to discuss music and how it can be used to positively impact youth mental health.
Wed., Dec. 18 – Sexual Assault. What to do if your child is sexual assault by a student or other person. How to have the conversation, how to support them, how to determine if/what medical and mental health services to seek, whether to report it (or not) to the police, whether to reach out (or not) to the parents of the accused.
All meetings are virtual, from 7:00 – 8:00 PM - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81577946616
All are welcome to join!
Belmont Ski Team
On Tuesday October 29 Friends of Belmont Ski Team will be holding an information session at 6:30 pm at Comella's Restaurant, 11 Brighton St, Belmont. We encourage athletes that are interested in joining or hearing more about what the ski team involves to attend with their parents. This meeting will cover the logistics of the ski team, be a chance for parents to meet, and for new parents to learn more about the program. A coach will also be available to answer questions.
Yard Sale to support the World Language 2025 trips
Support student travel to Costa Rica, China, France and Italy in April! The organizers of the four World Language trips and student volunteers will be holding a yard sale on Saturday, October 26, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the BHS entrance. The goal is to raise money to support students who need financial assistance. Student volunteers are needed to set up and help on Saturday. Email vdannunzio@belmontschools.net or ggarschina@belmontschools.net with any questions. Thank you!
POMS
Join the Belmont High School Orchestra for an Evening of Contemporary Celtic Fiddling, Featuring Special Guests Hanneke Cassel & Keith Murphy - Tuesday, October 22, 7 p.m.
The BHS Orchestra is joined by well-known Celtic fiddler Hanneke Cassel and guitarist Keith Murphy in a concert featuring music influenced by the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton. This special concert is the finale to Hanneke’s two-day artist’s residency in the Belmont public schools. During this residency, she will be working with 300 Belmont string students from grades 4 through 12, introducing them to Scottish traditional fiddle music and showcasing different paths in contemporary music for string players. The concert and artist clinics are sponsored by David French Music and POMS (Parents of Music Students). The October 22 concert takes place in the BHS auditorium. A donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students is suggested.
GUIDANCE NEWS
Virtual College Visits: Virtual college visits have started.. All junior/senior students are invited to attend. Please look at the schedule on naviance under tab “College Visits” for the date and time that each college will visit. Students can attend the meetings anywhere in the building; you do not come to guidance. If the student does not have a free period the student will need to be called out by the parents. Please call the attendance line and leave the student’s name and the specific time the student will be absent from class. Students should let teachers know in advance if they will be missing class.
This week’s schedule:
AP Tests:
AP Test Payment Information: The AP Payment Window will open on October 1st and will stay open until midnight on October 31st. Payment can be made through MySchoolBucks or by check or cash. If you are paying through MySchoolBucks, please click here. If you need assistance with online payments or registration, please contact MySchoolBucks at 855-832-5226 or log into your account to start a chat conversation.
If you are paying by check or cash please bring it to Mrs. Sceppa in Room A106 in the Guidance Office. Each AP exam costs $100. All checks are made payable to Belmont High School. Please remind your student that, in addition to payment, they must have joined their AP Classroom through College Board (see AP teacher for more information). BHS will be ordering tests the first week in November. Any tests ordered or canceled after November 15th will incur a $40.00 late fee from the College Board. Please get all course sign-ups and payments in by Tuesday, October 31st. After October 31st, all payments can only be done by check or cash.
If a student is eligible for free or reduced lunch they can qualify for a fee waiver. If you feel your student qualifies, please reach out to Mr. Brown or Ms King before completing payment.
Also, if you are currently enrolled in a BHS AP class, your teacher should have given you a class code to go in and register on the College Board in AP Classroom. You will need to set up a College Board account if you do not already have one at collegboard.org( this should be done by the student- please use your official name)This is really the first part of the process and then paying on-line through my School Bucks is the second. If you are registering for an AP exam and not enrolled in the class, please see Ms. King or Mr Brown for a special code during the registration window of 10/1-10/31; you will need to pay by check made out to Belmont High School in order to receive the code.
AP Coordinators: Mr. James Brown- jmbrown@belmontschools.net
Ms. Brittany King- bking@belmontschools.net
AP Registrar: Ms. Carole Sceppa- csceppa@belmontschools.net
PSAT Signups: PSAT signups are complete. All junior students who are registered to take the PSAT received an email from Mrs. Sceppa this morning with the details about the October 26, 2024 PSAT test. This email was sent to their Belmont Public Schools email. Please reach out to Ms. Sceppa if you did not receive an email.
Upcoming PSAT 101 Strategy Session
We invite students to join Revolution Prep for an introductory strategy session for the official PSAT! This free hour-long session is designed to give students insight into the PSAT exam as well as provide tips and tricks for test day. In this session, one of their professional tutors will teach core test-taking strategies including a dive into the exam content and digital structure, how to avoid common traps, and how to create the best plan for success.
SAT Practice Exam:
When: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Time: 9:00 am -12:00 pm ET
Where: Proctored online via Zoom
*Please note that this live exam is proctored in standard time only. If you have been approved for an extended time accommodation, please reach out to your Academic Advisor, Vasilios Kostakis, whose information is below.
Step 1: Register here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/partners/626
Step 2: Schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to help you interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare. Please schedule this appointment for the few days after the exam. You can pre-schedule this Score Report Review here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/vasilios-kostakis
Step 3: Attend the mock exam and get your results immediately with Revolution Prep’s mobile scoring app!
Questions? If you have questions or want to learn more about Revolution Prep, you can reach out to Vasilios Kostakis at (781) 916-8668 or by email at vasilios.kostakis@revolutionprep.com.
----------------------------------------
Athletics
Football
BHS Football Marauders Secure First Win of the Season against Lexington High, 9-6 The Marauders claimed their first victory of the season with a hard-fought 9-6 win over Lexington High. Junior Casey Regan electrified the crowd with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, putting the Marauders on the board early. Senior placekicker Jack Townsend sealed the win with a clutch 25-yard field goal late in the 4th quarter, extending the lead and ultimately securing the victory. On the ground, sophomore Patrick MacKinnon powered the offense, continuing throughout the game. Senior Captain and slot receiver, now a dual-threat quarterback, Wyatt Sclafani, made a strong return from injury, playing poise under pressure with several key passes that kept the offense in control. Defensively, Senior Captains Thomas Dolan, Zakariah Zaddem, and Billy Hendrickson anchored the effort, making critical plays that limited Lexington to just six points, ensuring the Marauders’ first win of the season.
Cheer
The cheer team has been working on fine tuning the details of their routine as competition approaches quickly. We are so excited to honor our 3 seniors this week at the senior night football game.
Golf
The golf season is over. The team finished at 12-2 and participated in the MIAA Division I North Sectional golf tournament. Only three teams advanced out of the fourteen teams that participated. Unfortunately, we were not one of the three. We finished 9th and although that was quite a way back from qualifying, it represented progress from our performance in the sectional last year. We have high expectations for the 2025 season with many big contributors returning.
Girls Soccer
The girls varsity soccer continues playing well after a great win against Arlington 1-0 and a tie 1-1 against Woburn . The varsity team still undefeated in the season with 3 games left of the season.
Boys Soccer
The boys moved to 10-3-3 on the season after defeating Woburn on Wednesday. Two home games to go next week before the tournament: Monday against Lexington and Wednesday against Winchester.
Girls Volleyball
.Varsity volleyball is on a 7 match winning streak, bringing their record to 11-6.
Girls Swimming and Diving
Boys Cross Country
XC is hungry, and Thanksgiving comes early this year with our last dual-meet vs. Lexington this Tuesday. With a 4-1 record, Tuesday will be a stamp in Belmont history and that of the human race more generally. As well - for some, it will be the last home race of their high school career; saving the best for last, of course.
Girls Cross Country
Girls cross country traveled to the Cape for the Twilight Invitational on Sunday. Team members who were able to make the trip had a blast spending time together and running under the lights. With an off week from league competition, the team took time to do some restorative work. Ms. Ross from the guidance department guided the team in a yoga session at BHS on Thursday, helping the team stretch our aches and pains before entering our final competitive weeks for the season.
Field Hockey
The varsity team is now 14-2 and is ranked 6th in Division 1. Beating Dover-Sherborn on Tuesday was a great win for the team. Caroline French is showing great promise on the forward line and has been putting the ball in the net. Two huge games next week against Lexington and Winchester.
The JV field hockey team has had a great week with wins against Arlington and Woburn. We dominated the field in both games, and Made significant improvements in moving toward the ball, especially in our offensive circle.
The freshman field hockey team is 7-4-2 after a win over Westford and a tie against Reading this week. The team has been communicating well which has helped us successfully pass the ball up the field quickly.
Marauder of the Week
Marauders of the Week: The Marauders of the Week are outstanding BHS seniors nominated by their teachers for a wide variety of contributions in and out of the classroom. This week, we are recognizing Jaylene Rodriguez, Kaiyan Talavia, and Sam Wilson. To read their profiles, please visit https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bhs/page/marauders-of-the-week-2024