Dear BHS Students and Families,

Exciting Art News! A new mural is up (or going up?) in the high school lobby featuring the artwork of Ms. Remick's Media Arts students. The mural titled,Through Another shows colorful and geometric animals in the "low-poly" style created with Adobe Illustrator on the computer. The mural reflects one of Belmont's values and invites viewers to reflect on how they perceive, listen to, and feel for others—through both human and animal perspectives. Additionally empathy is one of the enduring competencies for the recently developed Vision of the Graduate.

Isaac Taylor

Principal

Mid-Terms are on January 21, January 22nd, and January 23rd. The schedule can be found  here. 

In recent weeks, BHS administration have spoken to several students about crossing the railroad tracks behind the high school on their way to and from school. This includes at least one example of a student crossing in front of a moving train. I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of track safety. The Belmont fire department have provided the following reminder:

To stay safe around train tracks, you should only cross at designated crossings, look and listen for trains, and follow the rules. 

Designated crossings

• Cross tracks only at designated crossings with warning signs, lights, or gates 

• Never try to beat a train through a crossing 

• Wait until the gates are up and lights have stopped flashing 

Look and listen 

• Look both ways and listen for trains before crossing

• Expect a train at any time and from either direction

• Avoid distractions like texting, loud music, or headphones

Railroad tracks are private property, not public trails. It's illegal and dangerous to walk on or near tracks unless you're using a designated crossing. It's also illegal and extremely dangerous to drive around closed crossing gates or to ignore flashing warning lights.

Junior Students/Parents/Guardians-SAVE the Date

Junior Future Planning Night:  On Thursday, January 30th, the Guidance Department will host a virtual (link available next week) Junior Future Planning Night from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM for juniors and their parents/guardians. Our presentation will review the college process, as well as highlight other post-secondary pathways. We will also have a few admissions counselors available to answer common questions and provide information. If you have a general question you would like answered by the college representatives please provide it through this form link: https://forms.gle/S1ZwEaYPqak9hvHd9 

(please send all questions prior to Tuesday, January 28th at 8AM)

SAT/ACT Practice Exams

Revolution Prep is offering a practice SAT and ACT. 

 SAT Practice Exam:

When: Saturday, February 1, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM -12:00 PM

Where: Proctored online via Zoom

 ACT Practice Exam:

When: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM -1:00 PM

Where: Proctored online via Zoom

*Please note that these live exams are proctored in standard time only. If you have been approved for an extended time accommodation, go ahead and register for the exam, then use this self-proctoring manual to walk you through the process of using our on-demand video proctor with extended time.

 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 instantly receive our best-in-class score report, illustrating three high-impact areas to focus on for each section of the test.

Questions? If you have questions reach out to Vasilios Kostakis at (781) 916-8668 or by email at vasilios.kostakis@revolutionprep.com.

 https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bps/page/athletics 

BELMONT ATHLETIC SCHEDULES

FAN BEHAVIOR and SPORTSMANSHIP POLICY

This past weekend, Belmont Wrestling hosted our annual Brendan Grant Memorial Wrestling Tournament where the BHS fieldhouse saw over a thousand in attendance with 500+ wrestlers competing over two days. The Belmont Team also saw great success with at least one champion in every division.

Volunteer Opportunity- Play basketball!

Belmont Recreation 

We are in need of 5 volunteers per week to come play basketball with (not against) some of our Special Olympics Basketball athletes at Winn Brook School.  No expertise required!  Please sign up for as many weeks as you like, however, if you can't make it, please let us know  by emailing sboyle@belmont-ma.gov so that we can open the spot up again for another volunteer. THANK YOU!

Click here to sign up.

Any questions? 

Please reach out to Sarah Boyle at Belmont Recreation

sboyle@belmont-ma.gov

Thank you to the ~150+ parents, students, and community members who attended Tuesday evening's showing of Screenagers! We hope you enjoyed the movie and the thoughtful discussion that followed. Many thanks to our panelists, Jason DelPorto and Tamara Sobel. You can access the online resource list referenced at the presentation here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z44XuVgsWmQ_mD_4VlpMDzz7QsX6T2jXJtToy-H91UA/edit?tab=t.0

Save the Date: Discover Gap Years!
Tues., Feb. 11, 2025, 7-8pm on Zoom

Curious about Gap Years? Ever wondered if taking a Gap Year could be right for you? More and more students are embracing the opportunity to step off the traditional academic path for experiences which increase confidence, independence, maturity and college readiness. Join Katherine Stievater, Founder of Gap Year Solutions, for a presentation and Q&A about the benefits of Gap time, and how to plan a transformational and purposeful Gap Year on any budget.
https://www.gapyearsolutions.com

Volunteer Opportunity: Butler STEM Night

Butler Elementary School is hosting its annual STEM Night on January 24th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm, and they still need at least 10 high school students to help run activity tables.

Butler STEM Night is a chance to create some fantastic and rewarding experiences for younger children AND earn 2 hours of community service. We need volunteers to help at various stations where kids will do simple math activities, science experiments, and engineering projects to earn a sticker in their "lab notebook". BMHS volunteers are critical for the success of the in-person event. If you know someone of the right age, please consider encouraging them to offer their time on a Friday night! Sign up at http://tinyurl.com/butlermathandscience.

Volunteer Opportunity: Snow Shoveling

Help area seniors with snow removal for community service credit! Get matched with a older adult in your neighborhood who could use a hand with sidewalk snow removal this winter. Receive community service credit and help your community. For details reach out to Aimée LeBrun at the Beech Street Center: alebrun@belmont-ma.gov

Parent/Caregiver Book Club

The BMS PTO invites you to the Parents/Caregivers BMS PTO-Sponsored Book Club on Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child by Ross Greene. This book describes goals to help children handle the demands of the real world and to foster positive qualities in human nature. The book club is open to CUE, BMS, and BHS parents/caregivers. This will be a 3-part discussion facilitated by Assistant Principal Jason DelPorto, and will be held at BMS on Thurs. 7-8pm on 1/30, 2/27, and 3/27. Max 20 registrants for our book club, in order to facilitate an intimate discussion.

RSVP by Fri. Jan. 20 at https://forms.gle/y5HyfSn4cEKstWt66.

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 Ian Hettenbach, Josie Kim, and Sophia Merrow.  To read their profiles, please visit https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/o/bhs/page/marauders-of-the-week-2024