During the school year, there are a number of vacations (e.g. December, February, April) when school is not in session. The days before and after these vacation weeks are instructional days that are used to make academic progress. Teachers use this time to continue learning content, building skills, completing assignments, and conducting assessments. When students have extended absences around the vacation weeks, they miss valuable instructional time that cannot be replaced. Students must develop a plan for catching up on missed work, communicate with teachers, and put in extra time on their return to recover some of the lost learning from their absence. Parents and guardians should work closely with their students to proactively address missed school days and ensure students are prepared to rejoin their classes.
Belmont Middle School
Extended Absences Around Vacations
Train Tracks
Please remind your students that the MBTA train tracks at the rear of the BMHS campus are dangerous and must be avoided. Fencing around the tracks indicates that pedestrian traffic is not allowed. Students must use sidewalks and typical road traffic routes to reach the BMHS campus, and must not use the train tracks to cut through or try to save time.
i-Ready Testing
We have our second round of i-Ready testing for the year coming up on January 15 (ELA) and 29 (Math). Talk to your student about the importance of this interim assessment and how it can demonstrate all of the progress they have made. Being able to assess students growth and current performance according to the content standards is critical to being able to support and challenge each individual student. We want our students to take pride in doing their best, and the i-Ready test scheduled for next week is a great opportunity to show what they can do!
MCAS Dates
MCAS testing is coming up this Spring for 7th and 8th grade students. All students take the ELA and Math assessments, and 8th grade students take the Science, Technology, Engineering (STE) and the Civics assessments. This is the first year for BMS 8th graders to sit the Civics test, and given that the assessment is still under development, we will not be provided individual student scores.
The following dates are scheduled for MCAS testing:
ELA (7th, 8th) - April 7-8
STE (8th) - May 8-9
Math (7th, 8th) - May 12-13
Civics (8th) - May 29-3
Attendance Letters
Now that we are more than halfway through the school year, we hope students have adapted to the expectation of getting to school in a timely manner. Promoting timeliness to school requires both parents and educators to work together. We will be holding our second round of accountability in the coming weeks, notifying parents/guardians and students when students have been late 10 or more times since the beginning of the year. For those students who met this threshold during our first round, the clock was reset and will only be held accountable if they have accumulated another 10 times late to school. We will reach out to families directly via email to inform them of the intervention and patterns
Recess during winter, clothing
As the weather starts to change to colder temperatures, winds, and precipitation, we are advising families to ensure their students come to school prepared with winter coats and/or rain gear as appropriate. We remain committed to outdoor recess time when appropriate, and will make a judgment call on a day-to-day basis that is reflective of student safety. Students who are not wearing warm clothing and/or those who cannot manage themselves around snow, etc. will not be allowed out to the patio.
Bison Crossing (school store)
The Grand Opening of the school store was December 13th!
Bison Crossing is run by BMS Student Council and will be open throughout the week from
2:40-3:45pm.
Online orders will be available soon for students who take the bus.
BMS Team Photos
What better way to remember your school year than with a team photo!! All teams had a team photo taken by Hayward Photography on Friday, October 4th (school picture day). The deadline to place an order is Sunday, February 2nd.Don't delay, order your team photo today!
Price: $25
Order Form: Click on the this link for the ORDER FORM
Hayward Photography: www.haywardphotography.com
Science Energy Cars
In 8th grade Science class, students have been studying Physics concepts connected to force and motion. As a culminating project, students worked in groups to develop cars with various methods of propulsion. This past week, students tested the effectiveness of their designs in races and distance challenges. These cross-team competitions brought together students from throughout the grade level, and peers cheered one another on in the hopes that everyone would feel successful.
UPDATES: DC Trip and BMS Adventure Week
DC Trip Update
Starting next week, all grade 8 students attending the DC Trip will make a roommate request. All students and a parent received communication on the process.
Click this link to learn about the DC Roommate Process.
The deadline to submit roommate request is Tuesday, January 21st.
BMS Adventure Trip Update
Any grade 8 students not traveling on the DC Trip have the opportunity to participate in the BMS Adventure Week.
An email went to all grade 8 students (not attending) and a parent. All students not traveling on the DC Trip must submit the Google Form. Even if you don’t plan on attending any of the Adventure Week activities, you must still fill out the google form for school record.
Click this link to access the BMS Adventure Week Google Form and learn more about the BMS Adventure Week.
The deadline to submit the form is Friday, February 7th.
Grade 7 Winter Party
All grade 7 students are invited to a grade 7 only winter party
The event is on Friday, January 31st - 6:30-8:00pm in the Belmont Middle School cafeteria
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or at the BMHS school store - The Bison Crossing (located under the middle school stairs next to elevator).
Click this link to Purchase a Ticket Online
Free food included in ticket price (pizza, boneless wings, fruit, veggies, ice cream, lemonade).
Come socialize with friends, play some games, dance to music, eat food, and ultimately have fun.
The deadline to purchase a ticket is Friday, January 24th.
Library Access
Our library has been opened to students for the past month, and we are already checking out books to eager readers! Thank you again to the FBE for supporting BMS and putting books in our students’ hands! Any 7th or 8th grade student can come to the library during WIN block daily to see what we have, browse our titles by genre, and check something out to read for class or dive into at home.
PTO Teacher Appreciation Day: January 14, 2025
It's a new year and time to show thanks to the BMS staff. The PTO Teacher Appreciation team still needs edible donations to make it a great spread next Tuesday. All contributions are welcome - no need for it to be homemade or fancy, just something that would be enjoyed by the teachers. Things can be dropped off prior or on the day. Thanks for considering!
PTO Clubs Session Two
BMS PTO Winter Book Club
With the success of our Fall Book Club, we are continuing into 2025 with the Parents/Caregivers BMS PTO-Sponsored Book Club on the book Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child” by Ross Greene, which 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 and BMHS parents/caregivers as well.
This will be a 3-part discussion facilitated by Assistant Principal Jason Del Porto, 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. 17 via this form.
Belmont Basketball Night - January 10, 2025
On Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 the Belmont community is invited to attend Belmont Basketball Night at the BMHS Field House – a free event where youth of all ages can participate in activities and watch the varsity girls and boys basketball teams compete against Woburn.
5:15 pm - Pre-game activities
5:45 pm - Boys Varsity Game
7:15 pm - Girls Varsity Game
Celtics ticket raffle, autographed basketball raffle, and more! Come down to the BMHS Field House (Athletic entrance - Door 21), support the high school teams and be a part of the fun!
Yearbook Ordering
The Belmont Middle School 2024-2025 Yearbook is available for sale! The yearbook is a 120 page hardcover record of the 2024-25 school year and meant for students in grades 7-8. It will document student life, activities, student portraits, staff photos, events, grade eight farewell ads, and much more. Order a yearbook for $40. The yearbooks will be given out to students the week of June 16th. Deadline to order is April 1, 2025.
<< Click this link for the Belmont Yearbooks Website
FOR ALL STUDENTS, FAMILIES, and STAFF
The yearbook staff needs your help! We need photos to make your yearbook a memorable one to look back on. Our student photographers can’t be everywhere. Please consider submitting any and all photos (Athletics, Concerts, Student Life, Spirit Days, Hanging with Friends, Picture Day Replacement Photo, Preferred Name for Yearbook, Clubs, etc.) for consideration to be used in the yearbook. Navigate to the yearbook website and select the Upload Photos menu at the top of the page to see the Upload BMS Photos. All photos submitted must be school appropriate for use in the yearbook.
FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF GRADE 8 STUDENTS
Make the yearbook even more special for your student. A yearbook ad is a loving tribute to your student, personalized with your own sentimental message and a cherished photo, or photo collage. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’ll last forever. Check out the Belmont Yearbooks Website to learn more about placing a Grade 8 Farewell Ad. Deadline to order an Farewell Ad is February 3, 2025.
Don't delay, order a yearbook today!
Bias Incident Report Form
At Belmont Middle School we take issues of bias and racism very seriously. Every student has the right to feel welcome, to learn, and feel free to be who they are. We support every student to feel safe, have a sense of belonging, and to call out acts of bias and racism and utilize consequences and restoration to ensure our community is a supportive one. If you are witness to or have experienced a bias or racist incident, you can report through the following link: https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/page/bias-incident-reporting
The Belmont Public Schools Bias Incident Report Form can be accessed from the BPS DEI website. Some important notes:
Submitted forms are routed to the Director of DEIW (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Wellness) and the school's principal, who will assess the report and undertake an immediate investigation.
While the form may be completed anonymously, we encourage you to provide your contact information. This will enable the district to conduct a more thorough investigation and resolution. Anonymous reports may be essentially impossible to investigate.
More information, including definitions of "what a bias-motivated incident is" and what happens after a report is submitted, may be found on the Bias Incident Reporting page.
We encourage all members of the Belmont Public Schools community - including students, staff, parents/caregivers, volunteers, and town residents - to use this form to report any incidents of racism, bias, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation that you have experienced or witnessed, which involves a member of the Belmont Public Schools or takes place on or near school property.
Learning For Justice, an educational resource for schools defines a bias incident as conduct, speech, or expression motivated in whole or in part by bias or prejudice. To learn more or read examples of bias incidents, please see "Tips for Identifying Bias Incidents."
The district's investigation processes, including restorative and disciplinary consequences, will be tailored to each incident. While student privacy concerns will always prevent public disclosure of specific investigation details, we will publish periodic reports to keep the community informed of the number of reports made, noticeable patterns regarding the nature of the bias incidents, and conclusions of investigations when applicable.
Attendance
ABSENCE: To excuse a student’s absence, parents/guardians must call the Attendance Line 617-993-2001 or fill out the Attendance Line Form by 8:30 AM on the day of the student’s absence. The Attendance Line is available 24 hours, please call and leave a message as soon as you know your child will be out of school. Give your child’s name, grade, date of absence, and a brief reason. It is important to stress that it is the responsibility of the parent to contact the school.
Update Forms in PlusPortals
Each year, the Belmont Public Schools updates its student records. This form allows parents to fill out their child's information and submit it electronically, saving both you and the school time, while ensuring accurate information is being provided. We will be requesting this information every September.
New forms have been posted to PlusPortals under "Forms"
www.plusportals.com/belmontmiddleschool
Please review and submit:
Student Update Form or Contact Update form
Authorization for Emergency Dismissal
New Families:
Web Authorization form - required submittal
MassHealth Benefits Permission - submit if student is receiving MassHealth
If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to the BMS administration team. We’re here to support you.
In partnership,
Russ Kupperstein
Principal
Belmont Middle School