With the winter holiday upon us, I want to extend a warm thank you to our Belmont community. During these first few months of the school year, we have seen many rewards for our students with your constant support being an important part of our successes. This season gives us a chance to reflect on our shared achievements and to take a well-earned break to relax and spend time with friends and family.
This year, the District has prioritized an important initiative - curriculum development. Curriculum is the foundation of teaching and learning as it shapes students’ educational experiences. It supports instruction, providing teachers with essential materials and content with which to design lessons. Curriculum influences all levels of instruction, making it a key element of our strategic plan to enhance the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) with high-quality curriculum.
A significant milestone for our curriculum this year was the implementation of our new Math program. Last year, the Math Curriculum Committee undertook a comprehensive review to adopt a new curriculum. This process included:
creating a vision for teaching and learning in math, grounded in Universal Design for Learning and Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Practices;
focusing on student engagement through meaningful discourse and deep conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts;
employing a selection process with a rubric to review curriculum options, conducting site visits to other districts, and gathering family input.
The committee ultimately recommended Illustrative Math for its emphasis on cultivating students' mathematical reasoning and deep conceptual understanding and accessibility to ensure all students can engage with math at high levels. School Committee approved this recommendation, (Memo and Presentation), and the program was funded through the override passed by the Belmont community last spring.
Parallel to our work and methodical approach to upgrading our Math curriculum, we have initiated a review of our literacy curriculum. The newly formed Literacy Curriculum Committee is at the forefront of this endeavor leading efforts by:
crafting a vision that promotes active student engagement and independent literacy skills across all stages of literacy development;
prioritizing foundational literacy skills, such as explicit phonics instruction, essential to our youngest learners, provided through our Fundations curriculum;
gathering family feedback and input during two engagement sessions planned for January 2025.
Please see our news about the K-3 Literacy Caregiver Focus Groups and join us for this conversation.
Our budget process continues to move forward. On December 3, I presented FY26 Draft 1 Budget to the School Committee, which provided constructive feedback. The December 11 community forum brought valuable insights from our families and community members. The Committee then continued its discussion of the FY26 Draft 2 Budget on December 17. This year, we are again faced with the challenge of making difficult decisions to allocate our limited resources in alignment with the Town’s revenue allocation. These discussions have been critical in carefully evaluating our priorities and ensuring thoughtful choices. The next draft will be reviewed at the School Committee meeting on January 7, 2025, with the goal of preparing a budget to present at the Town Budget Summit on January 23. For more details on the budget, please visit our website: BPS Budget.
Finally, for ongoing BPS information and news, you can check us out on Facebook (Belmont Public Schools) and X (@BelmontSchools), and by downloading the Belmont Public Schools MA phone app.
Wishing you all an enjoyable and restful winter vacation.