March 19 - Early Release @ 11:40am (conferences)
March 20 - Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
March 26 - Early Release @ 11:40am (conferences - follow a Thursday schedule)
March 27 - Flip Flop Day - follow a Wednesday schedule
April 3 - PTA Spring Dance @6-7:30pm
April 6 - METCO/PTA Bowling @5:30-6:30pm
April 10 - PTA Board Meeting @6-7pm
Arrival on White Street can be a very busy time and we want to share a few reminders to ensure everyone stays safe when getting to school.
Do not double park your car. If you are dropping your child(ren) off in the front of the school, please pull all the way forward. This will allow other cars to pull up as well.
Do not leave your car and walk your child to their line up place. There are often many cars dropping off at the same time. One unattended car can have a ripple effect of blocking traffic.
Do not let your child out of the car on the opposite side of the school and cross the road. White Street is incredibly busy in the morning.
Do not make a u-turn in front of the school.
Thursday is Crossing Guard Appreciation Day. Please help extend our thanks and appreciation to our crossing guards for all they do to keep us safe to and from school!
Thank you to those who came to the Coffee with the Principal last Friday. There was good conversation about what is and is not bullying, what the school does in response to a claim of bullying, as well as what you can do at home to support your child. Click here for Principal Babson's presentation. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to Principal Babson.
April 7-11 the Butler School will be participating in a national healthy-eating initiative called P.A.C.K.(Pack Assorted Colors for Kids) Week.
This is a fun and educational program encouraging kids to eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Each day of P.A.C.K. Week has been assigned a different color and we are asking you to pack a fruit or vegetable for your child’s snack and/or lunch based on the color of the day. All forms of fruits and vegetables count, so consider packing 100% fruit juice, dried fruits or canned fruits/veggies as tasty options. Here are the days of P.A.C.K. Week with some packing tips to make it easy:
Monday April 7 is Pack Purple Day – consider packing, raisins, blueberries or Concord grapes.
Tuesday April 8 is Pack White Day – bananas, white peaches, pears, cauliflower with dressing are tasty choices.
Wednesday April 9 is Pack Red Day – apples, cherries, strawberries, red pepper slices or grape tomatoes are great options.
Thursday April 10 is Pack Yellow/Orange Day - baby carrots, dried apricots, pineapple, nectarines or oranges are easy to pack
Friday April 11 is Pack Green Day – go green with green grapes, celery sticks, broccoli florets, or a green apple.
We suggest that your child wear the color of the day to make the program more fun! Check out theApril menuto see what colorful foods will be offered each day of PACK. week. Help us promote a variety of colorful and healthy food choices and encourage students to catch a rainbow every day!
Seasonal Allergies
Does your child suffer from seasonal allergies or asthma? If so, please be aware that allergy season is heading our way. Reach out to your child’s doctor about starting any treatments including daily medications to get a head start on the season and keep symptoms under control. There is a poster outside of my office explaining seasonal allergies including the daily pollen levels for Belmont to help students understand more about their health.
Those with asthma and seasonal allergies may experience an increase in symptoms as pollen levels rise. Some symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, cough and even allergic asthma symptoms of wheezing and shortness of breath mimic those of covid. Be aware of your child’s typical allergy symptoms and be sure not to ignore or confuse symptoms. As always, please reach out with questions or concerns.
Lisa Harteveldt, BSN, RN
Butler School Nurse
phone 617-993-5556
fax 617-484-7921
Did you know Butler offers breakfast every day? Breakfast is available for Butler students from 8:10-8:25am. Like lunches, breakfast is free for the 24-25 school year. Families interested in having their chil(ren) receive a school breakfast should go to the Sycamore Street entrance where a staff member will greet them. Students will go to the kitchen to get a breakfast (muffin, cereal, or bagel with juice, and fruit) and will be supervised in the cafeteria by a Butler staff member until 8:25 when they will be brought outside where staff supervision will continue. Students who attend morning BEDP can also get a school breakfast and will be brought back to their BEDP location until the start of the school day. Snacks will still be offered for students during the day, but it is important to note that students who receive a breakfast will be charged if they also get a “snack” later in the day.
Did you know the town of Belmont has a partnership with Care Solace to provide any Belmont resident, student, or staff member with mental health support? Belmont Public Schools is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff, and families. We are proud to announce our partnership with Care Solace to support our ongoing commitment. If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace will quickly connect you to community providers matched to your needs. Call 888-515- 0595 at any time or search on your own at caresolace.com/belmont
With a network of over 350,000 providers and services, Care Solace will help you find the right help at the right time, 24/7/365, at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance.
You can access Care Solace services in three ways:
Call 888-515-0595 at any time. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
Search anonymously to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at
caresolace.com/belmont.
Contact your school health professional, and they will submit a referral on your behalf.
No matter what you're experiencing, there is hope and help. We are confident that our partnership with Care Solace will help us build a healthier, more vibrant school community.
Belmont High School's UNICEF club is thrilled to invite you and your family to our upcoming fundraising event, Family Fun Night! Join us on April 3rd at the Belmont High School Cafeteria for a fun-filled evening for all ages. This fair-like event will feature a wide range of interactive and educational booths run by our club members, including slime making, henna, a bake sale, and an exciting raffle. With free admission, this event provides a perfect opportunity for families to come together and enjoy quality time while supporting a great cause. We do recommend cash donations to support our cause, and our bake sale and raffle will only accept cash. We can't wait to see you there for a night of family fun and meaningful fundraising for UNICEF!
Third grade is the first year students take the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) where they will be participating in two English Language Arts sessions and two Math sessions. The information we gather from these assessments helps the school and district determine what is going well and areas of improvement with curriculum and instruction. More information will be shared later this winter/spring, but please mark your calendar for the dates below to ensure your child will be at school.
ELA - April 7 & 10
Math - May 12 & 15
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce that our free Parenting Solutions Library is now available in Spanish. MPY is offering this valuable resource in partnership with Peace at Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit organization located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Through this partnership, MPY is providing proven resources to help students’ families thrive.
Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The Parenting Solutions Library is easily accessed using the link on MPY’s home page. No log in or passcode is needed.
The Peace at Home Parenting Solutions Library is a free, valuable resource for PTOs, SEPACs, ELLPACs and other parent-oriented groups. We request your assistance sharing this valuable and free resource through school-based newsletters and school-based organizations. For your convenience, we have created this handout. Please contact MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels at margie@mpyinc.org with questions.
