FAQ

Belmont BASEC at Burbank – Workshops for kids!

Frequently Asked Questions – Burbank

Is there after school on the first day of school?

After school for students grades 1 – 4 begins on the first day of school.

Before school for students grades 1 – 4 begins the following day.

Before and After school for kindergarten students begins the first full week of school.

Please see the Belmont BASEC calendar for details.

Can we meet BASEC teachers during the Kindergarten Open House?

We hold an open house for kindergarten students and their families on Thursday and Friday after school half-day dismissal, for any parents that would like to stop by with their children to visit and meet teachers following their assigned half day.

Can I sign up for newsletters and other notices?

We’ve learned that our community overwhelmingly prefers electronic correspondence; therefore, we communicate news and important reminders via email. Additionally, you can like us on Facebook (Belmont BASEC) and follow us on Instagram (BelmontBASEC) to remain current on events and see pictures from our programs.   The ease of communicating electronically sometimes overshadows the importance (and joy) of face-to-face conversation. We always have a front-desk greeter—and can make time for more in-depth discussion. Please feel free to ask questions at pick-up or request a conference!

Where does my child check in and where do I pick her up?

Student pick up is in the cafeteria. There is a sign out table located by the cafeteria entrance. Check in with the teacher at the front desk and he/she/they will locate your child. Please note that BASEC uses many spaces throughout the building, and it may take a few minutes for your child to travel from one location to the cafeteria.

How do the BASEC @ Burbank Workshops run?

BASEC @ Burbank operates three workshop sessions throughout the school year. The course offerings include karate, music lessons, sports, art, theater, technology, and many others. Information about Burbank Workshops can be found at https://belmontbasec.org/burbank/workshops/

Does BASEC @ Burbank offer tutoring?

Our one-on-one tutoring program targets support on specific academic content or executive function skill-building. Sessions are custom-designed to best meet your child’s needs. We draw on our strong long-standing relationships with classroom teachers to align our sessions with current classroom learning. Each tutoring session meets for 30 minutes. Availability is limited. For scheduling and pricing information, please contact Ellen McEllin
(ellen.mcellin@belmontbasec.org).

What happens on Early Release Days?

At the elementary school level, the Belmont school system schedules eight early release days used by teachers and administrators for professional development, grade level meetings, and parent/teacher conferences.  BASEC @ Burbank offers programming for each of these days, 11:40 AM – 5:50 PM, included for any student on a Wednesday schedule. Please note that two days are early school dismissals, where the building closes at 11:40 AM and BASEC After School is closed. Please the Belmont BASEC Calendar for details.

You will need to pack a lunch for your child on early release days, as the cafeteria is not open.

Early release days provide the time for some of our favorite programming. This includes on-site activities like the variety show, haunted house, and rock-climbing wall, as well as off-site field trips. A separate permission form will go home with all students for any off-site trip requiring transportation.

What if I need someone who is not on my authorized pick-up list to pick up my child?

Just give us a call or email and we will note it in our dismissal log for the day. Please ask the person picking up to have a photo ID ready to present to our staff at pick up.

What is an “Emergency Authorized Release?”

BASEC requires you to have at minimum one back-up person on your child’s enrollment form (submitted electronically to our database). This person should know that you have put her/him on this form and should be willing to pick up your child in an emergency (this includes your working late). This is also important for those of you who have difficulty making the 5:50 PM pick up time. If you do not know anyone in Belmont who can do this for you, please see Site Director, Sarah Houtmeyers, to figure out a good match for your family.

Is a typical Wednesday longer than other days?

School is dismissed at 1:40 PM each Wednesday. BASEC after school begins directly following school dismissal, utilizing the same strategies as always to make the transition to after school as easy as possible for all of our students. BASEC runs on the BPS schedule. If you’d like to download a copy of the BPS calendar, go to http://belmont.k12.ma.us. You can also see the Belmont BASEC Calendar for details.

On which days is BASEC closed?

Please see the Belmont BASEC Calendar.

When are tuition payments due?

Please see the Belmont BASEC Calendar.

How do I report my child as absent from after school?

Please call us at (781) 296-2471 or email (preferred) Burbank@belmontbasec.org to report an absence.

Each family is responsible for notifying BASEC if their student:

  • was absent from school;
  • leaves school unexpectedly or for a scheduled appointment;
  • attends school, but will not be attending after school.

We can be notified by telephone, email, or written note. Oftentimes, email is the best way to reach us quickly; however, it is not checked after 1:30 PM on Wednesdays and 2:40 PM on all other days.

Attendance is taken and all students must be accounted for within 15 minutes of the dismissal bell. If a student cannot be accounted for, an extensive search for the student begins. Classroom teachers are consulted, the school grounds are searched, and calls to parents/guardians are made. Please be sure to give us this notice in a timely manner.

If your child does not check in to after school and we have no prior notification of an absence, we will call the parent/guardian phone numbers to confirm absences. On your emergency form (electronically submitted to BASEC’s database), you will notice that we ask for a primary contact. Please indicate the best number to reach you and we will call this number first. If there are multiple students absent and multiple phone calls to make, we will call the primary contact number for each student, then resume calling all other numbers on each student’s emergency contact form.

What about other communication?

If you would like to email BASEC @ Burbank Site Director, Sarah Houtmeyers, questions or concerns privately, please use the email address Sarah.Houtmeyers@belmontbasec.org  If you would like to email Executive Director, Andrew Mountford, privately, please use the email Andrew.Mountford@belmontbasec.org. The email Burbank@belmontbasec.org should be used for scheduling, absences, and other general questions.

We welcome and encourage communication from the BASEC community, parents and children alike. Please stop by and meet the staff, see how our program runs, and feel free to offer any suggestions you may have to help better our growing community!

Can my child leave on their own?

Yes he/she/they can, with your signed permission, as long as your child is nine-years-old or older (per requirements of the EEC). You will notice that the Authorization to Leave form (submitted electronically to BASEC’s database) indicates how you wish your child to leave the program.

We ask that you provide detailed information regarding unsupervised leave. Families can select from conditional or unconditional leave options. Unconditional leave options (recommended only in certain situations) allows a student to sign him or herself out at any time, by his or her own discretion. Conditional leave options allows families to set parameters, e.g. “after 5:00 PM” or “only after a phone call to parent”.

We have a preliminary conversation with each student authorized to sign him/herself out about our own policies, the expectations, and walking home safely.

What is the typical program schedule?

Before School is open from 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM every school day.

After School is open from 2:50 PM – 5:50 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesdays, After School operates from 1:40 PM – 5:50 PM, and 11:40 AM – 5:50 PM on Early Release Wednesdays.

Please see our sample daily schedule for more information.

What are the emergency evacuation procedures?

If the Mary Lee Burbank School is evacuated, students will be relocated to the Chenery Middle School, located at 95 Washington Street, Belmont. All parents of students who are enrolled in BASEC @ Burbank on that day will be contacted by telephone and notified about the relocation. There will also be a recorded message on the program’s voicemail explaining the relocation.

 


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