Fitness & Movement

Izizwe Dance Studio: Daily Dance classes

You simply download the app from your computer or phone (Apple | Android) and send Izizwe Dance Studio your email address at amy.performingarts@gmail.com. Once they email you an invite to the Zoom group, you accept and the dancing shall begin! Please share and keep moving!

Visit their Facebook page for more information.

Free Online Salsa + Bachata for Kids

YMCA launches 60 free online classes

Planet Fitness has Live streaming workouts

Visit their Facebook page for upcoming times and sessions. No membership required.

Online Library and Learning Resources

Libby, by Overdrive

All you need is your library card and to download the app to your computer or device! Learn more here

Storytime at MSPCA Nevins Farm

Tiny Tunes! Live Music Education

Art Daily by Fabiola Martinez

Suggested materials for the two weeks:

• Pencils HB, H, 4H
• Paper or flat canvas
• acrylic paint (red, blue, yellow, white, brown….) any colours you already have!.
• We can use crayons and pencil crayons as well!.
• our fingers and q-tips!

Sesame Street Caring

This site provides content and resources you can use with your family to offer comfort and spark playful learning activities. Children thrive with structure in their lives and they learn best through play, even in everyday moments like mealtimes and morning and evening routines. We hope the content and resources help you and your family breathe, laugh, and play together! Learn more at Sesamestreet.org/caring

Church services & Podcast

Saint Mary’s Parish

St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Lawrence is live-streaming! 
Daily + Sunday Masses (English and Spanish)
Visit their YouTube page for services.

Saint Patrick’s podcast online

Click here for a downloadable PDF on how Bellesini transitioned to online learning in Spring 2020.

After finishing the 2019-20 school year in remote learning, Bellesini students returned to our campus in July for our annual four-week summer program, which operated in a hybrid model with students alternating between days in school and days learning and engaging in activities remotely at home. After the success of the hybrid summer program, Bellesini opened for its nineteenth school year on Tuesday, September 8th, with our 120 students beginning this year in a hybrid learning model. Grades 5-6 and grades 7-8 alternate between two days each week in school and two days learning remotely at home. The fifth day is a “switch day” with an additional day of in-school learning rotating between the two grade groups.

Students take all their academic classes each day, Monday through Friday, until 3:00 p.m., followed by a mix of in-person and remote after-school enrichment programs. Bellesini also expanded its Evening Study Program from three to four nights a week, offering additional online tutoring and technical support through Zoom classrooms. By using what it learned during quarantine this spring, Bellesini has improved its use of technology and virtual classrooms, and is continuing to work with its faculty and staff to ensure that it is meeting the needs of its students, whether they are at home or on campus. Bellesini has been going strong in its hybrid model since September, with no days out of school.  

In order to continue to provide excellent programs to our students during this challenging time, Bellesini has purchased additional supplies and resources to protect the health of our students and comply with COVID-19 safety regulations. These resources include individual kits for after-school activities, a Chromebook for each student, and new classroom libraries where they can access books for independent reading.               

New after-school programs have been developed in response to our hybrid learning model this year, and current programs have been modified to operate in adherence with COVID-19 protocols. Students still attend after-school programs every weekday. Some activities include Dance, Volleyball, Pickleball, Academic Bowl, Debate Club, Chess Club, Documentary Club, Regional/State Science Fairs, Computer Animation & Programming, Coding, Anime, Basketball Film Program, Drama, Multimedia & Video Making, Engineering Club, Fitness Program, Yoga, Zumba, and Community Service project for Mary Immaculate Nursing Center and Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence.  Now more than ever, it is imperative that we continue to provide quality after-school programming five days a week as well as evening study tutoring. The pandemic has exacerbated the already numerous risks our students face in an inner-city environment and intensified the need to provide a supportive environment in the afternoons.    

100% of the 8th grade students in our Class of 2021 have been accepted to private high schools on scholarship thanks to the diligent efforts of our students, faculty, and high school placement staff. In addition, our Alumni Support team is continuing to provide services, encouragement, and resources to our alumni in high school and college to ensure that they stay on track to reach their educational and personal goals while navigating these challenging times. Our team has been working with our seniors in high school to assist them with college applications, essay writing, interview prep, SAT/ACT prep classes and testing, and financial aid and scholarships.  

As COVID shutdowns prevent Lawrence students from accessing many of their normal support systems, Bellesini continues to build bridges out of poverty and to success for our students. Currently, our administrative team is working with our faculty on a plan to have all of our students return to school full-time, five days a week, with the hope that we will be able to implement it later this spring.

Meal Pick Ups

Bag Lunch Pick ups for Students

Monday – Friday 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m

Lawrence YMCA: Grab & Go Dinners

“To-Go” Dinners for kids of all ages

Cor Unum Meal Center

Food Insecurity

Senior Shopping Hours

Food Pantries

Health and Screenings

Lawrence General Opens Exterior Coronavirus Test Tent

Internet Access for Low-Income

Comcast Increases Access Speeds of Internet Essentials’ Low-Income Internet Service during COVID-19.

Utilities and Fuel

National Grid suspends collections-related activities

Columbia Gas to Suspend Shutoffs for Non-Payment

Fuel Assistance Check Pick-up

Rent/Mortgage

Mayor’s Eviction Moratorium Unanimously Passes – Rent/Mortgage Moratorium Resolution

Mayor Daniel Rivera announces today, the unanimous enactment of an emergency resolution calling for a sixty (60) day moratorium on rent and mortgage payments for Lawrence residents who experience an interruption of pay due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and resulting school or business closures. Learn More

Building Bridges to a Brighter Future Capital Expansion Campaign

Bellesini is now a co-institutional school since we admitted our first class of girls in 2015. We have grown to serve 60 girls in grades 5-8 by the 2018-2019 school year, doubling our size.

We have made much progress expanding the building and adding learning spaces, and continue to press forward to meet our goals. With the help of those who have donated to our Building Bridges to a Brighter Future Capital Campaign, those funds go directly to support the financial needs necessary to accommodate this growth.

We encourage you to partner with us as we enter the home stretch with the last phase of this campaign!

Bellesini’s Summer Program plays a critical role in preparing our students for success in preparatory high school. Studies show that a large part of the achievement gap that exists between low-income and middle-class students is the result of a lack of intellectual engagement during the summer months. Low-income students actually lose academic skills between June and September.

Bellesini’s Summer Program prevents summer learning loss while allowing our students to continue to make academic gains, enjoy safe summer camp activities, experience educational and fun field trips, and visit colleges and private high schools.

This summer we will be utilizing a hybrid on-campus/virtual model. Students will attend school in-person on our campus two days a week. Another two days a week learning will be done remotely. The fifth day we plan to make an outside activity day. In order to follow social distancing recommendations, only half of our students will be in the school building at any given time. Students will also participate in virtual field trips.

Each grade will become a cohort supervised by two faculty members and one college alumnus. They will stay together throughout the day. We are planning on purchasing outdoor chairs to hold classes outside when possible and to use our larger indoor spaces where it will be possible to maintain safe distances between students. 

We will have the following core academic classes:

• Reading and Writing
• Math 
• Social Studies
• Health and Life Skills (grade 5-8)
• Citizenship and Computer Class (5th grade)
• Spanish (6th & 7th grade)
• High School Placement and SSAT Prep (8th grade)

During Remote Learning days students will receive core class instruction and will also be able to select from among the following elective classes:

• Sustainability
• Forensic Science 
• Current Events
• Civil Rights Movement
• Graphic Novel Study

Afternoon Enrichment Program will include:

• Coding
• Digital Art 
• Anime
• Sign Language
• Video Making, Editing and Photography
• Theater (online)
• Chess Club (online)
• Fitness Club (remote and in-person)
• Dance (remote)
• Yoga (remote)

We need your help to provide our students and alumni with a safe place to learn and grow this summer!   Would you like to Sponsor a Student for the Summer Program?

$50  = 1 day of camp
$250 = 1 week of camp
$500  = 2 weeks of camp
$1000 = All 4 weeks of camp

Alumni Summer Experience

A hallmark of our program is the Alumni Support Program which tracks, supports, and engages with alumni through college and beyond. We are redesigning the way we will run our Summer Alumni Experience to provide the same impact in new circumstances. Bellesini will be offering support services, college preparation, and fun activities for our alumni this summer, keeping them safe and on track to achieve a college degree.  The cost to provide these programs is $200 for each alumnus.

Please support our alumni summer experience for our 100 high school-aged alumni. Activities include:

• College Prep Program 
• SAT Prep 
• Essay Writing 
• College Visits (virtual)
• Scholarship Applications and Essays
• Community Service Opportunities 
• Base Mentoring Program 
• Grade level class meetings 
• Girls High School Health, Fitness and Leadership Program 
• Boys Fitness Program and Basketball Tournament (if appropriate)