Frequently Asked Questions

On weekends, we take full advantage of all that our beautiful campus, the Pioneer Valley, and New England have to offer. Weekends are full of a variety of activities that appeal to students with diverse interests and encourage all students to enjoy new experiences. Some activities are trips to other places, like visits to local fairs and festivals, stores, theaters, and museums like Mass MoCA and the Norman Rockwell Museum. We also enjoy excursions to regional hotspots like Northampton and Shelburne Falls, and special, longer trips to Boston. Other activities are closer to home, like competitive rounds of bingo in our dining hall, bike rides on Old Main Street, hikes up the nearby Pocumtuck Ridge, sports games on Bement playing fields, and craft workshops on campus. Each weekend, we strive to strike a balance between time to relax and study, time spent in small groups, and time as a full boarding community.

Bement's five dorms are situated at the north end of beautiful Old Main Street in Historic Deerfield. The dorms are thoughtfully designed to promote a warm, family atmosphere and offer common areas with a living room and kitchenette. Wi-Fi is also provided. The dorms share a common courtyard that provides a wonderful space for congregating and recreation.

Dorm rooms at Bement are spacious. Most rooms are doubles, but there are a few rooms that house three students and a few rooms house four students. Every student has a bed, desk, dresser, bulletin board, and closet.

Each dorm has two dorm parents who will work with each boarding student to provide a safe and caring living space. Besides our full-time dorm parent staff, we also have a team of associate dorm parents, who work within the boarding community to provide extra support to our students both during the week and on weekends. Boarding students build strong relationships with all dorm parents that nurture personal growth and support academic achievement. Our boarding community eats two meals a day together, extends learning in study hall and other opportunities, relaxes in the dorm, socializes in common spaces, and participates in exciting weekend activities. Many of our dorm parents also work as teachers and coaches at Bement, allowing students to interact with their dorm parents in the classrooms and on the playing fields in addition to the dorms. Boarding students also have an opportunity to connect with other classroom teachers in a different context when these teachers proctor evening boarder study halls and help with weekend activities.

All boys in the dorms live in double rooms. All girls live in double, triple, or quad rooms. Students are usually roomed with someone in the same grade or close in age. Learning to live with another person is an important life skill that encourages organization, responsibility, and respect. The chemistry between roommates is important, as is developing trust and respect for each other. Dorm parents work with roommates to resolve any issues and encourage open and honest dialogue to help students make the most of their year together. Whenever possible, international students are placed in rooms with students who are not from their home country to encourage the development of English speaking skills.

During the week, students in grades 5, 6, and 7 go to bed at 9:30 pm and students in grades 8 and 9 go to bed at 10 p.m. with quiet time being a half hour before each  bedtime.  On weekends, everyone has the same bedtime which can be anywhere from 10 to 10:30 p.m. depending on the evening activities.

We encourage students to decorate their rooms to reflect their personalities and interests, but that posters and wall decorations must be considered appropriate for a kindergarten through grade 9 school. Students each have a bulletin board in their room to display these decorations.

Like day students, boarding students are not permitted to carry or use devices in school. They may only use school-owned devices to connect to the Internet during school hours and under the direct supervision of a teacher. 

In the dorms, student use of personal devices is limited to specific periods on both weekdays and weekends. Students will be given these times, determined based on grade level. Additional time permits may be granted if a student has pressing schoolwork to complete. Since screen use negatively impacts sleep and sleep cycles, we end technology use well before bedtime for students of all ages, allowing them time to wind down and prepare for lights out. Times will vary on weekends depending on our weekend schedule.

A brief overview of the personal technology schedule: 

• Monday - Thursday: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. EST
• Friday: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m EST
• Saturday: The technology schedule will depend on the activities for the day, but all students will have at least two hours to communicate with families. 
• Sunday: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. EST and 6:45 -8:30 p.m. 

Video and computer games are allowed. However, the game's rating must be E for Everyone, and boarding students are not able to play single- or multiple-shooter games on any device or computer while in the dorms. 

Bement understands the impact of social media on students and follows the age-suggested guidelines of social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

Students may bring laptops or tablets, but their use during the academic week is restricted to the dorms. All students are provided with a school-issued Chromebook, and students are asked to use this device during the academic day. 

Each dorm has a printer that can be used by boarding students to print out homework or other documents pertaining to academic needs. 

While we encourage our boarders to be in regular contact with home, we also try to promote independence, responsibility, and presence with others in the boarding community. Therefore, we strive to maintain responsible limits regarding the use of technology for communication and entertainment purposes. For this reason, access to devices such as cell phones or iPhones, or any device that allows internet access will be restricted  to specific times and public spaces. All technologies are locked up each night before lights out in the technology cabinet in each dorm. If a student enjoys listening to music at bedtime, he or she will need a simple music player such as an iPod Shuffle or other basic music device. Nothing with a screen will be allowed in the room after lights out. We appreciate your understanding and support as we try to help our boarders learn to use technology responsibly.  

Monday through Friday, students can be reached by either personal cell phone or dorm phone from between 6:45 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Weekend times to connect vary depending on the schedule, but evenings are typically good times to call. Boarding students will not have access to their personal cell phones during the school day. If parents need to contact their children during school hours, they may call Bement’s main phone line (413-774-7061).

The director of residential life coordinates the arrival and departure of boarding students at the beginning of the year, before and after each break (Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring), and at the end of the year. Students are required to remain in school until the set dismissal dates and times for boarding students and return on designated dates. Students must also vacate the dorms when closed and may not stay later or return earlier. 
Families can choose to have their child fly from Bradley International Airport (Hartford) as well as JFK International Airport (New York), but transportation to either location must be arranged by the families.
A shuttle service will be provided for all departing students to Logan International Airport in Boston, MA as long as the student is not traveling as an unaccompanied minor. 
All transportation for unaccompanied minors must be arranged by the families as well.

The Bement School has designated two long weekends throughout the academic year. During these breaks, the dorms will be closed. Though we work to support our boarding families in making arrangements, the school can not guarantee the placement of students or take on the responsibility of finding placement with local host families. Families are encouraged to contact their off-campus accommodation, local family, or friends and visit their child. 

Boarding students who feel sick or are concerned they are becoming ill can be seen in Student Health Services Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. An on-call nurse or physician is available to boarding students after hours and on weekends. After-hours needs can be handled over the phone or through virtual visits with the on-call nurse or physician. 

Our medical director is available to boarding students for in-office primary care visits on a weekly basis and as needed.

In the case that urgent medical care is needed and can not be provided immediately by Dr. Margit Walker, boarding students will be sent to a local urgent care walk-in clinic.

When a boarding student requires monitoring of a physical or mental condition, or is exempt from the dorms due to a communicable illness or discipline issue, they will be monitored by healthcare and/or administration staff during the school day. If it is determined that a student cannot return to the dorms, they will stay in designated on-campus administrative housing with support from on-call medical or administrative staff. If a student is exempt from returning to the dorm, within 24 hours the family’s designated Off-Campus Accommodation will be contacted. The designated person should be available to pick-up the child within 24 hours of notification by The Bement School.

A student will need to stay at the Off-Campus Accommodation in the event:
- The student’s positive COVID-19 test or a presumed positive case of COVID-19 based on symptoms assessed by the school’s physician.

- A campus closure as a result of the pandemic and it is deemed unsafe for students to remain in the dorms.

- Travel restrictions that prevent the student from returning home during school breaks or campus closures.

- Additional reasons as identified by the school.

If you do not have an emergency guardian, you must enroll your student in Student Health Advocates, an off-campus support service for students.

Students use a debit/credit card, Apple Pay for a weekly allowance. Families will set up with a bank or company of their choosing. Students will use their cards for trips to the store and any additional purchases for sporting goods, clothes, other supplies, etc. Parents will establish guidelines for its use with their child, monitor spending and purchases, and add more money to a debit card as needed. The card can be kept in the student’s room or, if preferred, in a safe in the director of residential life’s office and distributed each weekend or as needed.

In certain situations, a student's personal account will be charged for items that fall outside of everyday spending. Examples may include registration fees for activities.