January 22, 1997
Volume 3, No. 1
by Steven Haas, Principal
A year ago, each of you came to a fork in the road. You could have chosen the safe path, the easy path, the well-trodden path. Instead, you decided to come to Summit Middle School, a school which barely even existed. It was hard leaving friends and putting your faith in a new school. But a solemn promise drew 250 of you to Summit — a promise of something different in middle school education in Boulder Valley.
After Summit's first semester, the promise has become a reality. There was nothing magical about it. It happened through the hard work and perseverance of its students, through the inspiration and dedication of its faculty, and through the firm support and assistance of its parents. It has not been easy, and it has not been simple.
Summit is not a place; it is a great work in progress, and each of you is helping to fashion our trail up the mountainside. The first semester was filled with adjustments, learning new strategies for success in middle school, and making new friends. The second semester will take us to heights from which we will truly get our first glimpse of the snow covered peaks and from which we will be able to see the lights of the valley twinkling far below. Great and fun things are planned for this semester, not only in the classrooms and laboratories, but also field trips, projects, performances, sports, and clubs. In June, Summit will hold its first eighth-grade graduation, the culmination of a year of hard work and academic achievement.
To all Summit students, congratulations on a job well done this first semester — and welcome back to the beginning of an exciting second half of the year!
On Thursday, January 23, 6-8 PM, the Summit Board of Directors will host a meeting for parents and interested students in the auditorium. Summit Principal Steven Haas and several staff members will participate. Topics include a curriculum update, a report on our Tools for Learning fundraiser, feedback on our parent satisfaction survey, and a question-and-answer session. Refreshments and socializing will follow.
On Monday, January 27, 6-8 PM, we will have an Open House for 1997-98 prospective parents and students in the auditorium and cafeteria. Encourage your friends to come and find out about Summit.
If you wish to change your second-semester schedule, please make an appointment with Corky Strong, 499-9511. Parents will have to approve the changes.
Fairview High School students will present their traditional "Children's Play" the end of January. Performances of The Glass Slipper will be given on Friday, January 31, 7:00 PM; Saturday, February 1, 10:30, 1:00 and 3:00; and Sunday, February 2, 1:00 and 3:00. Tickets will be sold at the door of the Fairview auditorium, $4 (students 12 and under, $2).
If you are interested in a mind-expanding day watching incredible presentations, have we got an opportunity for you! Participate in the Boulder Valley Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament as a judge. The competition is from 8 AM until 5 PM on Saturday, March 15, at Fairview High School. Training is provided at the University of Denver on January 25 or February 8, 8:30 AM -1:30 PM or at Merrill Middle School in Denver, February 11, 6:30 - 9:30 PM. For more information, or to volunteer, call Corky Strong, 499-9511.
Summit will hold its science fair the first week in March. Participation is voluntary, but strongly encouraged. Extra credit will be given in science classes. Science fair packets with complete information will be distributed soon to interested students. Students may contact their science or math teacher, or any friendly scientist or engineer, for project ideas. Parents should be involved in a supportive role, but the work needs to be done by the students themselves.
Award-winning science and engineering projects often involve measurements made when changing a variable while keeping other parameters constant. Please avoid projects that seek to nonobjectively compare the efficacy of consumer products. Projects that ask people's opinions are usually not very effective. A good math project could prove and investigate a theorem, for example. Computer software or hardware projects are often successful. Some projects might consist of a standard science demonstration or library research on a subject of interest; these are suitable for participation in the school fair, but seldom make it to the district science fair. More detailed information will be distributed to the students in science class.
The dates of the fair will be March 4 and 5. Students will set up projects for display in the gymnasium on the morning of March 4, before school. Judging will take place all day on March 4. An awards ceremony will be held the evening of March 4 during which projects will be available for viewing by parents and students. Projects will also be on public display March 5. Students will take projects home after school on March 5. The district science fair will be on March 7 and 8 at Broomfield Heights Middle School, and winners of the Summit fair will participate.
Parents with a technical bent or background who wish to be on the judging team should contact the Summit science fair judging coordinator, Ron Goldfarb, trex@indra.com, 494-8373, stating your areas of expertise and whether you prefer to be in the morning or afternoon judging session on March 4.
The $33,331 generously contributed by Summit families and friends is making a difference in our classrooms. So far, the following items have been purchased: 12 balances and 24 thermometers for science labs; 60 English dictionaries; audio tapes of Death of a Salesman, The Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing for the English Department; 28 Spanish-English dictionaries; 28 French-English dictionaries; and two CD/tape players for the Foreign Language Department. A committee is working on recommendations for computer purchases.
Former Bolder-Boulder winner Ric Rojas, 444-7267, offers a running club and coaching for students and adults.
The Summit Board of Directors meets most Monday evenings in the library at 7 PM. The meetings are open to the public. Typical discussions and decisions range from textbook selection, to budget nitpicking, to policies for the evaluation of personnel. The purpose of this column — a new, semi-regular feature in Summit News — will be to communicate to the Summit community some of the topics addressed by the Board.
1. Textbooks: $9300 authorized to be spent; $8,000 will be provided from a grant just approved by the Colorado Department of Education. More Spanish books have been ordered, enough so that each student will have one. New world history, literature, and other books are on order.
2. Principal Steven Haas now has e-mail: haas@bvsd.k12.co.us. This is one of the results of the Technology Committee working on computers, telephones, intercom between rooms and the office, etc. The Board voted to spend up to $4,000 to equip the classrooms with Internet/phone/intercom capability.
3. Sign for Summit: Art teacher Kathy Hutton submitted sign proposals. A design favored by the student council was approved.
4. A comprehensive assessment of our teachers will begin soon. This is carried out by classroom observations by Principal, Board members, and members of the Summit community. As we set up the details, there will be opportunity for some parents to participate. Contact Mr. Haas.
5. We are trying to prepare our students for successful integration into the Fairview IB program when they leave Summit. A meeting with Fairview was held to work towards this, one result of which is a planned visit by IB representatives to describe the IB program to Summit students.
6. Board Elections: Our Board consists of seven members; three positions expire this year. A Nominating Committee will be formed to solicit interest and nominations from the Summit membership (defined as faculty, staff, and families of enrolled students). A ballot will be prepared in March from these nominations and any other "at large" nominations from the membership. ("At large" nominations need petitions signed by 10% or more of the members.) Voting will be in April.
On January 25, 11 AM to 1 PM, the YWCA's "Girls Empowerment Project" will host a mother/daughter brunch at the Hotel Boulderado. Prof. Margaret Eisenhart, School of Education, University of Colorado, will speak on achieving education and career goals. The cost is $15 per person. Call Michele Gibson or Patti Abendroth, 443-0419.
. . . sponsored by the Student Council. More information soon.