March 3, 1997
Volume 3, No. 4
The 1997 Summit Science Fair blasts off on Tuesday, March 4. Students with projects must come to school early, beginning at 7 AM, to set them up in the large gym. All projects must be completely set up by 7:55 AM. Volunteers will be on hand to direct students (and any helping parents) to the correct locations for the projects.
During the day, students will report to the gym during their usual science periods, where Drs. Sikora and Guinn will take attendance. Students will then quietly read or study; any distracting or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
Students with projects on display will be called forward when it is time for their projects to be judged. Some projects may be judged by more than one judge, and some projects may be judged more than once, depending on the number of judges and projects per period.
From 3:30 to 5:30 PM, science fair coordinators will apply consistent standards to the judges' recommendations and will select five winning projects to go to the Boulder Valley Schools Regional Science Fair on March 7 and 8 at Broomfield Heights Middle School. (Two alternates will be also be selected in the event that a winner cannot go.)
A Summit awards ceremony for students, parents, and siblings will be held from 7:00 to 7:30 PM in the auditorium. It will be followed, from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, by general viewing of the exhibits in the gym and refreshments in the cafeteria.
On Wednesday, March 5, exhibits will be on display throughout the school day. Science teachers will take their students to the gym to discuss some of the winning projects during part of their regular science classes. Students must take their projects home at the end of the school day.
Parents who are willing to help with some of the activities are asked to contact Linda Cowan, 543-7433.
The Summit Choir and Silver Rain will be participating in the Middle School Choral Festival at Fairview High School on Friday, March 14, from 9 AM to 2 PM. The students will meet and hear the many wonderful choral groups at Fairview, perform for their peers in the district, and sing in a massed choir performance at the end of the day.
Parents, friends, and relatives may come to the Fairview auditorium at 12:45 for Summit's 12:50 performance. This is a marvelous opportunity to share our talented singers with area schools and to be introduced to the excellent choral program at Fairview.
Summit's principal, Steven Haas, informed the Summit Board of Directors on February 20 that he would not renew his contract for the 1997-98 academic year. He cited areas of disagreement with Summit's Board on the operation of the school. As a charter school, Summit is governed by its parent-elected Board.
On February 26, in executive session, the Board determined that it would be in the best interests of Summit for Mr. Haas to be on paid administrative leave until his status is resolved. Since Mr. Haas is also a highly regarded math teacher at the school, a substitute will be hired for his classes.
A letter to parents and students distributed on February 27 said, "The Board would like to thank Mr. Haas for his service to Summit. He has worked tirelessly, and with dedication and enthusiasm, and shared his educational vision at a time when Summit needed it the most." The Summit Hiring Committee will soon begin accepting applications from candidates for a full-time principal position, with duties beginning on July 1, 1997.
In its meeting on February 27, the Boulder Valley Board of Education tabled Summit's request for an increase in its cap from 250 to 300 students and the addition of another double portable to the campus. As a result, Summit will admit only about 50 of the 253 students who have applied to enroll this fall. A few more slots might become available for new students when school starts in the fall, as students move from the area or change their minds about coming to Summit.
Letters will be sent to parents of prospective students advising them of their probability of eventually being offered a slot. Typically, students drop off of the waiting lists of focus and charter schools as fall approaches and parents make other arrangements.
Of the 253 applications received for fall 1997, 210 were from prospective 6th graders, 27 from 7th graders, and 16 from 8th graders. (This year, Summit did not encourage applications for the 7th and 8th grades.) Over 10% of all BVSD 5th graders applied to enter 6th grade at Summit.
Several talented musicians are needed for a band being formed by Kim Miner, Megan Ritger, and Eryn Burkhart. To schedule an audition, please call Kim Miner, 499-5134.
Parent-teacher conferences will be on March 6, 3:30 - 7:30 PM, and March 7, 8 AM - 3 PM. There is no school either day.
The Summit Board of Directors will meet on Mondays in March, beginning at 7 PM in the library.
Summit student Jimmy Lynch has been selected to perform on the piano in Kids for Bach at the Boulder library auditorium at 4 PM on Sunday, March 16. Jimmy studies both piano and violin.
Our friends in the theater arts class at the Boulder School of the Arts focus program at Base Line Middle School are presenting their spring production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Performances will be at 7 PM on March 6, 7, 13 and 14. Tickets are $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for students. The play is an abridged, original-language production, suitable for viewing by all ages.
Summit students are invited to attend a production of Romeo and Juliet on March 18 at the University of Denver. Students will be bused from Summit at 9 AM, will watch the play, and will return to school around 1 PM. The cost is $10.50 per student. Permission slips and checks were due to Ms. Brakhage or Ms. Dozeman by February 28. Students will need to bring a sack lunch. Parents who would like to chaperone may contact Ms. Dozeman for information.
The Summit/Southern-Hills Math Olympiads Team took their fourth test on February 11. This test proved to be the most difficult one so far this year for our team. Despite that, Jenny Rood kept her streak of perfect scores alive. Other point makers for Summit were: Tim Burchett, Christiania Christensen, and Nathan Reukauf. The fifth and final test for this school year will take place on March 11.
The Summit Math Counts Team spent February 5th at the Elks Club competing with other middle school teams from the district. Casey Middle School won and will go on to the state competition. Members and alternates on Summit's team included: Blake Caldwell, Lindsay Fox, Eric Gonzales, Cara Harmon, Qinzi Ji, Luc Peterson, Jenny Rood, and Tim Sweeney.
During November, nearly 70 Summit students took the junior high math test. Seven of our students scored well enough to be able to take the very challenging high school test on February 6. Those students qualifying were: Matt Angiono, Blake Caldwell, Nick Demarest, Cody Hayes, Qinzi Ji, Jacob Rapp, and Jenny Rood.
The Technology Committee is looking for a parent with Macintosh expertise who is willing to assist with the Macs used by the faculty. If you are a Mac user, experienced with matters such as Mac hardware and networking, and if you are willing to help, please contact Doc Evans, 494-6018.
A regional conference for those who live and work with gifted children, The Gifted Child in the Regular Classroom, will be held August 8-9, 1997, at the Regal Harvest House in Boulder. Contact the sponsor, Open Space Communications, 444-7020, or e-mail dorothy@openspacecomm.com.
Parents interested in Boulder Valley's proposed mathematics curriculum are invited to two meetings at the Education Center, 6500 Arapahoe. They will be on March 19, 6:30 to 8 PM, and April 2, 6:30 to 9 PM. For more information, contact Sharon Roth, 447-5146.
Parents' comments, questions, and feedback are always welcome. You may call any Summit Board member or send the Board a note via the Summit office. Parents are welcome to attend Summit Board meetings on Monday nights, beginning at 7 PM, in the library.
Ph.D. geography (climatology), University of Colorado; M.S. astro-geophysics, University of Colorado; B.A. astronomy, Northwestern University.
Dr. Keen is a meteorological consultant, an author, and a photographer. As a researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, he was responsible for observing and forecasting tornadoes over Eastern Colorado. Dr. Keen is the author of seven books, and is currently writing his eighth, Colorado Weather. He has written 20 professional papers published in scientific journals. In 1996 he was a scientist in the Juneau Ice Field Research Program in Alaska, where he taught and mentored secondary-school, college, and graduate students.