April 28, 1997
Volume 3, No. 8
The Board of Directors has approved the following schedule for the 1997-98 academic year. It varies slightly from the BVSD calendar.
This is a reminder that State law requires all incoming seventh graders to have had their second MMR shot and the Hepatitis B series before they can be admitted to school next fall. Note that the Hepatitis B series requires three separate shots over a period of four to six months. Please provide the school office with the documentation as soon as your student has obtained the necessary shots.
Vaccines are available from your regular doctor and from the Boulder County Health Department. The Health Department charges $8 for each dose, but no one is denied immunization because of inability to pay. The Health Department holds weekly clinics; details can be obtained by calling 441-1160 (Boulder), 678-6171 (Longmont) or 666-0515 (Lafayette).
Complete details of state immunization requirements and statements of exemption are available in the school office.
The Summit Odyssey of the Mind team won fourth place in the Colorado State OM Tournament at the University of Denver on April 26. The team of Lindsay Fox, Eric Gonzales, Wendy Harig, Cara Harmon, Dale Swirhun, and Sara Vink competed in the "Classics . . . Can You Dig It?" problem.
As we near the end of our exciting first year, it is fitting that we turn some of our attention to self-evaluation. This summer Summit will begin a thorough curriculum study and refinement project to further align the curriculum with Summit's mission.
In this curriculum study we will ask: Is each subject area, each course, and each individual learning activity clearly focused on helping students achieve high standards? Some of the distinct phases of the project will include year-to-year coordination of the curriculum, planning instruction for learning across the curriculum (e.g., reading and writing, study skills, use of technology, research), refinement of course content to fill gaps or reinforce goals, and design of assessment tools. Ideally, the Summit curriculum project will result in a seamless program of instruction. All teachers, parents, and students should understand the purposes of schooling at Summit, all course content should serve those purposes, and the assessments given at the school should reflect how well individual students and the program itself are achieving Summit's goals.
This project is funded by a grant from the Challenge Foundation. Amanda Avallone, a Summit teacher currently teaching English IV, is completing her master's degree in Instruction and Curriculum in the Content Areas. Ms. Avallone will be employed at Summit during the 1997-98 school year as a part-time Curriculum Development Coordinator as well as a part-time English teacher. Moreover, Summit faculty members representing all content areas plan to spend a great deal of time this summer on the curriculum project. Dr. Finlay McQuade, who has had over twenty years of experience helping schools design, develop, coordinate, and evaluate curricula, will share his expertise with Summit faculty periodically over the next year. His first visit to Summit is scheduled for May.
Summit's mission will remain the same, although this curriculum project will result in some modifications in the curriculum to better meet that mission. With an on-going, critical self-appraisal, Summit will meet its commitment to you and your students.
Congratulations to our students Brandon Anderson, Joe Prystupa, and Jennifer Talmage who are three of 40 Boulder Valley middle schoolers selected to participate in the Promising Artists Workshop. They recently spent a morning working and learning with local artists and illustrators.
The Summit/Southern-Hills Math Olympiads team was one of about 3,400 teams involving 85,000 students nationally. Far fewer than one percent of these students achieve perfect scores on all five tests in a given school year. Our combined team is proud of two of its members who attained this goal. For perfect scores of twenty-five points, Jenny Rood of Summit and Isaac Ravishankara of Southern Hills will each receive the prestigious Dr. George Lenchner Medallion.
At the recent Kiwanis "Stars of Tomorrow Talent Show," Jenny captured second place in the junior contemporary division by performing a lengthy, complicated tap-dance routine.
Summit had visitors from Japan on April 15. Chris Howard, Chair of Summit's Board, and Principal Kirk Adams discussed charter schools and educational philosophy with Tomonori Kudo and Akio Endo from the Minstry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture. Also accompanying Mr. Kudo and Mr. Endo was their interpreter, Mr. Eigo Okada. The team had been traveling in the U.S. for a number of weeks as guests of the U.S. government and the International Visitor Program. They had gathered information on alternative educational programs but had never visited a charter school. Thanks to Krista Brakhage, Sharon Sikora, and Bill Burkhart for letting our visitors see their classes.
The Library/Media Center is about to conduct an inventory. Please ensure that all items belonging to the Media Center are returned to the center or to the school office as soon as possible. Thank you. Do Not Even Think of Parking Here
In our effort to be a good neighbor, the Board requests that you do not park along the service drive (between Knox Drive and the administration portables). You may park behind the gym, along Knox Drive, or in the Southern Hills parking lot. Please respect the three parking spaces near the cafeteria that are reserved for the kitchen staff.
Boys entering grades six through twelve are invited to join the Western State College Basketball Camp in Gunnison, June 29 - July 3. For more information, call 970-943-2134 or 970-641-1165 (evenings).
The Boulder Youth Symphony presents its annual Fund-Raising Spring Concert on Sunday, May 4, at 7 PM at Grusin Hall on the University of Colorado campus. Tickets are available for a minimum donation of $5. For more information, call 417-1220.
Bob Litsey offers one-week and two-week classes on rockets and computers during the month of June at Eisenhower Elementary School. Call 665-9300 in the evenings for more information.
Mt. Hope Lutheran preschool and childcare center, 1345 South Broadway, Boulder, invites inquiries. Call Kim Binger, 499-9800.