October 6, 1997
Volume 4, No. 6
Oct. 13: Columbus Day, no school
Oct. 23: Music Concert 1, 7-8:30 PM, auditorium
Oct. 24: End of first quarter
Oct. 27: Start of second quarter
Oct. 28: Music Concert 1, 7-8:30 PM, auditorium
Oct. 30: Volunteer Appreciation, 3:30-4:30 PM, cafeteria
Nov. 10 - Dec. 3: Play practice, 3:15-6:00 PM, auditorium
Nov. 10: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3:30-9 PM
Nov. 11: Parent-Teacher Conferences, all day, no school
Nov. 26-28: Thanksgiving, no school
Dec. 4: Drama dress rehearsal, 5-10 PM, auditorium
Dec. 5: Drama Performance, 7-9 PM, auditorium
Dec. 11: Music Concert 2, 7-9 PM, auditorium
Dec. 22 - Jan. 2: Winter Break, no school
Jan. 16: End of second quarter and first semester
Jan. 19: Martin Luther King Day, no school
Jan. 20: Start of third quarter and second semester
Feb. 4: Pop/Jazz dress rehearsal, 6-8 PM, auditorium
Feb. 5: Pop/Jazz Revue, 7-9:30 PM, auditorium
Feb. 12: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3:30-9 PM
Feb. 13: Parent-Teacher Conferences, all day, no school
Feb. 16: Presidents Day, no school
Feb. 19: Science Fair, 1-10 PM, gym
Feb. 20: Science Fair, all day, gym/auditorium
Feb. 23: Science Fair, 7 AM - 1 PM, gym
Mar. 20-27: Spring Break, no school
Apr. 3: End of third quarter
Apr. 6: Start of fourth quarter
Mar. 16 - Apr. 22: Musical rehearsal, 3:10 PM, auditorium
Apr. 23: Summit Musical, 7-9:30 PM, auditorium
Apr. 24: Summit Musical, 7-9:30 PM, auditorium
Apr. 27: Summit Break, no school
Apr. 27 - May 17: French Play practice, 4-10 PM, cafeteria and
auditorium
May 18: French Play, 5-8 PM, auditorium
May 12: Music Concert 3, 7-8:30 PM, auditorium
May 21: Music Concert 3, 7-8:30 PM, auditorium
May 25: Memorial Day, no school
May 27: Sixth-grade orientation, 6-9 PM, auditorium
June 5: Last day of school, end of fourth quarter and second semester
The Summit Board of Directors will meet at 7:30 PM in the Summit/Southern-Hills library on October 12, 26, and November 9.
Parents, please note the addition of several new teacher extensions on our hotline. Those who wish to listen to, rather than read, Summit News will be glad to know that news is now recorded on a regular basis on category 6168. To access any of these extensions, call 938-9090. Keep in touch with your student's schoolwork; check the homework hotline.
| Ammon | Algebra | 0669 |
| German | 0670 | |
| Avallone | English | 0671 |
| Blakemore | Spanish | 0683 |
| Brakhage | English | 0672 |
| Burkhart | Bands | 0678 |
| Choir/Silver Rain | 0667 | |
| Strings/Orchestra | 0668 | |
| Cox | Social Studies | 0673 |
| Dozeman | English | 0674 |
| Frohbieter | Math | 0676 |
| Hanckel | Beginning French | 0679 |
| Intermediate French | 0666 | |
| Drama | 0665 | |
| Koch | Social Studies | 0680 |
| Molenaar | Science | 0677 |
| Mueller | Computer Programming | 0684 |
| Novotny | Biology | 0686 |
| Sikora | Science | 0681 |
| Stough | Spanish | 0682 |
| Thompson | Math | 0675 |
Ms. Frohbieter is planning to start a lunchtime "Math Counts" group and would like some parent help. Contact the Summit office, 499-9511, or Barbry Hogue, 665-3798.
Assistant Principal Adams wants to spruce-up our campus and the modular classroom buildings. He is planning a work party for a weekend or after school. Call the Summit office, 499-9511, if you would like to help.
Parents who intend to help drive on field trips must have a copy of their driver's license and proof of insurance on file in Summit office. Thanks.
Mid-quarter progress reports are one of the many ways that Summit teachers may communicate with parents about students in their classes. Generally, the reports are sent only for students whose grades are low, or when teachers feel there has been a significant downturn in a student's performance. Occasionally, however, teachers will send a progress report for other reasons, for example, to notify parents that a student has made a notable improvement in his/her progress in the class.
For this quarter, progress reports were mailed on October 2. Parents who have concerns or questions about how their son or daughter is doing in the Summit program should call their student's teachers, or Ms. Bartley, the counselor, 499-9511.
The deadline for making elective course change requests for Fall semester has passed. Students will have the opportunity to choose new elective courses for Spring semester. Core course changes will continue to be made as needed, to ensure that students are optimally placed in all core subjects. Parents and students: If you have any concerns about core course placements, please call the counselor, Ms. Bartley, 499-9511.
This year at Summit, students are required to use a daily planner, preferably the planner they received at the beginning of the year, for recording all assignments. When parents have concerns about their student's progress in school, the first step is to determine whether homework is getting done. When students arrive home, planners should have been filled out with the assignments for the day. Parents may check to make sure that nothing has been forgotten by calling the homework hotline. This is also a good way for parents to stay in touch with what students are learning and working on at school. Once homework is being done routinely, it is much easier to determine if a student is having any other kinds of problems that may need to be addressed.
We would like to share with all parent volunteers the expressions of heartfelt appreciation we have had from our teachers and staff. A number of parents have been busy helping with classroom projects, lending a hand in the Summit office, working along with staff to supervise students during lunch time, and in many ways pitching in where and when needed. Our goal for PVC is to make sure this type of volunteer activity continues.
Recently we have reminded teachers and staff about staying in touch with us and to let us know when additional volunteer needs arise. We are also working with them to anticipate how best to utilize parent volunteer time and energies. Please continue to return parent volunteer surveys to us, and give one of us a call if you find that you have suddenly become available to join our volunteer ranks.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to drop by our PVC Meet-and-Mingle on October 8. We plan to have more M&M's during the year to give us further opportunities to strengthen our parent volunteer community.
It is time to start thinking about Odyssey of the Mind. The OM Program fosters creative thinking and problem-solving skills, and involves working with others as a team, evaluating ideas, making decisions, creating solutions, and developing self-confidence from accomplishments.
Summit has one established team which placed fourth in the Colorado State tournament last spring. Interested students are encouraged to form additional teams consisting of five to seven members and one or two parent coaches. Coaches' training is provided at the University of Denver with additional support provided by experienced Summit coaches. For more information, contact Connie Harmon, 499-2061. This year's long-term problems are:
Pageant Wagon — The team's problem is to design and build a Tow Vehicle and a Pageant Wagon, and to present a festive performance that includes a Grand Finale. The Tow Vehicle will be powered and driven by a team member and will tow or push the Pageant Wagon around a course. The Tow Vehicle and the Pageant Wagon will carry all of the team's props. The Pageant Wagon will be used as part of the set for the performance. During the performance, the Tow Vehicle will travel the course and show off to attract interest in the Pageant Wagon.
Morph Magic — The team is to create and present a humorous performance that includes a character who undergoes a morphological change from human to animal. In animal form, the character will find some plight of an animal that it will help, or learn something to help it solve a human plight. The performance must also include a team-made device that will morph from its original appearance into something else.
Classics . . . Marvelous Mentor — The team is to create and present a humorous performance about an advertising agency that has been commissioned to make a television commercial about a nutritional product. The agency has the good fortune to have an acclaimed individual as a mentor for the project. The performance will include the commercial, original music, a team-created package for the product, and a discussion of the product's nutritional benefits.
Camouflaged Creation — The team will design and build a Camouflaged Structure made of balsa wood and glue. This may be stained and/or painted and will be camouflaged as part of a Larger Creation. During the performance the team will remove the Camouflaged Structure from the Larger Creation, then test it by having it support weights.
Sixth graders: Do you enjoy solving math problems or would you like learn problem solving strategies? We are organizing a combined Summit/Southern-Hills 6th-grade Math Olympiads team. Math Olympiads is an international program that helps students develop strategies for problem solving and strengthen mathematical intuition. Five monthly contests, starting in November, are given during the school year. Each contest consists of five problems with a total time limit of approximately 25 minutes. Awards are given based on individual achievement as well as team performance.
We will meet every Tuesday morning, beginning October 14, 7:20 - 8:00 AM in Room 289 for practice sessions. If mornings do not fit in your schedule, we are still considering Tuesday afternoon as a possible meeting time. For more information, call Connie Harmon, 499-2061.
Here is a sample problem from a previous Math Olympiads test: Suppose the time is now 2 o'clock on a twelve-hour clock which runs continuously. What time will it show 1,000 hours from now?
The foreign language teachers would like donations of children's games, including "Twister" and board games (English versions would be fine). They would also like donations of old, ugly dress-up clothes. (Don't ask.)
Parents and students are invited to take a virtual tour of Summit's Applied Technology Center on the World Wide Web at http://bvsd.k12.co.us/~muellerr. You can see Summit students engaged in hands-on technology experiments and activities.
While there, feel free to follow the links to the pages for Mr. Mueller's other classes: Algebra I, Introduction to Programming, Java, and the Internet and the World Wide Web. Lab assignments for programming classes are posted on their respective pages and current grades for Algebra I are listed by student ID number. Within a couple of weeks, students in the Internet class should each have his or her personal web page posted.
The Rocky Mountain Talent Search enables capable and motivated middle-school students to take a challenging SAT or ACT college entrance test not usually administered until high school. The program offers information, forms, and assistance to help select and register for the tests. Students are sent interpretive information to help them understand their scores. They also receive a booklet describing educational opportunities for high ability students.
Students may apply to participate in the Talent Search by filling out a form available from our counselor, Ms. Bartley. High test scores entitle students to participate in the academically-oriented Summer Institutes at the University of Denver, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Northwestern. The Talent Search booklet also provides information on the popular Summer Enrichment Program at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley for talented or gifted students. More information is available from Ms. Bartley.
The 21st annual University of Colorado Wizards program is an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry and physics, intended primarily for students in grades 5 through 9. Each program lasts about an hour and includes several lively demonstration experiments. No reservations are required, but come early to get a seat.
Shows are usually on the last Saturday of each month, September through June. All shows begin at 9:30 AM, except the June show, which begins at 10 AM. Parking is available for $1 in the Euclid parking structure. Free parking may be available east of Folsom Stadium and east of the Engineering Center.
Summit's teachers and administrators welcome constructive criticism, suggestions, feedback and comments. Teachers strive to be accessible to parents. Parents are encouraged to attempt to work out any differences or disagreements with teachers directly, if possible. Parents are welcome to communicate with teachers by letter, telephone, or in person without going through the administration. However, the faculty lounge building is off limits unless you are invited to meet a teacher there. Please check-in at the administration office if you need to locate a teacher.
If a parent believes that a disagreement with a teacher requires the attention of the Summit administration, the parent is welcome to bring that matter to the attention of the office staff or the Board of Directors. Polite, rational discourse is more likely to achieve the desired response compared to overstated or abusive communications.
Abusive or uncivil tirades directed at teachers or administrators will not be tolerated by Summit's administration and Board. Teachers have been instructed to refer any abusive communication to the administration and the Board of Directors for appropriate follow-up. Teachers may, at their discretion, refer to the Principal any communication from any parent.
Summit occasionally receives national mention, this time in an article by Scott Baldauf (with contributions from Vince Winkel) in The Christian Science Monitor, September 15, 1997. The story, "How Children Would Run Public Schools," talks about good teachers, smaller classes, and discipline. In the following excerpt from the article, the reference to Nikki Kilbride should be to her sister, Summit student Kendra.
"For Nikki Kilbride, small class size was an important enough factor for her parents to pull her out of the standard school system in Boulder, Colo., and send her to a charter school. ‘I know the teacher a lot better because there are only 19 kids in the class,' says the eighth-grader, now attending Summit Charter School in Boulder. ‘Parents come in to volunteer, so sometimes it's like we have two or three teachers in the class at one time. That helps.'"
As a charter school, Summit's annual budget is in dollars rather than in staff and teachers. Summit makes do with about 85% of the funding level provided to other district schools. Even so, Summit is able to maintain a low average class size in core subjects because its faculty is relatively young, because teachers have only one planning period per day, because some elective classes are large, and because parent volunteers and the Board of Directors help out with some of the school's administrative tasks.
Interscholastic sports activities are joint with Southern Hills. There is a fee of $50 per activity. All students need to have a sports physical.
Extramural sports require a $10 activity fee ($30 for wrestling and track).
Practices start Thursday, October 9, at 3:15 PM for the 6th-grade boys and girls intramural softball team. Practices will be held three or four times weekly, and each practice will last approximately 1.5 hours. Practices and games will be played on the new Kurt Manwaring field on the Summit/Southern-Hills campus.
Any Summit 6th grader who would like to join is welcome. Come to the practices and have fun; there is no fee. Students must have a copy of a recent physical exam report on file in the Summit office to participate in school athletics. For more information, see Coach White.
Ms. Stough is organizing a snowboarding club for this winter's season. Beginner to advanced boarders are welcome. The club will include guest speakers and movies. Trips will probably be held in December, February and March. An organizational meeting will be held Monday, October 27, 3:15-3:45 PM, in Ms. Stough's room, No. 5.
The Colorado Rapids is hosting the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS Playoffs on Wednesday, October 8, at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Ticket prices for students are $8 and $13. Call 299-1599 for information.
The North Boulder Recreation Center hosts "Boulder Nites" every Friday. The cost is $8. The Louisville Recreation Center hosts "Nite at the Rec" every Saturday. The cost is $8; $10 for non-residents of Louisville. The times are 7-11 PM. The programs are for ages 9-14. Call 494-7778 for either program.
The BVSD Transportation Department has 10 openings for part-time school bus operators. Starting salary is $9.27 per hour plus benefits. Training is provided. A physical exam, drug screening, and police checks are required. Call 447-5120.
The school district Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is sponsoring a public forum for school board candidates on Tuesday, October 21. Each candidate will have a 20-minute block for a brief statement and responses to a set of questions developed in advance. All candidates agreed to participate. Contact Barbry Hogue, 665-3798, before October 13 if you have questions you would like to submit or want further information. The meeting will begin at 7 PM in the Board Room at the BVSD Education Center, 6500 Arapahoe.