March 30, 1998
Volume 5, No. 6
Dear Summit Families:
As we approach the end of the third quarter, all of the faculty and staff at Summit are looking forward to a successful end of the school year. I would like to thank all of you for the opportunity to work with you. It has been a rich and precious experience, and I look forward to seeing many of you again in the Fall.
This time of year is often one of major growth for students. Things which have been difficult become clear. Intellectually, it is a rewarding time. Encourage your students to move into the last quarter with positive attitudes and good study habits.
As you will note in the calendar, we are approaching the CTBS testing and class registration for next year. These are both important events, and we appreciate your efforts in helping our students deal with them in a thoughtful manner.
I have enjoyed hearing from those of you who send me e-mail. My new e-mail address is <bjgrove@americanisp.com>. I may not always reply the day it arrives, but I will read and respond. Just mention it if you want me to keep the communication confidential. Also, do not neglect to come in to the office and speak to me when you are at Summit.
— Sincerely, Bernie Grove
On Monday, April 13, students will be given a registration form during their first period classes. Students will take this form from class to class throughout the day, and obtain their recommended course placements from each of their core subject teachers. Teachers will check off their placement recommendations and initial the forms. At the end of the day, the forms will be collected by 7th period teachers, and copied by the office staff. On Wednesday, April 15, these placement recommendations will be sent home in the same envelope as 3rd quarter report cards. Other registration materials, including elective course selection sheets for Fall 1998, will also be included.
When parents receive the registration forms, they should review their student's core course placements. If parents have questions regarding their child's placement, they should contact the teacher of that subject or Ms. Bartley. Otherwise, the student will be placed in the recommended courses.
Students and parents should fill out the elective course selection sheets and other registration materials, and return them to the Summit office by April 24. By April 30, the registration process at Summit will be completed. Because our schedule is driven by individual student requests and needs, we request that students stick with their electives choices.
Enclosed with this newsletter is information on the candidates and a ballot for the Board of Directors election. Ballots are due in the Summit office by 3:30 PM on Friday, April 10, 1998. If you hand-deliver your ballot, please seal it in an envelope.
The seven members of the Summit Board of Directors are elected for two-year terms, four in even-numbered years and three in odd-numbered years. Candidates are placed on the ballot by the Nominating Committee or candidates may petition to be on the ballot by presenting signatures of at least 10% of the Summit community, which includes parents, faculty, and staff.
This year, the members of the Nominating Committee were Ron Goldfarb (chair), Christa Askins, and Barbry Hogue. All of the candidates were selected by the Committee; none petitioned to be on the ballot.
Parents may vote for a total of one, two, three, or four candidates. Ballots with votes for more than four candidates will not be counted. Parents are entitled to fill out one ballot for each child currently enrolled at Summit. Teachers and staff members are entitled to vote if they are employed at least half time and are not already voting as a parent. Only official ballots, printed on special, red paper, will be counted.
A candidates' forum will be held at Summit on Wednesday, April 8, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, in modular classroom #4. You are welcome to attend and ask questions of the candidates.
Erin Sweeney competed in the State Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 28, in Denver. Out of over 300 semifinalists, she was 3rd of 28 students making it to the finals based on the written spelling test. In the subsequent final oral competition, Erin did not do as well. Boulder Valley was well represented in the finals, including students from Southern Hills, Base Line, Horizons, Louisville, and Summit. The Colorado Spelling Bee is sponsored by the Rocky Mountain News.
Eighth grader Curt Shonkwiler, winner of the Summit Geography Bee, passed a qualifying exam and will now compete in the state Geography Bee finals on April 3 at the University of Denver. If he is successful at the state level, he will advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C., on May 19 and 20. The National Geography Bee is sponsored by the National Geographic Society and Sylvan Learning Centers.
The Summit OM team placed first out of six middle schools in the "Classics . . . Marvelous Mentor" problem category at the Boulder Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament held at Fairview High School on March 14. Coached by Karen Fox, Connie Harmon, and Ms. Stough, the team includes 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Lindsay Fox, Tyler Fox, Eric Gonzales, Wendy Harig, Cara Harmon, Dale Swirhun, and James Swirhun will compete in the Colorado State Tournament at the University of Denver on April 25 (times not yet available). The first place team will travel to Disney World for OM World Finals, May 27-30.
Special thanks to Summit faculty members Ms. Stough and Ms. Dozeman for their participation. Ms. Dozeman served as a judge for the "Spontaneous" category at the Boulder Regional Tournament.
The Summit Jazz and Pop Revue, under the direction of Maestro Burkhart, was held on March 12 in the school auditorium. Groups performing were the Summit Choir; the Country Singers (Eryn Burkhart, Kim Miner, Megan Ritger, and Tricia Rubi); Drum Storm; Summit Jazz Band 1; the Summit String Quartet (Erin Burkhart, Aaron and Adam Johnson, and Daniel Kitayama); the Summit Orchestra (with Dale Swirhun, clarinet soloist); Silver Rain (including a performance of Rebecca Folsom's Rose in the Water by Melissa Anderson, Laura Clough, Rebecca Goldfarb, and Kathryn Woolsey); and Summit Jazz Band 2.
If you have been following the progress of Summit's musicians and vocalists, you will have noticed progress from "good" to "great" since Summit opened in 1996.
The CTBS will be given to students during the week of April 6. Testing will begin at 8:10 AM sharp. Each day's test will be about one to two hours in length.
All students are required to be at school during test week. Please be prompt for 1st-period attendance. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Adams.
Summit's first History Day, on March 17, was a terrific success. Many thanks to the parent volunteers who helped in many ways to make the day go smoothly: Jeff Cowan, Jenny Evans, Joan Harig, Michael Josey, and Kathy Reims for set-up; Jeff Bradley, Diana Chicoine, Janet Christensen, and Judy Hart for being on hand to monitor exhibits; Judy Hart and Janice Kelly for providing refreshments; Sheila Rincon for the artistic touch of calligraphy on signs and labels; and Doug Costain, Kevin Howard, John Fernandez, John O'Loughlin, and Kent Stutsman for their judging expertise. Their efforts truly benefited our students, and provided invaluable assistance to Ms. Cox and Mr. Koch.
With a full two months of school yet to go, our teachers and staff can still use our volunteer time and skills. Thanks to Linda Cowan, Rita Kungel, Margaret McKibbin, and Carol Dresselly Thomas for providing regular weekly volunteer support to all our teachers, working in the faculty lounge to grade quizzes, provide photocopy help, etc. It is not too late to join them. Please call one of us if you would like to help on a regular basis (Barbry, 665-3798; Judy, 440-4253).
All 6th and 7th grade girls are invited to attend a conference on math, science, and technology careers for women on Saturday, April 4. Ms. Molenaar and Ms. Bartley will be attending the conference, and parents are also invited. Participating students will attend two fun science workshops and receive a T-shirt and a box lunch. The conference starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 12:30 PM. Registration forms are available in the counseling office. Please see Ms. Molenaar or Ms. Bartley if you would like to join them at the conference.
Students interested in being on Summit's intramural soccer team should see Coach White right away. You must bring a current physical examination report. Practices are held daily, 3:15-4:15 PM, March 31 - April 17. There is no fee.
Parents of 6th and 7th graders: Please let the office know if you will not be returning to Summit in Fall 1998.
Here are the winners of Summit History Day, in no particular order. These students will compete in the regional National History Day competition at Base Line Middle School, April 1, 3:15 PM.
Becca Dole, Dale Swirhun, Kate Knopinski ("I Am an American"); Luc Peterson, Robert Lee, Eric Gonzales ("East Asian Immigration"); Laura Scrimgeour, Andrea Chunn, Wendy Harig ("Korean Immigration"); Gillian Singletary, Sara Vink, Maggie Fee ("Torch to Guide Them"); Emily Strauss, Sarah Lanterman ("Democratic Ideas"); Robin Nagel, Gilly McGinnis ("Folk Tales"); Cara Harmon, Lindsay Fox ("Computers on the Move"); Ali Thorburn ("Science Fiction? I Think Not!"); Joan Meiners ("Moon Men: Maybe You!"); Michelle DeBacker ("Disease Migration"); Jenny Rood ("Immigrant Dream vs. Reality"); Megan Smith ("Irish Migration").
StorageTek is sponsoring a Scholastic Chess Challenge on Sunday, April 19, in Louisville. Registration forms may be obtained in the Summit office. Early registration ends April 6. For further information, contact Bruce Galler, 303-443-7270.
Students may not take food from the cafeteria to the classrooms, may not chew gum on campus, and may not wear hats. Sorry. Please do not walk on the grass outside the modular classrooms.
If you would like to help write charter-school grant proposals, please contact Chris Howard, 303-673-0978.
If you have special needs due to a disability, and wish to request accommodations in order to participate in any activity at Summit, please notify the principal, 499-9511, two days in advance so that appropriate arrangements may be made.
The Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented and the National Association for Gifted Children are sponsoring Making Connections and Making Sense: Understanding and Building Support for the Gifted and Talented on Saturday, April 18, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, at the Holiday Inn at DIA, Chambers Road and I-70, Denver. The conference will feature Dr. Maureen Neihart, speaking on Addressing the Social and Emotional Challenges of Giftedness. Registration is $30, half price for a second family member. For more information, contact Julie Gonzales, 303-741-4764, <arapcojg@netone.com>.
If you would like to host a female Japanese high-school student from July 21 to August 11, call Joy Weinstein, 303-442-3112. The students will be attending classes at the University of Colorado from 8:30 AM to 5 PM on weekdays.
The City of Boulder Youth Services is offering a series of six classes on skills to communicate with teenagers. The program will be offered 7:00 - 9:30 PM at 2160 Spruce Street, Boulder, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and May 7 as well as April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, and 26. The cost is $75 plus $15 for a textbook. Partial scholarships are available. Call 303-441-4357 for information and to register.
Cedar Barstow and Janna DelPrince will give a series of four classes on setting effective boundaries for children. Sessions will be on April 21, 28 and May 5, 12 in room 507 at Platt Middle School. The cost is $20. To register or for information, call 303-444-6835.
Almost new, Pfaff sewing machine and Baby Lock serger for sale. Call Corky Strong, 303-431-5446, and leave a message.
Boulder County students' art will be on exhibit at the National Center for Atmospheric Research during the month of April. This year's theme is "Earth and the Atmosphere." The exhibition may be previewed at http://www.dir.ucar.edu/iss/dmc/vishome
The C.U. Wizards program is an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry and physics, intended primarily for students in grades 5-9. 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.
April 25, Fantastic Light, Prof. Dana Anderson, Duane Physics G-030 May 30, The Physics of Music, Prof. Jim Faller, Duane Physics G-030 June 13, Finding Your Way Around the Sky, Prof. Katy Garmany, Fiske Planetarium (begins at 10 AM, but come early because seating is very limited; free parking south of Regent Administrative Center).