April 5, 1999
Volume 7, No. 6
Because of recent treatment of Summit by the Boulder Valley School District, the Summit Board has taken the unusual step of calling a meeting of all Summit parents -- past, present and future -- and all Summit teachers and administrators. It is extremely important that all parents attend this meeting. Persons interested in enrolling in Summit in the future should also attend.
Topics for discussion include recent actions and failures to act by the BVSD board and administration, future site issues and future funding. These matters are of the utmost importance.
The meeting will be held at the NIST auditorium at 325 Broadway, Boulder, on Friday, April 16 at 7:00 PM. It will last about two hours. Please plan to attend.
Third quarter ends on April 7. Grade cards will be coming home on the April 13 or April 14. Registration packets for students returning in the fall will be coming home either with the report cards or shortly thereafter. We need to have both the registration information and the signed grade card envelopes returned to the office by Tuesday, April 20.
In an effort to put Tools for Learning over the top, a parent couple has offered a challenge match: they will match any and all gifts to Summit up to $1,000.
"We have never had a challenge match in Summit's history," said fundraising chairman Jeff Bradley. "This gives parents a wonderful reason to do their part. Tools for Learning now stands at $37,485--a tantalizing $2,515 from our goal of $40,000."
"We want to thank our wonderful teachers," said the donors, who asked to remain anonymous. "All Summit students are benefiting from one of the best middle school educations in the country, so we encourage every Summit family to support this school."
So far, the average gift to Tools for Learning has been $275 per family. We need gifts of all sizes to reach our goal. If now is not the best time to make a gift, make a pledge, which can be spread out until June 30. If you need a pledge card or have questions, call Jeff Bradley at 303-499-4275.
Congratulations to Marti Gorman, Barbry Hogue, and Scott Smith for their election (or re-election) to the Summit Board of Directors for 1998-2000. Their terms begin on June 1. Cindy Cederberg, Ron Goldfarb, Bernie Grove, and Moira Woolsey counted the ballots on April 2.
The Nominating Committee thanks the four candidates for their willingness to run and we look forward to their continued involvement in Summit.
We take this opportunity to thank outgoing Board members Christa Askins and Ron Goldfarb, who did not seek re-election, for their many contributions to Summit.
A total of 97 affirmative and 4 negative votes were received for the bylaws amendments, below the 2/3 of the Summit community voting in favor which is needed to pass. If you have not yet voted on the bylaws and still have your red ballot, please turn it in to the office.
The Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) will be given to all Summit students from April 12 through April 16. Please do not schedule appointments during that week.
Reminder - Students will have a four day weekend April 23 through April 26.
The heavy traffic in front of Summit on Knox Drive is a problem for many parents when they are dropping off or picking up students. There are at least two options which avoid Knox Drive. Students may be dropped off and picked up on Greenbriar Boulevard just past the SKIP stop or at the South Boulder Recreation Center. The Greenbriar drop-off allows students to cross the athletic field to the school along with many students who take the SKIP to school. The Recreation Center drop-off allows students to take the path across the park to school. Many of you may find these options helpful.
Mike Thompson, BVSD’s new director of legislative affairs, will attend our next Meet & Mingle meeting on April 21 at 7:00 PM in the meeting room at the George Reynolds Branch Library, located at the corner of Table Mesa Drive and Stanford Avenue. He will answer questions about school choice and district site issues.
On Friday, June 11, a graduation party for the 8th grade class is being planned at the Elks Lodge. Watch for further details. If you would like to help, please contact Wendy Schermerhorn, 303-939-9150.
This year's eighth grade class is particularly noteworthy, for they are the first students to go all the way through Summit. If you think your child has gotten a great education, here is a chance to thank the people who made it possible.
On Friday, May 14, we will hold an Appreciation Dinner to honor Summit's founding board members and current board members as well as our outstanding faculty and staff. All of us owe a great debt to these wonderful men and women, and we hope every eighth grade parent can be there.
You'll get more details as they emerge. For now, however, save the date: May 14. Questions or offers to help? Call Janet Christensen at 303-499-5786.
New student registration will be Wednesday, April 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. English and math assessments, designed to help place students correctly, will be given any afternoon at 3:15 during the week of April 5 through April 9. Students who want to participate in a music class other than those at the beginning level may audition for Mr. Burkhart between 2:45 and 3:15 PM any day between April 5 and 21.
The first day of school for new students will be August 25. All students will report on August 26. The last day of school and graduation for next year will be June 9, 2000.
There is quite a backlog of "thank yous" for all the volunteer time and effort in the past few weeks.
Special thanks to: Joan Harig and Cathy Burchett, for their dedicated efforts in coordinating very successful History Day activities; the parents who gave their time to proctor the National Spanish Examination for Ms. Stough and the National French Examination for Ms. Hanckel; Kathleen Brewer, Linda Greenberg, Melody Johnson and Julie Rood, for library and Internet research to assist Ms. Avallone with the English 4 contemporary authors project; parents who have worked on Internet research for Ms. Ammon, Ms. Hanckel and Mrs. Kapsak; parents who have been available to help with preparations for the CSAP and CTBS testing of Summit students; parents who are photocopy machine wizards and "go-fers" extraordinaire on weekday mornings, in response to a specific request from the faculty for more clerical support; the full roster of parents who provide workroom support each week; Margaret McKibbin, for ongoing recruitment of workroom support volunteers; Elsie Rivera, for her faithful support of our science teachers; Laurie Grassman, Linda Greenberg, Joan Talmage and helpers who spend every other Monday preparing the Summit News for distribution; Jackie Ross, for putting together Summit's theme basket for the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools auction; Janet Christensen, Susan Chunn, Molly Colt, Margie Riksheim, Jackie Ross, and Wendy Schermerhorn for their early work on staff appreciation and graduation festivities; every parent who commits time, energy, and other resources in support of Summit!
There is still a need for parents who can provide dedicated support for a particular teacher or core course area, either in class or by doing outside research. If this opportunity interests you, please contact Barbry at 303-665-3798 for more information. And although the last weeks of the school year seem to be passing by quickly, there are still plenty of ways to offer your volunteer time. We look forward to welcoming your volunteer help. The ongoing participation of our parent community to assure Summit's success is terrific!
The lock-in at the East Boulder Recreation Center on March 13, sponsored by the student council, was a huge hit. Entertainment included a DJ and a live band. Mr. Koch brought out the greased watermelon for its traditional appearance. A great time was had by all.
The Summit Board of Directors will have regular meetings on April 12 and 26, and May 10 and 24, in the teachers' work room. Parents and staff are invited to attend, as always. All agendas are posted outside the Summit office.
Summit’s Odyssey of the Mind team combined Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”, the Fugitive Slave Act, a humorous character called “the Joker”, and a game called “The Taming Game”, to win first place in its catagory, at the District tournament on Saturday, March 13! Team members are Wendy Harig, Tyler Fox, Will Kilkenny-Patrick, Meghan Robertie, Tricia Rubi, and Meg Kelley. The team also received a special award, the OMER, for their team support during the spontaneous problem. Coaches were Joan Harig, Anita Gonzales, and Ms. Stough. Congratulations Summit OM team! Good luck at the state tournament April 24, 1999.
Ms. Kapsak and Mr. Koch would like to congratulate and thank all students who participated in History Day this year. The judges were truly impressed and enjoyed talking to everyone who took part, and we were impressed with the overall depth and quality of the projects. The following students were selected to go to the district History Day in four different categories: Anna Lindemann, Megan Smith, George London, Kevin Reims, Heather Perry, Kelly Hinde, Vani Vivekanandan, Courtney Schultz, Eryn Callihan, Sara Klymkowsky, Brendan Horton, Adam Oberbeck, Stephanie Wolf, Megan Falloon, James Swirhun, Steve Wilson, Ian Pingel, Meg Kelley, Sarah Josey, Annie Oesterle, Paul Franz, James Norton, Max Carey, Aviva Johnson, and Sri Bangaru. Alternates were: Alisa Yamasaki, Eric Reed, Alicia Nemanic, Erin Yanus, Ania Borysiewicz, Ashley Witt, Nivan Khosravi, Tyler Fox, Adam Petherbridge, Eirik Ogilvie, John Hinde, Eric Hansford, Sunjay Dodani, Margaret Thomas, and Corinne D’Ippolito. Well done, one and all. District History Day was held on March 31. Results will be reported soon.
At the National Charter Schools Conference in Denver on March 16, our select choir, Silver Rain, performed songs from "Guys and Dolls" and "Rent" under the direction of Mr. Burkhart. Summit was one of three charter schools mentioned in the keynote talk by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley. He cited Summit's alternative teacher certification program. On March 17, Principal Bernie Grove was a member of a panel that described Summit's alternative teacher certification program.
George London received the highest score at Summit on the American Junior High School Mathematics Examination. Congratulations George. His name appears on a plaque that is kept at Summit. Each year the top student will have his/her name added to the plaque.
After we have given the High School Mathematics Examination for three years, we will also receive a plaque for that test.
Eirik Ogilvie won the State Award in the National Center of Atmospheric Research Science Fair. The scientists at NCAR were very impressed and plan on using Eirik’s project in their research.
The Summit office is in need of a glass trophy case to display all the trophies and awards won by our students. If anyone knows where we could get one or if anyone has one to donate, we would greatly appreciate it. We would like to put the display case in the office so that everyone can enjoy the symbols of our students’ successes.
There is one more SAT/ACT testing date available for the Rocky Mountain Talent Search. This program provides testing experience and opportunities to qualify for challenging summer programs. Call 303-871-2983 before Friday, April 9, if you are interested.
If anyone would like to donate any of the following items, our staff would be most appreciative:
Stepping stones for between the staff work room and the office to form a path to the parking lot.
The lost and found is overflowing. Parents, feel free to come to the office and check for any missing clothes, etc. We will be giving the contents to charity on April 16.
On April 10, the Haagen Dazs at 1148 Pearl Street, will donate 50% of sales to the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools.
The Colorado Dance Festival is offering a summer Youth Arts Institute for middle and high school students. The program offers students the opportunity to work and train with artists of local, national, and international stature while creating their own work. There are brochures in the Summit Office, or call the Festival at 303-442-7666.
Students and job seekers of all ages can visit the Museum free of charge on April 24 and learn about the many career opportunities in science, arts, business and education. For more information contact Polly Andrews, Manager, Natural History Classes and Workshops, 303-370-6320
An interactive workshop based on Nicky Marone’s Girls Count is being offered at the Platt Middle School library on Thursdays, April 15, 22, and 29, 6:30-9:30 PM. The class is limited to the first 30 participants who register. To register, send a check for $20 to Christine Palafox, 3875 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80304. Contact the Substance Abuse Prevention Project at 303-499-4624 for further information.
The CU College of Engineering’s Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory will offer six Engineering in Everyday Life summer ‘99 classes for middle school age students.
For more information or to register for these classes and others, get CU’s Science Discovery Program catalog, 303-492-7188, or contact the ITL Laboratory, 303-492-4676, or check out the ITL Laboratory Web Site, http://itll.colorado.edu
Incoming 1999-2000 6th graders will need a full series of DPT and polio immunizations and one MMR immunization. Incoming 7th and 8th graders will need DPT, polio, two MMR's, and a full series of Hepatitis B. Exemption forms are available in the office for those who require them. All students planning to participate in sports next year will need a new athletic-participation statement from a physician.