October 28, 1999
Volume 8, No. 6
Students who intend to have their photographs retaken must return their original pictures to the photographer on retake day. Students who were absent on the original photo date may have a picture taken on retake day if they bring the order envelopes with payment enclosed.
Report cards will go home with students on Friday, November 5 or Monday, November 8. Please keep the report card but sign the envelope and return it to school by the end of the week.
Students may not be dropped off on the west side of Knox Drive, but only on the east side, out of the flow of traffic. Students may not be dropped off in the crosswalk and cars may not stop or park in the crosswalk. We have had a problem with cars stopping in traffic instead of pulling out of the flow of traffic. This has caused the line of cars to get backed up all the way down Knox Drive, and all the way down Grinnel, sometimes back to Broadway. Please model safe and considerate driving for our teenagers. Also, do not back out of Summit’s driveway into traffic. Students may be dropped off and picked up on Greenbriar Boulevard just past the SKIP stop or at the South Boulder Recreation Center.
We are delighted to be scheduling the first parent-teacher conferences of the year. Students and teachers have been working hard, and we look forward to conversations with you about your students’ journey at Summit.
Conferences will be Thursday, Nov. 11, from 4:00 PM to 5:45 PM and from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, and Friday, Nov. 12, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. and 11:45 AM to 4:00 PM. On Thursday all conferences will be held in the gymnasium for 10 minutes each, and there will be no appointments except with Kendra Bartley, our counselor. Her appointments will be in her office.
The appointments for Friday will be made by the Summit office, using the information which you provide on the form attached to this newsletter. If you want to see teachers on Friday, please fill out the form and return it to the school office. Conferences will be scheduled in the order in which the forms are received. We will then send an appointment schedule home with your student.
We are asking you to prioritize the teachers you want to see as "Must see" or "See if possible." We recommend that you do that for yourselves even on Thursday. If you have concerns that you believe will take longer than ten minutes to discuss, please make an appointment with that teacher for another time so that all of the other parents can talk to their "Must see" list of teachers.
A hint for those requesting Friday appointments - Friday afternoon is not usually as busy as Friday in the morning. Also, please note the times which our part time teachers will be available. We look forward to chatting with you.
The Summit Instrumental Music groups will perform their first concert of the year on Tuesday, November 2, at 7:00 PM, in the auditorium.
There is tutoring available after school on Mondays and Wednesdays in Room 3 from 3:05 to 4:00 PM.
The Summit Board met on October 25 at 7:00 PM in the faculty workroom. The Board heard from neighbors who wanted to begin communications about common interests. Sharon Sikora reported that she is nearing completion of an extensive grant proposal that would, among other benefits, equip science labs at a new site.
The Board discussed with representatives of Peak to Peak the status of their site development plans. Peak to Peak still plans to open by September of 2000. They believe a school can be built without annexing the land to Louisville. There is a 45-day process for County approval, which will begin immediately. If County approval is obtained, a permanent core building, using concrete manufactured components, could be erected in time for a fall opening. Classes would be housed in temporary portables for the first year. The Board decided to continue to work with Peak to Peak, and to appeal to the State Board of Education concerning unacceptable conditions attached to the BVSD Board's “approval” of our expansion request related to occupancy of the Peak to Peak site. (Since the BVSD Board went from refusing to consider the request to granting the request with unacceptable conditions, the appeal process must start over.) The Board also voted to explore other options, including feasibility studies of a commercial site, and will request that the BVSD raise Summit's enrollment cap in the event we move to any non-district site. There are many obstacles in the consideration of commercial sites.
The Board approved a request from Bernie Grove that Summit decline to participate in an additional testing program requested by the district. Summit already administers far more testing than other district schools, and Ms. Grove felt strongly that this additional testing would be disruptive of our eighth grade classes. We also received a report from Chris Howard and Scott Smith concerning their work with the Math department. They noted several improvements in the Math curriculum, better articulation with Fairview High School, and a specific plan for addressing gaps in math knowledge exhibited by specific students. We approved an expenditure of $500 from Tools for Learning for Math tutorial software. The Board is reviewing our annual survey forms. Suggestions, particularly those designed to increase the response rate, would be appreciated.
Finally, would any parent with expertise in construction project management or architecture please contact Jim Cederberg as soon as possible.
The next Summit Board meeting will be held on Monday, November 8, at 7 PM in the faculty workroom. Parents and students are always welcome.
Absences of several days or more usually have a significant negative impact on grades and educational progress. Although homework and some assignments can be made up, lost instructional time cannot be regained. Science labs, class discussion, practice applying ideas, and the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback are classroom activities that are vital to your student’s academic success. Parents are urged to make every possible effort to schedule travel plans during times when school is not in session.
If you find that you must remove your child from school, we ask you to write a note to the Summit staff describing your plans and the dates you will be gone. This note should be handed in to the office, where it will be copied and distributed to all of your child’s teachers. Also, have your student pick up an “Assignments to Complete” form from the office to take around to all of his/her teachers before leaving. Parents should initial the form to show that they are aware of what their child will need to accomplish. When your child returns, make sure all of the assignments listed are completed, along with any additional make-up work that needs to be done.
- Bernie Grove
Coats not claimed from the Lost and Found by Wednesday, November 3 will be donated to the Rotary Club.
It’s time again for donating those too-small, somewhat worn, still-warm coats to the Coats for Kids / Share-a-Coat Drive. Each year the Boulder Valley Rotary Club, with cleaning services donated by Boulder Cleaners, Inc., Cache Cleaners, and Le Cleaners, Inc., collects coats from many of our schools, and then distributes them in mid-December to families and children who otherwise might not be quite so warm this winter.
A collection box has been provided at the school. Please send coats you are no longer using to school with your student. Child and adult size coats are needed. The last pick-up is scheduled for December 2.
In addition to coats, the Boulder Valley Rotary is also collecting children’s used story books that can be recycled back through the schools and other organizations.
The top three schools, in terms of number of coats per student, will receive cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25. The school collecting the most coats, regardless of size will receive a $100 prize.
Etiquette, Manners, and More is a learning center for courtesy, good manners and good sportsmanship. Their fall class starts November 13. Call Sharon Leigh Roark or Mary Austin Vann at 303-245-0483.
Congratulations to the following World History students whose ideas for naming the Egyptian newspaper were voted as class winners:
The Nile News by Cari Jones, The Egyptian Camera by Tiffany Chang, The Daily Pharaoh by Laura D’Ippolito, The Gaza Times by Matthew Inman, The Hippo Horoscope by James Franz, The Camel Camera by Alie Reid (overall winner).
Students and parents are invited to attend an informational meeting about the Costa Rica trip on Monday, November 8, 1999. The meeting will be in Ms. Stough’s room (#4) from 3:15-4:00 PM. Johnny Fernández, the trip organizer, will attend, and will bring a few slides from previous trips. He will be glad to answer any questions or address concerns. We will decide on the 8 or 12 day trip, as well as determine the exact dates. Hope to see you there!
Members of the Summit community who are interested in issues of talented and gifted (TAG) education can access information at the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) TAG website at: http://bvsd.K12.co.us/tag/tag.html
Included on this website is the monthly newsletter "Gray Matters" which is published by the BVSD Office of Talented and Gifted Education and gives information on parent education, student enrichment activities, professional development, and TAG resources. If you do not have Internet access and would like a subscription to "Gray Matters" you can contact Becky Whittenberg of BVSD at 303-447-5067. She will put you on the subscription list. If you do have internet access, please use the TAG website to read "Gray Matters".
Upcoming deadlines for Summit News are: November 8, November 22, and December 6. Articles may be sent to LDParkhill@aol, or left in the box in the staff workroom.
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/univ_school/summit/
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will host Super Science Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM on October 30. Funded by Friends of UCAR (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) and a grant from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Super Science Saturday is a day of activities designed to promote public science literacy and enrich the science experiences of area students (K-8) and teachers.
"Halloween Science" will be the theme of this year's special event, which will feature Super Science Showcase, NCAR's own science wizards performing amazing and "frighteningly good" science demonstrations. Workshops by Bear Creek's Emily Weller and Science from CU on science fair projects and the scientific process will also highlight the day's activities.
Other public events include a giant Halloween Science Maze, Carlye Calvin's Science Photography Slide Show, and "creepy crawly" hands-on activity tables from Collage Children's Museum, Wild Bear Nature School, the Denver Museum of Natural History, and the Butterfly Pavilion.
NCAR's exhibit and art galleries will be open to the public as usual. Two new exhibits will debut at Super Science Saturday, NCAR's Chromakey Exhibit, which lets visitors perform in a live weathercast, and Flow Tank, an interactive display about the physics of waves.
For more information, contact NCAR at 303-497-8612 or lcarbone@ucar.edu. Check out the full event schedule at: www.dir.ucar.edu/iss/dmc/vishome/super.html.
WE HEAR YOU! Many thanks to the volunteers who helped screen all Summit students on Vision and Hearing Day. A great big thank you to Elsie Rivera, Michele Dusenbury, Carolyn Usher, Karen Finegan, Lori Jones, Anita Gonzales, Mary Boulet, Jenny Lucas, Carol Pahlke, and Pamela Phillips. SMILE! Photo Day was a great success thanks to Ashley O'Connor, Brenda West, Pat Daley, Debbie Feyh and Janet Christensen.
Summit Middle School is a great place to learn and grow. It's also a great place to volunteer. Your time helps students, teachers and makes our school the very best!
Parent volunteer, Mary Ann Dangelo would like to create a list of recommended summer programs or camps. This list would be available in a future edition of the newsletter. If your child has gone to a program that was really worthwhile, please pass this information on to Mary Ann either by leaving a note in her mailbox, in the Summit office, or by calling her with details at 303-440-7033. If this is a program specifically for high ability kids, please indicate that also.