January 25, 2001
Volume 11, No. 1
Several parents and teachers joined the Summit Board at the January 22 meeting. Key points of Summit's charter renewal negotiations were reviewed, and there was discussion of ways to reach key community members to solicit additional support for Summit's open enrollment issues. Teachers gave an update on staff concerns, several of which have been remedied by the computer upgrade work and by (finally!) having working phones in each classroom. Teachers will present a proposal to the Board for a joint staff/Board advisory group. Tricia Olson will be asked to give an overview of class scheduling at a February staff meeting.
In light of the successful staff development day on January 22, teachers requested an additional work day to continue fruitful curriculum and departmental work. The Board approved March 9 as the second staff development day for 2000-01. It is a great plus for teachers to have Summit's new special ed teacher, Mark Bawek, on board. Ms. Grove is considering candidates for the receptionist position.
Sheryl Tippit, our legislative contact, presented an overview of legislation related to charter schools under consideration or pending for this legislative session, especially implementation of Amendment 23. The Hiring Committee continues with observations of German teacher candidates, and hopes to have a hiring recommendation to the Board by the end of the week. The first round of current teacher observations is nearly complete, with the second set of observations to start in February. The Board, the AAA Committee, and Ron Goldfarb will work together to edit and prepare this year's Annual Report. Summit has received 132 open enrollment applications so far. Julie Dotson and her colleagues have spent many additional hours working on Summit computers, including preparation of status reports, a full inventory, and a draft of a technology plan.
The Board met in executive session for discussion of personnel issues and hiring, as well as the current status of charter renewal discussions. The next Summit Board meeting will be on Monday, February 5, in the Summit library at 7:00 PM. Any and all members of our Summit community are invited to attend. Other future meetings will be on February 19 and March 5.
Due to the high volume of schedule change requests made during the first two weeks of the new semester, we ask that you do not call or visit the counseling office to request a schedule change. Instead, please make your request in writing. Be sure the request is signed by a parent, and place it in the box on the door of the counselor's office. Schedule change forms are available in the office. If there is a problem with granting your request, Ms. Bartley will get back to you or your student. Otherwise, your student's new printed schedule with the requested change will be delivered to your student at school. Core course change requests will be processed first, and elective course change requests last. Due to scheduling conflicts and the need to balance class sizes and teacher loads, schedule change requests cannot always be granted. We ask for your patience while waiting for your schedule change to be processed -- Ms. Bartley
Friday, March 9 will be a Summit Teacher Work Day. There will be no school for students on that day. Please plan accordingly.
All Summit sixth and seventh graders who plan to return next year MUST fill out and submit a re-enrollment form by January 26. The changes in the Open Enrollment process have made submitting this form in a timely fashion extremely important. Please check your student's backpack for this form and return it to school right away.
Summit students will take the CSAP tests on February 20, 21, 22 and 23. Please note this as you schedule appointments or make other plans for your students.
Parents, please remember to fill out an open enrollment application for your younger students who plan to attend Summit next year! As in the past, siblings will be given priority for enrollment at Summit. The open enrollment period is from now through the end of January. Applications are due no later than January 31, 2001.
With the recent changes in open enrollment, all applicants must fill out both a Summit open enrollment form and a BVSD open enrollment form, indicating Summit as your #1 choice. You may also indicate other middle schools for which you wish your student to be considered on the BVSD form. The Summit form is available in the Summit office and on the Summit website. The BVSD form is available in the Summit office, at the BVSD Education Center and at all BVSD schools. Completed Summit forms are to be turned in only to the Summit office. Completed BVSD forms must be submitted to the BVSD Education Center.
For more open enrollment information, call Maggie in the Summit office at 303-499-9511, or Linda Parkhill, Summit enrollment coordinator, at 303-665-9355.
Students who have not submitted a signed Internet permission form are not allowed to use any school Computer. This effectively prevents them from using the library and from participating in research groups in school. Please be certain that you sign this form and return it to school. Forms are available in the office and in the library.
Our all-volunteer Board has broad responsibility for governing the school. The Board benefits from expertise in budget and finance, hiring, curriculum development, course scheduling, accountability, and communications as well as computer programming, law, grant writing, and negotiation. Each candidate should be dedicated to Summit's educational philosophy and be willing to devote the time necessary to serve on the Board.
If you have a strong interest in the continuing success of Summit and would like to be involved in the governance decisions necessary to run your child's school, please consider running for the Board of Directors. Serving on the Board is valuable and rewarding work. It also offers a tremendous opportunity to make a genuine difference for all Summit students and Summit's bright future. The terms of three current Board members will expire in June. Elections will be held in early April for two-year terms that begin on June 1, 2001, so now is the time to consider placing your name in nomination. Please contact any current Board member for more information: Jim Cederberg, 494-5647; Marti Gorman, 494-4488; Barbry Hogue, 665-3798; Chris Howard, 673-0978; Hunter McDaniel, 530-1840; Betsy Phelan, 443-0832; and Scott Smith, 499-1816.
Please note these important dates for the Science Fair.
It's time for 8th graders to begin deciding where they would like to attend high school next year. By now you should know the name of your attendance area (neighborhood) high school. If you do not, check with Ms. Bartley or call the BVSD transportation department at 303-447-5125 to determine this. If you would like to attend a district high school outside of your attendance area, you must obtain an open enrollment application and submit it to the BVSD Education Center during the open enrollment period (January 8-31, 2001). If you will be registering at your attendance area (neighborhood) high school, you will not need to submit an open enrollment application.
During the week after Winter Break, Summit hosted several presentations to provide information for 8th graders about area high schools. However, the best way to learn about high school programs is to attend the information nights offered at the schools. Students and their parents are strongly encouraged to attend any of the remaining evening programs listed below for the schools in which they are interested.
New Vista will host an evening program on Monday, January 29 at 7 PM, at New Vista.
Peak to Peak Charter School is pleased to announce that it will accept open enrollment applications for grades 9 and 10 for the fall of 2001. Peak to Peak will be holding an information meeting on Thursday at 2:15 PM for the 8th grade students and any parents who wish to attend.
As students who are completing a challenging middle school program, you may be interested in the small, college preparatory, liberal arts program Peak to Peak will offer. Peak to Peak will have a maximum enrollment of 600 students at the high school level. Grades 11 and 12 will be added in future years to complete the K-12 program. In addition to the music, drama, P.E. and art courses that will be offered as part of the curriculum, the Peak to Peak high school program will offer extracurricular programs in music, fine arts, performing arts and sports.
More information is available from the counseling office. Peak to Peak is hosting a number of informational meetings throughout the Boulder area. Please call the school at 720.850.2858 or visit their website at www.peaktopeak.org for a schedule and additional details
In our ongoing effort to provide up-to-date technology for our teachers and staff, we ask you to consider donating excess computers to the school. Your donations must fulfill the following criteria:
Also, parents, please remember to update us on all address and/or phone changes. We count on information from you to keep our records current!
Summit's fledgling library needs your help! There are many important jobs for volunteers in the heart of our school. If you wish to offer volunteer support for the library, please plan to attend a brief training session on Thursday, February 8, from 7-8:30 PM in (where else?) the Library!
Each of the tasks available will be outlined, a volunteer staff schedule will be drawn up, and the fundamentals of library service will be reviewed. There will also be plenty of time for questions and answers. Be a part of the Summit Library/Media Team! Students, parents, alumni and friends are all welcome to attend.
Last week's trivia question fooled just about everybody - except clever Maegan Luce! She guessed correctly that:
The Summit teacher who danced in a performing hula troupe for two years...
Is none other than the surprising and unpredictable… Dr. Sikora! It was some kind of science experiment, for sure. Congratulations, Maegan! Ms. Mesinger, in the office, will give you your free pass to the school store.
And now for this week's question:
Which high-flying staff member once had a hot air ballooning license and flew balloons for many years?
Don't delay! We accept guesses from students and parents. So don't be shy. If you think you know the answer to the question, email your guess to tomwhiteoc@earthlink.net. For extra, extra credit, bring a balloon to the teacher who you think is our mystery balloonist!
Many of you received phone calls as reminders about attending the BVSD board meeting on January 23 and the continuing request to contact BVSD board members and administrators in support of Summit. Thank you to Kathleen Brewer and Diane Chicoine, Summit parents who organized and made phone calls to well over 300 Summit community members. This is speed dialing at its finest!
A heartfelt thanks to the many members of the Summit Community who spoke at and attended the BVSD Board meeting on January 23, and to those who took the time to so eloquently support Summit in writing. A special thanks to our articulate students, future students and alumni: Corinne D'Ippolito, Allison Filderman, Marcus Feyh, Nivan Khosravi, Kendra Kilbride, D.C. Mungo, Dana Oppenheimer, Steve Wilson, and Tracy Wilson.
Distribution of Reach for the Summit is now complete, with copies either mailed or hand delivered via elementary schools to all BVSD 5th graders. If you know of someone interested in Summit who has not yet received a copy of the flyer, additional copies are available in the Summit office. Special thanks to Kendra Bartley, Julie Dotson and Pamela Phillips for hand delivering these flyers to private schools within BVSD.
Phyllis Wibby will present a program entitled "Circle of Concern: A Guide to Substance Abuse Prevention" on Monday, January 29, 2001, beginning at 7 PM in the Fairview High School library. All Summit parents are invited to attend this informational meeting hosted by the Fairview Parent Organization (FPO). The presentation will address a number of drug and alcohol abuse topics.
Prospective students and families interested in Summit are also invited to tour the school at 8:10 AM on March 13, April 10, or May 8. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. At the end of each tour, there is time for questions and answers.
Also, if you know of families that are interested in finding out more about Summit, have them call the office at 303-499-9511 to receive a brochure, a calendar of events, and an open enrollment application form.
Restore harmony to your household with this workshop designed for parents of teens. You will learn to parent with logical consequences and empathy; your teenager will learn to accept responsibility for his/her own actions. Cost: $80 per individual or couple! Bring a friend! Dates: Tuesdays Jan 30-Mar 6. Time: 6:30-9:00 pm. Location: Centaurus HS. For more information or to register please call the instructor, Stephanie Bryan at 303-397-0646.
This is an exciting and practical class designed to help students in grades 6-12 learn study skills to be successful throughout their lives. Materials provide immediate help with learning styles, time management and organizational skills, note-taking, test-taking, and memory skills. Make a real difference in your learning! Parents are highly encouraged to attend (free) with students.
TIME: 7:00 - 8:30 pm, one night a week for five weeks. LOCATIONS: Fairview High School, 1515 Greenbriar, Boulder, or Centaurus High School, 10300 South Boulder Rd, Lafayette. COST: $125 per student (includes 5 weeks of class, one night a week, text, handouts, & parents are encouraged to attend free). TO REGISTER: Call Gloria Frender 303-530-3195.
Every Friday night the North Boulder Rec Center sponsors this open house from 7-10:30 PM for kids 9-14 years old. This Friday it's a Super Bowl Party! Win Broncos stuff all night long in the gym and dance area. Check out the Lip Sync contest, too. For more information call the Rec Center at 303-413-7260 or go to www.fnl-nites.com.
The next CU Wizards program is this Saturday 1/27 at 9:30 am. "HOT and COLD" will be presented by Professor John Taylor in Duane Physics G1B30. The CU 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 experiments. All programs are held at CU. There is free parking ONLY in LOTS 065, 169, 308, 378, 396, and 436. There is also parking available for a nominal fee in the Euclid parking structure. Certain parking spaces are reserved for permit holders at all times. Do not park in these spaces or your car will be ticketed or towed! All shows begin at 9:30 AM, on the last Saturday of each month. For additional information go to: http://physics.colorado.edu/wizards/cuwizards.html
Whatever it is you have lost - we have probably found it. Next time you are at school PLEASE check the lost and found box -- it is once again overflowing (that is putting it mildly!!). Better yet, ask your student what worldly possessions (textbooks for instance) he or she may be missing. We are sure it is buried in the mound of stuff outside the office.
Parents of eighth graders: In November we asked your child to bring in a baby picture of themselves for the yearbook. Well, we didn't get an overwhelming response and now we are asking you to find a picture of your darling baby and send it in. If your child hasn't sent in a picture by now, we feel it's your right as parents to choose the picture you would like to see displayed in the yearbook!
Also, do you have a wild candid of a student or teacher that would bring humorous stories to their minds years from now when they open their Summit yearbooks? Please share that delightful moment by submitting a copy of the picture to our yearbook. Please place snapshots in an envelope marked "YEARBOOK" and submit them to the office. The Yearbook Staff thanks you!
The annual parent satisfaction survey should now be in your hands. Please take the time to complete and return the survey. The AAA Committee will coordinate the compilation and analysis of the results, which are used to guide improvements and refinements in Summit's curriculum and overall program.
You should also have received the 2000-2001 Tools for Learning invitation. As you know, this is the way that our school community has chosen to handle fundraising for our school. Your gift provides resources for our teachers to improve the quality of our students' education. Please be generous with your contributions! If you have any questions, please call Janet Christensen at 303-499-5786. Thank you!
If you are not receiving your newsletter via e-mail and wish to, or if you would like the newsletter sent to a different or an additional electronic address, simply send a message to marthagorman@att.net. Electronic distribution is fast, easy and saves postage and trees. What a deal!
Upcoming deadlines for submissions to Summit News are February 5 and February 19. Articles may be sent to tomwhiteoc@earthlink.net, or left in the Summit News file in the Summit office.
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/univ_school/summit/
Your world is as big as you make it. --Georgia Douglass Johnson
English Department: Wednesdays, 3:10 - 4:00, Rms. 107 & 108.
Foreign Language Department: Ms. Blakemore Before school, by appt.; Ms. Hanckel Before school,during lunch, by appt.; Ms. Stough Mondays, 3:10 - 4:00, and by appt.
Math Department: Dr. Fotino Wed. 3:10 - 4:00, and by appt.; Mr. Alcantara Tues. and Thurs. 3:10 - 4:00; Ms. Frohbieter Tues. and Wed. during lunch.
Music Department: Dr. Burkhart Mon. and Wed. 3:10 - 4:00.
Science Department: Mondays, 3:10 - 4:00.
Social Studies Department: Ms. Kapsak Mondays, 3:10 - 4:30; Ms. Londos Mondays, 3:10 - 4:30; Mr. Havens by appointment.
Call 303-938-9090. Faculty Extensions: