May 31, 2001
Volume 11, No. 10
Eighth grade students should arrive at Fairview High School by 8:55 AM on Friday, June 8 so that they are ready to begin rehearsal at 9:00 AM sharp. NO BACKPACKS. Lunch will be provided.
All other students will go by bus from Summit to Fairview at approximately 12:30 PM, and must be picked up between 2:45 and 2:55 PM at the back entrance to Fairview (by Southern Hills, on Knox Drive).
All Summit families are cordially invited to attend the graduation ceremony from 1:00 to 2:45 PM in the Fairview High School auditorium.
Summit sixth and seventh graders will be honored at a special all-school assembly at 8:15 AM in the Summit multipurpose room on Thursday, June 7. All parents and siblings are encouraged to attend this special event.
Every year we gather carpool information from our families and submit it to Denver Metro Ride-Arrangers. They create the carpool lists, based on zip code, which are sent out in mid to late summer so our families can arrange for carpools to Summit.
Please return your carpool form to the Summit office. Mark yes if you are interested, or no to let us know that we should not include your name.
To help you plan ahead for the next school year, please see the following 2001-2002 Summit school calendar, as approved by the Summit Board. This calendar indicates holidays and other key dates. Please note that minor changes are sometimes made in the school calendar over the course of the year.
The last Board meeting of the 2000-2001 school year will take place on June 4 at 7 PM in the Summit library. We will officially welcome new Board members Debbie Feyh, John Jacus, and Tom Mahowald and select new Board officers. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Mark your calendar and come to Summit on Tuesday, May 31, from 7 to 9 PM to celebrate our students' achievements in science. Enjoy an evening of hands-on, interactive science, hosted by Summit 8th graders. Technology purchased with the S.H.I.N.E. grant from the Toshiba Foundation will be demonstrated. Parents of 8th grade students are especially encouraged to attend, and all parents are invited.
The Summit library will be doing its first annual inventory during the last week of school. Please return ALL books by Monday, June 4. A list of overdue books is posted in the library window in the hall. Many thanks for your attention to this matter!
Volunteers are also needed to assist in this final inventory. Please contact Julie Dotson at 303-499-8749 to sign up to help. We now have more than 4,000 items that need to be counted!
Finally, I take this opportunity to thank the many library volunteers: Cathy Woods, Joan Jacus, Sandy Richard, Terry Grupp, Vera Rudenko, Miriam Sproul, Karen Finegan, and Anita Gonzales, plus students Sarah Walker and Katherine Hermann. The library could not have functioned this year without your help. You are all awesome!! Summit is well on the way to having a great library and I am proud to be a part of the team.
There will be end of the year meetings with incoming members of Starlight, Select Strings, Jazz Band 2, Jazz Band 3 and Silver Rain. Parents are encouraged to attend, too. Please review the information your student is given at these meetings, as it will be helpful for the coming year.
These meetings will be held in Dr. Burkhart's room at 3:15 PM. Please note the following meeting dates for the 2001-2002 music groups:
The Science faculty will do an inventory of their rooms and materials on Monday, June 11 and would appreciate having a few volunteers help make the process go faster. Please contact Julie Dotson at 303-499-8749 or by e-mail at julia_dotson@stortek.com to volunteer. Thank you in advance!
The Summit track team had a spectacular season! All participants improved tremendously and the performances at the final District meet were far beyond expectations. Fifteen schools participated and the district only scores to 6th place in any event.
At the 6th Grade meet Summit had only 10 students participating, yet our tracksters had many personal records in all events. Chris Bostic, Rachel Ertz, Alexa Phillips-Crone, and Emmett Perl all scored points for Summit.
The next day, the 7th and 8th grade boy's team had many personal bests as well. With only 10 students again, we challenged the big schools in many events. In the last individual event of the day, the 800 meter run, Clark Patton came from behind with a vengeance, overtaking six runners in the last 200 meters to place 4th!
Finally, the 7th and 8th grade girl's team arrived without several runners and with quite a few more who had to leave early for the concert that evening. Nevertheless, everyone had an outstanding day, with personal bests being improved by five feet here and ten seconds there. At the end of the meet, our team of 14 girls placed 6th of the 14 teams entered! Scoring points for Summit were Lindsay Bailey, Tiffany Ching, Sarah Evans, Joy Fest, Ali Fuhrman, Katie Markham, Lila Morency, and Allie Reid. Several young ladies also sacrificed favorite events or went "the extra mile" to help out in the relays with the absence of other runners. It was a wonderful team effort!
A big thank you to Sharon Atcheson for helping coach the 6th grade team when Coaches Havens and Blakemore were attending the 7th/8th grade meets. You were our savior!
Coaches Blakemore and Havens are looking forward to next year. We'd love to see even more of our talented and energetic Summit students participate in the 2002 season!
It has been another good year for the counseling department at Summit, to a large extent because of the amazing efforts of parent volunteers. Their enthusiasm, support, and willingness to do whatever is needed make it a joy to be at Summit!
Anita Gonzales took on a brand new, but long-awaited project at Summit: the creation of an "Awards Book," a scrapbook documenting awards received by Summit students. She even dug into our "archives" to research awards received during the previous four years of Summit's existence. The book will be available during public events such as school tours, back-to-school nights, and parent information nights. Check it out - the awards are impressive, and Anita's work is gratefully appreciated.
Once again, Marjorie Riksheim created our high school registration database for our teachers to use in making course recommendations for our eighth graders at their high schools for next year. She also put together information booklets about each high school for our teachers to use during the high school registration process. Many thanks to Marjorie -- we (literally) wouldn't know how to do this without you!
Laura Spaulding and Roxy Walker co-sponsored the Ambassadors Club with Ms. Bartley this year. They provided refreshments, helped run Ambassador's club meetings, and blew up balloons (until they were blue in the face!) for table decorations at our three shadow days in February. They are a very amiable and efficient team, and a blessing to the Ambassadors Club program (and other groups, as well)!
A number of parent volunteers helped run our monthly school tours, including Risa Heywood, Lori Eason, Karen Finegan, and Margaret Sparks. A very special thanks goes also to Barbry Hogue, of the Summit Middle School board, who showed up faithfully to speak at every tour.
During schedule changing season at the start of the school year and at the semester break, helpers included Linda Parkhill, Elsie Rivera, Audrey Block, Lise Lewis, Marlena Long, and Lisa Halperin. A special thanks to Elsie Rivera, who spent hours cheerfully doing schedule-related data-entry.
I would also like to thank Tom White-O'Conner, who keeps the newsletter articles going that allow parents to stay up-to-date about schedule changes, school tours, high school registration, and all of the other events we have held this year.
Finally, I want to give a very big thanks to Julie Dotson, who was instrumental in finding and providing all of the wonderful volunteers! Julie's continuous efforts to stay in touch with the needs of the counseling department and to provide any help that was needed were a lifesaver, and a constant source of affirmation and support for what we are trying to accomplish. We truly couldn't have made it through the year without her.
To all of those who helped out this year, and to those I might not have mentioned, I send my heartfelt thanks. It has been a pleasure to work with you, and you have made a big difference at Summit.
Two student teachers from Germany have confirmed that they will be spending several weeks at Summit next fall. They each have requested a host family from within the Summit community.
Anita Schnell will arrive when school starts on August 23 and will remain with us in Boulder until October 15. Maria Lindner will not arrive until September 4, and will only remain through the end of the month. Both of these young women speak English and will be participating in the full school schedule throughout their stay. We look forward to their presence in our German, English and Spanish classes, as well as in art and PE.
Please contact Marti Gorman (303-494-4488 or marthagorman@att.net) to open your home to either Anita or Maria.
Summit families, please consider donating items to the "Showers to Go" project for homeless people in Boulder. The goal is to collect items that would help a homeless person with personal hygiene - soap, shampoo, disposable razors, comb and brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, tissues, lotion, deodorant, etc.
This student-originated project demonstrates the compassion and thoughtfulness of our Summit students. Will you help? All donations should go to Ms. Kapsak in Room 110. Please see her for more information. Thank you.
All Summit parents, families, friends, and alumni are invited to attend Summit's graduation ceremony on Friday, June 8, from 1:00 to 2:45 PM in the Fairview High School auditorium. The ceremony will be preceded by music performed by Summit's music ensembles, and Summit parent and retiring board member Scott Smith will give the commencement address. The ceremony will conclude with refreshments in the Fairview cafeteria. Please join us in wishing all our graduates the best of luck in their new high school adventures!!
By now, all 87 Summit 8th graders should have received an invitation to the graduation party on the evening of Friday, June 8. If you have not received yours, please call Janet Christensen at 303-499-5786.
Enclosed with the invitation is a parent volunteer request sheet. Parents of 8th graders, please read the sheet and sign up to help in whatever way you can. We need donations of prizes for a raffle and the use of tables and other items for the evening. Volunteers are also needed to decorate and set up, clean up, and everything in between! At least 10 parent chaperones must be on hand at all times during the party, so we especially appreciate parents who can sign up to stay for all or part of the party. Call Janet Christensen (303-499-5786) with any questions about how to help.
Appropriate attire for the party is semi-formal, which we define as a dress or skirt and blouse for girls and nice pants or slacks with a nice shirt for guys or girls. Please, no jeans, casual shorts, torn or ripped shirts, or shirts with sayings on them. Also, we remind our students that the party is a time for Summit graduating 8th graders only; no siblings or friends from outside Summit will be admitted.
Scholarships to help with the price of the party are available. Please contact the Summit office.
The hiring committee has been working hard to find wonderful teachers to join our Summit community.
A key component in the hiring process is a demonstration class in which the applicant prepares and teaches a sample lesson to a group of about ten Summit students. Adult members of the interview team observe the class and ask the student participants a series of questions about their observations of the candidate and the lesson. The class and follow up takes about an hour and a half. A number of these classes have already taken place; many more will be scheduled over the coming weeks.
Anne Horlbeck and Cathy Woods are recruiting students to take part in these classes, so when they call, please say yes! Many students have already taken part in demonstration classes this spring (and some have helped several times!). We would like to thank the following students who have helped so far with this very important part of our hiring process: Hannah Alpert, Emma Benjamin, Jessi Boulet, Devin Brandt, Lisa Brownstone, Alan DeGrand, Erin Dotson, Race Engbar, Nathan Ertz, Rachel Ertz, Markus Feyh, Allison Filderman, Ali Fuhrman, Mia Fuhrman, Tanya Goldhaber, Anna Goldhammer, Erik Hanssen, Katia Heinzman, Amanda Heywood, Rebecca Heywood, Elise Hogue, Brittany Horlbeck, Will Horlbeck, Cassie Houtz, Derek Houtz, Sydney Jacus, Carrie Jones, Lauren Kelley, Matt Ketellapper, Abby Lewis, Annie Lewis, Kyle Loftus, Mark Mahowald, Starin McKeen, D.C. Mungo, Andrea Parkhill, Geoff Parkhill, Meghan Robertie, Nick Schwartz, Betsy Smartt, Madison Walker, Sarah Walker, Alex Woods, and Emily Woods.
As most of you know, we recently celebrated Staff Appreciation Week. I think our teachers and staff got the message that we DO appreciate them. It truly did take a community to make this happen.
Thanks to all of you who sent money, made food, made baskets, and served at the luncheon. (If you are feeling left out we could still use some donations to help with the cost of the coffee cart. Just send a check to Summit noting it is for Staff Appreciation Week.)
A week like this can only happen when we all work together. Some cannot go unnamed, so huge thanks to Terry Grupp, Anita Gonzales, Renee Von Roenn, Susan Karpatkin, Marlene Long, Tina Weinstein, Kris Zbranek, Connie Harmon, and Debbie Bridwell. It was fun working with you all.
Also, many thanks to Terry Grupp and Arlene Miller for the many weeks and endless hours of phone calls to recruit volunteers to help with the production of Bye Bye Birdie. Thanks to you both, we had fewer hungry thespians and transportation to BHS went smoothly. Enjoy your summer!
On "Take Your Parents To School Day" Tom White-O'Connor was discovered out of class WITHOUT a hall pass, and without asking IN SPANISH if he could go to the restroom! It rates among the more inexcusable episodes of the experimental day and may have forced our administration to reconsider this participatory activity in the future. Fortunately, our students are better behaved! -- Micaela (Wendy Blakemore)
Are you interested in coordinating tasks and working with our wonderful Summit families and staff? We need an energetic and willing volunteer to chair the Parent Volunteer Connection (PVC) next year. If the job seems too much to do alone, perhaps two or three of you would like to co-chair the PVC. Many of the committee chair positions are filled, so the PVC coordinator job really is a matter of keeping things rolling on a week-to-week basis. If you have questions or might be interested, please call Julie Dotson at 303-499-8749.
Presenting free afternoon arts camp for graduating 8th graders. Choose between public art and hip hop, or take both!
Public Art Mural Project: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, June 11-29. Mondays and Wednesdays, 2 to 5 PM at the Crossroads Mall; Fridays at the YMCA at 2850 Mapleton Avenue. Apprentice with a mural artist, learn how to create a mural, learn about composition and design, have fun!
Hip Hop: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, June 12-29. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 to 5 PM at Kakes Studios, 2115 Pearl Street; Fridays at the YMCA at 2850 Mapleton Avenue. Learn hip hop choreography from a professional, learn new steps, create your own choreography, have fun!
Both classes will meet on June 15, 22, and 29 (all Fridays) from 2 to 5 PM for games, guest artists, and arts activities.
The BreakThrough Arts summer afternoon arts camp is for graduating 8th graders only. Classes are free and space is limited. You must call the BreakThrough Arts Hotline to pre-register at 303-. 443-4474, ext. # 336. Please call Sweigh Spilkin, ASAP/Coordinator YMCA of Boulder Valley, at this number with any questions. Don't miss out!
The Women's Wilderness Institute offers a variety of wilderness adventure programs for girls ages 12-17. "This is the funnest hard work you'll ever do. It will take you to the tops of magnificent mountains, build some of the best friendships you've ever had, and leave you with an 'I can do it!' attitude."
Contact The Women's Wilderness Institute for an application packet at 303-938-9191, or visit their website at www.womenswilderness.org.
The StarHouse Ensemble choir, directed by our own Dr. Burkhart, will perform locally on Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, and Saturday, June 16.
On the evenings of Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, the choir will perform at The StarHouse. A Denver concert will be given on Saturday, June 16, at Cameron Church.
Because seating is limited, advance ticket purchase is highly recommended. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Concerts at The StarHouse (www.TheStarHouse.org) are co-sponsored by All Seasons Chalice. Call 303-271-0374 for concert times, tickets, and directions.
Well, our Mustang giveaway concept generated quite an interesting response. Apparently, several people thought we were serious about giving away the candy apple red Mustang convertible to a lucky grocery certificate buyer! I think this is because they realize what an incredible volunteer Joan Jacus really is. She'd be just the one to donate a Mustang. To avoid future mixups, we are developing a coding system to distinguish humorous (untrue text) from unhumorous (true items) in the newsletter. Personally, I still think that Joan Jacus is a heck of a volunteer even if she couldn't come up with the bucks for the Mustang.
Now, do you know what these Summit families have in common? Karpatkin-Sallo, Gonzales, Licht, Belding-Sproul, Inman, Woods, Miller, Eason and Rothschild, along with a Summit alumni family, the Goldfarbs, and a retired couple down the street named Mr. and Mrs. Brook, these families have been supporting Summit all year by buying King Soopers grocery certificates. Thank you all so very much!
From now to July 31, 2001, Radio Shack is once again partnering with the Wireless Foundation to collect cell phones for the Donate-a-Phone Campaign. Phones will be reprogrammed with 911 and other emergency numbers and given to victims of domestic violence so they can access emergency services at the touch of a button. If you have a phone to donate, stop by Radio Shack, ASAP.
If you know of families interested in finding out more about Summit, have them call the office at 303-499-9511 to receive a brochure and other Summit information.
A special word of thanks to Marti Gorman and Barbry Hogue from the newsletter editor. Marti and Barbry are really the unofficial co-editors of the newsletter. They write numerous articles each issue, do the final revisions and make it all look nice, too. This is on top of being board members and being involved in other things, too. It's been great to have Marti and Barbry to review the content and make sure it all comes out right. We'll miss you and hope to find someone to fill your shoes.
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.
If your student is graduating and you wish to be taken off the mailing list, please e-mail Marti Gorman (marthagorman@att.net). Otherwise, we'll put you on our alumni distribution list so that you can stay in touch with Summit!
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/univ_school/summit/
As we approach the summer, don't forget … It's never too late to have a happy childhood.