August 8, 2001
Volume 12, No. 1
To help you plan for this school year, please see the 2001-2002 Summit school calendar below. This calendar indicates holidays and other key dates, some of which differ from those for other BVSD schools. Please note the August 22 orientation day and the August 23 first day of school dates! These are revised from the dates announced in the spring.
We have wonderful news about the Board's search for a new principal! We are delighted to welcome Mr. David Finell to Summit, and we look forward to the leadership, expertise, and equanimity he brings to this position.
Mr. Finell comes to Summit with an extensive background in teaching and independent school administration, with more than 17 years of experience in the classroom and as a principal in California and in Colorado. He has served as COO of a private sector firm in the Denver area and also brings experience in website development consulting. You will soon have the opportunity to meet him and welcome him to our Summit community. He is eagerly looking forward to getting to know our teachers, administrative staff, students, parents and everything that makes Summit the outstanding school it is. Please see below for Mr. Finell's own words of welcome:
It is my pleasure to welcome you to a new year at Summit Middle School. As Summit's newly appointed principal, I look forward to working with you to provide the best possible education for all of our students. Since its inception in 1996 as Boulder Valley's first charter school, Summit has established itself as a school of excellence where academic achievement, creativity and self-development are key tenets of our mission. Summit is a school where each student is nurtured and challenged and where each family has the opportunity to become meaningfully involved in their child's education.
There is a story about a young apple tree that had taken root in the midst of a beautiful forest of ancient oak trees. In the winter the apple tree looked up and saw thousands of stars glistening through the branches of the huge oak trees. To the apple tree it looked as if the stars were actually hanging in the branches of the oak trees. The apple tree was jealous and fervently wished that he too could have stars like those of the oak trees.
Winter turned to spring, spring to summer, and summer to fall. Night after night, at each season, the apple tree had repeated his wish to have stars like the oak trees. Finally, in late autumn, when apples hung heavy on his branches, the apple tree felt a strong wind blow through the forest. The wind buffeted the apple tree until one ripe apple broke loose, fell to the ground, and split open laterally across its axis. When the apple tree looked down, he was amazed to see a star in the middle of the apple. It had always been here, unknown, hidden within. (Note: If you cut an apple in this way, you too will see a star).
At Summit we seek to actualize the fundamental truth represented by this simple story; that each of us has within us the potential to become what we desire, and that each of us has within us the ability to make our dreams become reality. I know this coming school year will be a time of great learning for all of us, a time when potential is realized and dreams are fulfilled. I look forward to sharing this time with you.
Sincerely,
David B. Finell, Principal
This has been a banner year for the recruitment and hiring of new teachers, and we know that you will enjoy welcoming and getting to know these new members of the faculty. We are pleased to have the opportunity to add several new teachers to accommodate our increased student enrollment. In subsequent issues of Summit News we will include a brief biography of each new staff member. In the meantime, here is a list of new teachers joining our faculty this fall:
We extend a very special thank you to each of the staff members, parent volunteers, and students (more than 70 of them!) who have participated over the course of the spring and summer in the hiring of our new principal and our new teachers. The hiring of new staff is a time-consuming but very important responsibility for Summit, and absolutely could not be accomplished without the commitment of time, energy and dedication of many members of our Summit community. Check the next newsletter issue for a full roster of these hiring "stars"!
It's time to get ready for Summit's annual "Fun Night at the Rec"! It will take place at the East Boulder Recreation Center on Saturday, August 25 from 8:00 PM to 12:00 midnight, where the facility is reserved for the EXCLUSIVE use of Summit students. The Rec Center will provide the necessary equipment for basketball and volleyball, as well as provide lifeguards for swimming and certified belayers for the climbing wall. A room for dancing is available if we supply the music and equipment to play it.
Pizza and soda is included in the entrance fee of $8.00. There is an additional fee of $5.00 for the climbing wall, as we are assessed an additional charge by the Rec Center. For safety reasons, once signed in, students may only leave with the adult designated on their permission slip. Look for the information and permission slips in the all-important first-of-the-year packet and plan to keep this date open. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to renew old friendships and meet new classmates as well. ~ Merry Mungo
The "Night at the Rec Center" cannot happen without chaperones. Also, additional belayers for the climbing wall will allow more students to participate in what always proves to be a popular activity. This is a terrific opportunity to see how your student relates to their peers and a nice way for you to get to know other Summit parents, not to mention the free pizza and soda! FREE belay certification is available through the Rec Center (Wednesdays from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM). PLEASE CALL Merry Mungo at (303) 494-5143 to volunteer your chaperone services for an evening during which you will have as much fun as your student.
The Summit office is open again and fully staffed following summer break. Donna Wharton has increased her hours to be our full time secretary and we welcome Corinne Taborsky as our new administrative assistant. Tony Striffler, better known as Herr Striffler in our German classes, is also our new bookkeeper. The office staff is hard at work with preparations for the start of the school year. Please feel free to call or come by if you need information or have information to provide to us!
The Summit Board met regularly through the summer. A brief recap of the summer meetings follows, as there was not a summer newsletter to let you know of the topics discussed:
June 4 - With the help of Bernie Grove, the job description for the position of principal was updated, and John Jacus was named head of the search committee. Funds were approved to send two Summit teachers to a "Love & Logic" workshop at Copper Mountain. Hunter McDaniel will attend a meeting of Charter School CFOs. Parents expressed concern regarding staff turnover and teacher retention at Summit. The Board thanked Ms. Grove for her contributions during her three-year tenure at Summit, and assumes the role of acting Principal until the new principal is hired.
July 2 - A variety of music program proposals were made. Some were addressed, while others were postponed until the new principal can participate in the decision-making process. A number of strong candidates for principal have been interviewed. A new Pre-Algebra book was approved, and approval was given to a proposal to renumber Summit classrooms. Approval was also given to hire three office staff. Physical plant problems were discussed and BVSD will be asked to work on the ceiling tiles and additional portable classroom access stairs.
July 23 - A possible relationship with Rocky Mountain Center for the Musical Arts to house Summit's piano and to provide performance space was presented. Amanda Avallone invited new Summit teachers to attend the Peak to Peak training sessions that she will conduct in August. It was agreed to make an offer to Mr. David Finell, the hiring committee's first choice for principal, and Mr. Liebowitz will be hired to teach English. Summit workdays are scheduled for Aug. 10-11 and 17-18.
August 7 - The new principal, Mr. David Finell, attended his first Board meeting. The plan to house the piano at Rocky Mountain Center for the Musical Arts and to request performance space there was approved and a letter of understanding will be drafted. The Daily Camera has cancelled the Homework Hotline program, and substitute services were discussed. The school's new domain name, for easier web access, was announced (see related article below).
You may have followed summer newspaper articles regarding our appeal to the State Board of Education of the BVSD's resolution concerning our charter renewal application. Needless to say, we are disappointed by the State Board's decision, which left the BVSD's resolution undisturbed. With great optimism, Summit Board members will soon resume discussions with the BVSD to resolve specific terms of our charter renewal. As we continue negotiations with the BVSD in the coming weeks, we will strive for terms that will enable Summit to continue its track record of excellent student and staff achievement. We appreciate the feedback and encouragement many of you have offered throughout this process, and we will keep you posted as the negotiations proceed. Please contact any Summit Board member if you have specific questions about the charter renewal.
Look for Summit news and information at our new, easy-to-remember website address: http://www.summitmiddleschool.org/
Thanks to Tom Mahowald and Ron Goldfarb, Summiteer emeritus, for setting up our new domain name. Special thanks to Ron for continuing to serve most ably as Summit's enthusiastic webmaster.
The Summit Library is about to begin its second year of operation! Most basic services are in place, and most of the difficulties of building a library from scratch are behind us. We still need donations for the library as well as some help to get the library ready for students to use. We also need volunteers to staff the library so that it is always available for student use.
We have many books that need to be catalogued, a task that I would like to have done before the first day of school. The information we need is available (and free) through the Library of Congress web site. This is a volunteer activity that can be done from your home if you have a PC and Internet access. It involves a very easy searching and downloading process. If you would be willing to take a box of books home and download the needed information, I would be glad to provide training at a time that is convenient for you.
Newly cataloged books also need to be stamped, covered and bar-coded. Volunteers are needed to process and shelve books on Monday, August 13, from 9:00 AM until 12 noon.
This school year, I will be in the library twenty hours a week. Our students are at school around 35 hours a week and many would like to use the library before or after school. Please help us make our library more accessible by volunteering on a regular basis in the library. It's a great opportunity to spend time with Summit¹s wonderful students! I've scheduled a training session on Saturday, August 18, from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM to teach volunteers to use the various parts of our library system, including the catalog and circulation systems, familiarize volunteers with our collection, and provide information about commonly used Internet resources.
As you weed through your home book collection this summer, please keep an eye out for the titles listed in our updated library wish list (attached at the end of this newsletter). Of course, we're always happy to accept brand-new books, too! Many of the books on the wish list would be great for summer reading. Buy one of these books, read it, and then donate it to the library! Another great way to support the library is to donate book credit you may have at stores like the Book Worm. The Book Worm (near Albertson's in North Boulder) accepts many used books and will give you store credit for them. If you donate the credit to Summit, we can use it to buy books we need.
If you can help out in any of these areas, or plan to attend a library workday or training session, please call me at 303-444-1791 or e-mail me at Cathy.Woods@home.com. Thanks!
Come one, come all to give our school the best possible kick off for the new school year! Let's give a warm welcome to our new principal, teachers, and students AND greet our returning staff and students with a spruced up, ready-to-go facility. The first work sessions will be August 10 and 11. Additional work sessions (we like to think of them as "work parties"!) are scheduled for August 17 and 18. Come by Summit any time between 9 AM and 5 PM to lend a hand or two!
Projects include sprucing up the school grounds, office and staff workroom reorganization, setting up new and old classrooms, and specific facilities projects indoors and out. There will also be sanding and painting projects in addition to the general projects. We still need donations of wooden picnic tables, and we will be refurbishing any that we have received.
All levels of skill are needed. There will be projects appropriate for students to pitch in on as well as projects for adults. Bring your favorite construction and deconstruction tools (labeled with your name) and join us on whatever days work for you and your family. If you can't be part of a work crew on these dates, consider dropping by with refreshments and words of encouragement for the volunteers, or bring in some of the wish list items ahead of time. Call Debbie Feyh at 303-543-8646 for additional information or to pass along project requests for these work parties.
The following items can be put to use right away to help our students, teachers and staff start the school year very well equipped. If you have one or more of these items for donation to Summit (either new or used is fine), please contact Debbie Feyh at 303-543-8646 for more details.
Summit is searching for a half time parapro to oversee Health Room duties and volunteers and to provide general staff support. This part-time position is perfect for a Summit parent! If you are interested in applying, please contact David Finell at 303-499-9511 or Debbie Feyh at 303-543-8646.
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) for 2001-2002. Many of the committee chair positions are filled, so the PVC coordinator job really involves oversight and coordination of volunteer efforts. If you have questions or might be interested, please call Barbry Hogue at 303-665-3798.
As our returning families know well, and as our new families will soon learn, there are countless projects and tasks that simply could not be accomplished at Summit without the fantastic contributions of time and energy by dedicated volunteers. Our students and staff need and greatly appreciate your support. You will soon have the chance to let the Parent Volunteer Connection (PVC) know exactly how you can help in the coming school year. A comprehensive parent volunteer survey will be included in the information packet that comes home with your student on the first day of school. We guarantee that there is a volunteer need to fit your skills and availability! Be on the lookout for your very … own … parent volunteer survey.
Don't forget, grocery certificates are available during summer break by calling Joan Jacus at 303-499-3013. Thanks for supporting Summit with this ongoing fundraiser.
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 mtdawn@uswest.net.
If your student has graduated and you wish to be taken off the mailing list, please e-mail Tom Mahowald at mtdawn@uswest.net. Otherwise, we'll put you on our alumni distribution list so that you can stay in touch with Summit!
http://www.summitmiddleschool.org
One who makes no mistakes
Never makes anything.
Note: If you have questions about any of the items listed, please have your student ask his/her teachers during the first days of the school year. Individual teachers will be happy to clarify which supplies are needed for classes and they do not expect students to have all supplies by the first week. If you need financial assistance for purchasing supplies, please contact the Summit office at 303-499-9511.
To keep papers and assignments organized, we suggest that students have one morning and one afternoon binder with dividers in each, or an accordion file, or individual 1" class binders, or whatever works best to help them organize their school materials!
English
French
German
Spanish
Math -- ALL
Pre-Algebra and Pre-Alg. Honors
Algebra
Adv. Algebra
Accel. Algebra
Proof Geometry
Algebra II/Trig.
Science
Social Studies
Electives
NONFICTION
FICTION
REFERENCE