November 9, 2001
Volume 12, No. 7
A regular Board meeting was held on November 5 in the Summit library. Mr. Finell reported that teacher observations are going well, with over half of the first observations completed. The "How to Help Your Child Succeed at Summit" evening was successful and creatively presented by Summit teachers and staff. The administrative staff and teachers are generating ideas for use of the $10,000 CDE school excellence grant. The principal has been visiting elementary schools as outreach for Summit. A new selection of "Summit wear" will be available soon, with Beth McClellan coordinating the project.
There will be a mid-year Board retreat at the end of January and we will ask the Colorado League of Charter Schools to provide resources and suggestions for a facilitator. Board member elections will take place earlier than in past years (in late February or early March) to allow newly-elected members to participate in more of the Board's key activities in the spring. The Board treasurer is continuing work on documentation of budget and finance activities, with better alignment with budget reports from BVSD. The first Tools for Learning mailing should go out this week.
The AAA Committee meets this week to review (1) student, parent, and staff satisfaction survey formats for this year; (2) accreditation report materials; (3) grant proposals already submitted and new grant ideas; and (4) a revised format for Summit's high school information presentations. Charter contract discussions continue, with the expectation that there will be a BVSD board vote on Summit's new charter contract within the next couple of weeks. Summit policies are being reviewed and amended as part of the charter renewal.
The next regular Summit Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 19 at 6:30 pm.
All regular Summit Board meetings are public meetings and we invite members of our community to attend at any time. During the first semester, Board meetings will be held on November 19, December 3 and 17, and January 8 and 22. Meetings begin at 6:30 pm and are held in Summit's library unless otherwise noted.
We are still in need of a cashier to work with the BVSD food service at lunch time at Summit. Give some thought to this position, either for yourself or for someone you might recommend. We appreciate any and all help in finding a cashier so that we can continue cafeteria lunch service for our students! Please call the Summit office with any referrals or inquiries.
The Coats for Kids/Share a Coat drive is sponsored by the Boulder Valley Rotary Club. There is a box at Summit for donations of youth and adult size coats. They will be picked up November 15 and 29 to be given to needy families in the Boulder Valley School District.
The art department is looking for donations of yarn that is yearning to be part of an art project. Thank you!
Be sure to check out <http://summitweb.dhs.org:801> to view Summit students' fabulous web pages! This site will be updated weekly.
To provide additional support for student learning, Summit teachers provide tutoring time for extra help, study sessions, make-up work, and questions about assignments. For a schedule of tutoring help, please see below:
Social Studies, 3:10-4:10, Monday, Rooms 2 & 9
Science, 3:10-4:10, Monday, Rooms 14 & 15
English, 3:10-4:10, Wednesday, Rooms 3 & 5
Math
Foreign Languages
Eric Eason, a Summit sixth grader, was recently declared a winner in the Elementary Division of the 2001 Colorado State Music Teacher Association's Composition Competition. His composition has been forwarded to the regional Division Competition of the Music Teachers National Association. Eric's work, "Garden of Dreams, A Fantasy for Double Quintet," is scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, two trumpets, trombone, tuba and percussion. Eric, whose instrument is piano, has been composing for two years. Last spring he won first place at the Pikes Peak Young Composer Competition for a brass quintet version of "The Garden of Dreams."
The open enrollment season in the Boulder Valley School District will soon be upon us. This year, open enrollment begins November 26 and ends January 18. Students who are considering attending a school other than their neighborhood high school will need to obtain an open enrollment application and submit it to the Boulder Valley School District open enrollment office during the open enrollment period. Students who plan to attend their neighborhood schools do not need to submit an open enrollment application, and will simply register at their high schools in the spring.
Now is the time to make sure you know the name of your student's attendance area (neighborhood) high school. If you do not, you may call the BVSD transportation department at 303-447-5125 to determine this.
During the week after Thanksgiving break, Ms. Bartley will visit all 8th grade social studies classes to discuss high school options and the open enrollment process. At that time, she will also provide information on high school information nights and other opportunities to visit area high schools. Students and parents are highly encouraged to attend the evening programs listed below. Events are held at the individual high schools.
Boulder High School - On January 10, Boulder High will offer the "BHS Showcase" program from 7 to 8:15 pm in the auditorium to discuss opportunities for students who are considering attending Boulder High. On November 27, from 6:30 to 9 pm, Boulder High will host an evening program to inform students about the Advanced Placement Course (AP) Focus Program, and to discuss the AP courses to be offered. For more information about these programs, contact Eileen Calaway at 303-442-2430.
Broomfield High School - December 3 at 7 pm in the library at Broomfield High School. For more information, contact Paulette Laging at 303-447-5376.
Centaurus High School - December 5 at 6 pm. For more information, contact Anna Hurley at 303-665-9211.
Fairview High School - On December 4, Fairview will host a general information night in the auditorium at 7 pm. On December 6 at 7 pm, Fairview High will present "Is IB for Me?" This will be an informative presentation for students and parents interested in learning about the Pre-International Baccalaureate (PIB) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. For more information about these programs, contact Jenny McCarthy at 303-499-7600.
Monarch High School - November 28 from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Monarch High School auditorium. Informational events will also be held from 9 to 10:30 am on November 26, 27, 29, and 30 in room #L107. For more information, contact Jackie Hendricks at 303-665-5888.
New Vista High School - December 3 and 11, and January 10, from 7 to 8:30 pm. Events will also be held from 9 to 10:45 am on November 27 and 29, December 4, 6, 11, 13, and 18, and January 8, 10, 15, and 17. In addition, events will be held from 1:15 to 3:05 pm on December 4 and 13, and January 8, 10, 15, and 17. For more information, contact Diane McKnight at 303-447-5401.
Peak to Peak Charter School - High school program information nights will be held on Monday, November 12 and Wednesday, December 5, from 7 to 8:30 pm. A similar event is also scheduled for Sunday, November 4, from 2 to 3:30 pm. For further information, you may visit the Peak-to-Peak web site at <www.peaktopeak.org>, or call Chris Howard at 303-673-0978.
In order to take the tests in January and February, applications must be received by Rocky Mountain Talent Search by November 12. Additional forms are available by calling Ms. Bartley at Summit. For further information, you may also call Rocky Mountain Talent Search at 303-871-2983.
The Summit Science Fair organizing committee is looking for individuals to judge projects for Summit's Science Fair on Thursday, January 31. These individuals may be parents, colleagues, or other community members with backgrounds in any of the seven content areas: math and computers, zoology, botany, earth and environment, physical sciences, health and behavior, and engineering. Our goal is to identify 60 judges who will be available to review student projects during all or part of the day (from 8 am to 3 pm). A large number of students will participate in this year's fair, and we anticipate that there will be 170-180 projects.
Many thanks to the parents who indicated on their parent volunteer form that they are willing to judge Science Fair projects. We will be contacting you soon! For more information, contact Pete Simpson at <psimpson@ideo.com>.
Watch your mailbox soon for an introductory letter about Tools for Learning (TFL). The 2001-2002 campaign official kicks off this week. As in past years, one goal of our fund-raising campaign is participation by 100% of our Summit families. Please contact Tom Mahowald, TFL chair, at 303-543-8903 or by e-mail at <t.mahowald@summitmiddleschool.org> for details. Tom is also seeking volunteer help with this important Summit project. Thank you!
Monthly Scheduled Tours - Parents and students interested in Summit's program are invited to tour the school with a Summit administrator. Each tour begins at 8:45 am and at the end of each tour there will be time for questions and answers. Tours are by appointment only. Please call the Summit office at 303-499-9511 to schedule a tour. The next school tours will be on November 14, December 3, and December 14.
Student/Parent Information Nights - These evenings are an excellent opportunity to meet Summit staff and board members to learn more about Summit. The mission, philosophy, and curriculum will be discussed, textbooks and samples of student work will be on display, and core subject and elective class teachers will give brief presentations. Prospective students and their parents are encouraged to attend. Student/Parent Information Nights will be held on Thursday, November 8, and on Wednesday, December 5, from 7 to 8:30 pm.
There is a $60 participation fee per sport or a maximum of $150 per student / $200 per family each year for interscholastic sports.
Participation fee for intramurals is $20 per sport.
If you hear something funny or heart warming at Summit, send it along to: <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>.
Unfortunately, there were no winners for our last trivia question. I guess no one would have imagined that …
The Summit staff member who once scored a basket for the opposing team in a junior high school basketball game …
… was none other than the athletic, well coordinated but directionally impaired ... Ms. Koch!
This week's question is a bit more dramatic and historical. It will also give you a better appreciation for the life experience of this staff member.
Which staff member learned to play chess as a nine-year-old ... in prison. (This was in Yugoslavia, where the family was incarcerated when they tried to escape Soviet-occupied Romania.)
Send your guess to <tomwhiteoc@msn.com> today! Get a free trip to the school store! Good luck!
Frank was lonely and decided life would be more interesting if he had a pet. Visiting the pet store, he told the owner he wanted something unusual. After some discussion about it, he finally decided on a centipede, and took his new pet home in a little white box shaped like a tiny house.
After a day talking to his pet and getting to know him, Frank decided to take him to the coffee shop with him to have a latte. He leaned over the little white house and said, "Hey, would you like to go to the coffee shop with me to have a latte?" But his pet didn't answer. Frank waited a few minutes then leaned over again. "I said, do you want to go the coffee shop for a latte?" Still no answer. Finally, Frank figured that maybe his centipede was hard of hearing, so he leaned in real close and shouted, "Hey! You want to go to the coffee shop or not?" A little voice came out of the box. "I heard you the first time! I'm still putting on my shoes!"
The Longmont Youth Symphony will hold mid-season auditions on January 12, 2002. For more information or to schedule an audition, please call 303-651-0167.
The next program is on Saturday, November 24, titled "The Chemical History of a Candle." The program will be presented in Room Chemistry 140 by Professor Casey Hynes.
We have excellent news to share about several Summit graduates. The BVSD recently announced the National Merit Scholarship Program 2002 semifinalists. Semifinalists are the highest scoring entrants from each state, based on scores on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test taken in their junior year of high school. These students represent less than 1% of the state's high school seniors.
Of the 37 students on the BVSD list, ten are Summit graduates! We are very proud of these students, and we extend our warmest congratulations to them for this fine academic achievement: Ben Gilman, Eric Gonzales, Cara Harmon, Poonam Hosamani, Qinzi Ji, Kathryn Knopinski, Robert Lee, Curt Shonkwiler, Gillian Singletary, Jennifer Stutsman.
Ben graduated from Broomfield High School in three years and is now a first-year student at CU. The other students on this stellar list are seniors at Fairview High School.
Over the course of the year numerous items show up in the Summit lost and found. If left unclaimed, periodically we donate them to Goodwill. Please make sure that your child's clothing and personal items have their names on them so we can return lost items to their rightful owners.
Many thanks to the Summit staff for their patience and to wonderful parent volunteers Cheri Belz, Leslie Kaniecki, Leslie Hirshberg, Sally Scott, and Ashley O'Connor for their time and efforts in making picture day a success. For any parents who missed the opportunity to order pictures and would still like to do so, you may contact Creative School Portraits directly at 1-800-727-4680.
Thanks to Summit parents Paul Atcheson and Ron Harmon for volunteering to represent Summit at District Parent Council meetings this year. The DPC meets once a month and each session gives school representatives the opportunity to address questions to and discuss school issues directly with Dr. George Garcia, BVSD Superintendent of Schools. It also allows schools to share ideas and learn about activities and issues at other schools in the district. Paul and Ron will report on the DPC meetings through Summit's AAA committee. Please contact one of them if you have a question or issue to raise at DPC, or plan to attend a meeting yourself as all meetings are also open to other school community members.
Families and students are reminded that there is a convenient RTD bus stop on Table Mesa Drive, just a block north of Summit. Special reduced rate twelve-month RTD passes for students are available for just $62.50 for a full year by contacting RTD at 303-299-6464. A new pass is mailed directly to the student each month, and the program extends through the summer months as well.
Upcoming deadlines for Summit News are November 19, December 3 and December 17(all Mondays). We welcome articles contributed by our Summit staff and parents! Articles may be sent to <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>, or place them in the Summit News folder in the Summit office.
To save on both paper and the cost of postage, we would like to send out by e-mail as many copies of the Summit News as possible. If you prefer to receive future issues of Summit News by e-mail, please send a message to Tom Mahowald at <t.mahowald@summitmiddleschool.org>.
To see back issues of Summit News as well as a wide variety of information about Summit and links to other charter school and education information, refer toSummit's website via the handy, new, improved, easier website address: <http://www.summitmiddleschool.org>
Laughter is Inner Jogging!