December 21, 2001
Volume 12, No. 10
Following nearly 18 months of very hard work and intense negotiations with District representatives, the Summit Board has agreed to and signed a new five-year charter contract with BVSD to operate Summit Middle Charter School.
As with many tough negotiations, the resulting contract is a compromise for both parties on a number of important points. We knew entering negotiations that facilities, funding, and enrollment numbers and procedures would be the key issues. Though not as favorable as we had hoped for, the new contract very clearly sets the parameters for Summit's operations over the coming five years. We as a Board will soon be providing information about specific ways in which members of the Summit community can support implementation of the terms of this new charter contract, to help all of us "live" the contract fully and responsibly. Please contact any one of us on the Summit Board if you have specific questions about the terms of the new contract.
Following are a few major elements of the contract. Summit is guaranteed a BVSD site for the term of the contract. Summit will remain at our current site for the foreseeable future, with a provision for mutual agreement to revisit location as circumstances allow. There will be no official BVSD consideration of construction of on-site gym facilities for Summit students until at least December 2002, the scheduled completion date of a district-wide facilities review. Summit is funded at a lower per pupil rate than in the original contract, though our diligent budget analyses resulted in a financial agreement as favorable as possible given the current political climate in BVSD. The contract protects sibling priority for enrollment at Summit, a very important aspect of the assurances we make to our families for the middle school education of their students. There was no concession by BVSD regarding Summit's enrollment beyond our current cap of 300 students. This does not address the consistently strong demand for Summit's program; however, we know that we can successfully meet the needs of 300 students within the constraints of our current site and we'll continue to do just that while searching for other facility usage options.
Over the course of the charter contract negotiations, we have enlisted and enjoyed the support of the current and immediately past Board, principals Bernie Grove and David Finell, and several Summit staff members as well. However, I would be greatly remiss if I didn't specifically mention the HUGE debt of thanks we owe to Summit's outstanding negotiating team for exemplary dedication to Summit and persistence in preserving the integrity of Summit's mission and goals through these negotiations - Jim Cederberg, Hunter McDaniel, Tom Mahowald, and Betsy Phelan. It is due to their incredible efforts that a new contract is in place through the 2005-2006 school year, ensuring a bright future for the students and families we serve.
On Friday, December 21, Summit Middle School celebrates an all-school Cultural Day. Following a shortened class schedule in the morning, all students will report with their 7th period class to the auditorium at 11:05 a.m. for a 30-minute musical celebration led by Dr. Bill.
Immediately after the celebration, lunch will be provided for all students. The menu includes foods from various countries, with beans, rice, red, green and vegetarian chili, chips, sliced Black Forest ham, braunschweiger, salami, dark rye bread, brie, port salut and Swiss cheeses, and baguette. Regular lunch service will not be available. You will need to bring a beverage or you may purchase one from Student Council for 50¢.
This will be a wonderful way to celebrate many cultures prior to beginning winter break. We all look forward to sharing in the fun!
Soon after winter break, watch your mailbox for a re-enrollment form for returning to Summit for the 2002-2003 school year. Each current 6th and 7th grader must complete a form and return it to the office by the indicated deadline. These forms give us the necessary information to plan for next year's enrollment. Please give the Summit office a call if you have any questions regarding re-enrollment.
Ms. Bartley has visited all 8th graders in their social studies class to discuss high school options and the open enrollment process. Information on high school information nights and other opportunities to visit area high schools was provided. Most high school information sessions were held in December, but several January dates are listed below.
The deadline for submitting open enrollment applications to BVSD is January 18. Please note that 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. If you are not sure which is your neighborhood high school, you may call the BVSD transportation department at 303-447-5125 to determine this.
Boulder High School - On January 10, Boulder High will offer the "BHS Showcase" program from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the auditorium to discuss opportunities for students who are considering attending Boulder High. For more information about this program, or to shadow at Boulder High, contact Eileen Calaway at 303-442-2430.
New Vista High School -January 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Events will also be held from 9 to 10:45 a.m. on January 8, 10, 15, and 17. In addition, events will be held from 1:15 to 3:05 p.m. on January 8, 10, 15, and 17. For more information, contact Diane McKnight at 303-447-5401.
Peak to Peak Charter School - For information about Peak to Peak, you may visit their web site at <www.peaktopeak.org>, or call Chris Howard at 303-673-0978.
Last week all students were given new copies of their second semester schedules. In many cases, second semester schedules have been changed to reflect changes made during first semester in core course levels. Students should check their new schedules to make sure that all core course and music course levels are correct. Any student who did not receive a new second semester schedule may pick up a copy in the counseling office.
Requests for second semester schedule changes will be accepted in writing only, and must be signed by parents. Forms for this purpose are available in the office. The deadline for submitting second semester schedule change requests is January 11, 2002. After this date, only core course level changes, approved by the student's teacher, will be allowed.
Please note that your student may have a different teacher for a given course second semester. Also, the periods during which your student will be taking his or her classes may have changed for second semester. This occurs because we offer different electives each semester, requiring rearrangement of core courses in the master schedule.
Parents of siblings of current Summit students and siblings of Summit graduates are reminded that you must fill out a BVSD open enrollment application to be included in open enrollment. There is a spot on the BVSD application for indicating sibling status. Also, please fill out a Summit enrollment information form in addition to the BVSD open enrollment application. The Summit information forms and the BVSD application forms are available in the Summit office. The Summit form is also available on the Summit website at <www.summitmiddleschool.org>.
Completed Summit information forms are to be turned in to the Summit office only. Completed BVSD forms must be submitted to the BVSD Open Enrollment Office at the BVSD Education Center, no later than January 18, 2002. For more enrollment information call the Summit office at 303-499-9511 or Linda Parkhill, Summit's enrollment coordinator, at 303-665-9355.
If you know of families who might be interested in learning more about Summit as a middle school option, please let them know about these opportunities.
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, with sign ups in the Summit office. School tours will be on January 8 and January 24. There will also be an information evening on Tuesday, January 15, from 7 to 8:30 pm.
A productive regular meeting was held on December 17, highlighted by a toast to the hard work done by Summit's Board and community in bringing the protracted charter contract negotiations to a successful conclusion.
Amy Anderson, an independent charter school consultant, will serve as facilitator of the Board planning retreat on January 26. She asked for input on topics of discussion. Representatives of the faculty will join the retreat in the morning. Mr. Finell expressed the faculty's appreciation for the recent Tools for Learning allocations and presented an update on plans for specific uses of the funds. The math department has met during the fall to identify key issues of textbook selection, course articulation, and course placement guidelines. After winter break, Debbie and Barbry will meet with the math teachers and Mr. Finell for further discussion. Mr. Finell also presented a proposal from the staff for staffing and scheduling math and literacy lab support for students. One day per week will be devoted to each subject area, with opportunities throughout each day for students to meet in small groups with a tutor. Selection of a tutor or tutors will be the joint responsibility of staff and the Board.
A Summit community meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 13 (meeting location TBD). Topics of discussion will include facilities issues and financial issues brought to the fore in our recent contract negotiations. Parents will be notified of more meeting details by letter in January. The sale of Boulder Bookstore certificates netted $378 for Summit. Last week, Board representatives and Mr. Finell had a thorough and cordial meeting with the Daily Camera editorial staff, for general discussion of Summit's program and current Summit issues. Summit is receiving regular open enrollment reports from BVSD and application numbers so far seem to be in line with those in previous years. A school tour and another information night have been added to accommodate requests for informational visits to Summit.
All regular Summit Board meetings are public meetings and we welcome guests from the community at any time. Remaining meetings during the first semester will be held on January 8 and 22. Meetings are held in Summit's library and begin at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Of the four BVSD students recently in the news for receiving a perfect score on the SAT exam, two are Summit graduates. Warm congratulations to Curt Shonkwiler and Jenny Rood!
Our parking lot is especially congested from about 3:10 to 3:30 pm on school days as many parents are picking up their students. Parents are reminded to instead park on Tantra and wait for their children there. If you do pull into the school parking lot, please do not block parked cars that are attempting to pull out.
Summit encourages hard work and rewards scholarship, though this does not mean that we encourage perfectionism. Honor Roll students achieve at least a 3.5 grade point average in all of their classes, with no grade lower than a "C" in any elective. Honor Roll students are recognized at the end of each semester.
Math Class Presentations - Dr. Fotino and Mrs. Koch
Jim Adams, one of the draftsmen for the World Trade Center in New York City and father of Summit sixth grader Theresa Adams, came to our math classes during the weeks before and after Thanksgiving break. He generously shared his experience with us regarding the construction of the towers and his thoughts on their devastating collapse. His insights into the challenges presented by such tall, narrow-based skyscrapers, the mechanism of their collapse, his thoughts on the solutions adopted and recommendations for future tall buildings were enlightening to both students and the many teachers in attendance.
The students reacted very warmly to his presentation. One student wrote: "It was interesting and powerful. We learned a lot about geometry and the World Trade Center incident. You (Jim) have great knowledge and passion and your presentation helped us understand the towers' 'mechanical structure and architecture and some of the reasons for what happened on September 11."
We are lucky to have such experience and expertise in our Summit community. We wish to express our thanks to Mr. Adams for his wonderful presentation, as well as our appreciation to Mrs. Kapsak for putting us in touch with him.
Thanks to Doug Rovira, Liz Rovira's dad, who attended World History classes, showed slides, and talked about his trip up Mt. Everest during our India and China unit! His slides were breathtaking, the descriptions and photos of the dangers were amazing, and we all learned a lot! He emphasized the importance of teamwork, and presented this great accomplishment as a team member himself. We also thank him for sharing his Buddhist prayer flags.
We have our winners for this year's Summit Geo Bee! The final round was held at Summit 12/19/01. It was a tough contest among our 10 school semi-finalists. Runner-up was 6th grader Thomas Davids, and the winner is 8th grader Alan DeGrand! It was an excellent contest,and we congratulate both of these fine Summit scholars.
Congratulations to the following students, all of whom were classroom winners for Summit's 2002 National Geographic Geography Bee. Competitions took place in social studies classes.
All Summit 7th graders were historians on December 11 when the school held its annual History Day at the Army Reserve Center on Table Mesa Drive. Each student did the in-depth historical research necessary to enable him/her to become an expert on a topic and present it to a judge. Congratulations to all the participants of this year's History Day! The exhibits, documentaries, performances, and papers produced by Summit students were all first rate. Every student should be very proud of his/her work.
Eight students are eligible for the district History Day competition, to be held in April. Those students and their category are as follows:
Eleven other students received honorable mention for their exceptional work: Mia Fuhrman, Julia Hansford, Ruth Jacobs, Steffani Kitayama, Theodore Kopff, Jeremiah McIntyre, Tim Nguyen, Hannah Sawitsky, Sam Shapiro, Devon Thurston, and Nadalie Williams.
Many adults contributed time, talent and their own expertise to help make the day the enjoyable success that it was. We acknowledge each and every one of you -- you're wonderful!
Thank you to classroom helpers Gloria August, Paul Atcheson, Lisa Halperin, Alaine Lerner, and Claire Thurston for helping to get the kids off on the right foot. Immediately before and after History Day we had the help of Cindy Halpern, Lynne Jacobs, Denise McIntyre, Kim Nguyen, Pam Phillips, and Tim Stancliffe, under the able and invaluable leadership of History Day facilities chair Linda Stancliffe. Summit Hospitality co-chairs Marlene Long and Loretta Melhado provided breakfast, snacks, and lunch to our hard-working and hungry judges, with help from Gloria August, Kathleen Brewer, Yvonne Garvin, Connie Harmon, Shelly Hendrick, Leslie Hirshberg, Betsy Phelan, Cheryl Runyon, Margaret Sparks, and Roxy Walker.
Lydia Pottoff designed the beautiful certificates for each student participating in History Day, and procured the ribbons used to designate the projects going on to the district fair and those earning honorable mentions. Cindy Halpern and Ginny Hubbard helped out with balloons, and Ginny acted as a History Day hostess during the open viewing day on December 12. Thanks to our scorers Amy Buck, Tami Sivy, and Ryan Weemhoff, and to the staff of the Army Reserve Center for the use of their facility. Thanks also to Cheryle Kapsak and Kyle Walpole for all the grading of projects.
Our outstanding judges came from within and outside the Summit community. Our deepest to Gloria August, Barbara Bintliff, Maggie Fox, Isaac Horowitz, Dave Kopel, Ann McCormick, Clare Miller, Jason Sivy, Rayma Skeen, Dan Stephens, Leona Stoecker, Hannah Wanebo, and Suzanne Webel for their gracious attention to our young historians. And finally, hats off to Sam Havens, who steered History Day's course from beginning to end, and did the job beautifully.
Bantaba World Dance and Music School will be starting a multi-cultural youth program featuring African dance, salsa, and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art). The school has provided a capoeira instructor and a yoga instructor to demonstrate in Summit P.E. classes.
The African dance troupe will also teach each grade level during Cultural Day on December 21. Information regarding the youth program at Bantaba is available on the table outside the Summit office. Students must pre-register for Bantaba classes by January 7, and tell them that you are a student at Summit so that we may have more demo courses!
Art student alert! Your gallery visit write-ups are due by January 7!!! If you need ideas for gallery visits, here are a couple of great ones. The Boulder Public Library is currently offering a ground-breaking show. From now until February 24, there is a collaborative exhibit showing works by art professors from CU. The show includes photography, drawing, printmaking, painting, videography, computer graphics, ceramics, sculpture and installation art. This is a rare opportunity to see their work and it is a fascinating exhibit! Also, the Andy Katz Gallery at 2041 Broadway is exhibiting photographs from around the world.
Thanks to Kathy Hutman, Nancy Ranney, Nancy D'Ippolito, and Lisi Singer for driving and chaperoning students on the Satellite Discovery field trip at the University of Colorado. Students had a lot of fun, thanks to all of you!
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
Applied Technology, lunch Monday and Wednesday, Room 4
We would like to thank Connie Harmon for overseeing the "fold and seal" group that met at Summit on Sunday, December 2. Connie Harmon, Penny Hannegan, Laura Rubi, Kathleen Brewer, Leslie Hirshberg, Merry Mungo, Laura Spaulding, Barbry Hogue, and Sally Benjamin prepared Reach for the Summit! informational flyers for mailing to 5th grade students in the BVSD. Special thanks to Rebecca Heywood for creating the database of names and addresses used for the mailing labels.
Do you know of a source for flags, banners, or pennants representing all the middle schools in BVSD? We would like to decorate our multipurpose room with these items plus Summit's own banner. If you have suggestions for finding other schools' banners, please give Debbie Feyh a call at 303/543-8646.
Soon after the New Year, we will call for candidates to run for a seat on the Summit Board of Directors. Now is the time to think about tossing your hat in the proverbial ring!
Our all-volunteer Board has broad responsibility for governing the school, setting policy and making decisions about the school's budget, teacher and staff hiring, curriculum, course offerings and scheduling, accountability, and communications, for example. The Board relies on and benefits from the diverse expertise of its members in all of these areas as well as computer programming, law, grant writing, and negotiation.
There are seven elected members of the Board and the principal serves as an ex officio member. This year there will be three Board seats up for election. Each candidate should be dedicated to Summit's educational philosophy and be willing to devote the time necessary to serve on the Board. Candidates should announce by mid-February and elections will be held in early March for two-year terms that officially begin on June 1. Successful candidates are expected to attend as many spring Board meetings as possible, as non-voting participants, beginning in March. The Summit Board meets approximately every two weeks, with occasional periods of more intense activity.
If you are interested in the continuing success of Summit, have time and skills to offer, and would like to be directly involved in the important governance decisions about 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 an important difference for all Summit students and Summit's bright future (p.s. we also have a good time!). Please contact any current Board member for more information:
Summit students and families, we need your donations of fabric and ribbon to make decorative bags for the Showers To Go project to help the homeless and migrant workers with their personal hygiene needs. Please bring these donations to Mrs. Kapsak's room. Later in the year, we will be asking for donations of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other hygiene items. Thank you!
If you would like to honor someone with a book donation, please contact me at Summit. My hours are Tuesday and Friday, 8:10 to 3:10, and Wednesday, 9:10 to 3:10. I can help you pick a book from the library's wish list, and I will both provide a special book plate for the book and notify the honoree(s).
For those of you that like to wait for the last minute to do things ... it's show time! Please turn in your order for the 2002 Summit yearbook TODAY!!
The Summit Science Fair organizing committee is still 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 project 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>.
Thank you to the families who have responded so promptly to the recent Tools for Learning letter. We greatly appreciate your support of our dollar goal and the 100% participation goal. Please contact Tom Mahowald, TFL chair, at 303-543-8903 or by e-mail at <t.mahowald@summitmiddleschool.org>, or Barbry Hogue at 303-665-3798 with any questions or comments about Tools for Learning.
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.
Ms. Elmoudden relates this funny story.
When we did the information night for prospective new students, I described to the students what we do in Applied Technology. I said that in one of our units, we go to Mars.
One of the kids approached me excitedly afterwards with big open eyes and asked: "Did you really go to Mars?" He was pretty disappointed to find out that we just simulated the Mars trip by designing and building Mars rovers and landers. ...
Mr Havens tells us that in preparing for a recent history test, a student asked if he needed to know the five Great Lakes of Michigan.
If you hear something funny or heartwarming at Summit, send it along to: <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>.
I can't begin to tell you how many students guessed correctly that the stylish member of the Summit staff who was a flight attendant for TWA for 15 years was none other than Mrs. Blakemore! We had so many guesses that I can't remember who the first two winners were! Sorry. They got the school store prize. This means that students are actually reading the newsletter - wow and thanks!
Our next trivia question will appear after winter break. Staff, send your trivia items to me for the next issue. <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>. The first two staff members to submit items also win a free trip to the school store!
Mrs. Claus: Oh my, I don't think you'll be able to deliver the presents this
year, sweetheart.
Santa Claus: Why not?
Mrs. Claus: It says here in the newspaper that it's supposed to rain, dear.
Which reindeer does Mrs. Claus always wash last in the bath tub?
Comet!
The Bolder Boulder is getting ready for the 2002 race and they need your help! They are looking for a T-shirt design for the Middle School Challenge. Students from all over Colorado will be competing in this contest. See Mrs. Blakemore to find out more about the requirements.
The Boulder Youth Choir is accepting new members for the spring semester. The BYC performs in this year's presentation of The Nutcracker with the Boulder Philharmonic and Boulder Ballet, and will also perform with the Broomfield Symphony on February 24, 2002. The choir performs music from a variety of musical and cultural traditions, often in the original language. For more information, please call 303-442-8681.
All programs begin at 9:30 a.m. See below for specific building and room. There is FREE PARKING ONLY in lots 169, 308, 378, 396, and 436. There is also parking available for a nominal fee in the Euclid parking structure.
December 29: GO WITH THE FLOW, presented by Professors Janet DeGrazia and Brian Argrow in room Chemistry 140.
January 26: SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT ELECTRICITY, presented by Professor John Taylor, in room Duane Physics G1B30.
February 23: LIQUID CRYSTALS, presented by Professors Noel Clark, Dave Walba and Joe Maclennan, in Room Duane Physics G1B30.
After covering the plight of Boulder's homeless this winter, it became clear to me that something needed to happen. As a result, the Boulder Weekly is sponsoring a blanket drive for the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless.
As many of you know, there have been four homeless people die on the streets of Boulder in the past two months. In addition, the Shelter is overcrowded due to an explosion in the homeless population driven by the sour economy. Already this year many people have been turned away with nothing more than a couple of blankets despite life-threatening low overnight temperatures. Because it is giving out blankets to those sleeping on the streets, a population which is 25 percent higher than last year, and because many Shelter residents are afraid they might not get a bed the next night and so take blankets with them, the Shelter is having a hard time keeping blankets on hand.
Therefore, I am asking every household in Boulder to take a clean used or new blanket, together with a $10 bill (or more if you can afford it), to the Shelter, located at 4645 N. Broadway in Boulder, this week or next. Thank you.
A State Licensed After-School, Experiential Service Learning, Pre-vocational and Educational Program for Youth.
Youth Works is a supervised program for youths 10 to14 years of age who are interested in contributing to the well being of our community while exploring potential careers for the future. Participants are picked up after school to perform service learning projects or pre-vocational activities for three hours. Afterward, participants are returned to their school or local library to be picked up by responsible guardians. The program operates Monday through Friday from 2 to 7 pm. For more information, please contact: Ryan B. Fischer, BSW, Executive Director, P.O. Box 0976, Boulder, CO 80306, 720-276-0303.
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.
To save on both paper and the cost of postage, we 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>.
Summit E-mail Directory
To see back issues of Summit News as well as a wide variety of information about Summit and links to other charter schools and education information, refer to Summit's website via the handy, new, improved, easier website address: <http://www.summitmiddleschool.org>
Our ideas will work ...
If we do!