January 15, 2002
Volume 13, No. 1
All current and former Summit students and their families are invited to drop by Summit on Friday, January 18 between 9 am and 4 pm to extend best wishes to Dr. Sharon Sikora as she leaves Summit to take a faculty position at Metro State College.
Since 1996, Dr. Sikora has been instrumental in Summit's achievements and the development of an exceptionally strong and successful science program. Literally hundreds of Summit students have benefited from her great depth of scientific knowledge, her special brand of unparalleled enthusiasm for teaching and sharing her love of science, and her unwavering hopes and desires for the success of her students. All of us at Summit bid her the fondest of farewells as she pursues new opportunities in her academic and teaching career.
Summit seeks to encourage hard work and reward scholarship, though we do not encourage perfectionism! Honor Roll students achieve at least a 3.5 grade point average in all of their classes. Honor Roll students are recognized at the end of each semester.
The open enrollment period closes at the end of this week, on Friday, January 18, 2002 at 4 pm. All BVSD open enrollment applications must be returned to BVSD by this date and time. DON'T MISS THE DEADLINE!!
Under the terms of our new charter contract, siblings of current Summit students and siblings of Summit graduates are guaranteed enrollment priority. However, YOU MUST FILL OUT A BVSD APPLICATION to be considered for open enrollment to Summit for 2002-2003. Simply indicate the sibling priority and indicate Summit as your first choice for middle school.
We also ask that parents fill out a Summit open enrollment form, which gives us back up information about the students applying for enrollment.
You may pick up a copy of the Summit form in the Summit office and it's also on the Summit website at <www.summitmiddleschool.org>. The BVSD form is available in the Summit office, at the BVSD Education Center, and at all BVSD schools. 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.
It's the time of year when Summit surveys its staff, parents, students, and alumni regarding the school's many programs and features. We look closely at our community's responses in connection with future scheduling and general self-assessment, among many other tasks. The job of tabulating survey results is conducted by Summit's AAA Committee, but we can use your help! If you have a few hours to donate to this cause in February, you can certainly help make the work go faster. Please contact John Jacus or Barbry Hogue (we're in the directory, both phone and email, or leave a note for us at school) to indicate your availability to help. We will also provide future newsletter notice of scheduled survey work sessions. Hope to see you at one of them!
Now is the time for all good candidates to come to the aid of their student's school! If you are considering tossing your name into the ring as a candidate for a seat on the Summit Board of Directors, now is the time to come forward and make your presence and wishes known!
The Summit Board consists of seven parent volunteers plus the principal, who serves as an ex officio member. The Board has broad responsibility for governing the school and relies on its members for expertise and targeted projects in such areas of responsibility as budget and finance, hiring, curriculum development, course scheduling, accountability, communications, computer programming, law, grant writing, and negotiation.
Candidates 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 helping to make the decisions necessary for the governance and operation of Summit, please consider running for a seat on the Board. This is valuable and rewarding work, and it provides a tremendous opportunity for you to make a genuine difference for all Summit students and staff.
Elections will be held in March for two-year terms that officially begin on June 1, 2002. Any of us on the Board will be happy to answer your questions about serving on Summit's Board. Please contact any current Board member for more information: Jim Cederberg 303-494-5647, Debbie Feyh 303-543-8646, Barbry Hogue 303-665-3798, John Jacus 303-499-3013, Tom Mahowald 303-543-8903, Hunter McDaniel 303-530-1840, Betsy Phelan 303-443-0832.
If you haven't already turned in your Summit re-enrollment form, please fill it out and return it to the Summit office to let us know of your school plans for the 2002-03 school year. This is very important information for Summit so that we can accurately determine how many new students can be accepted for next year. Please give the Summit office a call if you have any questions regarding re-enrollment. Thank you!
At this point in time, only core course level changes will be allowed and require the approval of the student's teacher. 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.
The Board met for a regular meeting on January 8. A question was raised regarding a waiver and safety liability for launching rockets as part of Applied Tech. Suggestions that emerged from the staff meeting earlier today include providing a computer for student use in classrooms, not just in the library; providing additional spare copies of textbooks in study hall rooms; and extending staff thanks to our librarian Cathy Woods for her successful efforts in creating a welcoming library that serves as the "heart" of Summit.
Board members will meet with math teachers on January 15 for discussion of the math curriculum, math class placement and textbooks, and assessments of incoming students. Mr. Bawek, our Special Ed teacher, will work with Summit teachers to help them better understand specifics of classroom accommodations for students. Mr. Finell will solicit ideas from teachers for new elective classes to be offered next year.
The AAA committee is finalizing, with Board input, the satisfaction surveys for this year. These will be distributed to students, staff, and parents early in the second semester. The Board will meet on January 26 for a mid-year planning retreat, and will be joined by all Summit administrators plus Ms. Kapsak, Mr. McGarrity, and Dr. Sikora.
The Board, with Mr. Finell, will begin the second round of teacher observations at the end of January. The Board will also conduct its annual administrative staff evaluation interviews, beginning about the same date. Dates for regular and special Board meetings were set for the rest of the school year. There was discussion about identification and recruitment of qualified candidates to run for seats on the Board. Hunter McDaniel, as a retiring Board member, will coordinate this spring's Board elections.
A possible "bring your parent to school day" and outreach activities during National Charter Schools Week (April 29-May 5) were discussed. Topics for discussion at the February 13 Summit community meeting were outlined. The community meeting will be held at Summit. Preparation of a preliminary budget for 2002-03 will begin at the February 18 Board meeting, and will be closely guided by financial adjustments arising from Summit's charter renewal contract. Budget discussion meetings are open to the community.
All regular Summit Board meetings are public meetings and we welcome guests from the community at any time. The next Summit Board meetings will be held on Tuesday, January 22 and Tuesday, February 5. Meetings are held in Summit's library and begin at 6:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the annul Summit Community Meeting. This year's meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 13 in the Summit multipurpose room, beginning at 7 pm. We will send more specific agenda information soon, but come hear about this year's open enrollment season, plans for meeting the terms of our new charter contract, and help generate ideas for facilities improvements. We hope to see you there! -- Your 2001-02 Summit Board
"Everyone makes mistakes. That's why pencils have erasers." (Anonymous)
You may have heard the story of the girl who comes home from school very excited to tell her parents that she received a 97 on a big test. "Mom, Dad," she exclaims walking into the house, " I got a 97 on the science test!" "Oh, yeah," respond her folks, "who got the other 3 points?"
We all want our children to succeed, to do well in school, and to have every opportunity available in life to pursue their dreams. Sometimes, however, this desire can lead to parental pressure on children to be perfect. Sometimes this expectation is overt, such as when I have heard parents say to me and to teachers, "We accept nothing less than perfection from our child." And I have had students tell me, usually with a sense of pride, that they are perfectionists who must always get an A+ on every test and assignment. Anything less is not acceptable.
Sometimes the expectation is communicated in a more subtle manner, but is just as clearly one's primary goal. Then, one is often willing to do whatever is necessary to make the grade. When these expectations of perfection become internalized by the child, it can create very serious problems, including the possibility of cheating to "close the gap." This is not a lesson we want our children to adopt. Of course, the problem with this approach is that it is an unrealistic expectation to think our children can be perfect. Nobody bats 1.000. And when the expectation of perfection is not realized, what is the alternative? Where does a child go with a sense of failure that he or she knows is not acceptable to his or her parents, or to him or herself?
Lately, there has been an increase in the incidence of cheating at Summit. I see this as an outgrowth, at least in part, of this emphasis on perfection. We do not want our students to get the message that getting a perfect score is more important than being honest and having integrity, but this can be one unintended consequence of the pressure to always perform at the top of one's game.
When we were moving through our own childhood and adolescence there were things that we were good at and there were things that we were not as good at. No one excels at every subject or area of human life. There are too many aspects of life and they are too diverse. As adults we tend to find areas in our personal and professional lives in which we feel competent and we stake our claim to these areas. We tend to avoid those areas where we do not feel as strong. But when we look at our own children we often expect them to excel in everything that is put on their plate. This dynamic can also lead children to feel that they must be shining stars in every area of their life. Again, this is an unrealistic expectation that can lead to pressures of perfectionism and cheating. We do not want to communicate an expectation that only a score of 100% is acceptable to us. Rather, we should be encouraging our children to work hard and to do their best. We should be letting them know we love them and that we are proud of them for who they are as people.
We should encourage our children to strive for excellence and hard work --- but not perfection.
Students and staff at Summit celebrated the end of the 2001 calendar year in a multifaceted way on Friday, December 21. We all shared in festivities throughout the day that began with a fabulous lunch of foods from the countries of our Summit foreign languages. The lunch menu included arroz, frijoles, chile verde, chile rojo y chile vegetariano, and chips; Black Forest ham, braunschweiger, salami and pumpernickel bread; and brie, Port Salut and Swiss cheeses and baguettes. Students then participated in African dancing to rhythmic drums, presented by the Senegali Drum and Dance Troupe from Bantaba, and created native holiday crafts from Mexico, France, and Germany. Everyone nibbled delicious desserts of crème puffs, gingerbread men, gummies, and Mexican galletas while listening to and watching videos of traditional Mexican holiday celebrations and French commercials (the latter bringing great laughter to all), along with a wonderful explanation of the history of the Christmas tree by Mrs. Koch. What a fabulous way to head into the winter break!
I'd like to thank all the staff for their tremendous efforts and particularly the wonderful parent volunteers. Ann McCormick coordinated a kitchen crew that dazzled all with its efficiency, timeliness and good cheer. Tremendous thanks go out to Ann, Vera Balaeva, Mary Ann Dangelo, Angie and Michael Dorsey, Rainer Kunz, Hsiu-Chi Lee, Margo MacDonnell, Beth McClellan, Mary Lou Oppenheimer, Marian Rothschild, Barbara and Bob Silk, Regula Steffen, and Cindy Zhang. A big thanks to Tom Phelps, our head Summit chef, for volunteering to oversee the kitchen activities on his day off!
MUCHAS GRACIAS to the Spanish Club and Beginning Spanish classes for their efforts in making more than 800 Spanish language cards to put in holiday baskets for the needy. The Spanish Club decided that this was a wonderful service project that would allow them to use their growing Spanish skills while bringing good cheer to Boulder area residents in their native language. When I delivered the huge bag of cards to the coordination site, they were overjoyed with all of your kindness, time, and generosity! The Longmont Volunteer Connection sends tremendous thanks to all of you!
On December 18, Beginning Spanish students enjoyed a day of cooking, eating and Spanish mad libs. We all savored a variety of burritos, using the extra-special tortillas from Tortillería Las Américas. Choices of ingredients included beef, chicken, beans, cheese, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, hot sauces and the homemade Tortillería salsa. We also made hot chocolate with delicious Mexican chocolate (cinnamon is the secret ingredient.) Holiday mad libs using Spanish and English words caused quite a bit of laughter! Many thanks to our super volunteers: Cassandra Carpenter, Shelly Hendrick, Mandy Yick, Jean Luce, Wendy Clough, Lydia Potoff, Ann McCormick, Augusta Warden and Cathy Regan.
Art classes are looking for a few good blenders for paper making projects. Art students are also looking for more "paint shirts" and smocks. Any donations of these items will be greatly appreciated!
To provide additional support for student learning, Summit teachers provide after school 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
Summit prides itself on our creative and challenging academic program. Summit also prides itself on the support we provide to students so that they can be successful with our program. Just as we are always seeking ways to further strengthen our academics so, too, are we are also always looking for ways to provide additional support to our students and families.
In support of students, Summit currently offers study hall each period of the day, counseling services, special education services, a literacy program, and after school tutoring. However, we felt that it would be wonderful to offer more one-on-one academic support during the school day.
With this in mind, the Summit Board of Directors recently approved funds to establish math and English labs at Summit. These labs are targeted to begin early in second semester and will be staffed by tutors Summit will be hiring -- that is, not by our regular Summit faculty. Each lab will be offered one day per week, all seven periods (the day of the week each lab will be offered has yet to be determined). The purpose of the labs is to provide another element of support for students who need some extra help in order to be successful with our program.
Students who have study halls will primarily be using the labs during that time, but core teachers in math and English may also refer students to the labs during their class periods for additional help with assignments. Teacher referral to the labs will be the first level of referral. On a space-available basis, students can sign themselves up for tutoring lab time. Attendance in the labs will be limited to six students per period.
Sam Galler, currently a 6th grader at Summit, placed 3rd in the country at the recent National Scholastic Grade Level Chess Championships. There were 1500 students participating in the grade level championships, with almost 200 in the 6th grade division alone. Sam also placed 10th overall in the K-6 Blitz championships. Congratulations, Sam!
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.
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, will provide a special book plate for the book, and will notify the honoree. You can also support the library by buying Boulder Bookstore gift certificates.
The Summit Science Fair is fast approaching! On January 31, students who have been hard at work conducting research and preparing their science projects will have the opportunity to present their projects at the Summit Science Fair.
All participating students will bring their science projects to school the morning of Wednesday, January 30. During the day, students will have the opportunity to practice their presentations. Judging will take place on Thursday, January 31 at the Army Reserve Building on Table Mesa Drive from 8:15 am to 3:00 pm. The public is invited to view the projects on Thursday evening from 6 to 8 pm. Projects will be on display for student viewing all day Friday, February 1. Participating students should plan to pick up their projects to take home between 3 and 4 pm on February 1.
Thanks to all the parents and community members who have volunteered to help with the fair. We have enough judges, but if you want to participate in the activities of Wednesday and Thursday and have not yet been contacted, please call Carol Hermann at 303- 664-9576 and leave her a message to offer your help.
January 31: 8:15 am - 3 pm Summit Science Fair, Armory Building; 6 - 8 pm Public viewing of Science projects
February 1: 8:15 am - 3 pm Students view projects during science classes; 3 - 4 pm Students pick up projects to take home
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.
Interscholastic Sports
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 know of families who might be interested in learning more about Summit as a middle school option, please let them know about these opportunities.
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.
If you hear something funny or heartwarming at Summit, send it along to: <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>.
Unfortunately, we don't have a trivia question this time. The staff was evidently recovering from the holidays. Tune in next time. Staff, send your trivia items to me for the next issue. <tomwhiteoc@msn.com> If you do, you will win a free trip to the school store! Only the first 2 staff members, though.
Parallel lines never meet, unless you bend one or both of them.
Algebraic symbols are used when you do not know what you are talking about.
The process of turning steam back into water again is called conversation.
Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes and caterpillars.
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 Ms. Blakemore to find out more about the requirements.
The Boulder Youth Choir is accepting new members for the spring semester. The BYC performed in the holiday 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.
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 deaths on the streets of Boulder in the past two months. In addition, the Shelter is over-crowded by an explosion in the homeless population driven by the sour economy. Already this year it has had to turn people away with nothing more than a couple of blankets despite life-threatening temperatures.
Because it is giving out blankets to those sleeping on the streets, a population which is 25% larger than last year, and because many Shelter residents are afraid they might not get a bed the next night and 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, this week or next. Thank you.
Summit teachers are getting dishpan hands and are on the lookout for a dishwashing machine, in GOOD working order, to be installed in the faculty lunch room. If you have such an item to donate, our teacher (and their hands!) would be most appreciative.
No, this is not a joke. This week a student was seen skating down the hallway using tennis shoes with wheels that fold out and turn the shoes into skates. Obviously, skating down the hallway is not allowed and will result in a call home if it occurs at the school.
The main branch of the Boulder Public Library, at 1000 Canyon, will have a homework center available beginning February 1. The hours of the center will be from 4 to 6 pm each day. Students from CU will work as tutors in English, math and science. There is no charge for this service. If you are interested in attending, please call the library at 303-441-3099.
Youth Works is a state-licensed after school, experiential service learning, prevocational and educational supervised youths ages 10 to 14 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 prevocational activities for three hours. Afterward, participants are returned to their school or local library to be picked up by responsible guardians.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 2 to 7 pm. For more information call Ryan Fischer, Executive Director, at 720-276-0303.
Articles may be sent to tomwhiteoc@msn.com>, or placed in the Summit News folder in the Summit office.
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>.
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>
It is neither wealth not splendor,
But tranquility and occupation
Which give happiness.
-- Thomas Jefferson