February 23, 2002
Volume 13, No. 4
Come to Summit on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 pm for the Board candidates forum. By now you should have received your ballot and candidate statements. Thank you to the six parents who have stepped forward to run for the Board. At the forum, candidates for the three seats up for election this year will introduce themselves to the community and answer questions from parents and staff. Come listen and learn more about the candidates before you vote! Ballots are due back to Summit by 3 pm on March 8.
The high school registration and course placement recommendation process at Summit will begin during the week of February 25-March 1. Boulder High counselors will visit Summit on Monday, February 25 during 7th period and Fairview counselors will visit on Tuesday, February 26, during 4th period to provide students with course booklets and registration instructions and materials. On Thursday, February 28, Summit core subject teachers will meet individually with their 8th grade students during each class period to give course placement recommendations and sign off on students' high school registration forms. After reviewing these recommendations, students should finalize their course selections and have their parents sign the forms.
The Boulder High and Fairview counselors will return to Summit on Tuesday, March 5, to collect students' signed and completed registration forms. Forms that do not have all core subject teachers' signatures and a parent's signature will not be accepted. Students who do not bring their forms or whose forms do not include the required signatures will have to complete these at a later date and hand-deliver them to the high school they plan to attend. Students who will attend high schools other than Fairview or Boulder High need to make an appointment with the high school counselor at the school they will attend to complete the registration process.
Listed below are the academic planning nights still to be held by high schools to assist 8th graders and their parents in choosing appropriate courses for 9th grade. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to attend these evenings to gather information about placement, course offerings, and registration procedures, as well as extra-curricular activities and athletics.
Boulder High School (see details below), Wednesday, February 27, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Fairview High School (see details below), Wednesday, February 27 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the large gym
Monarch High School, 8th Grade Transition Night -- Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
If you have any questions regarding high school registration, please feel free to call Kendra Bartley, Summit counselor, at 303-499-9511.
Boulder High will host an evening for the parents of incoming freshmen on Wednesday, February 27, at 7 pm in the Boulder High auditorium. The purpose of this meeting is to explain the course selection process, graduation requirements, programs at Boulder High, and to introduce you to expectations for high school. In addition, you will have an opportunity to visit with counselors and teachers to ask questions regarding course placement.
All eighth graders and their parents are invited to attend the "Evening of Transition" at Fairview on Wednesday, February 27, from 7 to 9 pm. The information you receive should help you select appropriate classes for 9th grade and beyond. There will be time for you to attend presentations during which teachers will explain the differences between skill building, traditional college prep, and Pre-IB/AP level courses. For more information, check the Fairview website at www.flatirons.org.
Printed below is the CSAP testing schedule for 2002. As you can see, several hours of testing are required in the lineup. This makes it especially important that your child gets a good night sleep and is relaxed, rested, and ready to go for these assessments. It is important that all Summit students participate, so please keep the testing in mind as you schedule appointments.
There was a regular Summit Board meeting on Monday, February 18. David Finell reported on the first BVSD charter schools principals meeting. The group plans to meet every other month to discuss topics of common interest. He has asked the math department to consider gender equity issues. Parent/teacher conferences went smoothly, and it worked well to have split meals times for teachers. Having more teachers meet with parents in the library helped minimize the noise level in the cafeteria. The formation of a "Summit founders group" was suggested, to preserve the expertise of founders and former board members as Summit continues to mature as a school.
The community meeting last week was successful and the turnout was good, given that there are no critical issues of concern right now. The Board will continue to develop a public awareness campaign that focuses on physical facilities. The Board will follow up on ideas that came out of the community meeting and the January 26 board retreat. Administrative evaluation interviews will be completed by the end of February.
Shelly Hendrick presented a comprehensive monthly financial statement with explanation of each budget item. She will present detailed information from the finance office to the Board each month during the school year. The board candidates forum will be on February 27, in a classroom. Ballots and candidate statements will be mailed to families this Friday, with families having one vote per child enrolled at Summit. Summit staff members also vote.
Initial discussion of next year's budget will begin on February 25 at a special board meeting. Budget estimates for 2002-03 are based on current best information from BVSD, with refinements to be made as exact figures are known. A second Tools for Learning mailing will go out soon. Tom will check on options for setting up a merchant account for Summit to make it easier to accept donations by credit card.
Board members agreed that a separate grant writing committee should be established. This task should fall to next year's board. AAA is recruiting volunteers to help with survey information compilation and analysis. There was discussion of the progress of open enrollment this year, and determination of how many more enrollment offers should be made in the second round of BVSD notifications.
Tools for Learning reminder letters will go out soon to families that have not yet contributed this year. Donations so far are encouraging, and current figures will be helpful in making budget projection for 2002-2003. The AAA committee will soon be compiling and analyzing all the satisfaction survey responses. There was a suggestion to separate out grant development and grant writing projects from other AAA responsibilities, with the realization that searching for and writing grants has become increasingly important for Summit and there should be a dedicated committee to focus on this priority. Review work in preparation for the 2001-2002 Annual Report will begin soon.
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 March 6, March 12, and April 1. Meetings are held in Summit's library and begin at 6:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
We are seeking a small group of technology-savvy parents and Summit supporters who can assist with the development of a technology plan for Summit. The technology plan will be used to support applications for Colorado Department of Education funding, technology equipment discounts, and a variety of grant opportunities. We believe there are CDE staff members who could meet with our Summit team to provide support and a possible template for the plan.
We are also putting together an on-site tech support team. This is more of a nuts-and-bolts support and planning group for current technology needs at Summit (hardware and software, etc.). This support can be provided either during the school day or after school hours.
These are excellent volunteer opportunities for those who have both the time and technology skills to offer! If you are interested in helping with a strategic technology plan and/or being part of the tech support team, please contact Debbie Feyh at (303) 543-8646 or by e-mail at feyh@indra.com.
In order to provide efficient and safe drop-off and pick-up for our Summit students, we request that parents follow these rules in the parking lot.
When dropping off students: After circling the lot counterclockwise, continue traveling until you are headed south again and pull up at the curb next to the fence by the playground. Pull forward as far as possible or continue around the corner. The sidewalk edge is marked in yellow. For safety, students should exit vehicles to the right (west) if at all possible. Please do not stop in the east//west aisles to let students out as this is unsafe and hinders people wishing to park or exit.
When picking up students: If you do not see your student, pull into a parking place to wait for your student to walk out, then proceed to the west sidewalk or the sidewalk that continues to Hanover. Have your student wait on the sidewalk, which is edged in yellow. Please do not block parked cars or parking spaces, as people may be waiting to exit or park.
This simple system will provide an efficient and safe parking atmosphere! Thank you for your cooperation.
The Spring Concert, featuring all Summit music groups, will be on Thursday, March 7, at Fairview High School, beginning at 7 pm. As always, we need the help of many volunteers to make this evening run smoothly. Please call Joan Jacus at 303-499-3013 to offer your help with chaperoning that evening, printing programs and/or flyers, and helping to move equipment to FHS. Please call Barbara Weidlein at 303-581-0432 to volunteer to help feed our music students that evening. Thanks for your help!
Revised schedule of the A and B days for the rest of the school year.
MON |
TUE |
WED |
THU |
FRI |
|||||||||
| Feb 25 | A | Feb 26 | B | Feb 27 | A | Feb 28 | B | Mar 1 | A | ||||
| Mar 4 | B | Mar 5 | A | Mar 6 | B | Mar 7 | A | Mar 8 | B | ||||
| Mar 11 | A | Mar 12 | B | Mar 13 | A | Mar 14 | B | Mar 15 | A | ||||
| Mar 18 | B | Mar 19 | A | Mar 20 | B | Mar 21 | A | Mar 22 | B | ||||
| Apr 1 | A | Apr 2 | B | Apr 3 | A | Apr 4 | B | Apr 5 | A | ||||
| Apr 8 | B | Apr 9 | A | Apr 10 | B | Apr 11 | A | Apr 12 | B | ||||
| Apr 15 | A | Apr 16 | B | Apr 17 | A | Apr 18 | B | Apr 19 | A | ||||
| Apr 22 | B | Apr 23 | A | Apr 24 | B | Apr 25 | A | ||||||
| Apr 29 | B | Apr 30 | A | May 1 | B | May 2 | A | May 3 | B | ||||
| May 6 | A | May 7 | B | May 8 | A | May 9 | B | May 10 | A | ||||
| May 13 | B | May 14 | A | May 15 | B | May 16 | A | May 17 | B | ||||
| May 20 | A | May 21 | B | May 22 | A | May 23 | B | May 24 | A | ||||
| May 28 | B | May 29 | A | May 30 | B | May 31 | A | ||||||
| Jun 3 | B | Jun 4 | A | Jun 5 | B | Jun 6 | A | Jun 7 | B | ||||
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 this 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
Many thanks to all the individuals who helped put together the first round of the Summit Science Fair on January 31. In addition to all tireless individuals who helped, we would also like to thank Dr. Sikora who was very much a part of the process, right down to the last minute of the second round on Feb. 12.
Below is the impressive list of students who made the honor roll for the first semester. Congratulations to one and all -- great job!
6th graders: Robert Adams, Chloe Barrett-Page, Rachel Baum, Hannah Blacker, Levi Cai, Marshall Carpenter, Sarah Cudney, Thomas Davids, Erin Dickson, Michelle D'Ippolito, Nick Fedorov, Alison Ferris, Anna Fine, Elizabeth Fleagle, Sam Galler, Sebastian George, Nicholas Gerstle, Sarah Goldstein, Malia Guy, Liz Halpern, Anna Hermann, Rebecca Heywood, Cassie Hickman, Will Horlbeck, Benyakir Horowitz, Christopher Jarmon, Gabe Kennedy, Anahita Khosravi, Katie Kopel, Sabine Kunz, Jordan Leggett, Jordan Lerner, Sandra MacDonnell, Pierce Martin, Gwen McGillivray, Caroline Melhado, Matt Metzger , Carrie Morgan, Sam Nagel, Kelsey Pinson, Willy Pottoff, Wendy Qi, Alexandra Rapp, Rachel Robinson, Maisie Salinger, Katharine Schimel, Max Scholten, Kahlil Schweitzer, Anna Sergeeva, Elinor Shetter, Helen Sims, Martin Singer, Sarah Smith, Timothy Smith, Kyle Strand, Alexander Ting, Paul Weaver, Daniel Weidlein, Charlie Wilcox, Teresa Wong, Emily Woods, and Jamyang Yeshi
7th graders: Hannah Alpert, Elaine Atcheson, Jake Barba, Joey Baum, John Boylston, Nicole Cahalan, Race Engbar, Rachel Ertz, Tatyana Filatova, Mia Fuhrman, Julia Hansford, Ruth Jacobs, Quentin Karpilow, Steffani Kitayama, Christine Klatman, Theo Kopff, Tammy Lee, Annie Lewis, Filip Maksimovic, Jerry McIntyre, Timothy Nguyen, Rebekah Olstad, Geoffrey Parkhill, Anna Rudenko, Hannah Sawitsky, Samantha Shapiro, Betsy Smartt, Anne Stancliffe, Paul Swirhun, Devon Thrumston, and Jesse Thurston
8th graders: Shane Afsar, Eve Aguilar, Lindsay Bailey, Kathy Baker, Emma Benjamin, Daniel Beylkin, Lisa Brownstone, Zakeih Chaker, Alan DeGrand, Laura D'Ippolito, David Eason, Joy Fest, Tanya Goldhaber, Matanya Horowitz, Andrew Jarmon, Cari Jones, Josh Karpel, Ross Logan, Vivian Lu, Lila Morency, Rekha Nalitham, Dana Oppenheimer, Eric Pahlke, Colin Peterson, Allie Reid, Paul Reynolds, Laura Tippit, Jon Tsui, Lauren VonRoenn, Tracy Woods, and Alex Woods
The BVSD Regional Secondary Science Fair will be held on Thursday, February 28 at the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the CU campus. The public is invited to view projects from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Come and see the diversity of projects undertaken by BVSD secondary students!
On February 9 and 10, the Summit chess team won first place in the Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championship. Over 250 students participated in this event.
Sam Galler was a co-champion, tying for first place. Marshall Carpenter received 4th place in the 4th-6th grade division. Other team members included Trevor Ranney and Robert Ranney. Congrats, guys!
If you are interested in learning more about chess, the Summit Middle School chess club, advised by Mr. Alcantara, meets each Wednesday.
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.
Thanks to everyone that has ordered a 2002 Summit yearbook . The yearbooks will be handed out in May. Thanks to the 6th graders for your great response (we have not heard from many 8th graders :-( ). These books are wonderful mementoes of your year at Summit.
Late order forms are available on the table outside the school office. Pick one up today. Call Joan Jacus at 303-499-3013 if you have any questions about this year's book.
Thank you to the families who have responded so far to our first Tools For Learning solicitation. We're well on the way but haven't yet reached our dollar goal and participation goals, so watch soon for TFL reminders if you haven't yet donated! 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.
What kind of coffee was served on the Titanic?
Sanka
Why are there so many Smiths in the phone book?
They all have phones.
What do you get from a pampered cow?
Spoiled milk.
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite.
What has four legs, is big, green, fuzzy, and if it fell out of a tree would
kill you?
A pool table.
If you hear about something funny or heartwarming that happened at Summit, send it along to: <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>.
The City of Boulder has a Junior Ranger program for teens ages 14-17. This is a unique employment and educational opportunity to learn conservation, resource management and team building skills. Applications are due March 29. Call Halice Ruppi for information at 303-413-7615. Boulder County has a similar program, the Boulder County Youth Corps. For information about that program call Rick Meyers at 303-441-4960. Applications for both programs are available from Ms. Bartley.
The University of Northern Colorado will hold a Summer Enrichment Program for gifted and talented students entering grades 5 through 10 in 2002-2003. This program has been designed to meet the diversified needs of gifted and talented students who are selected from all areas of the United States and other countries. Educational programs address general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking, leadership and visual or performing arts. The deadline for applications is May 15 and space is limited. For more information call 970-351-2683, email sep@unco.edu or visit the website at www.unco.edu/sep
The Davidson Institute for Talent Development is offering prodigious young people across the country the opportunity to apply for a Davidson Fellows Award scholarship by the March 29, 2002 deadline. Those named Davidson Fellow Laureates will receive $50,000 scholarships and those named Davidson Fellows will receive $10,000 scholarships.
The Davidson Fellows Award program encourages, recognizes, and rewards the extraordinary achievements of young people. To be named a Fellow, students under the age of 18 must demonstrate significant achievement in one of five categories: science, technology, mathematics, humanities (music, literature and philosophy), or "out of the box" (a combination of 2 or more of the categories).
Each Davidson Fellow will be honored at a reception in Washington, DC, during September 2002. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents and be under the age of 18 as of October 1, 2002. There is no minimum age for eligibility. For more information on the Davidson Fellows Award, or to download a 2002 application, visit the Davidson Fellows section of <http://www.davidson-institute.org>.
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.
March 30: THE CHEMISTRY OF LIGHT, presented by Professor Kathy Rowlen, in Chemistry 140
April 27: HEAT, TEMPERATURE, AND ABSOLUTE ZERO, presented by Professor Paul Beale in Duane Physics G1B30
May 25: LASERS AND LIGHT, presented by Professors Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane in Duane Physics G1B20
June 15: BLACK HOLES (one show only), presented by Professor Andrew Hamilton at Fiske Planetarium
Our library collection is continuing to grow! A number of wonderful books have been donated to the library. A list of the honorees, books, and donors appears below. If you would like to honor someone with a book donation, please contact our Summit librarian, Cathy Woods. Her hours are Tuesday and Friday, 8:10-3:10, and Wednesday, 9:10-3:10. She can help you pick a book from the library's wish list, will provide a book plate for the book, and notify the honoree.
Mr. Striffler has two full-size German violins and two full-size Romanian violas for sale. These instruments are made by skilled craftspeople and have incredible tone and appearance. These instruments are offered first to parents (or prospective parents) of Summit's orchestra students at greatly reduced prices. Please contact Tony Striffler directly at (720) 422-6764 if you are interested.
Joan Jacus, at (303) 499-3013), and Diane Chicoine, at (303) 581-0754, have plenty of King Soopers grocery certificates available for those of you that are still eating. And for your shopping pleasure we now have Wild Oats certificates available. Do you shop at Albertson's? Pick up your Albertson's membership card at the Summit office. What an easy way to help support our kids.
The main branch of the Boulder Public Library, at 1000 Canyon, will offer a homework center beginning February 1. Students from CU will work as tutors in English, math, and science. There is no charge for this service. The hours of the center will be from 4 to 6 pm each day. If you are interested in attending, please call the library at (303) 441-3099.
We are seeking a new editor for the newsletter! It's a fun job if you like to write and edit. The majority of the work is editing articles that are submitted from staff and parents. You'll get assistance from our trusty crew -- how about it? This is your chance. Contact Tom White-O'Connor at tomwhiteoc@msn.com.
The next newsletter deadlines are March 4 and March 18. If you have an article to be included, please email it to the above email address.
Save a Tree -- E-Mail a Newsletter!
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>
Somebody will always break your records.
It is how you live that counts.
-- Earl Campbell (former football great)