March 11, 2002
Volume 13, No. 5
Oh, nuts, I do not understand this question at all. If train A leaves New York at 2:00 and train B leaves Los Angeles at 4:00, what is the name of the conductor in train C? Oh, wonderful I just broke my lucky number two pencil and I have 15 more questions to go, and four minutes in which to do them!
Welcome to the world of standardized testing. While the purpose of standardized tests like the CSAP may not always seem clear, there are in fact important reasons why these tests are given, and why all students should take them and strive to do their best on them. Summit will be administering the CSAP over the next two weeks and I wanted to take a moment to explain why this test is given.
In short, while no one enjoys the amount of time we must devote to these tests, they do serve many valuable purposes. If there are families that have concerns about standardized testing, in general, or about the CSAP in particular, the proper avenue for expressing these concerns would be through contacting your elected officials. I encourage all of our students to strive to do their best during this testing period. If you have any questions please call me at Summit at 303-499-9511.
Several hours of testing are required in the lineup for 2002 testing. 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.
| Tues 3/12 | Writing | 6,7,8 | 9:00-11:00 |
| Wed 3/13 | Reading | 6,7,8 | 10:45-11:45 |
| Writing | 12:30 - 1:30 | ||
| Thurs 3/14 | Math | 6,7,8 | 9:40-11:45 |
| Mon 3/18 | Math | 6,7 | 8:15 - 9:15 |
| Math/Science | 8 | 8:15 -10:20 | |
| Tues 3/19 | Science | 8 | 12:30 - 2:35 |
The high school registration and course placement recommendation process at Summit concluded on March 5 when counselors from Fairview High and Boulder High visited Summit to collect completed registration forms. If they haven't already done so, students planning to attend high schools other than Fairview or Boulder High should make an appointment with the high school counselor at the school they plan to attend to complete the registration process.
The high school academic planning nights that have not yet been held are listed below. 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.
Monarch High School 8th Grade Transition Night - Monday, March 11 at 7 pm
Peak-to-Peak Charter School High School Transition Night - Tuesday, March 12 at 7 pm
If you have any questions regarding high school registration, please feel free to call Kendra Bartley, the Summit counselor, at 303-499-9511.
The ballot count is in and Summit has three new Board members! Welcome on Board to these parents who have been elected to two-year terms that officially begin on June 1, 2002: Paul Atcheson, Barb Kostanick, Betsy Phelan.
They join continuing elected Board members Debbie Feyh, Barbry Hogue, John Jacus, and Tom Mahowald to form a board committed to realizing Summit's mission. Special thanks to Betsy Phelan for running for a second consecutive term.
We greatly appreciate all of the candidates who stepped forward to run for the Board this year. Thank you to Alan Fine, Risa Heywood, and Rainer Kunz for their interest in Summit's governance process, and we look forward to having them continue their involvement as dedicated parent volunteers.
A regular board meeting was held on Wednesday, March 6. David Finell, principal, mentioned that some students may be planning to boycott taking the CSAP tests. He will write a letter to parents explaining the important reasons for all students to take the tests. The math department is considering gender equity issues that affect math classes. The Board discussed the principal's proposal for modifications in the current procedures for teacher classroom observations as part of the Board's evaluation process. Summit students did exceptionally well at the recent BVSD Regional Science Fair (see article in this newsletter). The Board heard the reasoning behind the switch to an "honor roll" that includes students who earn a 3.5 or better GPA in their core classes. A comprehensive program to increase student and staff awareness of bullying situations and appropriate behavior choices will be implemented beginning this spring, under the guidance of the counselor's office.
Board review of staff evaluations will begin at the March 12 meeting and will continue into early April. Summit has received an invitation for a few teachers to participate in a literacy skills workshop at Boulder High in April. Summit will participate in the May 1 Colorado Rockies baseball game to mark National Charter Schools Week. A couple of students will be in the color guard and Silver Rain has submitted an audition tape to have students sing the national anthem. The Board approved a speaker for 8th grade graduation.
Recognizing the importance of outside sources of funding to support Summit's program, the Board approved formation of an grant writing committee as a new Board committee. A number of parents have prior experience writing grants and have offered their expertise to help Summit with this activity. There is also an experienced grant writer from the community at large who has expressed interest in helping Summit.
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 12, April 1 and April 15. Meetings are held in Summit's library and begin at 6:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
Summit will be offering a peer support group to discuss issues related to family change and divorce. This group will provide an opportunity for participants to develop self-awareness and problem-solving skills. In addition, students will focus on identifying personal strengths and ways to experience their life situations positively and constructively. Kendra Bartley, Summit counselor, will lead the group.
Meetings will be once a week for 7 consecutive weeks. Sessions will be held on Fridays during a different period each week, to minimize lost class time. The group will begin as soon as enough students have signed up to allow for a meaningful group experience. We believe that students who become involved in these groups can learn valuable skills and benefit from the shared experience of working on issues along with their peers.
If you have any questions, or if you would like for your child to participate, please call Kendra Bartley at 499-9511.
Parents are urged to make every possible effort to schedule travel plans during times when school is not in session. When students miss several days (or more) of school, the loss of instructional time often has a negative impact on educational progress, and may affect grades even though homework and some assignments can be made up.
If you find that you must remove your child from school, we ask that you write a note to the Summit staff describing your plans and the dates of your trip. This note should be handed in to the office, where it will be copied and distributed to all of your child's teachers. Also, have your student pick up an "Assignments to Complete When You Return" form from the office. Make sure your student takes this form around to all of his/her teachers and gets it filled out before leaving. There is a place on the form for parents to initial to show that they are aware of what their child will need to accomplish. When your child returns, make sure all of the assignments listed are completed, along with any additional make-up work that needs to be done.
We have lots of great news to report about the Summit Science Fair, the Boulder Valley Science Fair, and the Regional Science Fair. Summit students were extremely successful in this year's events!
Congratulations to the Summit finalists who represented Summit at the Boulder Valley Science Fair on February 28. The Summit finalists were Jon Baer, Laura D'Ippolito, Anna Fine, Elizabeth Fleagle, Sam Galler, Robert Glissman, Elizabeth Halpern, Taylor Hannegan, Anna Hermann, Sabine Kunz, Jerry McIntyre, Kelsey Pinson, Trevor Ranney, Kate Schimel, Anna Sergeeva, Daniel Weidlein, Emily Woods, and Anna Zelinskaia.
Students were chosen by the judges based on overall score, scientific merit, potential to improve the project, and student enthusiasm. Ribbons for first and second place were awarded by score and balloons were awarded to only the semi-finalists who participated in the second round of the Summit Fair on February 11.
On March 2, the Boulder Valley School District held its Regional Science Fair awards assembly on the CU campus. This year's fair was the largest ever with over 283 projects from the BVSD, Gilpin County, and private schools in the area. The awards assembly felt like the Academy Awards, and Summit students received more awards than any other school.
Summit students placed first, second or third in eight of the 15 categories and represented over 50% (6 of 11) of the District's junior division state qualifiers for the 2002 Intel State Science Fair, to be held April 11-13 in Fort Collins.
In addition, eighteen other prizes from the Intel International Awards and locally sponsored awards were given to Summit Middle School students. We also congratulate Katherine Hermann, formerly a Summit science student, for not only taking first place in the Environmental Sciences category and being a senior state qualifier, but also representing the BVSD at the International Fair in 2002. Congratulations Katherine!
Here is our list of "Academy Awards"!
Boulder Valley Credit Union
CU Engineering Award
Lockheed-Martin Award
Seagate Technology
Thorne Ecological
Congratulations to all the participants of the Summit Science Fair and the Boulder Valley Regional Science Fair. Good luck to all of you participating in the State Fair in April.
Once again Dr. Burkhart and Summit music students enhanced our music enjoyment with an evening of two hours of great music on March 7 at Fairview.
We extend a huge thank you to the parents that helped make this evening possible: Mary Kay and Greg Wilson, Sharon Sikora, Frank Franz, Laurie and Ernie Eason, Sally Benjamin, Arleen Miller, Regula Steffen, Lynn Jacobs, Shelly Hendrick, Zhi Zhu, Nina Khosravi, Carol Baum, Kathy Hutman, Irene Reese, Laura Rubi, Barb Miner, and Cathy and Scott Reisfield.
Special thanks to our wonderful stage crew Tatyana Kostyashkina, Diane Chicoine, and Dorinda Cudney, who will make professionals out of us yet. Thanks also to Andrea Parkhill, Nathan Parkhill, and Eryn Burkhart, all Summit alumni and current students at Fairview, for keeping the lights and microphones working all night.
And a special thank you to Barbara Weidlein for stepping forward and volunteering to be my "right -hand woman." Long before the concert plans were finalized she was "instrumental" in gathering the volunteers needed and keeping Summit families informed of concert needs. And thanks to Jim Weidlein and John Jacus for filling in the blanks. Good job to you all!
Rehearsals for Summit's spring musical are in full swing. Parents should have received the rehearsal schedule for March. A schedule for weekend rehearsals will be coming home soon. Be sure to mark rehearsal dates on your calendar. If you missed the parent volunteer meeting on Wednesday, March 13, it's not too late to sign up to help with this production. Please call Joan Jacus at 303-499-3013 to let her know how you would like to help.
Thanks to therapist Barbara Wickham and police officer Bobby Garcia who spoke to our Criminal Justice elective class at Summit recently. Ms. Wickham has worked with convicted and incarcerated felony youth in Colorado, and Officer Bobby has worked with gang youth for many years. We appreciate the time and talent these speakers bring to our students.
The journalism class is looking for volunteers to help with upcoming issues of the student newspaper. Anyone interested in helping students edit documents or work on design and layout may contact Ms. Kolanowski.
Don't forget, art gallery visits are due on March 20. See below for a listing of local galleries with descriptions of current shows, hours of operation and contact information to help you locate a gallery that you would like to visit.
Also, the art department is looking for egg cartons, cardstock, meat trays, fabric scraps, beads, etc. for student mask projects. Thanks for your donations!
Denver Art Museum www.denverartmuseum.org
Arvada Center www.arvadacenter.org
Singer Gallery at the Jewish Community Center www.mizelarts.org
Foothills Art Center www.foothillsartcenter.org
Boulder Public Library
The Dairy Center for the Arts Boulder, Canyon and 28th
CU Boulder Visiting Artist Series (in the Fine Arts auditorium @ 7pm)
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art 13th and Walnut www.bmoca.org
Museo de las Americas www.museo.org
Please continue to pull up at the curb next to the fence by the playground to drop off students. Pull forward as far as possible or continue around the corner. The sidewalk edge is marked in yellow. Thank you for following these guidelines to keep our students safe in the Summit parking lot.
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 times, 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
Programming, lunch Monday and Wednesday, Room 4
Sam Galler, a Summit 6th grader, won the 2002 Regional Spelling Bee held at Boulder High School on Saturday, March 9, by correctly spelling "danseur" and "odyssey." The local contest is sponsored by the Daily Camera. This local win qualifies Sam to participate in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. at the end of May. Congratulations to Sam on this remarkable achievement, and we wish him g-o-o-d l-u-c-k at the National Spelling Bee.
We apologize for errors in the listing of honor roll students in the last issue. We incorrectly listed Tracy Woods instead of Tracy Wilson and somehow we omitted Jonah Miller from the list. Congratulations to Tracy and Jonah, both of whom are 8th graders, for their excellent work.
You may be seeing this question with some frequency on T-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers as Summit students, faculty and families show their support for a campaign to raise public and BVSD awareness about our need for a suitable gymnasium at Summit.
The campaign began at the recent BVSD middle school wrestling tournament, where our incredibly deep wrestling team showed that "Summit's Got Game!," walking away with five individual district champions among our awesome team of over thirty wrestlers. Go, Huskies! And how about those 7th grade girls at last Friday's District volleyball tournament? Way to go!
Stay tuned to the newsletter and school announcements for information on "Got Gym?" paraphernalia, and help us continue to raise this question to the community at large. Also, we need a name for our little "Got Gym?" husky, featured on buttons and pins worn by Summit Huskies faithful at recent sporting events. Leave your name suggestions for "________, the traveling Husky," in the ballot box at the Summit office.
Thanks! -- John Jacus
This year's Summit wear sale was a huge success. Thanks to all who ordered clothing and/or water bottles. The Summit shirts and sweatshirts look fabulous on our kids.
Water bottles and a limited number of denim shirts are still available. Water bottles are $3 each and denim shirts are $25 each. Call Beth McClellan at 303-938-9338 with orders and questions.
Water bottles will also be available for sale on Fridays during the lunch hour. BRING YOUR $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Several parents of 6th and 7th graders are needed to help at this year's graduation ceremony so the 8th grade parents can enjoy the special day with their graduating students and families.
Parents are needed to supervise students before and during the event, and to help with refreshments that will be served after the ceremony. To volunteer for either job, please call Margaret Sparks at 303-604-2441.
A very big thank you to Carol Hermann and Pete Simpson for the amazing job they did coordinating this year's science fair.
We would also like to thank hospitality co-chairs Marlene Long and Loretta Melhado for their work in setting up lunch and dinner for our hardworking teachers during conferences. The teachers were treated to gourmet cooking for Thursday dinner and Friday lunch by the following parents: Gloria August, Carol Baum, Debbie Bridwell, Angie Dorsey, Elizabeth Evans, Debby Hanssen, Susan Karpatkin, Linda Levy, Marlene Long, Jan Markham, Denise McIntyre, Loretta Melhado, Julie Oatman, Roxy Walker and Tina Weinstein.
Eric Eason, a Summit 6th grader, placed second in the nation in the elementary category (grades 1 - 6) at the recent music competition of the Music Teachers' National Association (MTNA). His composition, "Garden of Dreams," is written for brass and woodwind instruments plus percussion, with ten parts in all. Eric plays piano and studies with Tanya Gille and Dr. John Drumheller, both of the University of Colorado music faculty.
Anna Lindemann, a 10th grade student at Boulder High School and a distinguished Summit alumna, placed third in the nation in the high school category. Her complete ballet of the Greek myth Persephone will be performed by the Peak Arts Academy Ballet on June 7, 8,and 9 at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. Tickets will be available at the door.
Prior to the national competition, both Anna and Eric won first place in their age categories at the MTNA Colorado state competition last fall and first place at the MTNA west central division competition this winter, where they competed with the winners from seven other states. They were also both first place winners in the 2001 Pikes Peak Young Composers Competition, a competition held each spring in Colorado Springs. Congratulations to Eric and Anna!
How many volunteers does it take to help celebrate Staff Appreciation Week? The answer is "many!," because so many people want to be able to show their gratitude for Summit's illustrious staff.
Our theme this year was "warm and cozy, with a different twist." There was something different going on each day of the week. Thanks to my fellow coordinators and all of the volunteers on their teams for helping to make the staff feel cherished.
Bagels, toasters & treats
Brownies, cookies & shirts
Homemade breads
Homemade lunch and haiku
Thanks to Jaime Simpson and Joan Jacus for providing staff coverage so everyone could attend the luncheon. Special thanks to Cathy Woods for graciously letting us transform the library into a one day café, and Debbie Mercer for making repairs and helping us avoid blowing any fuses!
Want to be a coordinator for next year's Staff Appreciation Week? It's a kick! Call Miriam Sproul at 303- 543-9298.
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 yearbook.
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.
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.
A charter school in Denver has arranged for charter schools from throughout Colorado to be honored at the Colorado Rockies game on Wednesday, May 1, to celebrate National Charter Schools Week. We plan to have Summit students participate in the color guard at the beginning of the baseball game. We also have submitted an audition tape for Silver Rain to sing the national anthem, and we hope that Summit might be vocally represented as well.
Tickets for the game are $12 each. Please identify your ticket order as coming from a Summit family. Make checks payable to and order tickets directly from: Academy of Charter Schools; 601 East 64th Avenue; Denver, CO 80229; Attn: Bob Hughes.
Come show your support for Summit and other Colorado charter schools while enjoying the baseball game!
What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand?
Quatro sinko.
What do you call Santa's helpers?
Subordinate Clauses.
What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long?
Polaroids
If you hear about something funny or heartwarming that happened at Summit, send it along to: <tomwhiteoc@msn.com>.
Don't miss this Math, Science and Technology Conference for middle school girls, their parents, teachers, and counselors. It's on March 16 from 10 am to 2:15 pm at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Lab at the CU Engineering Center. You will participate in hands-on, interactive workshops led by women whose careers involve math, science or technology. University students will be on hand to guide you to the workshops and answer questions about college.
This is a great program and it even includes a box lunch and a T-shirt. There will also be workshops for adults on topics ranging from understanding adolescent girls (imagine that!) to planning for college. Moms and dads are welcome to attend. The registration deadline was March 9, but if you contact Mary Hassler at maryh2@ix.netcom.com maybe you can plead your case for late registration!
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 the county's 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 - 10 in 2002-2003. The 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
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, offers an after school homework center. 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 deadline is March 18. If you have an article to be included, please e-mail it to Tom White-O'Connor at the above e-mail address.
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, various information about Summit, 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
One man's ceiling
is another man's floor …