November 5, 2002
Volume 14, No. 6
While listening to KNPR on Halloween morning on the way in to work, I heard the National Weather Service advising "people whose lips turn blue and who are shivering uncontrollably" to seek medical attention. I always appreciate receiving advice like this because, like many people, I tend to ignore such minor inconveniences as having my body temperature drop into the low 80's. I draw a large measure of comfort in knowing the government is looking out for my welfare in such matters as hypothermia.
Speaking of drawing comfort amidst cool temperatures, an otherwise chilly Halloween was warmed considerably by the exuberant spirit of students, teachers and staff at Summit. As a school that is rightfully known and respected for the excellence of its challenging and creative academic program, it was indeed comforting to see people "cutting loose" and just plain having a great time. While Summit does demand serious work, we also know how to throw a good party, and this day was a lot of fun for one and all.
The hallways and classrooms were roamed by plants, computer nerds, men of questionable character, hippies, vampires and vampire slayers, angels, devils, cooks (who had tasted too much of their own batter), gypsies, fairies, knights in shining armor, royalty of various sorts, cows, Hawaiian maidens, detectives, comic book and fairy tale characters, political and sports figures, scientists, monsters, wizards, civil war belles, houses, grapes, Goths and, (I will appropriately end with this), a STOP sign. There were many, many more students in wonderful costumes and I wish I had time to mention them all. Student Council sponsored a costume contest at lunch to acknowledge students with the most creative costumes -and believe me it was hard to choose from so many excellent ones!
Our faculty also let out the creative juices. To mention just a few: Mr. Zettas came as Prince Charming (and he wasn't even in costume! Just kidding -- he was!), and Madam Dornbush came as "an entrepreneurial woman of the old west" in an oversized black wig and red satin dress. Mrs. Koch was arrayed in looooonng blond tresses and a "born from the sea" dress as Aphrodite, goddess of love, or in her currently "with child" condition perhaps of fertility. Mrs. Bartley showed us the true 60's hippie/radical we all knew she was at heart. Mr. Leibowitz was particularly enticing as a pregnant fairy godmother. Ms. Kolanowski and Ms. Phelps made an appearance in their respective trademark black (evil stepsister of Cinderella) and Princess Leah (Star Wars Lives!) garb. Mrs. Kapsak was even seen dragging a number of the men down the hallway by their hair in her pre-history costume-and the men actually seemed to be enjoying it! (Incidentally, if anyone finds Mrs. Avallone's missing Cinderella glass slipper please get it back to her before midnight!).
On behalf of the Summit Board, I would like to issue a sincere "thank you" for the outstanding job each of you did with Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 9 and 10. Many parents commented on how well prepared each teacher was, and how smoothly the process went. Thank you very much!
Watch the mail for your 2002-2003 pledge packet for Tools for Learning, the primary fund-raiser of Supporters of Summit, Inc., our school's charitable support organization. Summit has both unmet needs and big plans this year, and we can't address them without your help. So plan to give generously before the end of the year to secure a 2002 tax deduction!
Scheduling: how to do it, when to do it, and when to change it were key topics at the October 28 Summit Board meeting. In the past Summit has contracted with a Summit founder to serve as a consultant to build student schedules based on student requests and placement recommendations. Mr. Finell is working with the BVSD IT department to see if the District's SASI scheduling software program can be used to build a schedule that works for Summit. The Board agreed to use SASI to build next year's schedule. To accommodate the scheduling timeline, we will be asking our students and families to make core and elective choices somewhat earlier than in the past. We hope that the new process will give teachers more time to plan for the courses that they teach and reduce the number of student schedule changes at the beginning of the new school year.
Our new modular classroom building should roll off the production line in early November! Watch for some site improvements in the next few weeks as a new access path is poured and new electrical service is brought in to support the portable. On other facilities notes, the Board is concerned about noise levels in the multi-purpose room, and has asked BVSD to respond with specifics on sound proofing measures.
The next Summit Board meeting will be held on Thursday, November 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Summit library. Community participation is always welcome. At the top of the agenda for each meeting is a time for parent and teacher input and comments. If it is not convenient for you to attend a meeting, you can always call or e-mail any of us on the Board (see newsletter masthead for email addresses). We like to hear from you!
Mark your
calendar for Saturday, November 30, to begin your holiday (or any other special
event) book shopping in earnest. Thanks to arrangements coordinated by PVC
co-chair Penny Hannegan, Summit will benefit from Borders Books' special
community support program, Borders Benefit Days.
Here's how it works:
This is a very easy way to directly benefit Summit! Be sure to remember to have a voucher with you when you shop, as vouchers CANNOT be handed out on November 30. Only the purchases made using the Borders 15% Benefit Day for Summit vouchers will qualify (make sure friends and families have vouchers, too). Volunteers will be on hand to gift wrap purchases. If you have questions, call Penny at 303-499-3684.
The Hager family would like to invite 6th grade parents to a get-together at their house on Wednesday, November 13, from 7 to 8 p.m. Please call Lauren or Charlie Hager at 303-444-6921 to RSVP. If you can attend, please bring an appetizer or dessert. The Hagers live at 620 Hawthorne Avenue in Boulder.
If you know parents and students interested in the Summit Middle School program, please let them know they are invited to tour the school with a Summit administrator on one of several dates over the next few months. Advance appointments are required and can be made by calling the Summit office at 303-499-9511.
Also, two Student/Parent Information Nights will be presented so that prospective students and their parents can gain a better understanding of the Summit philosophy and curriculum. Any students interested in open enrollment to Summit and their families are encouraged to attend. Dates for these tours and information sessions follow.
Summit will again participate in the Math Olympiad this year. Summit's math team meets Fridays for an hour, from 3:10 to 4:10 p.m. in room 11. The first meeting was November 1. Club leaders are Suzana Brown and Benyih Yamasaki. We will share cookies and juice as well as math.
Club members explore a topic or strategy in depth, using Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics or other sources, or they practice for the contests using non-routine problems from Mathematical Olympiads Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle Schools or other sources.
The highlights for students are the five monthly contests, given from November to March. No traveling is required. These contests provide an incentive for students to intensify their study of math. The dates for the contests are November 20, December 18, January 15, February 5, and March 5.
Important facts about the contests include:
After each contest, results are mailed to Math Olympiad's office for score keeping. Each team can have up to 35 students. Many schools have more than one team. Only schools or home school associations, not individuals, may participate. The team score is the sum of the 10 highest individual scores, taken after the fifth contest. Both team and individuals receive awards. If you want to know more about the program visit www.moems.org. Come and join us for a fun math and compete to earn a medal in this unique Olympic discipline.
Our library collection continues to grow! A number of wonderful books have been donated to the library. A list of recent honorees, books, and donors includes:
If you would like to honor someone with a book donation, please contact Summit librarian Cathy Woods. Her hours are Tuesday and Friday, 8:10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. and Wednesday from 9:10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. She can help you pick a book from the library's wish list, will provide a bookplate for the book, and then notify the honoree.
History students are enjoying using the globes and atlas sets, which were purchased for Summit from Tools for Learning. Many thanks to this fund and its contributors for providing us with these invaluable resources. World History also thanks Mr. Finell for coming to all our 6th grade history classes on October 16. He was our guest speaker on the rise of ethical monotheism in the ancient world and on Judaism, as part of our Unit II study. He brought fascinating materials and answered many good questions from students. He held up well and continued his day as our Principal following his 6th period guest lecture! Thank you, Mr. Finell.
If you have any Egyptian materials we could borrow for class between now and Thanksgiving, please bring them (labeled with your name and phone number) to Mrs. Kapsak's room. We will take good care of your materials, and return them to you. Thank you.
The yearbook staff will be taking its first round of orders for our 2003 Summit Yearbook on Thursday, November 21, and Friday, November 22, at noon and 3:10 p.m. in the multi-purpose room. We will only accept your check for $19 or cash. Get your order in now and save! The price will increase the later you order. Call Joan Jacus with your questions, at 303-499-3013.
Thank you to Student Council for the Halloween dance and haunted maze! After weeks of planning by the Student Council, there was an excellent attendance from Summit students. A special thanks to parent chaperones and to teachers, staff, and students who dressed up for Spirit Week!
Student Council is working with the Boulder Rotary Club to collect coats. Please bring any outgrown CLEAN coats to the collection box at the main entrance of the school. Coats will be donated to children across Boulder County who are in need. Coats can be of any size.
Summit is looking for a parent volunteer to work on creating this year's awards book, a scrapbook documenting the many outstanding accomplishments of Summit students. Each year, Summit students receive local, state, and national awards for academic and for extra-curricular achievements. The volunteer helps collect photos, newspaper articles, copies of certificates, and other items that illustrate our students' accomplishments. These items are then kept in a scrapbook that can be shared during school tours, back-to-school nights, student/parent information nights, and other occasions.
If you would like to help create this year's scrapbook, please call Kendra Bartley, Summit's counselor, at 303-499-9511.
Does anyone out there have a contact or connection with a local printer or copy vendor? The Summit office has blank paper previously donated that we would like to convert to notepads. Contact Jaime in the office at 303-499-9511 if you have questions or can help out.
"Bridges to the Future: American History and Values in Light of Sept. 11th," continues with presentations by:
A collaboration between CSU and DU, events in this series are free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.bridgestothefuture.us/ or call 303-871-2357.
The next two sessions of the CU-Boulder Wizards program, intended for fifth through ninth graders, include:
Free parking is available in lots 169, 308, 396, and 436.
Tutoring hours for students have been posted to the school web site at www.summitmiddleschool.org.
To see the current or back issues of Summit News, information about Summit, links to other charter schools, and related education information, refer to Summit's web site via: http://www.summitmiddleschool.org.
The next Summit News will be distributed the week of November 18. If you have news, notes, or announcements, forward them via email to pat.hyde[at]attbi.com by Thursday, November 14.
"To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain." -- Louis L'Amour