February 24, 2003
Volume 15, No. 4
Summit Middle School was nominated for the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Award, the most prestigious recognition the U.S. Department of Education annually bestows on schools in the United States. The U.S. Department of Education invited the Colorado Department of Education to submit five schools from the state to be considered for this award. It is with great pride and excitement that I have the pleasure of announcing that this year Summit was the only middle school in the state to have been nominated! I do not know if Summit will, ultimately, be chosen to actually receive this award. But even to have been nominated-and to be the only middle school in the entire state of Colorado to be so recognized-is quite an honor in itself.
This is basically a statement, on the part of the Colorado Department of Education, affirming that Summit is the highest performing middle school in Colorado. The Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Award seeks to honor schools in two different categories: most improved schools that "make significant progress in closing the achievement gap," and consistently high achieving schools "whose students achieve at very high levels." Summit was nominated in the category of consistently high achieving schools. The other four nominees are elementary schools. Of the four elementary schools submitted by the Colorado DOE for the award, three fall in the "most improved" category and one falls in the "consistently high achieving" group.
Schools that are nominated as "most improved" must have a student population consisting of at least 40 percent from disadvantaged backgrounds (as measured by the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches). In addition, these school must show dramatic student performance to high levels on state assessments or assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade.
Schools that are nominated as "consistently high achieving" must be in the top 10 percent of state test scores or in the top 10 percent in the state on assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade, regardless of the background of the students in the school. This measurement relates to CSAP scores in English and mathematics over a three-year period.
Public schools nominated must have an open enrollment process, have some configuration that includes grades K-12, and have been in existence for at least five years.
Now that Summit has been nominated, an invitation has been extended to us to apply for this award. We will submit the written application by April 2. Schools that are chosen to receive the award will be honored at a ceremony in Washington D.C. in the fall.
Again, just to have been nominated is a great honor. It is because of all of our efforts-and the efforts of those individuals who preceded us on the faculty, administration, board, and parent body- that Summit has received this prestigious recognition. We can all take great pride in this honor, as there is none higher given to schools in the United States. Congratulations to Summit!
Did you forget to order your 2003 yearbook? This is your last chance. Orders will not be accepted after February 28. You can pick-up an order form at the Summit office or call Joan at 303-499-3013. Remember, our 2002-2003 yearbook will be in full color. The cost is $23.
The 2002-2003 Tools for Learning campaign is a good news/bad news story at this point. The good news is we've raised $60,000 and had 44% of Summit's households contribute. The bad news is we've raised $60,000 and had 44% of Summit households contribute! Now is the time for the rest of our community to step up and do their part-please give what you can.
As I mentioned at last Tuesday's Summit community meeting, our funding model requires that we raise funds because we get less funding from the state and district, and we spend more on instruction to keep our core classes small-about 30% more. We can't continue to do this and still enjoy the success that Summit has had since its founding without your generous financial support through Tools for Learning. If we fall short of our goals, something will have to give, perhaps slowly at first: quality faculty, class size, appropriate technology for our young scholars, etc.
Since giving to TFL really isn't an "elective," to drive that point home we have assigned homework to our Summit families that have not yet contributed to the campaign (remember, we are shooting for 100% participation). The assignment is a five-paragraph essay, and there are four topics from which to choose:
1. How the dog ate my pledge packet;
2. Why I can pledge to buy $35 worth of girl scout cookies, but I can't give to Tools for Learning;
3. Why Summit's classes should be larger; and
4. The relative benefits of teaching Applied Technology and Computer Programming on Pentium 1 computers.
Essays should be type-written, double-spaced, and are due by the end of the campaign in May unless, of course, you decide to contribute! Seriously, another pledge packet will be mailed this coming week to those who have not yet contributed. Please act now to help us achieve our important goals for the campaign. This is the best educational investment you can make, bar none.
P.S. If your contribution crosses our next letter in the mail, thanks for doing your part.
Summit took first place in the 2003 Boulder Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition on February 21. The eight "mathletes" representing Summit were the winners of our in-school competition on February 11. Competing as individuals were Alison Ferris, Zoe Ingerson, Chris Metzler, and Paul Weaver. Members of Summit's official team were Marshall Carpenter, Thomas Davids, Ben Kuelthau, and Charlie Wilcox. These four will be competing both as individuals and as a team at the state competition at the University of Denver on March 8.
In addition to winning the local team competition, three students placed as individuals: Marshall Carpenter (1st), Thomas Davids (4th) and Charlie Wilcox (5th). Also, Paul Weaver qualified to compete individually at the state level.
The local competition was held at Seagate Technologies in Longmont and included nine schools from both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain school districts. A good time was had by all and the Huskies demonstrated beautiful sportsmanship. Way to go, and good luck at State!
The Summit science department is pleased to announce the results of this year's BVSD district level Science Fair judging. Twenty excellent projects represented Summit at the district level fair this year, held on February 6 at CU. Thanks to all the hard work of the students and the generous time and effort of all of our volunteers, we had a very successful day. All the students who participated benefited from their interaction with judges and time spent on CU campus watching exciting chemistry demonstrations and a sky show at the planetarium. In addition, the following is a list of the honors and awards won by our Summit students:
Annie Lewis and Gwyneth Glissman were awarded a certificate and conservation kit from the City of Boulder Water Quality and Environmental Services division for their projects related to water quality or conservation. Gwyneth Glissman also won an award from the Thorne Ecological Institute for the best environmental science project in the junior division. In addition, nine of our finalists were offered the opportunity to compete in the Discovery Young Scientists Challenge.
Annie Lewis, 3rd place Behavioral Science; Matthew Piskorz, tied for 1st place Chemistry; Bobby Niebauer, 2nd place Computer Science; Margot VanLoon, 3rd place Environmental Science; Gwyneth Glissman, 2nd place Environmental Science; Kayla Hayes, 3rd place Engineering; Martha Carol, 1st place Microbiology; Timothy Cowley, 2nd place Medicine and Health; Dominic Fuller-Rowell, tied for 2nd place Physics; Benjamin Kuelthau, 2nd place Zoology; and Lisa Han and Matthew Eckstein, tied for 1st place Zoology.
Our 20 Summit students were awarded more honors in categories than any other middle school (12 of 36 places!). We also have the largest number of finalists heading to the state fair from a middle school in BVSD as Summit students won four of the thirteen allotted places.
We are also pleased that Summit alumni Katherine Hermann, Robert Glissman, Tanya Goldhaber, and Eve Aguilar won honors in Senior Division categories as well as several other special awards. Katherine Hermann was selected for Best of Show and will head to the international competition.
Once again, the science department thanks all of the volunteers who made our students' success possible. We would also like to extend thanks and recognition to Glacier Ice Cream Company, which generously donated an ice cream gift certificate to each of our district finalists.
Summit's annual board election is upon us. Watch your mail for an election packet containing a ballot, cover note, and candidate statements. Four current or former Summit parents are running for the four open seats on the Summit Board of Directors. The candidates are Debbie Feyh and Tom Mahowald (incumbents), and Ashley O'Connor and Dave Schermerhorn (newcomers to the board, but both experienced Summit parents). They are running for two-year terms beginning June 1, 2003.
The Summit Middle School bylaws provide that families are allowed one ballot per student enrolled at Summit. You will find the same number of ballots in your election packet as you have students at Summit. Summit's faculty and staff members working at least half time and not also the parent of a current student each may vote one ballot, as well.
You may vote for any or all of the four candidates on the ballot this year. Ballots must be returned to Summit, either by mail or in person, by 3 p.m. on March 7 to be included in the ballot counting. A ballot box will be in the Summit office beginning February 26. Please be sure to vote!
On February 20, Boulder and Fairview High School counselors visited Summit and provided 8th grade students with course booklets and registration materials. On February 25, Summit core subject teachers will be meeting 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.
On March 6, Boulder High and Fairview counselors will return to Summit 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 hand-deliver them to the high school they plan to attend. Students who will be attending high schools other than Fairview or Boulder High will need to make an appointment with the high school counselor at the school they plan to attend to complete the registration process.
The high schools below will hold academic planning nights 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.
If you have any questions, call Summit guidance counselor Mrs. Bartley at 303-499-9511.
World History thanks Meredith Reisfield and her family for arranging for donations of two copies of D'Aulaires' Greek Myths. We also thank Taz Drake and his parents for igniting goat cheese in class for our Period 5 class. This authentic Greek demonstration was both delicious and interesting! Finally, many thanks to Stanley Chen's family for cooking for our Period 5 World History class as we tackled ancient China.
There will be two informational meetings for all students and their families who are interested in joining the Summit training team for the 2003 Bolder Boulder. The same information will be presented twice, at noon and at 3:15 p.m., in my classroom (Room 6) on February 25 at so that we can accommodate everyone's schedules.
The yellow Middle School Challenge registration forms from the Bolder Boulder office will be available at the informational meetings. This is the ONLY form you can use if you want to represent Summit, receive a goody bag, and a $5 discount! With this form, you can select whatever wave you can qualify to run in and/or do family team competitions
In addition I will explain the 12-week training program designed to help you reach your personal goal for this year's race. There are training programs for walkers, joggers, and/or runners. These programs can be accomplished by training with us after school or on your own. We have several wonderful volunteers to help us with training.
Support Summit! Be true to your school! DON'T REGISTER FOR THE BOLDER BOULDER ANYWHERE BUT THROUGH SUMMIT OR YOU WILL NOT REAP THE BENEFITS! Training begins on March 2. Let's ensure that Summit wins the participation award again this year, and let's make a run for the speed prize as well!
On March 4, all Summit foreign language classes will join together to celebrate Mardi Gras (Carnival and Carnaval). Activities will take place during each student's foreign language class. Follow-up news to come!
For more than 15 years, Betsy Puls has nourished her love of history and social studies as the organizer of the Boulder Valley National History Day competitions. This year, National History Day will take place on April 2 after school at Angevine Middle School, where Ms. Puls is now the TAG coordinator. We are hoping to support her efforts by supplying her with a number of on-site volunteers to assist with logistics. If you have the time, we have the task:
To volunteer and for more information call Carol Hermann at 303-492-1448 (day) or email carol.hermann[at]colorado.edu.
Don't forget, the next Summit music concert will be on March 6 at 7 p.m. at Boulder High School. Three groups will perform-our Select Strings, Silver Rain, and Jazz Band 3. The program will last about an hour. We will still have some between-the-scenes surprises and a lot less sitting time! Students should arrive by 6 p.m. for tuning and warm-up.
Al Capps' famous cartoon characters from Dogpatch, USA will come alive on the stage for this year's spring musical, which will be accompanied by a live orchestra! Performances will take place on April 25 and April 26 at Platt Middle School, the same location as our December concert. We will need lots of parent help and supervision for this show. Contact Mr. Ackerson at 303-499-9511 if you have any questions or can help out.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test will be administered on the morning of February 28 to approximately 60 Summit 8th graders who have been randomly selected. Students who were selected will have already received a certificate of appreciation with a reminder of the date, time, and testing place. As indicated in a letter sent to all families of 8th graders in December, the NAEP will take less than 90 minutes, including orientation, survey questions, and the actual test sections. Students taking the test should not worry about missing class instruction as the majority of 8th graders will be participating and teachers will adjust the curriculum accordingly. Although scores are not reported to individual students or schools, this test provides important data about student achievement in Colorado to the rest of the nation.
CSAP testing at Summit will begin on March 11 and end March 18. Test topics and times follow:
CSAP make-ups for grades 6 and 7 are scheduled for March 14 and March 19. Eighth grade make-ups will take place on March 19 and March 20. Although it is not possible (for security reasons) to give a CSAP test early, it is possible to schedule make-ups any time after the test was given. If your child misses a test and you have vacation plans that preclude using the above make-up days, please contact Ms. Avallone as soon as your child misses a test, in order to schedule an early make-up. If your child will be attending school on the regular make-up days, Summit will take care of the make-up arrangements for your child and no phone call is needed.
We recognize that CSAP testing is a challenge, and teachers take care to reduce student workloads during the testing season. In addition, here are some tips for "CSAP survival" you can apply at home:
Finally, talk to your child about the CSAP tests and why students take them. Let them know that CSAP is for more than just assigning a report card grade to a school; it provides Summit teachers with useful information about student achievement so that we can continuously refine our curriculum and instruction to serve students better year after year.
BVSD will hold several more community meetings in the coming weeks to review efficiency of use of the district's facilities, to review possible consolidation and reconfiguration scenarios, and to answer community questions regarding these matters.
As those of you at the Summit community meeting heard John Jacus say, Summit is staying on the sidelines for this discussion, instead working closely with district officials on specific Summit's facility needs.
Contact Coach Adams if you have any questions, 303-499-9511.
The inside covers of the Summit student planners are available for appropriate advertising to our Summit Community. For more information, please contact Jaime Simpson in the office at 303-499-9511.
The final four CU Wizards program of the year include:
Free parking is available in lots 169, 308, 396, and 436. Shows begin at 9:30 a.m.
BVSD Lifelong Learning will offer two adult classes that begin in April that might be of interest:
For more information, including class times and fees, call Lifelong Learning directly at 303-499-1125, x222.
Tutoring hours for students are posted on 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.
If you are changing your email address or would like to add an email account to the Summit News distribution list, please send an email to tmahowald[at]qwest.net.
The next Summit News will be distributed in two weeks. If you have news, notes, or announcements, forward them via email to pat.hyde[at]attbi.com.