April 1, 2003
Volume 15, No. 6
A neighbor has complained to the Boulder Police Department that some Summit parents are not coming to a complete stop at the four-way stop sign near the entrance to the school (at Hanover and 46th streets). An officer from the police department paid me a visit to let me know a patrol car would be stationed at that intersection more often to ticket people who do not stop. Please always make the safety of our kids and of our neighbors a priority when driving to and from Summit. Thank you.
As war with Iraq continues, children's experiences will be significantly influenced by the reactions of the adults in their lives, including their parents and teachers. At Summit we will work to maintain a calm and reassuring atmosphere, and to follow normal routines as much as possible. Parents can help by doing the same at home, and by honestly and openly answering their children's questions. Family discussions can help children sort out what they see and hear in news reports, and let them know that it is okay to talk about these issues with you. To avoid secondary trauma, it may be wise to limit media exposure, which often sensationalizes the most horrific aspects of military action.
Students whose families or close friends are affected by the deployment of a loved one will experience a range of emotions and fears. These students may especially benefit from a listening ear, extra hugs and attention, and opportunities to express their fears and concerns. They are likely to need reassurance regarding their own personal safety, as well as honest answers about their fears for the safety of others.
If you feel at any time that your child's experience of anxiety or trauma is affecting his or her school performance, please feel free to call me at Summit at 303-499-9511. With extra support, both at school and at home, we can help our children learn to cope with difficulties, and gain confidence in their ability to deal with the ongoing challenges that life presents.
The Tools for Learning campaign marches on, now at the $70,000 mark with 55% of Summit households contributing so far. We're over three-quarters of the way to our funding goal of $90,000, but just over half our households have contributed, so now is the time to add your name to the growing list of contributors by giving what you can. Remember that we also have a 100% participation goal for our current Summit families, so every little bit helps! Some of the funds raised so far have been allocated for computer upgrades in the Summit Library and among certain staff and faculty, but we need more help to address Summit's many needs. Please see the related article below highlighting more recent donors we'd like to thank for their contributions.
Mark your calendars: Summit students will be performing Li'l Abner at Platt Middle School Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets for Li'l Abner will go on sale Wednesday, April 23, and Thursday, April 24, at 8 a.m. and noon at Summit. Tickets are $5. Cash and checks only.
Summit's technology teacher, Mrs. Walters, is going to New York this week as her mother is having surgery. Depending on how things go, Mrs. Walters will be out at least three weeks and potentially through the end of the school year. This will only affect one technology elective that meets every other day this semester. We wish Mrs. Walters and her mother well and hope that the surgery goes smoothly.
Replacing Mrs. Walters on a long-term substitute basis is Mr. Richard Marx. Mr. Marx is a certified teacher with an exceptionally strong background in technology. He is co-owner of a computer business ("Bits, Bytes, & Bots LLC") which focuses on computer education for after school and summer programs. He has taught the Lego Mindstorm program (which constitutes the curriculum in technology for the remainder of the school year) as part of his computer education business.
All Summit students, faculty, and staff are welcome (and encouraged!) to come together for an evening of swimming, rock climbing, basketball, volleyball, dancing, companionship, and camaraderie on May 10 from 8 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, located at 5660 Sioux Drive in Boulder.
Parents, please consider being a chaperone. You can volunteer for all or part of the evening. It's a fun evening, a chance to meet Summit parents, and enjoy great hors d'oevres prepared exclusively for parent, teacher, and staff enjoyment. For more information or to volunteer, please call or email Kathy Foster at 303-499-9830 or kathy[at]highbluff.com.
I am looking for a parent volunteer with a sewing machine! The sculpture class may be working on quilt squares. I would like assistance assembling the squares and sewing them together. Please give me a call at 303-499-9511 if you can lend a helping hand.
World History moves on to study the birth of Islam and the rise of the Byzantine Empire immediately following Spring break. If any Summit families have books, art or artifacts, please consider loaning them to our 6th graders to enhance our study. What a fascinating time to be studying this unit! We appreciate the generosity of our community in loaning us extra materials as we sail the ancient world.
Thank you to our inordinately effective staff for all that they do day in and day out, and to all who helped to honor them the week of March 3. More than 100 students signed cards or wrote notes to express thanks to the staff. We even managed to keep the note-gathering effort a secret, from some of the staff at least! Cards and notes were given to each staff member on March 7. (All notes that reached the Staff Appreciation box by the 7th were distributed to staff.)
Meanwhile, the parent volunteers who wanted to help appreciate our 39-member staff outnumbered the staff!
Friday was also thank you card day. Thanks to Student Council members and several others for circulating the cards and to Sally Barrett-Page and Shelly Hendrick for collaborating on card ideas. Every day has been tea day, thanks to Celestial Seasonings and our tea solicitor, Cathy Reisfield.
Certificates have been issued to some staff members for specific volunteer help over the next couple of months. Those who have promised to volunteer are: Wayne Belding, Christine Blake, Nancy Bullock, Dianne Cardinal, Diana Falloon, Sandi Foote, Karen Forman, Yvonne Garvin, Lisa Halperin, Ron Harmon, Leslie Hirshberg, Clarissa King, Tom Mahowald, Linda Parkhill, Lydia Pottoff, Sandy Richard, Dana Van Loon, Alison Vigers, Barbara Weidlein, Tom White-O'Connor, and the workroom volunteers (Risa Heywood, Laurel Hickman, Margaret Sparks, and Karima Thobani). Staff members: please contact your volunteer soon to arrange a date and time to get your promised help.
As many of you know, Summit's MATHCOUNTS team beat 23 schools to become Colorado state champions on March 8 at the University of Denver, and Summit student Marshall Carpenter beat 171 students to become the individual MATHCOUNTS state champion. This victory is all the more spectacular, as the team is comprised of 6th and 7th grade first-time participants in a predominantly 8th grade field.
Marshall Carpenter, Thomas Davids, Ben Kuelthau, and Charlie Wilcox made up the winning team, and Paul Weaver competed admirably as an individual. Ben was one of only 10 6th graders in the competition.
The students spent the morning solving three sets of math problems: two rounds as individuals and one as a team. During lunch, scores were tallied and the top 10 individuals were announced for the final Countdown Round, where students competed one-on-one, Jeopardy-style, in front of hundreds of spectators. Beginning with the ninth and tenth place competitors, the winner of the best of three math problems goes on to face the next challenger, with the 1st place competitor challenging last.
The Summit team, their families, and Coach Frohbieter were thrilled to hear both Charlie Wilcox and Marshall Carpenter announced for this exciting round of competition. Charlie was in 10th place after the written rounds and beat his first opponent to finish ninth as an individual. As the suspense mounted, Marshall was announced as the second place competitor. He beat the opponent he challenged, and went on to defeat the student who had been in first place to become state champion.
A wonderful day for Summit's "mathletes" was complete when the team's first-place finish was announced in the awards ceremony, in which team members received trophies and Charlie and Marshall were each loaded down with a second trophy for their individual victories. Coach Frohbieter received a plaque for both the team and individual victories and a trophy for the school. Check it out in the display case!
The math fun continues for Marshall and Coach, who will both head to Chicago for the National MATHCOUNTS competition on May 9. Marshall and the second, third, and fourth place individuals (from the Denver Metro area) form the Colorado Team, coached by Mrs. Frohbieter, who won the honor as coach of the winning team at State. In an all-expense paid weekend, they will enjoy competition, sightseeing, and banquets with top middle-school math students and their coaches from all 50 states and several territories. Congratulations to all and good luck to Coach Frohbieter and Marshall.
Summit 8th grader Tammy Lee will have one of her short stories published in the anthology Simple Pleasures of Friendship, due out in Fall 2003. Congratulations, Tammy.
For students looking for fun activities this summer, I will be hosting semi-private art camps this summer. There will be two two-week sessions. The first will begin on July 7 and the second on July 21. The first will focus on drawing and painting while the second will emphasize sculpture and puppetry! The group size is limited to eight, so please respond quickly if you are interested. Sign-up deadline is May 16. Please call me or write me an email at talya_dornbush[at]yahoo.com. Thank you!
Less than two months are left before the running of the Bolder Boulder. Both Summit student registration forms and parent and friend registration forms for the Bolder Boulder are available in Mrs. Blakemore's room or in the front office. All forms for Summit students must be turned in to Mrs. Blakemore. Summit students are training on Mondays and Thursdays after school at 3:20 p.m. Students are welcome any day.
Contact Coach Adams if you have any questions, 303-499-9511.
Continuing from the last issue of Summit News, we are listing donors to the Tools for Learning campaign to thank them and recognize their support, unless they have requested anonymity. The following Summit parents and alumni parents (marked with an asterisk*) made donations in January and February of 2003, unless otherwise noted:
More recent donors (March 1 to present) and future donors will be listed in future issues of Summit News, and all donors will be listed in the Supporters of Summit Annual Report on Giving, to be distributed to all Summit families by the end of the school year. Many thanks to all that have donated so far. If you have questions about the campaign, please feel free to contact John Jacus during business hours at 303-892-7305. And remember, those five-paragraph essays are due in May!
The last CU Wizards programs of this school year include:
Free parking is available in lots 169, 308, 396, and 436. Shows begin at 9:30 a.m.
The Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools is sponsoring a presentation by Author Michael Bradley, called "Navigating the Mine Fields of Adolescence," on two evenings in April. The presentation, to be held at Boulder High School on April 29 at 7 p.m. and repeated again at Platt Middle School on April 30 at 7 p.m., is free. Mr. Bradley will discuss parenting strategies and problem solving techniques for teens among other issues. For more information call the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools at 303-447-5132.
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. Also, watch your mailbox for a postcard notice about requesting mail delivery of Summit News for those who find email distribution unworkable.
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.
Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Spring break.