April 14, 2003
Volume 15, No. 7
Report cards will be distributed to students on April 18. Due to widespread illnesses and excessive student absences in late March, coupled with snow days and CSAP testing, an unusually large number of students were unable to complete their make-up work for third quarter before the original quarter-end date. To allow more students to get their make-up work done and handed in, report cards will be distributed a week later than usual.
Please note the last day of school and graduation for 8th graders will be on June 6, not June 5 as reported last issue. Mark your calendars.
RTD teen bus passes for May will be on sale on April 28 through April 30 after school in the entrance hall or multipurpose room, for $10 each . Payment will be accepted in cash or by check made out to "BVSD."
We are all familiar with the phrase" it takes a village to raise a child." There is a lot of truth in that. For the past few months many of our children have been working really hard to put together a musical production of which our whole community can be proud. As with anything worth doing, on such a scale (we have 90 kids participating) there have been disagreements, tears, and frustrations. Imagine practicing for a soccer game in your living room. Well, that's what we have asked our kid to do.
Thanks to our many teachers who have shared their space with us. On April 25 and April 26 we will be ready to share with you the fruits of our labor. I hope our Summit community can join us. It will be an event you will not want to miss. Many hours have been spent behind the scenes planning and designing to pull this all together. Life in today's society keeps us all very busy, but some extraordinary parents still made time to support our kids, and their teacher/directors. We need to applaud these parents. Standing ovations to: Sally Scott, set designer (not only designed but built our sets); Barb Silk, costume coordinator (we have over 100 costumes this year); Dana Van Loon, choreography and voice support (she has been at EVERY rehearsal with our kids ...WOW). To these and others who have supported us, your patience and commitment enriches the lives of all you touch. Thank you.
All parents of students in Li'l Abner are needed to help make the students and the show a success. Several parents have already come forward to help in a variety of ways; a big thank you to all of you! If you have not yet signed up to assist and do have a student in the show, we still need snacks dinner food during rehearsals and on both show nights. We also really need parents to supervise students when they are not on stage, at rehearsals, and during the shows (don't worry, you don't have to work both shows!). Please contact Barbra Weidlein immediately at jrw[at]indra.com or 303-581-0432. If you can't do either, a monetary contribution towards food will be much appreciated.
Li'l Abner will be performed at Platt Middle School April 25 and April 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale April 23 and April 24 at 8 a.m. and noon at Summit for $5 each. Please purchase by cash or check only.
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 perfect opportunity to meet other Summit parents, and enjoy great hors d'oeuvres 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.
The spring work for Summit's Board largely centers around the combined issues of budget development for next year and review of the administrative staff and faculty in preparation for extending employment contracts for next year (see related hiring committee article below).
As you know if you've seen recent newspaper headlines, public school funding situation in Colorado is still uncertain for next year. While the per pupil allocations from the State won't be finalized until the legislature passes the "long bill' in early May, we're working with detailed estimates that are probably quite accurate. We've been very fortunate this year to have lots of help from Nina Lopez, the Colorado League of Charter Schools legislative liaison -- she keeps us very well informed about the status of the legislation that potentially could affect charter schools and charter school funding. On the expense side, we are waiting for confirmation of BVSD central service costs, which we're required to pay as a condition of our charter. These costs, which among other items include special education, ESL, administration, utilities, and building maintenance, account for about one-third of our per pupil revenues being paid back to BVSD. As a result, even a small percentage increase in central service costs has a big impact on our budget.
Spring is also the time when Board members meet with all four administrators and a number of teachers to gather input and feedback for the Board's administrator review process. The teachers selected span the departments and have a range of experience levels both as teachers and with Summit. Teachers interviewed last year are not on this year's interview schedule so that we continue to get fresh input and feedback. We also review the statistical and comment data from the student, parent, and staff surveys to identify trends, issues, and areas that need additional work and/or attention from the Board and administrators. We very much appreciate all the time everyone contributes to these efforts.
We always welcome comments and feedback from parents, students, and staff. Please call or email any of the Board members, or join us at any of our regular meetings. Our next meeting will be on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Summit library. Time is always reserved at the start of each meeting for parent and teacher concerns.
How would YOU like to help select your child's teachers? At Summit, you can do just that by volunteering on the Hiring Committee! This committee, which includes parents and staff, reviews résumés and applications from candidates, observes teaching demonstrations, conducts candidate interviews and reference checks, and makes hiring recommendations to the Summit Board. Our teachers are truly at the heart of our school, and we work hard on the selection of each and every one of them. The work of hiring is an honor and one of the most important responsibilities of our Board.
From the PVC volunteer surveys 'way back at the beginning of the school year, we have the names of several parents who expressed interest in the Hiring Committee, and we'll be in touch with you soon!. If your availability has changed and you are now interested in joining this committee, please call either Ashley O'Connor at 303-499-6612 or Barbry Hogue at 303-665-3798 by April 21. We will be meeting soon thereafter to begin our hiring process for 2003-2004 and logistically it's very difficult to add members after committee orientation has been held.
The Tools for Learning campaign has reached new heights, but still needs the support of many Summit families if we are to reach our goals for the year. The campaign has raised more than $75,000 to date, and has received donations from 194 Summit households, as well as some of their employers, some alumni families, and even some families that will be new to Summit in the fall. That's 84% of the way to our funding goal of $90,000 and 63% of the way to our participation goal of 100%. Thanks to all that have given, and please don't forget to contribute if you haven't already. A final mailing of pledge packets will be sent by the end of April, so please just give what you can to help keep Summit strong.
Are you a secret donor? We have a credit card pledge of $200, with an account number, but no signature and no name listed on the pledge card. We'd love to accept your donation, but can't without more information and an authorizing signature. See Shelly Hendrick at school or call John Jacus at 303-892-7305 weekdays to confirm if this is your pledge. Please complete your pledge card fully so we can accept your donation and promptly record it for mailing a tax receipt and thank you letter.
Once again, we list below more recent donors to the TFL campaign in this issue of Summit News. The following Summit families contributed in March 2003:
Very recent donors (April 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.
Congratulations to Kerry Lujan for winning first place in her grade and category at the National American Indian Science and Engineering Science Fair in Albuquerque. Way to go, Kerry!
On April 4, I had the privilege of attending the Colorado State Geography Bee to watch Summit student Nicholas Gerstle compete along with other students from around the state. Nicholas qualified for the Geo-Bee first by winning the in-class school competition in December. He then took a test that was administered to elementary and middle school students throughout Colorado. Nicholas scored in the top 102 in the state, which qualified him to participate in the state competition.
The state Geo-Bee consists of three levels: preliminary, final, and championship. I watched Nicholas compete in the preliminary competition with 20 other students. Each student was asked a question in a series of eight rounds. Question difficulty increased with each round. Questions ranged from multiple choice U.S. geography to geographic terminology to current events. Nicholas was calm and collected throughout the entire preliminary competition. As the preliminary round ended, he found himself just one correct answer short of qualifying for the tiebreaker round.
Nicholas had a great attitude throughout the competition. It was a pleasure to share this experience with him and his family and great to see such an excellent effort put forth by a Summit student. Congratulations, Nicholas!
On April 2, 27 students from Summit Middle School competed in the BVSD History Day competition held at Angevine Middle School. In annual this after-school event, students from schools throughout the district came together to compete. The following students represented Summit at the competition:
From this pool of wonderful projects, five projects and seven students were selected to represent Summit at Colorado State History Day. The state competition will be held at the CU-Boulder on April 26. Students participating at the state level and the categories for their projects are Alex Reisfield and Daniel Weidlein (Group Documentary), Dana Stepleton (Individual Documentary), Sarah Smith and Tess Udall (Group Exhibit), Rachel Baum (Individual Exhibit), and Sabine Kunz (Paper).
Special thanks to Carol Baum, Kathryn and Anna Hermann, Mr. Walpole, and Mrs. Kapsak for their help at District History Day. Congratulations to all District History Day participants and good luck to those going on to State.
Summit History Club is a community service club open to any Summit student who wishes to be directly involved in community service. We meet on Mondays at lunch in my classroom, Room 2. Julia Hansford is president and Nicholas Gerstle is vice president. So far, the club held a very successful food drive at Thanksgiving and purchased holiday gifts for children of Colorado prison inmates during the winter holidays.
This spring we will add three more projects. First, we have assembled a great team of students who will be participating in the Race for the Cure at CU all night June 6 until the morning of June 7, to raise cancer research funds. Each student is raising funds for this cause. We also hope to have a snazzy bake sale with a cake raffle included. Woo hoo!! If you would like to help with either a Race for the Cure pledge or baked goods, please contact me. Our theme, for decorating our tents and perhaps ourselves, is ancient Greek gods and goddesses. Katie Kopel and Nicholas Gerstle are serving as captains for this event. Thanks to both of them for attending meetings, organizing us, and much more. Mr. Havens and I will be chaperoning our students on this all-night adventure. (Think of us, won't you?)
Second, in April we are conducting our third annual "Showers To Go" project. This is Julia Hansford's award-winning service project, which provides fabric bags full of personal hygiene supplies to the needy, especially the homeless. Until the end of April, we are collecting shampoo, conditioner, razors, soaps, bath supplies, combs, brushes, deodorant, and anything else needed for personal cleanliness. Julia hopes that our supplies will help the unemployed poor compete more successfully for jobs. All donated supplies must be unused and unopened. Any size is useful.
Finally, History Club had an outstanding speaker from Habitat for Humanity courtesy of Rachel Baum's mom. As a result, we have formed a Summit History Service Club affiliation with Habitat for Humanity. Our parent sponsor for these building activities will be Matthew Markham's dad. Thank you, Mr. Markham. Our first activity will be to prepare welcome baskets and to attend the Longmont Habitat for Humanity house dedication ceremony in May, followed by a club barbecue or picnic. More details later. Thanks to our great Summit History Club students for making the world better, one kind act at a time!
Spanish Club will be having a Carnival on May 2 from 3:15 to 5 p.m. in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The entrance fee is only $1 and activities include:
In addition, the entrance fee will include some great food -- taquitos, nachos, Spanish Club store items, Jarritos soft drinks, and possibly snow cones.
Purchase tickets at the door. Raffle tickets will be sold ahead of time. Tug-o-war and sack races are free. Come join the fun and help Spanish Club earn money, to be donated to Hispanic causes in Boulder Valley.
Between the school snow closures and Spring Break, the Algebra 2 class slipped in a tour of CU's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) given by Summit parent Dr. Tom Woods and his team of young scientists. Among the many, varied highlights of this visit, students touched a real space rocket, looked into a parabolic/hyperbolic telescope, and stepped on suction mats leading to the "clean room" where experiments to be flown in space are prepared. In addition, students were shown inside the satellite control center, examined replicas of Earth's artificial satellites, gazed at the upper atmosphere as videotaped from a rocket, sat through a colorful presentation of the space applications of conic sections (part of their curriculum), and watched the firing of a mini-rocket from outside the building. It was an awesome tour packed with tantalizing information for which we wish to express our enthusiastic thanks to Dr. Woods, Dr. Don Woodraska, Mr. Ryan Keenan, Mr. Phil Chamberlin, and LASP.
The staff and students from Summit invite you to the school's annual SHINE exhibition program. On May 19, student work from each discipline including English, science, social studies, math, foreign languages, technology, and art will be exhibited. The exhibit will be accompanied by a few of Summit's best music ensembles. Come see the creative projects and examples of excellence from our students this year! Please join us for this special SHINE-ing! Doors open at 3 p.m. and close at 6 p.m.
TLC For A Classroom (Le Soin d'une Sale de Classe) -- Miriam Sproul
Little did Mr. Kilgore suspect that when he signed up to be a basketball coach there might be a room-painting reward in the offing. The French classroom (also known as portable room C) has two fresh coats of paint, thanks to Tom Mahowald and some families of the 8th grade boys' basketball team. This room had many scars, bumps, and holes in the walls and was sorely in need of some TLC. Ron and Connie Harmon, Tom M., the Parkhills (Andrea, Nathan, Linda and Dave), and the Richards (Paul, Thomas and Sandy) joined me recently to provide the required repair, painting, cleanup skills, and needed attention. Grâce à chacun!
Mr. Kilgore and Mr. Hein share the classroom. We wish them and their students many a pleasant moment admiring their newly whitened and brightened walls. Now that the walls are clean and smooth(er), they are considering new ways of enhancing the room. Hmmm ... perhaps a mural would be fun or perhaps five murals would be even better!
If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, then you might really enjoy volunteering for Staff Appreciation Week. Summit is looking for one or two people to coordinate appreciation week for next year. Events can be as simple or as elaborate as you feel comfortable planning. A list of volunteers to help you is provided via the main PVC volunteer surveys (yellow, always yellow).
Do you have a friend with whom you would enjoy doing volunteer work? Why not sign up as co-chairs of this rewarding week? If you are interested in volunteering, or would just like more information, please call Miriam Sproul at 303-543-9298 or contact either Beth McClellan or Penny Hannegan, our 2002-2003 PVC co-chairs (their phone numbers are listed in your directory).
The Summit Student Council has been very productive this year. Students meet weekly to plan events for the student body. An ongoing activity includes the weekly "CIA" award (Caught In the Act). Each week the Council reads through the nominations from the CIA box, located in front of the main office, where students and teachers have noticed acts of good will and submitted them in writing. Students receive a certificate for $.75 to the school store. The council has the school store open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Profits from the school store fund council activities, such as dances, and are used to help our community.
The Council uses its creativity and efforts to reach out to our local and international communities. The Council donated two weeks of school store profits ($195) to help the families in Colima, Mexico, after a devastating earthquake destroyed several homes in January. The Council also sponsored a family during the winter holiday season through the Make A Wish Foundation of Boulder County.
This year the Summit community has been touched by the reality of cancer. The Council donated $100 to the Mesa Elementary music program in memory of Ms. Carrie Rudman, mother of 6th grader Andrea Rudman. The Council also reached out to Paul Lemieux, a 6th grader at Summit who was diagnosed with brain cancer last fall. The Council put together a gift basket for Paul with a soccer theme, including a T-shirt and a soccer ball signed by the Colorado Rapids! The Council also voted to sponsor Paul and his family for The Children's Hospital Courage Bike Classic, a benefit for the hospital.
On April 11, the Council sponsored an ice cream social for the entire school. Originally scheduled for the Friday before Spring Break week to reward everyone for a job well done on the CSAP testing, the social was postponed due to the "big" snowstorm.
The Council is currently working on the annual Penny War event, to be held in late April in 7th period "A" day classes. All funds raised will be sent to the La Casa de Jaguares animal rescue center in Costa Rica, where animals, such as jaguars and ocelots are cared for and released back to the wild, if possible. The Council is also close to deciding on the annual gift to the school. Possible options are a new drinking fountain, a color printer for the library, or other equipment needs for the school. More on that soon.
The Stand Up! program for prevention of bullying and harassment continues to be implemented at Summit. The 7th graders received six lessons during October and November in their American History classes, and the 6th graders received a series of lessons during December and January in World History classes. Students learned about bullying behaviors, strategies for avoiding victimization, and how to prevent bullying through the creation of a caring community at Summit. Lessons were co-taught by Stand Up! program facilitators and social studies teachers.
Eighth graders will receive training in the Stand Up! program during April and early May in their World Geography classes. As a culminating experience, 8th graders will have the opportunity to discuss their concerns with high school peer facilitators, who will visit World Geography classes on May 8.
All graduating 8th grade girls interested in playing basketball at Boulder High next year will have some opportunities to begin their basketball career at BHS a bit early. A league will begin May 20 with games on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A basketball camp will also be held at BHS June 9 through June 13, from 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., for a cost of $85. Potential BHS players may also attend the CSU team camp from June 14 through June 17. Please call 303-447-5310 for more information.
April is the month we have chosen to try to surpass last year's participation numbers. Everyone who has turned in their registration forms to Mrs. Blakemore by April 30 will have their packets delivered here at Summit during the first week of May. That includes the middle school goodie bags, all bibs, t-shirts and other items you may have ordered. If we surpass our 2002 numbers by April 30, Mrs. Blakemore will host a BOLDER BOULDER BROWNIE BASH when the packets arrive! Get your forms, fill them in, attach payment, and turn them in to Mrs. Blakemore today. Remember that you can turn in all family forms along with your own. Our BB training continues. Everyone is training hard, getting fit and having fun. Come join us!
Contact Coach Adams at 303-499-9511if you have questions.
Apr 24 School tour, 8:45 - 9:30 a.m.
Those interested in helping the people of Iraq may assemble kits by placing the following new items in a plastic bag:
Kits should be brought to the school and given to Dana Stepleton in the cafeteria at lunch on April 14 and/or April 21. Dana will deliver the kits to a collection point in Boulder. Those interested in making a cash donation may send an email to kitsforIraq[at]aol.com.
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.
As graduation for 5th, 8th, and 12th graders nears, the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools has developed a program called "Honor Your Grad," in which you can make a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation in honor of a student. The Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance and enrich the educational experiences of students, to motivate and recognize those who guide student learning, and to increase community support for K-12 public education. The Foundation funds programs such as the Classroom Mini-Grants, Tech 21, Students at Risk, the Impact Awards, and Connect. If you would like more information, call 303-447-5132.
The nationally acclaimed author and child psychologist Dr. Michael Bradley, author of Yes, Your Teen is Crazy! Loving Your Teen Without Losing Your Mind, will present two valuable parent forums later this month. His topic is "Navigating the Mine Fields of Adolescence" and he will discuss brain development research and what it tells us about our teens, understanding your role as parents of adolescents, peer influence, strategies for making and enforcing rules, substance abuse, curfew, and much more.
The presentations will be on April 29 at Boulder High School and again on April 30 at Platt Middle School, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. both evenings. This event is made possible through a grant from the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools.
As many of you have read in the news, SARS is a respiratory illness recently identified in Asia, North America, and Europe. This international epidemic appears to have originated in China in November 2002 and has rapidly spread to other countries.
Current information indicates that people infected with SARS are most likely to be contagious when they have symptoms such as fever or cough. Thus, individuals who have recently returned from affected countries have not been quarantined but are being asked to monitor their health for 10 days and consult a physician if SARS symptoms develop.
U.S. citizens are being advised to postpone all non-essential trips to China, Vietnam, and Singapore until the outbreak is under control. Further information about SARS is available at http://www.cdc.gov. Additional questions may be directed to a communicable disease specialist at Boulder County Health at 303-413-7503.
Tutoring hours offered by Summit teachers for our 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. Thank you for the udpates.
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.