April 28, 2003
Volume 15, No. 8
In addition to the state-mandated CSAP assessments, Summit also administers an abbreviated version of the CTBS/Terra Nova norm-referenced tests each spring in such subjects as math computation, language mechanics, and spelling. This year, the testing will occur the week of May 5 and will take approximately one hour over four days, with Friday designated as a make-up day. To minimize the need for make-up tests (which will require taking students out of their classes), please avoid scheduling appointments or other optional absences during the following test times:
Thank you for your support throughout the assessment process.
Thanks to Summit students and their families for their generous contributions to the Boulder County Humanitarian Aid for Iraq Campaign. Nineteen kits and $40 in cash donations were collected and delivered on behalf of Summit! Special thanks to the Summit Student Council for its donation of five kits.
World History invites all parents of 6th graders to attend your student's social studies class on May 23 for catapult day. Each student will be shooting their catapult in friendly competition that day, and we need photographers, judges, cookies, and lemonade If you can help, please send an email to me at summitkapsak[at]yahoo.com, call me at school, or send a note with your student. I hope the catapult projects are going well at home!
The Summit Board has approved Summit's school year calendar for 2003-2004. Take a look at the end of this newsletter for all the important dates you will need to know for next year!
In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the Spanish Club will have a Carnival on May 2 from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Purchase tickets at the door.
Great treats-taquitos, nachos, Spanish Club store items, Jarritos soft drinks, and possibly snow cones- will also be available for low prices. Raffle tickets will be sold ahead of time. Come join the fun and help Spanish Club earn money, to be donated to Hispanic causes in Boulder Valley.
Please note: The entrance fee is $1. Tug-o-war and sack races are free, and there will be small fees for the games, raffles, and treats.
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 J. For more information or to volunteer, please call or email Kathy Foster at 303-499-9830 or kathy[at]highbluff.com.
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.
As the end of another successful school year approaches, it is a wonderful time to think about honoring a Summit volunteer, staff member, or student. Donating a book to the Summit library in honor of a special person provides a lasting reminder of your appreciation as well as benefiting our school. I would be happy to help you pick a book from our wish list. Please email me (cathy.woods[at]bvsd.k12.co.us) and I will send you our wish list.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: All library materials are due May 16. Students receive overdue notices weekly, and should be aware of the materials that they have checked out. Each student must pay all fines and pay to replace lost materials before receiving his/her final report card.
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."
Please note that May is the last month for the teen pass this school year. For those needing a bus pass starting in June, the Just-for-Youth student bus pass is available for June, July, and August. The Just-for-Youth pass is sold at RTD bus stations, King Soopers, and Safeway. The price is $10 a month also.
Eighth grade graduates are eligible to take high school summer courses for credit through the Boulder Valley School District. Classes offered that might be of interest to Summit students include Algebra I (regular), U.S. Government, U.S. History, and Health. Please see Ms. Bartley for a complete list of courses offered and an application if you are interested.
For students looking for fun activities this summer, I have a few spots left for two 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!
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.
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 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 began training in the Stand Up! program during April and it will continue in 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.
Hopefully, everyone who is going to run with us on Memorial Day in the Bolder Boulder are working up toward the race. Please try to have your registration forms back to me by the end of April. Thanks and please call me if you have any questions.
Bailar translates "to dance" in Spanish. The Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools is sponsoring its seventh annual "Razzle Dazzle" fund-raiser May 9 at the Westin Hotel in Westminster. This year's lively event offers a Latin theme extending to the music, food, and dress. Festivities will include flamenco performances, a floating mariachi band, and salsa dance lessons. Food stations will feature Cuban cuisine with mojitos, Brazilian cuisine with sangria, and Mexican cuisine with margaritas. We will conclude with dancing to the band Caliente des Colores.
There will be a brief program, featuring some of our highlighted grants for the year, along with silent and live auctions (each school in the district has been asked to donate a "basket" for the silent auction) to help raise additional dollars to fund the Foundation's mission.
Please join us for a wonderful evening of cocktails, dinner, silent and live auctions, and salsa dancing. Tickets are $120, of which $65 is tax deductible. They are available by calling the Foundation office at 303-447-5132.
There are two more CU Wizards programs for this school year. They include:
Free parking is available in lots 169, 308, 396, and 436. Shows begin at 9:30 a.m.
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 this week. 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 are scheduled for 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.
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.