June 3, 2003
Volume 15, No. 10
We are pleased to invite all Summit students and parents to the ceremony and reception honoring this year's graduating 8th grade students, hosted by Summit's board and administration. Graduation will be on June 6, in the auditorium at Boulder High School and will begin promptly at 1 p.m. We also invite you to enjoy the reception following graduation.
Please note the following information about the schedule and logistics for June 6, which are different in several important ways from a usual school day:
We appreciate your arriving at Boulder High a bit early so that we can begin graduation on time at 1 p.m. Thank you for joining us for this important Summit tradition as we honor and wish farewell to our Class of 2003. We look forward to seeing you at Boulder High on June 6.
Volunteers are still needed for the 8th grade graduation ceremony at Boulder High School on June 6. We like to have parents of 6th and 7th graders handle these duties, so the 8th grade parents can enjoy the day with their families.
We need parents to help with clean up after the graduation reception. All kids are picked up at Boulder High so it just means staying for an extra 45 minutes or so. Many parent volunteers will have been there all day helping with the graduation ceremony, and it seems unfair to ask them to do clean up, too. Duties will include cleaning up decorations, picking up trash, and loading leftovers, coolers, etc. into cars for transport back to Summit. A few drivers will be needed who can then take our supplies back to Summit. Please call me if you have questions at 303-554-1816.
No, it's not over yet; our stout-hearted music department goes to the very end! As I mentioned in a handout several weeks ago, some of our students will be performing at Summit's graduation ceremonies on June 6. This will be during the normal school day, and will include all String players, Jazz Band 3, and Silver Rain. Students will be bused over to Boulder High for the festivities.
Thanks for all your support, encouragement, and help throughout this, my first school year at Summit! I know that I've stretched my students' abilities and probably their parents' patience during this year, but it's been a great and remarkable year, and I hope you agree it was worth the effort!
Spring is a very busy time for the Board. We review the student, parent, and staff surveys; meet in teams with each member of the administration to get feedback on how the school is working; and meet with a representative group of teachers to solicit their feedback on how we're doing as a school and administration. We also complete work on each individual teacher's review, determine offers to teachers and administrators for next year, develop a budget, and determine any hiring needs that we may have.
Much of this work goes on quietly, but it is very important for the school we are and the even better school we hope to be. We very much appreciate the candid and constructive feedback provided by all segments of our school.
For next school year, we have committed to investing in three additional areas: adding a new library paraprofessional position so that the library can be staffed five days a week; requesting permission from BVSD to acquire a portable gymnasium to our school; and acquiring better computers in the library and in the computer/technology lab.
Spring is also a time to thank all of the people who have worked hard to make Summit such a wonderful school. Our teachers, staff, and administrators continue to encourage and support our students in many ways inside and outside the classroom. More than 175 different families volunteered in one way or another at school this year; a remarkable percentage for a school that enrolls only 300 students. Whatever you do, wherever you're going, we hope that your summer is a full and rich one, that our new graduates go on to wonderful high school experiences, and that we have the chance to work with you again next fall. Have a great summer!
As of June 1, new Summit board members Ashley O'Connor and David Schermerhorn have officially assumed their two-year terms. Their contact information is included at the end of this issue, along with information about contacting continuing board members Paul Atcheson, Debbie Feyh, Barb Kostanick, Tom Mahowald, and Betsy Phelan. The first meeting of the 2003-2004 board is scheduled for June 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Summit library; you are invited to join us! We extend thanks and appreciation to retiring board members Barbry Hogue and John Jacus.
The Tools for Learning campaign is concluded for the year. The campaign has raised $83,622.78 to date, with a most generous pledge of another $10,000 to be paid by July! This puts us well over the top for our campaign's ambitious funding goal of $90,000. We received donations from 208 Summit households (out of 309), as well as some of their employers, some alumni families, and even some families that will be new to Summit in the fall. About 67% of our students' households donated, up substantially from the 52% of households that donated last year. Thanks to all who gave so generously to this worthy cause!
Once again, we list below more recent donors to the TFL campaign. The following Summit families and others (alumni families noted with an asterisk*) made donations in May 2003, unless otherwise noted:
All donors will also be listed in Supporters of Summit Annual Report on Giving, to be distributed to all Summit families by the end of the school year. Copies will be available at the graduation ceremony on Friday at the Boulder High School auditorium.
Special thanks are owed to the members of this year's fundraising committee, as well. They are Carol Baum, Dolly Dean, Penny Hannegan, Ron Harmon, John Jacus, Margo MacDonnell, Ashley O'Connor, Dave Parkhill, Rajeev Rawat, Cathy Reisfield, and Barbara Weidlein.
Congratulations to all Summit participants in the Bolder Boulder! What a fabulous job you did on Memorial Day. We had runners, joggers, and walkers who all had a terrific time being healthy and honoring our military personnel in yet another beautiful ceremony in Folsom Field. The race was exciting and entertaining with all the bands and costumes and good cheer. The water spraying from hoses was welcomed by all on a very warm holiday morning. Those who met up in the stadium in our middle school section shared fun stories and accomplishments about the race. The Expo provided delicious snacks, information, and even more entertainment.
What a school we have! In the Bolder Boulder Middle School Challenge we took first place in both the Speed category and the Participation category. In fact, in the Speed competition, we had the fastest average time of ALL DIVISIONS, including 40 middles schools from around the state. We are now a three-time defending champ in the Participation category for our division (26% of students and staff). The only school in any category that beat us was Sojourner with 35% participation. I truly love seeing the kids work so hard and have so much fun. Check out the pictures on the hallway bulletin board. I can't wait for next year!
This summer, please be sure to stock up on your school and office supplies at Office Depot in Boulder, in the Marshall Plaza, located on 28th Street south of Pearl Street, or at the Broomfield store in Flatirons Marketplace next to Best Buy. Just say you want your purchase to count for Summit Middle School, and Office Depot will send us a donation worth 5% of your purchases. Time to stock up on inkjet/toner cartridges, office equipment, etc. as well as binders, paper, pens and pencils, and all of your school supply needs. Go to Office Depot, from July to early September only, and help support Summit!
Fourteen dedicated volunteers have worked hard to help provide library service this year. Their efforts made it possible to keep the library open during most of the hours that school was in session. Please thank the following people for their assistance in providing library service to all our students: Vera Balaeva, Charla Berens, Cally Brailsford, Diane Cardinal, John Cowley, Heidi Gerstle, Laurie Kuelthau, Angela Marlino, Ann McCormick, Joan Nagel, Pam Ringenbach, Sasha Sergeeva, Beth Wilcox, and Yajing Yang.
Volunteers will be needed in the library again next year. If you like to work with students and enjoy working with books and computers, this might be the volunteer job for you! Training is provided! E-mail Cathy Woods at cathy.woods[at]bvsd.k12.co.us if you are interested.
A donation to the Summit Library is a wonderful way to honor a student, teacher, or volunteer! Here are some recent additions to our collection:
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.
Each summer, some of our families ask if they can borrow Summit textbooks for use during summer vacation. Unfortunately, Summit is not able to loan out textbooks during the summer months. All textbooks must be returned so they can be re-catalogued, repaired, and made ready for distribution when school starts again in August. Families may instead consider purchasing textbooks for summer use. A good source is Follett pre-owned textbooks (phone: 1-800-621-4272). The ISBN number of the book must be provided when making an order, and credit card purchases are accepted.
Sixth graders must have a second MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) immunization and a series of three hepatitis immunizations before entering 7th grade. Please remember to send in a copy of your child's latest immunization record from the doctor for our records. If you have already sent one in this year and there has been no change to your child's immunization record, you do not need to send us another copy. Thanks!
While the first session of Ms. Dornbush's two summer art camps is full, the second session has a couple of spots still open. The second session starts on July 21 and runs from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, for two weeks, with the emphasis on making sculptures and marionettes. Please e-mail Ms. Dornbush at talya_dornbush[at]yahoo.com for more information. For those enrolled, she will send information to you soon!
The Summit News is made possible by many in the Summit community. Thanks very much to the teachers, staff, and board members who provide interesting and timely news; Dolly Dean and Claire Stepleton for proofreading and helping to compile stories for the newsletter; Barbry Hogue for giving it a once over before it goes public; and Tom Mahowald for being the keeper of the distribution list.
For any student needing a bus pass for the summer months, 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.
All graduating 8th grade girls interested in playing basketball at Boulder High next year, a basketball camp will also be held at BHS June 9 through June 13, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. 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.
Boulder High School-bound students who are interested in playing in the band or being on the flag line are welcome to attend band camp August 18 through August 20 at Covenant Heights Conference Center in Estes Park. Cost is $125 if paid by June 15; otherwise the cost is $150. Send your check payable to BHS IMPA to Mary Ellen Felling, 3350 Plateau Road, Boulder, CO 80302. For further information about the camp go to the Boulder High web site at http://www.bvsd.k12.co.us/schools/boulderhigh/.
The final CU Wizards program for this school year is:
Free parking is available in lots 169, 308, 396, and 436. The show begins at 9:30 a.m.
Restore harmony to your household with this class designed for BVSD parents. You will learn about parenting with logical consequences and empathy; your child will learn to accept responsibility for his/her own actions. Discover asset-based approaches and restorative justice tools to guide your child toward productive, happy, and responsible adulthood.
For more information or to register, please call Stephanie Bryan at 303-397-0646
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 address to the Summit News distribution list, please send an email to tmahowald[at]qwest.net. Thank you for the updates.
The next Summit News will be distributed during this summer. It will recap graduation news and provide some interesting news about former Summit graduates - where are they now? If you have news, notes, or announcements for the next school year, forward them via email to pat.hyde[at]attbi.com.
The Summit Board has approved the following Summit's school year calendar for 2003-2004.