September 1, 2003
Volume 16, No. 2
Summit's Back-to-School Night for parents will be held this Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Opening remarks in the multipurpose room will be followed by informational sessions with teachers in the classrooms. The program is tightly scheduled, so please arrive a few minutes early to receive information for the sessions for the remainder of the evening. See you there!
Well, we are off and running, and it looks like we have a great year ahead of us. Welcome to all of our new and returning students! Be sure to come by and look at our newly expanded library and the improved landscaping in the front of the school.
Once again, Summit has earned the highest CSAP middle school results in the Boulder Valley School District and among the highest in Colorado. This is all the more impressive when realizing that during CSAP testing last year we had large numbers of students who were out sick, taking the test while not feeling well, coming in to take make-up tests (and to even take make ups of make-up tests)! The high level of scholarship we see at Summit, even under such adverse circumstances, says a great deal about the outstanding quality of our faculty, student body, and family support. Congratulations to Summit!
| Summit CSAP Results 2002 and 2003 | ||||||||
| Grade Level | 02 Total | 02 % Unsat | 02 % Partially Proficient | 02 % Proficient | 02 % Advanced | 02 % Proficient & Advanced | 02 % Not Scored | |
| Reading | 6 | 132 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 42 | 98 | 0 |
| Math | 1 | 7 | 38 | 54 | 92 | 1 | ||
| Writing | 0 | 5 | 61 | 35 | 95 | 0 | ||
| Reading | 7 | 85 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 49 | 94 | 1 |
| Math | 1 | 14 | 39 | 46 | 85 | 0 | ||
| Writing | 0 | 9 | 55 | 34 | 89 | 1 | ||
| Reading | 8 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 39 | 100 | 0 |
| Math | 1 | 14 | 38 | 47 | 85 | 0 | ||
| Writing | 0 | 5 | 69 | 26 | 95 | 0 | ||
| Science | 0 | 6 | 46 | 48 | 94 | 0 | ||
| Grade Level | 03 Total | 03 % Unsat | 03 % Partially Proficient | 03 % Proficient | 03 % Advanced | 03 % Proficient & Advanced | 03 % Not Scored | |
| Reading | 6 | 96 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 43 | 98 | 1 |
| Math | 1 | 4 | 29 | 65 | 94 | 1 | ||
| Writing | 0 | 3 | 53 | 43 | 96 | 1 | ||
| Reading | 7 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 35 | 99 | 0 |
| Math | 0 | 14 | 35 | 51 | 86 | 0 | ||
| Writing | 0 | 2 | 49 | 48 | 97 | 1 | ||
| Reading | 8 | 78 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 59 | 97 | 0 |
| Math | 0 | 12 | 27 | 62 | 88 | 0 | ||
| Writing | 0 | 9 | 45 | 46 | 91 | 0 | ||
| Science | 1 | 4 | 41 | 54 | 95 | 0 | ||
There are countless projects and tasks that happen at Summit thanks to the amazing contributions of time and energy by dedicated parent volunteers. Our students and staff need and greatly appreciate your support.
You received a Parent Volunteer Connection (PVC) survey in your student's first-day information packet. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to fill out your survey to let PVC know exactly how you can help out during this school year. We guarantee that there is a volunteer need to fit your skills and availability. Please call the Summit office at 303-499-9511 if you have questions about the survey or volunteer opportunities. Thank you to those of you who have already stepped forward to volunteer your time, skills, and energy for Summit.
With so many volunteer possibilities for parents, a critically important volunteer position is the Parent Volunteer Connection coordinator. Right now, Summit needs a parent or parents to step forward to handle this role. This is a great opportunity to get to know all aspects of Summit and to work with many of Summit's wonderful parents on a wide variety of school projects and needs. Please contact Tom Mahowald, chair of Summit's Board, at 303-543-8903, or Jaime Simpson in the office at 303-499-9511 if you would like to know more.
It's time to get ready for the biggest and best kick-off to the 2003-2004 school year! It is Summit's bi-annual "FUN NIGHT AT THE REC" to take place September 20, from 8 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive in Boulder. The general center fee is $10 with an additional $5 cost to those students who wish to use the climbing wall. This facility is reserved for our exclusive use. For reasons of liability, students from other schools and/or siblings of Summit students may not attend.
We will be provided with equipment and space for basketball and volleyball as well as lifeguards for swimming and certified belayers for those who wish to scale the climbing wall. A room is also available for dancing if we supply the music and equipment to play it. Pizza and soda are included and will be served around 9 p.m.
The required permission slip(s) for the rec center and climbing wall will be available at school, on the student information bulletin board, beginning September 15; however, students are to bring the signed form(s) with them, along with cash or a check to cover the fees, on the night of the event. To avoid long lines, all permission slips should be filled out in advance. For safety reasons, once signed in students may only leave with the adult designated on the permission slip. Students are to remain inside the Center until the designated adult comes for them and should check out to ensure that everyone has left safely. You don't want to miss this! Hope to see you there!! Questions? Call Kathy Foster at 303-499-9830
We are in need of chaperones for the "FUN NIGHT AT THE REC." The behavior our students have exhibited in the past has been exemplary. However, we do want to be sure to have adequate supervision for them. Also, it's fun and a good way to become reacquainted with students and parents from the Summit community. We need 15 to 20 volunteers from 7 or 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m., and 6 or 8 parents who can stay until midnight. PLEASE CALL KATHY FOSTER TODAY IF YOU CAN BE THERE: 303-499-9830. Thank you!!!
Summit is pleased to announce the following additions to our faculty and staff:
Ms. Doyle is a new Spanish teacher. Ms. Doyle moved to Boulder from the east coast in order to complete her master's degree in Spanish and Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has studied, lived, worked, and traveled extensively in Costa Rica, Spain, and Ecuador. Ms. Doyle has taught Spanish in a variety of school settings and adult programs.
Mr. Delaney joins the Summit faculty after having moved to Colorado from Florida this past June. He received his degree in Secondary Education in Mathematics from York College in Pennsylvania and has taught mathematics to students ranging from 7th to 12th grade. Mr. Delaney says that he appreciates the "great opportunity to be working in this environment with such exceptional people."
Mr. Hirshfield wears two hats as a new faculty member. He teaches our tech and programming classes and also co-teaches Silver Rain with Mr. Ackerson. Mr. Hirshfield has a B.A. from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY with a major in Theatre (Directing) and a minor in Computer Science. For the last six months he has been the music director of the University of Colorado Buffoons, an all-male a capella performance group.
Mr. Koch returns to Summit as our 8th grade social studies teacher. Having taught social studies at Summit for a number of years, Mr. Koch was always one of Summit's most popular and effective teachers. It is a pleasure having him back at Summit.
Ms. Morley has filled our newly created position of library para-educator. Ms. Morley has an extensive corporate and volunteer background and will be working with our librarian, Ms. Woods, to keep our library open more hours and provide extended service to our students and faculty.
Ms. Sirkus is our new Special Education teacher, assigned to Summit by BVSD to work with our students. She earned her master's degree in Special Education from Georgia State University and is currently working on her masters level Literacy Endorsement from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ms. Sirkus has worked as a special education teacher in the Fulton County School District in Georgia and in the Boulder Valley School District.
Ms. Wharton returns to Summit's front office as administrative assistant after living in Rhode Island for the past year. It is a pleasure having her back as well.
I know you will join me in welcoming all of our new and returning faculty and staff to Summit.
As was mentioned in a note that went home last week, there will be a short (no more than 15 minutes) Music Parents meeting at the end of the Back-to-School Night program this Thursday. We, the Music Department, are the biggest, most active department, and a few minutes of face-to-face time could really clarify things for the year and save us all some frustration from inadequate communication, so please make arrangements to stay for just a few minutes extra if at all possible. I have concert dates set and can take any questions you may have after the meeting.
Thanks for all your extra effort, both now and always!
As Summit students return to our classrooms to begin a new academic year, so do our Summit alumni take the big step of starting college or other post-graduation plans following their high school careers. Please see the end of this newsletter issue for a listing of the post-grad plans for the Summit Class of 1999 (for as many as we could track down, anyway!). This class includes Summit's first 6th graders, the first group of students to complete all three years of middle school at Summit. You'll see that this is quite an impressive list. We congratulate them all and wish them the very best of luck! [List not included in Web edition of Summit News.]
If your child is bringing prescription drugs, vitamins, herbal supplements, or any other over-the-counter substance (even Advil or aspirin), she or he must bring it to the office to have it checked in and managed by the nurse. By state law, students are not allowed to have these materials on the school campus without this supervision. Please help the office out on this matter.
The refrigerator in the teacher's lounge died last week. If anyone would like to donate a refrigerator, new or nearly new in great working condition, please contact the Summit office at 303-499-9511.
The Rockies are hosting a BACK-TO-CHARTER SCHOOL NIGHT on September 19. THIS IS ALSO A FIREWORKS NIGHT - the largest fireworks show of the year! Tickets are $18 each. The seats are in Sections 208 and 209. Due to a high demand for this fireworks night, there are only a limited number of tickets available. Tickets can be ordered from the Bob Hughes at the Academy of Charter Schools, at 303-289-8088, ext. 302. The deadline for ordering tickets is September 9.
The safety of our children is a priority to us all. We have a small parking lot and rely on each and every driver to be safe and considerate of others. Please remember to drive slowly and park carefully when dropping off and picking up students before and after school. Also, teachers and staff who need to leave shortly after school often cannot get out of the parking lot as some parents sit and block traffic for quite some time. Please be considerate of others. Tantra Drive is a good place to drop off and pick up, and it is great to see more families using this option. Police do patrol this area so be sure to drive slowly, do not make illegal U-turns, and stay out of our neighbors' driveways and parking lots. To avoid making illegal U-turns, go beyond the second "island" before turning back to Table Mesa Drive.
Parents follow these rules in the parking lot:
When dropping off students: After circling the lot counterclockwise, continue traveling until you are headed south again and pull up at the curb next to the fence by the playground. Pull forward as far as possible or continue around the corner. The sidewalk edge is marked in yellow. For safety, students should exit vehicles to the right (west) if at all possible. Please do not stop in the east/west aisles to let students out as this is unsafe and blocks drivers of vehicles wishing to park or exit.
When picking up students: If you do not see your student, pull into a parking place to wait for your student to walk out, then proceed to the west sidewalk or the sidewalk that continues to Hanover. Have your student wait on the sidewalk, which is edged in yellow. Please do not block parked cars or parking spaces, as people may be waiting to exit or park.
Tantra Drive on the east side of Summit's school grounds is a very convenient drop-off and pick-up spot for students. Not only do the children get to walk 50 yards to school and get some exercise, but the traffic light at Tantra and Table Mesa makes it easy to get off and back on to Table Mesa Drive.
There also are public bus stops on the north and south sides of Table Mesa near the Tantra intersection. It's a short walk from the bus stops, all on paved walkways, along Tantra to Summit.
Finally, please remember there is no supervision for Summit students before 7:45 a.m. Students should not be dropped off at the school before that time.
The student bus pass known as TeenPass will be sold again at school. In addition, a new TeenPass-by-Mail allows for you to receive this monthly pass in the mail for up to nine months.
There are two ways to buy the TeenPass:
1) At school (September through May) for $15 a month and, beginning in 2004, $19 a month. Cash or check payable to "BVSD" are accepted for payment.
2) Sent to you in the mail by ordering a pre-paid package at a cost as low as $11 a month. The TeenPass-by-Mail Order Form and Brochure have the details. Order forms are available in the Summit office or check the BVSD web site to find a copy (www.bvsd.k12.co.us and click on Administration, then School Transportation).
The TeenPass is accepted anywhere RTD goes in Boulder County. It gives students unlimited rides on all local bus routes (for example, the SKIP, JUMP, #204, and #225) and a discounted fare on Express ("N") and Regional ("B") routes. Given the extensive network of bus routes, catching a ride with RTD is a great way to get to school and around town.
Getting to or from school by bus is easy and keeps Boulder's air cleaner. For more information, please call the BVSD Transportation Department at 303-245-5931.
The Board is very pleased to announce to our Summit community that the Walton Family Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $64,900 to Summit as part of the Foundation's Charter School Expansion Grant Program. These funds will allow Summit to purchase much-needed additional print and electronic resources for the library and classrooms, A/V equipment to support classroom teaching, and textbooks recommended by a thorough curriculum review process to take place over the coming months.
Preparation of the grant application involved a great deal of work and effort during the summer on the part of several Summit parents and staff members, under the guidance of Summit's Grant Writing Committee. For their significant contributions to the successful grant application, we extend special thanks to Amanda Avallone, Debbie Feyh, Ron Goldfarb, Barbry Hogue, Barb Kostanick, Tom Mahowald, Betsy Phelan, Cheryl Runyon, and Cathy Woods.
All regular Summit Board meetings are public meetings and we welcome parents and other guests from our community at any time. Our next two meetings will be on September 11 and September 18. Meetings are held in Summit's library and begin at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
FUNDRAISING NEWS -- Dolly Dean
Summit recently registered with the eScrip program, a relatively new program in Colorado where participating merchants will automatically donate a percentage of your credit or debit card purchases to Summit without you needing to purchase paper certificates or debit cards from us. (You may have seen this advertised at Wild Oats).
A number of national merchants, including Wild Oats, Eddie Bauer, The Sharper Image, and Coldwater Creek (to name a few) are now participating in the program in Colorado. To learn more about how the program works and to see a list of all the participating companies visit the eScrip web site at www.escrip.com.
For Summit to benefit from your patronage of these merchants, you will need to register your credit or debit card with eScrip and designate Summit as the organization you wish to support. This can be done online or by obtaining a registration form at Wild Oats. The "Group Name" for the registration form is Summit Middle School, Boulder, CO, and our Group I.D. # is 6575121.
Even friends and family around the country can register for the program, shop where they live, and designate Summit as benefactor. This is an easy way for friends or relatives to support your child at Summit. If you have questions, please call Dolly Dean at 303-473-9600.
If your school or office shopping takes you to any Office Depot, please tell the cashier that you want Office Depot to give Summit credit for your qualifying purchases. Under this program, Office Depot will give Summit a 5% credit toward supplies on qualifying back-to-school merchandise purchases made before December 31. This program is good at any Office Depot in the United States and Canada; when shopping on-line at www.OfficeDepot.com; or when shopping by phone at: 1-800-GO-DEPOT.
Thanks to the many families who have already signed up to participate in our grocery certificate program and to those who purchased certificates in the parking lot last Friday morning. We really appreciate your support!
This year, we are selling Safeway debit cards and King Soopers' certificates, which are good at all King Soopers and Kroger-affiliated stores and at most Albertsons and Safeway stores. The King Soopers' certificates come in $25 denominations and the Safeway debit cards come in $50 denominations.
We will be selling certificates and debit cards in the parking lot during morning drop-off (7:40 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.) two Fridays per month. In September, our sale days will be September 12 and September 26. Look for our large red and white reminder banner in the parking lot. You can purchase by cash or by check made payable to Summit Middle School.
If you prefer to pre-order and to have your order distributed through the office, please complete the order form contained in your fall registration packet and return it to the office. Please include your e-mail address if you have one. We will be in touch with you shortly -- we hope to begin this part of the program during the week of September 8.
If you shop at Albertsons, please stop by the office and ask for a Community Partners card. You simply present this card at check out. Summit will automatically receive a percentage of what you spend at Albertsons. You do not have to buy certificates or debit cards to participate in this program.
To help kick off our program and to answer any questions you might have, we will be selling King Soopers' certificates and Safeway debit cards at Back-to-School Night on September 4. Look for our table with the red and yellow "GROCERY CERTIFICATES" sign in the multi-purpose room. Bring cash or check. Thanks for your support!
Okay, this is a lot to take in, but these are really easy to sign up for and they really do support our fundraising at Summit. If you have any questions, please call Dolly Dean at 303-473-9600 or stop by our table at Back-to-School Night.
Improper backpack use can cause injury, especially to children with young, growing muscles and joints. Injury can occur when a child uses harmful postures such as arching the back, leaning forward, or, if only one strap is used, leaning to one side. Physical therapists say these postures can cause long-term issues.
To avoid problems, children should not carry backpack loads heavier than 15 percent of their body weight and should wear it as it was intended. Tips for safe backpack use include:
When selecting a backpack, consider packs with:
If wheeled backpacks are chosen, physical therapists recommend that the extended handle is long enough so that the child is not forced to twist and bend and that the wheels are large enough so the backpack doesn't topple.
Summit offers a mix of interscholastic and intramural athletic activities for students throughout the year, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, flag football, and track. To participate, students must turn in a BVSD interscholastic athletics parent permission form (available from Coach A or at the office), and a copy of a sports physical no more that a year from the start date of the activity. First semester sports are:
Former Bolder Boulder winner, Ric Rojas, is organizing a fall cross-country running program for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. This program is ideal conditioning for soccer, basketball, or track and field, and excellent fall training for next year's Bolder Boulder. Optional cross-country races will be scheduled. Practice will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. in Boulder, September 2 through November 1. If interested, meet in front of the Boulder Public Library auditorium at 6 p.m. on September 2 to register, or pre-register at www.ricrojasrunning.com. The program costs $125. Call 303-257-5908 if you have questions.
The 27th annual University of Colorado at Boulder Wizards Program is an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry, and physics, intended primarily for students in grades 5 through 9. Each show lasts about an hour and includes several lively demonstration experiments. All programs are free. The first two programs are:
Start time for all programs is 9:30 a.m. Free parking is available in lots 169, 308, 396, and 436 on the CU campus. Parking is also available for a fee in the Euclid parking structure. If you have a special access need or have additional questions, please call the CU Physics office at 303-492-6952.
The Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools has raised and distributed nearly $1.75 million throughout the Boulder Valley School District through a grant application process. Typically, grant applications are written and submitted by BVSD staff and administrators; however, a growing trend is occurring. Parents are teaming with teachers and becoming involved in writing grants! Parent committees are forming grant writing sub-committees to assist teachers.
The Foundation is now providing parent committees a grant writing workshop to discuss grant programs being offered by the Foundation, grant writing tips, and strategies for completing a successful grant application.
The Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and enrich the educational experience of students, to motivate and recognize those who guide student learning, and to increase community support for K-12 public education. If you would like more information about the Foundation or schedule a grant writing workshop for your parent group, please contact Program Director Christina Suarez at 303-447-5132.
The Denver Zoo will host a Middle School Career Day on November 15, from 8:45 a.m. to noon at the zoo. This program is for students in grades 6 through 8 who are interested in learning about zoo careers. Students will have the opportunity to meet and talk with zoo experts about what it is like to work at a zoo. Activities include tours, learning about animal training and enrichment, and a Q&A session with a panel of zoo experts. The cost is $15 per student and $10 per accompanying adult (maximum one adult per student, please). For registration information call 303-376-4852.
Most elective classes at Summit are attended every other day. Each school day is designated as an "A" or a "B" day. An "A" day is always followed by a "B" day on the next day classes are held, even if there are weekend or vacation days in between.
Last year, we moved full-time to electronic distribution of the Summit News to save money and time. Printed copies are still available in the Summit office and newsletter issues, current and past, are also posted on the Summit web site at www.summitmiddleschool.org. If you are not yet receiving your newsletter via e-mail, or if you would like the newsletter sent to a different or an additional electronic address, send a message to tmahowald[at]qwest.net.
If your student has graduated from Summit and you wish to be taken off the newsletter distribution list, let Tom know. Otherwise, we'll keep you on our alumni distribution list so that you can stay in touch with Summit!
Summit News is distributed on the 1st and 15th of the month during the academic year. Please e-mail news or announcements to pat.hyde[at]comcast.net no later than two days prior to those dates for timely inclusion.
Articles in Summit News may offer e-mail addresses for more information. Please note that we substitute [at] for the @ symbol to reduce unwanted e-mail spam [from the Web version of the newsletter].