December 17, 2003
Volume 16, No. 9
From the staff and faculty, have a safe and happy Winter break.
Don't forget, Summit's Winter Concert will be held this Wednesday and Thursday at Boulder High School. The students have been practicing diligently leading up to this entertaining evening. Both performances will begin at 7 p.m. and should last no more than 90 minutes. Instrumentalists should arrive at 6:15 p.m. for warm up and tuning, vocalists at 6:30 p.m.
Performances include:
Thanks in advance to those of you who volunteered your time and energy before, during, and after the show! We had a great turnout for help this year.
This is the last chance to sign up for the Spring Break trip to Spain. The trip will be from March 20 through March 28. In addition to touring the country and practicing Spanish, our trip will include service learning opportunities in a small, rural community. It is open to all Summit students and friends of Summit students. We need at least THREE MORE STUDENTS to sign up today to make this trip a reality!! Please see Ms. Doyle or call her at 303-545-2202 for additional information.
Julia Hansford, the former Summit student facing a major medical challenge, and her family will be leaving Denver to go to Boston on December 14. Julia's surgery is scheduled for December 17 at Children's Hospital in Boston. We would also like to include a very special thank you from the Hansford family for all of the generous donations and heartfelt words. Through your donations they are able to fly to Boston, and help pay for the stay in a nearby hotel.
There will be an ongoing time of prayer for Julie Hansford at her family's church (Community United Church of Christ on Table Mesa) beginning at 6 a.m. Colorado time on Wednesday, December 17 until the end of surgery. All are welcome to stop by and stay for however long.
Special thanks go to our lunchroom volunteers who give their time each week: Dolly Dean, Dana Greenleaf, Bilge Hacioglu, Leslie Hirshberg, Karen Van Dusen, and Alison Vigers. And our appreciation goes to our substitutes, Chris Blake, and Shirley Lee.
The Summit Board has met twice this month to discuss the business of Summit. Below are recaps from both evenings of major topics discussed.
Thanks to the many families who are purchasing grocery certificates on a regular basis. We have sold more than $25,000 worth of certificates since the start of school which translates to a profit of more than $1,200. We have also received a dividend for $136 from Albertsons and a dividend of $50 from the eScrip program! Thanks for your support!
Grocery certificates will not be available this week due to the upcoming Winter Break. They will be available again during the first week of January. Our parking lot sales in January will be on January 9 and 23 during morning drop off.
Our 2003-2004 Tools for Learning campaign continues to gain momentum! As of December 12, we have received more than $62,000 in donations from 130 families (including alumni families). This helps us move toward our only two goals for this year's campaign, raising $100,000 and 100% participation. So far, we've processed pledges from 42% of our families. Thanks for your participation!
Donations received after December 12 will be acknowledged in the January newsletters. Please RETURN YOUR PLEDGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
The following is a list of the donors whose donations were received/processed between November 30 and December 12. We will list donors in each issue of the newsletter and all donors will be listed in the Annual Report at the close of the campaign.
* Alumni Families
The next two Board meetings will be held January 8 and January 22. Meetings are held in Summit's library and begin at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. All regular Summit Board meetings are public. Any and all members of our Summit community are encouraged to attend.
We had several fun activities last month in Spanish. The Beginning classes went to Tortillería Las Américas in Longmont for a fun and informative look at how tortillas are made. It was a delicious experience! We highly recommend that you all go to purchase the most fabulous tortillas in the U.S. Many thanks to our parent volunteers who help make the trip possible: Elizabeth Benz, Walraven Ketelapper, Jan Heiderer, Trisha Fitzpatrick, Suzanne Barba, Jean Luce, and Janice Hersman.
In Level 1 Spanish, we made tamales, filling corn husks with a wonderful masa, as well as chicken, beans and chilies. Many thanks to Linda Gerstle for her help!
In addition, we've have had several valuable donations to the Spanish library. We extend a big thank you to Cheryl Runyon and Anna Ferris for the books and cookbooks! Finally, many thanks to Dolly Dean for donating the Puerto Rico travel guides in Spanish and English to each Level 1 and 2 Spanish students! Thanks everyone.
On December 9, Summit Middle School students participated in History Day. This annual event is the capstone activity for our long-term research project. Summit uses the model of National History Day to teach students valuable historic research skills based on primary resources. Students choose a topic that relates to the year's theme. This year, students faced the theme of "Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange in History." During this semester, students choose a topic, discovered the wonders of primary resources (firsthand accounts of history), developed a thesis, learned to use note cards to organize thoughts, created outlines, and considered a wide range of formats in which to present their findings.
Students presented work in one of four different formats: papers, exhibits, documentaries and performances (plays written from student research). The culminating event was Summit History Day. Although some students have the opportunity to present their research in larger History Day competitions (Regional, State and National), the purpose of the project is the process in which one takes to arrive at History Day.
This year's History Day was an outstanding event! The hard work and efforts of every student, combined with the generosity of time and energy from parents and judges resulted in a positive and fulfilling experience. History Day also benefited from the abundance of quality and thoughtful judges.
Some students were chosen to represent Summit at the Regional History Day competition to be held in Longmont on March 6. The following is a list of students selected and the format in which they presented their work.
Every project was well thought out and expressed the hard work and intellectual consideration put forth by each student. History Day does not occur without incredible support. First, thank you to Mr. Finell and the entire staff for being so patient, flexible, and supportive. Thank you to the Tri-Chairs Pam Guthrie, Jennifer Strand, and Linda Stancliffe. These Summit parents were responsible for our judges, the set up of History Day, and making sure that History Day ran smoothly. Great Work!
The judges at this year's History Day were fantastic. Thank you to Dave Kopel, Margo MacDonnell, Cheryl Runyon, Janet Winchester, Amy Hauptman, Sarah Barnes, Lisa Hawkins, Lisa Lewis, Claire Stepleton, Erika Doss, Bill Nagel, Barbara Weidlein, Suzanne Webel, Gerda Norvig, Sam Pai, Gordon and Ellen Hayes, Jeannette Petrica, Jeff Cahn, and Gretchen and Doug Miller
The hospitality crew provided and served food for the judges. The head coordinator for this effort was Rachna Rawat. Pam Ringenback and Hilary Johnson made sure judges had plenty to eat. Amy Buck provided the judges with a thank you gift of Biscotti. Lydia Pottoff created the student participation certificates. Many parents provided food for the judges. Thank you to Ann Kitayama, Lauren Hager, Jan Markham, and Barb Silk for their donations.
Prior to History Day, many parents volunteered their time to come into my class to help students work on their projects. Those parents include: Frances Hartogh, Lisa Shearer-Cooper, Patty Eckstein, Sarah Barnes, Cathy Reisfield, Toni Ozeroff, Lauren Hager, and Pam Guthrie. Their efforts gave students the opportunity to seek additional help with their projects.
Thank you to all the parents who helped with History Day in and out of school. I finally would like to thank the students for their hard work and determination on this long-term project. You are the ones that make History Day so special. Thank you.
Scott Fliegelman from the Bolder Boulder Middle School Challenge dropped by Summit recently to present the 2003 awards for Participation and Speed categories -- a Summit sweep. As an unexpected surprise, he was accompanied by Cynthia LaRoque from Seagate Technologies to present our school with an external computer hard drive for winning the participation award! Congratulations to all who participated in the run last Spring.
Summit offers a mix of interscholastic and intramural athletic activities for students throughout the year. To participate, students must turn in a BVSD interscholastic athletics parent permission form (available from Coach A, Ms. Dornbush, or the office), and a copy of a sports physical conducted no more that a year before the start date of the activity. Upcoming sports activities include:
The CU Wizards Program is an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry, and physics, intended for students in grades 5 through 9. Programs are free and begin at 9:30 a.m. The next program is:
The City of Boulder and the Boulder Valley School District are concerned about the illegal and unsafe parking practices occurring in front of schools during student pickup and drop-off times. Over the past few years, this activity has grown to an alarming level. Illegal parking creates an unsafe environment for the children and has resulted in a number of accidents throughout the Boulder.
Most safety issues around our schools are caused by parents parking illegally to drop off or pickup their children. We understand why this happens. Most families have hectic schedules that make handling school pickup and drop-off more difficult. But it is important for us to do our part to ensure that all our children stay safe. Over the years, Boulder has worked with the school district to identify drop-off/pickup zones near all elementary and middle schools. In addition, most schools have their own parking lots and/or abundant on-street parking within walking distance of the school.
Here is how you can help:
Starting in the spring semester, Boulder parking enforcement officers and police officers will target illegal parking in school areas, and ticketing or towing vehicles as the situation dictates. Enforcement will focus on the following areas:
Please help the city and the school district keep the school areas operating safely and efficiently by following the rules and parking legally. We realize that parking areas are tight at most schools and that this can be a frustrating situation. But please consider the potential safety impacts that parking illegally may have on children in the area. There are always other options to parking illegally, even if they are a little more inconvenient.
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact one of the following people:
Please note that monthly RTD teen bus passes are being raised to $19 beginning in January.
Monthly Scheduled Tours -- Parents and students interested in Summit's program are invited to tour the school with a Summit administrator. At the end of the tour, there will be an opportunity for questions and answers. All tours begin at 8:45 a.m. and are by appointment. Please call the Summit office to schedule a tour, at 303-499-9511.
Student/Parent Information Nights -- Student/Parent Information Nights are an excellent opportunity to meet Summit staff and Board members and to learn more about Summit's program. Summit's mission, philosophy, and curriculum are discussed, textbooks and work samples are displayed, and presentations made by core subject and elective teachers. All prospective students and their families are encouraged to attend one of these evening programs, offered twice during the year.
Student Visitation Days -- Students who have been notified of acceptance at Summit are eligible to attend a student visitation day. This program is designed for students who feel they need to visit the school to make a final decision before open enrollment to Summit. On the day they visit, students shadow a Student Ambassador (current 6th grader) for a half-day. Dates and sign-up procedures for student visitation days will be sent with letters of acceptance, which are mailed in January in coordination with the BVSD open enrollment timeline.
The calendar of events for prospective students and parents is:
Summit News is distributed electronically. Printed copies are available in the Summit office and newsletter issues, current and past, are also posted on the Summit web site at www.summitmiddleschool.org. To update your email address, drop a note by the office or email jaime.simpson[at]bvsd.k12.co.us.
Summit News is distributed (approximately) on the 1st and 16th of the month during the academic year. Please e-mail news or announcements to newsletter editor Patrick Hyde at pat.hyde[at]comcast.net.
To see the current or back issues of Summit News, information about Summit, links to other charter schools, and related educational information, refer to Summit's web site via: http://www.summitmiddleschool.org.