September 15, 2004
Volume 18, No. 2
December
Please send a lunch with your child on September 20th as there will be no lunch service that day. Most of the district does not have school, but Summit is in session.
There are two options for the band/orchestra parents' Back-to-School night: Thursday, September 16th or Wednesday, September 22nd. Both will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the instrumental portable, Room E. Please plan to attend one of the sessions, meet Mr. Blomster (the NEW music guy) and learn about what's ahead for your musical children!
October Teen Bus Passes will be sold after school on Wednesday, Sept. 29th, Thursday Sept. 30th, and Friday, Oct. 1st at Summit. The cost is $17; please pay with cash or checks made out to "BVSD". Look for parent volunteers selling passes after school by the main door. We will be in the front entrance hall or out on the front bench, depending on the weather
All deposits are now due for those students wishing to participate in the June 2005 trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos. If you plan on going you must turn in your deposit to Mrs. Blakemore or Ms. Doyle by Friday, September 17th.
If you haven't yet signed up to get the newsletter sent to you via e-mail, please contact Debby Hanssen in the office right away, either by e-mail (debby.hanssen[at]bvsd.org) or call the Summit office, 303-499-9511. Also, please let Ms. Hanssen know the name of your student when you call or e-mail, or if your student has graduated and you wish to be taken off the list.
Other times may be available by appointment. Please check with the individual teacher.
Music
Dana van Loon is looking for two volunteers (at least one who comes with laptop would be great!) to help her put together an inventory of Summit's current theatrical stuff, including set pieces, props, costumes and all available parts/supplies. You'll be needed sometime in October, during school hours, probably two or three morning or afternoon sessions. No theatre experience necessary! Please call Dana at 303-440-8359.
This semester, grocery certificates will be on sale in the parking lot, 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. on these Fridays: September 24th, October 8th & 22nd, November 5th and 19th (stock up for Thanksgiving!!!) and December 3rd and 17th. This is a REALLY painless way to raise money for our school and our children. Please commit to buying certificates regularly! P.S. You can also pre-order certificates for pick-up in the Summit office if there is a day more convenient for you.
I'm so grateful to all of the parents who have already provided hours of work to Summit this fall; thank you for helping to improve our school! For those who are still interested in completing the Parent Volunteer Survey, forms may be obtained in the office or by contacting me at kvandusen[at]comcast.net.
Please consider volunteering from 8:15-11:00 a.m. to help with this important event. Interested parents can reach Marilyn Cohen at 303-786-8961 or marilynacohen[at]yahoo.com
Our teachers work long hours during conferences, and don't have time to leave the building for meals. As such, a group of parents are organizing to provide lunch and dinner to the staff. If you would like to participate, please contact Terri Hecht at THecht1[at]aol.com.
…and those who would just like to see Summit look a little more welcoming! An effort has been initiated to do some basic planting in the planter boxes in the front of the building and perhaps around the Summit sign. If anyone has interest in contributing expertise in gardening, time digging in the dirt, or money for plants, please call Kelli Frykholm at (303) 499-8788 or email me at kellifryk[at]yahoo.com. We hope to have a work time in October, so get in touch with me soon. Thanks!
-- Karen Van Dusen (kvandusen[at]omcast.net)
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has been very active in our communities this year. As children return to school, transmission opportunities increase. Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) would like parents, teachers, and faculty to be aware of this illness to help reduce the possibility of infection.
Generally, with school-aged children, pertussis begins with cold-like symptoms (e.g., runny nose; dry, hacky cough) that progresses over a few days or weeks into spells of coughing. Frequently, the cough will cause the person to gag or vomit, and because it is usually worse at night, it wakes the person up. In between the spells of coughing, the individual may look and feel fine. If the illness is caught early, it is less likely to progress to the most severe form of pertussis that could result in missed time from school and extracurricular activities.
Transmission occurs when an ill person coughs and the pertussis-causing bacteria are released into the air, where others can inhale them. The illness usually begins between 7 and 10 days after being exposed. Although vaccination against pertussis can help prevent many of the complications associated with the disease, many vaccinated children and adults can still become ill since immunity wanes over time.
Please consult your health care provider if you feel that you or your child is developing symptoms of pertussis. Additional information about pertussis can be found at : http://www.co.boulder.co.us/health/hpe/FactSheets/pertussis.htm, or by calling Boulder County Public Health at 303-413-7503.
-- Communicable Disease Division, Boulder County Public Health
A donation to the Summit Library is a wonderful way to honor a student, teacher, or volunteer!
Late breaking news! Though announced in June, we had finished the school year so some of you may not have heard. For the third consecutive year, Summit's Bolder Boulder team swept the competitions in the 2004 Middle School Challenge. In our division (schools of 200-500 students) we won the Speed Category by one full hour! We also beat the winning large school by 30 minutes. Additionally, we had the highest Participation Percentage in our division, 27%, and the second highest overall. I'm tremendously proud of all of our participants and I hope you are equally proud of yourselves. Only five months until training starts for the 2005 race. Gear up for our 4th victory!
-- Wendy Blakemore
The bus-pass-by-mail program from last year has been discontinued. If you have questions about passes, please visit the BVSD web site at http://www.bvsd.org, then click on link called "Student Bus Pass Options from RTD". For questions about routes and schedules, visit the RTD website at www.rtd-denver.com. September Teen Bus Passes are available at Summit ($17.00 each, make checks out to BVSD) and will be sold by parent volunteers after school beginning at 3:00 p.m. each month for a few days toward the end of the month for the next month's pass--we'll let you know when we have a schedule.
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.
Dr. Marc Wind, (Harrison's father) is sponsoring his annual Backpack Safety Week, September 27th to October 1st. Your child will receive appropriate backpack fitting and a computerized postural and muscle evaluation. If interested, please call to schedule your child's appointment: 303-444-4498. This service is provided at no cost.
In order to better fulfill the academic mission and goals of our school, Summit has established two rules guiding athletic participation: to participate in an athletic competition a Summit student must not at that time have a grade of D or F in any core or elective course; and, a Summit student must be in attendance all day the day of that competition.
All sports practice after school until 4:15 p.m. Days to be determined. Questions? Please contact Coach Reaven or Coach Zettas.
Summit hosted Platt Middle School on Monday, September 13th , and everyone played hard and had a great time. The game was preceded by a spirited pep rally and a traditional team run through the Human Summit Tunnel. Other home soccer games are: Wednesday, September 15th against Centennial; Thursday, September 23rd against Eldorado; Tuesday, September 28th against Angevine, and Friday, October 1st against Monarch. You are invited and encouraged to come over and support the 8th grade girls' soccer team.
... begins September 20th and runs through October 8th. There is a sign up sheet outside of Dean Reaven's office. To practice, the physical form and athletic registration packet must be turned in to Coach Zettas. You may pick up an athletic registration packet from the front desk. The participation fee is $20.00. NOTE: BVSD is not offering intramural 6th grade basketball. However, 6th graders are permitted to practice daily with the 7th grade team. They are not, however, permitted to participate in the 7th grade "culminating event".
... begins on October 11th and runs through November 19th. There is a sign up sheet outside of Dean Reaven's office. To practice, the physical form and athletic registration packet must be turned in to Coach Zettas. You may pick up an athletic registration packet from the front desk. The participation fee is $60.00. There is a typo on one of the information sheets you received at the beginning of the year so please note-the participation fee is $60.00. OTHER INFO: 1) All games are from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. and are away. 2) No one will know the days of any of the games until the season starts. BVSD schedules them and does not do so until all schools have reported the number of teams and participants.
... begins October 11th and runs through October 29th. There is a sign up sheet outside of Dean Reaven's office. To practice, the physical form and athletic registration packet must be turned in to Coach Borden. You may pick up an athletic registration packet from the front desk. The participation fee is $20.00.
Parents and students interested in the Summit Middle School program are invited to tour the school with a Summit administrator. School tours will be held on the following dates: October 12th, November 4th and 18th, December 7th and 15th and January 6th and 20th. At the end of the tour, there will be an opportunity for questions and answers. All tours begin at 8:30 a.m. and are by appointment only. Please call the Summit office to schedule a tour date: 303-499-9511.
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 in order to make a final decision about enrolling at Summit. On the day they visit, students will 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 late January or early February.
Student/Parent Information Nights are an excellent opportunity to meet Summit staff and board members and to learn more about the Summit program. The mission, philosophy, and curriculum of the Summit program will be discussed, textbooks and work samples will be displayed, and presentations will be made by core subject and elective teachers. All prospective students and their families are encouraged to attend one of these evening programs, which are offered twice during the year. Student/Parent Information Nights will be held on Thursday, December 2nd and on Thursday, January 13th from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.