October 1, 2004
Volume 18, No. 3
Are you a parent new to Summit? An old Summit parent with a new student at our school this year? Please join Mr. Finell for coffee and conversation on Wednesday, October 13th, from 9:00 to10:30 a.m. The coffee will be held at Clarissa King's home in central Boulder. Please RSVP to Barb Kostanick at barb.kostanick[at]summitmiddleschool.org or 303-442-7115 by October 11th.
... is an 11-day period in which the state closely monitors attendance of students in order to confirm enrollment and determine funding for the schools. It is very important that we have as few absences as possible during the period from Friday, September 24th, through Friday, October 8th. The official "Count Day" is Friday, October 1st. Please try not to schedule appointments for your child on this day if possible, and make every effort to ensure your child is in attendance. However, we do not expect you to send your child to school if your child is truly ill that day.
Last week, Summit received official notice that our school has again received the Blue Ribbon Award in the category of Consistently High Achieving Schools. This award, presented by the U.S. Department of Education, is considered the highest national education award in the country! WOW!
The awards ceremony will be in Washington D.C. on November 4th and 5th and will be attended by David Finell, our principal, and Valerie Koch, a founding teacher at Summit. There will definitely be an awards celebration at school after they return.
Mr. Finell offers congratulations to the staff and faculty on their dedication, creativity, knowledge and passion. Collectively, this makes Summit one of the best middle schools in the U.S.!
P.S. Other schools in Colorado to achieve Blue Ribbon status are D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High in Denver, Kit Carson Elementary, Manassa Elementary, South Elementary in Brighton, and St. John's Lutheran School (K-8) in Denver.
A big thank you goes out to the parents helping with Vision and Hearing Screening on October 5th, as well as those preparing meals for the staff during conferences. I'm particularly appreciative of the coordinators of these events, Marilyn Cohen and Terri Hecht.
There are many parents who have committed to help Summit on a regular basis: in the library, the lunchroom, the office, in classrooms, with the newsletter, etc. Thank you for your continued support! Beth McClellan coordinates the lunchroom volunteers and I am grateful to her as well.
Summit Gardeners will begin their autumn planting soon. Contact Kelli Frykholm at Kellifryk[at]yahoo.com to help.
Election Day -- Tuesday, November 2nd -- Our school will be used as a neighborhood polling location, and we'd like to welcome our neighbors with coffee and a large tray of goodies. Would you like to arrange this? Time commitment: a few hours.
Hospitality Closet -- We're looking for someone interested in organizing the "Hospitality Closet." Job involves organizing the closet, stocking it (using the school's budget) with paper plates, napkins, cutlery, etc and replenishing it as needed. Time commitment: a few hours initially, then occasionally throughout the year.
Remember, "Many hands make light the work." We need you! Please contact me at kvandusen[at]comcast.net or (303)541-0870.
-- Karen Van Dusen
Summit has a rigorous, academically focused curriculum. At the same time the Summit faculty and staff wish to encourage family time that is, at least on occasion, free from the demands homework and study can place on our students. Towards that end, last year we decided to establish a homework free weekend each semester in order to help families find the time to just enjoy each other's company. This semester the homework free weekend will be December 4th and 5th. We sincerely hope that all Summit families will use this time to take a walk or an outing, enjoy a leisurely meal, play a game, in short, to just be together.
-- Mr. Finell, Principal
Those going to Ecuador and interested in earning $100-400 toward their trip costs can come to a brief informational meeting about the fundraiser on Thursday October 5th, right after school in Ms. Blakemore's Room, # 6. If you are unable to attend yet still interested, contact Bonnie Lucara at 303-673-0733.
This year, two students from Summit will work on a Destination ImagiNation challenge with teammates from Southern Hills and Mesa Elementary. Chris Guthrie and Tyler Ollanik have been together on a DI team since second grade and wanted to continue even though the team members now attend three schools. So with support from Summit and Southern Hills, they'll be meeting every week or two until the regional tournament April 2, 2005.
Destination ImagiNation® is a creative problem-solving program for students in kindergarten through college. It teaches problem solving strategies, team work and life-long skills. Teams brainstorm their solutions to one of five challenges, then build and present them on their own-with no outside help!
Teams of up to seven members choose one challenge and spend several months perfecting their "solution" for tournament day. Teams also hone their on-the-spot problem solving skills as they practice coming up with solutions for Instant Challenges (additional challenges that are revealed to the teams only minutes before their presentation time). Thinking on their feet, becoming comfortable with quick decision making and further developing the team spirit are among the skills that Instant Challenges promote.
The former corporate name of DI was OM Association, Inc. which has existed as a non-profit organization since 1983 and has had now more than 20 years experience creating quality problem solving programs for kids.
For more information about DI and starting a team, visit their website at www.destinationimagination.org or talk to Chris, Tyler, or the Team Manager, Pam Guthrie (pamelaguthrie[at]comcast.net).
Colleen Atcheson, Katie Browning, Andy Cowley, Tim Cowley, Carrie Dean, Matthew Eckstein, Eva Gerstle, Mansur Gidfar, Katelyn Guenther, Ben Harstad, Dylan Howell, Andrew Hyde, Drue Hyde, Zoe Ingerson, Hannah Kapsak, Kelsey Ketellapper, Megan King, Ben Kuelthau, Danielle Kushner, Victor Li, Matthew Markham, Alexander Repucci, Aja Ringenbach, Riley Skeen-Gaar, Tamara Sparks, Rob Van Dusen.
Meetings will be held in Room 2 on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at lunchtime. Please be seated by 11:55 a.m.
-- Thank you, Mrs. Kapsak & Mr. Havens
Rainer is a businessman currently on sabbatical. Born in Germany, he has spent most of his career in international sales and marketing in the high-tech industry. He has a degree in Computer Science and a passion for technology. As an advocate of a well-rounded education, both in breadth and depth, Rainer is particularly supportive of strong math and science curricula. He is convinced that teachers are very influential in a child's life. As a young student (age 11) he was encouraged by his math teacher to join the school's computer club to learn computer programming. (At this time most adults didn't know what a computer was.) This early involvement strongly influenced his future direction, and demonstrates what a big difference a single teacher can make.
Before starting his sabbatical, Rainer was Director of Business Development at Broadcom and prior to that, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at AltoCom, a high-tech startup in the Silicon Valley. In his earlier career he held various positions including Director of Sales, International Account Manager, and Education Segment Sales Manager. Rainer has a passion for theoretical physics and enjoys cooking, reading, travel, and, of course, being a sounding board for his children's daily homework questions.
Rainer and his family moved to Boulder three years ago. His wife Susan has 20+ years experience in the high-tech industry. His daughter, Sabine, graduated from Summit last year and is now at Fairview High, Larissa is currently at Summit, and Tatjana is at High Peaks Elementary with a few years ahead of her before she too "can reach for the Summit."
Impact on Education (formerly The Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools) is now accepting nominations for the Impact on Learning Awards program. This program is designed to recognize five individuals in the Boulder Valley School District who have made an extraordinary impact on student learning by valuing education, service to students, and leadership by example.
All BVSD employees and volunteers are eligible to be nominated and can be nominated by staff, parents and students. Award recipients are recognized at the annual Impact on Learning reception, which will be held March 10, 2005. Each Impact on Learning recipient will receive a $500 personal gift and his/her school will receive a $1,500 gift. In addition, all nominees will be recognized.
Nominations are due November 18, 2004. Please contact Christina Suarez, Program Director, at 303.447.5132 or email christina@impactonlearning.org for more information or a copy of the nomination.
On Wednesday, October 6th, Hal Rich, admissions officer for Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire, will be available after school at 3:30 p.m. in the Summit Library to meet with Summit 7th and 8th grade students and parents. If you are interested in attending this informational meeting, please RSVP to the front office, 303-499-9511. For more information about Phillips Exeter Academy, visit the web site: www.exeter.edu.
1. Road Maps to Success - Tool Kit for Teachers and Parents of Adolescents, Saturday, October 23rd, 8:45am - 12:30pm, Monarch High School, 329 Campus Drive, Louisville
Keynote Speaker- John Davis, author, "Don't Take It Personally"
Learn proven skills in an innovative, interactive and fun community symposium. Participants will have an opportunity to attend two of four breakout sessions:
This is a collaboration between the Parent Engagement Network+ (PEN+), Boulder Community Hospital's Dakota Ridge Academy, BVSD Parent Professional Partnership (PPP) & Safe and Drug Free Schools (formerly SAPP), Boulder County Prevention Connection ( BCPC), Boulder County Public Health (BCPH), Centennial Peaks Hospital, Compass House - Suggested fee: $5
2. Dr. Michael Bradley - Award-winning Author and Nationally Acclaimed Speaker, Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00pm-9:00pm, Monarch High School Auditorium. Parents loved 'Yes, Your Teen is Crazy', and now teens get their turn with Dr. Bradley's companion book, 'Yes, Your Parents are Crazy! A Teen Survival Guide.'
Please join us for these two informative and engaging events!
Questions? Want to Volunteer? Need Resources? Contact Betsy Fox, Boulder County Prevention Connection, 303-441-3981, bfox[at]co.boulder.co.us
We are very pleased to report that last year's Tools for Learning (TFL) campaign was our most successful to date. More than $102,000 was donated to the campaign by our families, staff, alumni and friends. Donations were received from more than 78 percent of last year's Summit families - a new participation record for us. While last year was difficult for many charitable organizations, we are very pleased that so many supporters of Summit rose to the challenge of the campaign. A big thank you to all who participated from the Sup-porters of Summit, Inc. (SOS), the Summit Board, and the Summit community. And many thanks to all the families who generously donated to this year's SOS campaign. Because of you, the SOS board was able to approve many requests that will improve education and life at Summit.
Approved expenditures from the monies raised last year include: new girls uni-forms for basketball, uniform upgrades for other sports, two computer projectors, new office computer, a computer printer (donated through the IBM employee program), computers with earphones and speakers for the Spanish classrooms, wall maps for Spanish classrooms, CD/cas-sette player for the German classroom, digital video camera for a microscope, new desks for the front office, new shelving to hold more library books, percussion equipment, baritone saxophone, steel drum, microphones and boom stands, multi-regional DVD player that will play DVDs formatted for Europe, Asia or North America, new computer server, new keyboard, amp-lifier, receiver, speaker and cables, a drum set, weight benches, new gym floor lines, digital micropipette set, set of gas spectra tubes, electronic pH meters, lab tables and chairs for chemistry room, tables for the World History classroom, DVD library start-up funds, and donor-specified gifts to the musical, the music program and History Club.
In addition to the many requests approved by SOS last year, Summit's Board was able to accommodate a number of other requests through the capital con-struction funding provided from the state and federal govern-ments and the Walton Grant. Through the Walton Grant, teachers worked on curriculum revisions over the summer, and from those revisions will come more requests to SOS early this fall for materials to support revisions to our curriculum. Some of last year's TFL dollars will be used to acquire those materials.
We very much appreciate all of the donations made through Tools for Learning. Your generosity allowed the Board and the SOS Board to say "yes" to many, many requests.
Pledge packets for this year's Tools for Learning campaign will be mailed today - please watch for yours in your postbox. If you have questions about this year's campaign, please contact the campaign chair, Dolly Dean, at dohdean(at)travelandsports.com or by phone at 303-473-9600.
-- Barb Kostanick, Summit Board Chair, 2004-2005
Except as otherwise noted, full time teachers will be available Thursday, October 14th from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. (except during dinner time), and Friday, October 15th from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (except for lunch time and breaks). Part time teachers will be available for conferences part of Thursday and/or Friday. Please check the schedule for exact times and locations for all teachers. No appointments…just drop in!
Helpful Hints for Successful Parent/Teacher Conferences
Teacher |
#14 |
#15 |
Library |
Mult.-Purp. Room |
Hours Available 10/14 |
Hours Available 10/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ms. Avallone |
X |
|
|
|
6:00 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 12:00 |
Ms. Bartley |
X |
|
|
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 3:00 |
Ms. Barton |
X |
|
|
|
6:00 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 12:00 |
Ms. Baruch |
X |
|
|
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 3:00 |
Ms. Blakemore |
|
X |
|
|
4:00 - 5:15 & 6:00 - 8:00 |
Not available 10/15; available |
Mr. Blomster |
|
X |
|
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 3:00 |
Mr. DeBerry |
|
X |
|
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:00 |
Mr. Delaney |
|
X |
|
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:00 |
Ms Doyle |
|
|
X |
|
4:00 - 5:15 & 6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:00 |
Dr. Fotino |
|
|
X |
|
6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:00 |
Mr. Havens |
|
|
X |
|
4:00 - 6:00 and 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:00 and 12:30 - 2:00 |
Mr. Hirshfield |
|
|
X |
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 3:00 |
Ms. Kapsak |
|
|
X |
|
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 2:10 - 2:20) |
Ms. Koch |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 and 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 2:00 - 2:10) |
Mr. Koch |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 and 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 2:00 - 2:10) |
Ms. Kolanowski |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:30 and 1:15 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 10:00 - 10:10) |
Mr. Liebowitz |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 3:00 |
Ms. Perrine |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
9:00 - 11:45 and 12:30 - 2:00 |
Ms. Phelps |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 11:45 & 12:30 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 2:10 - 2:20) |
Ms. Stone |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 5:15 and 6:00 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:00 |
Mr. Teasdale |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:30 and 1:15 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 10:10 - 10:20) |
Ms. Weber |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:30 and 1:15 - 4:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Break: 10:20 - 10:30) |
Mr. Zettas |
|
|
|
X |
4:00 - 6:00 & 6:45 - 8:00 |
8:00 - 12:30 and 1:15 - 4:00 |
Thanks to the many families who are purchasing grocery certificates on a regular basis. Since the beginning of school we have sold more than $6,800 worth of King Soopers certificates and Safeway debit cards for a profit of more than $350.
Our next parking lot sale will be next Friday, October 8th during morning drop off (7:45-8:15 a.m.) in the front parking lot. You do not need to pre-order, just bring your cash or check (made payable to Summit Middle School). If it is more convenient for you to order or pick up through the office, drop your check in the office by noon on Thursday (of any week) and your order will be available by 8:30 a.m. the following morning (Friday).
Several families have asked about purchasing Wild Oats certificates. Wild Oats is no longer participating in the scrip program and we are considering offering Wild Oats certificates. We need to determine if there is enough interest in Wild Oats certificates to add them to our program. If you are interested in purchasing Wild Oats certificates on a regular basis, please e-mail Dolly Dean at dohdean[at]travelandsports.com) or call me at 303-473-9600.
Albertson's will contribute up to 4% of your purchases to Summit. There are no certificates or cards to buy. All you have to do is link your (blue) Preferred Savings card to Summit. If you already have a Community Partners card with Summit's ID number on it, just ask the cashier to link that with your Preferred Savings card. If you do not have a Community Partners card, you pick one up at our table on Friday morning or write down our Community Partners ID number and take it to any Albertson's store with you. Our ID number is: 490001107387.
If you are interested in purchasing grocery certificates on a regular basis, but have not done so yet, please let me know and I will put you on our bi-weekly e-mail reminder list at dohhdean[at]travelandsports.com.
Finally, a BIG THANK YOU to Holly Howard (mom of 7th grader Will Oldham) for volunteering to help with the grocery certificate program and our Friday morning parking lot sales!
-- Dolly Dean