Summit October Newsletter 25-26

Dear Summit Families,

We have enjoyed a very successful start to the school year! Your children have shown tremendous scholarship, maturity, respect, and responsibility in all aspects of school life, from rigorous academics, to community building, and athletics. As usual, parent support has been high, and we greatly appreciate your effort, care, and generosity.

Special thanks to all of the Summit friends and families who are generously supporting our Design Futures fundraising efforts. Last year at this time, our total was $65k, and today it is over $415K! This is truly humbling and we are so grateful that our goal of $500k is actually within striking distance! Remember, all donations are cumulative and amounts of $2,026 or higher include named donor recognition on our donor wall. Our new CTE Learning Community is almost ready and will open on time and in budget this January 2026 for 2nd semester.

Summit has led the way for BVSD with innovative school design beginning with green architecture which included Geothermal HVAC and Day Lighting in the 2010 Library, Gym, & Science classrooms addition. Then in 2015 we recruited world renowned School Design Architects FNI to BVSD who introduced a learning community model at Summit as well as five exemplar school rebuilds- Creekside, Emerald, Meadowlark, Douglass, and now New Vista. Today we are again leading with Career & Technical Education (CTE) design and programming.

Every step of the way, our motto is that Instruction Drives Construction! Beginning in January of 2024, our design teams toured four CTE Centers (St. Vrain, Douglass, Jefferson, and Littleton) and conducted extensive research on CTE design and programming options to create the perfect CTE model for Summit. Our efforts have resulted in a bold vision to expand the impact of a Summit education. Our goal is to provide innovative opportunities to apply academic rigor and prepare students for their future.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Parent Teacher Conferences this week. As conferences approach, now is the right time to pay attention to your student’s academic progress, remembering that all children are unique learners who grow and develop at different rates. Please don’t expect perfection and embrace areas of growth as opportunities to encourage not criticize.

Praise comes in three basic types: general, specific and effective. General praise is saying “good job’ with a pat on the back. Specific praise identifies the skill or action that led to the achievement or growth. Effective praise explains why the specific skill or action is important and how it has a positive effect in the community. Don’t forget the most important message you can give your child: I love you unconditionally and you are the most important person in the world to me!

Have a great fall everyone, and I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Adam Galvin,

Principal

One of the great joys of my work at Summit—both professionally and personally—is facilitating our parent–admin book talks. Partnering with members of Parent Connections, we’ve explored a number of relevant and timely books over the past several years, including Brainstorm by Dr. Daniel Siegel, The Teenage Brain by Dr. Frances Jensen, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers and Untangled, both by Dr. Lisa Damour. These conversations have brought such a wealth of insight, thoughtful questioning, and vulnerable reflection. They remind me how valuable this experience is—not only for us as parents and guardians navigating the pre-teen and teen years, but also for our staff, who often engage with these books through the lens of educators.

This morning, nearly thirty Summit parents—and even one of our teachers, Dr. Eastwood—gathered to reflect on The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop. Together, we shared what resonated with us, revisited our own middle school experiences, and explored how the book is shaping our parenting today. The conversation was thoughtful, personal, purposeful, and even sprinkled with humor. One highlight was reframing the familiar “How was your day?” into more curious and specific questions like, “What did you do in English today?” and “How did you feel about that reading today in History?”

Parents often tell me they breathe easier in these gatherings, knowing they’re not alone in navigating both the joys and challenges of raising Summit students. There is particular reassurance in hearing from parents of Summit alumni, who can share what lies ahead in high school. “You can’t get there without the foundation here.” For many of us, the real work is in “unprogramming” the ways we were influenced by our own parents—who were often doing the best they could—and instead adopting a more reflective, metacognitive approach to how we engage with our children today. Be curious, not judgmental. Connect before you correct.

It’s important for our kids to see us modeling engagement and exploration in our own lives. We’d love for you to join us at our next book talk—another dive into The Disengaged Teen—on Thursday, October 30, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. (location to be announced). Come get curious with us!

8th Grade Boys Basketball - Season 10/29/2025 -12/11/2025 M-F 3:15-4:30 pm

8th Grade Girls Basketball - Season 01/07/2026 - 2/11/2026 M-F 3:15-4:30 pm

6th/7th Girls Grade Basketball - Season 02/18/2026 - 03/06/2026 M-F 3:15-4:30 pm

6th/7th Girls Grade Basketball - Season 02/23/2026 - 03/12/2026 M-F 3:15-4:30 pm

6th/7th Boys Basketball - Season 02/25/2026 - 03/14/2026 M-F 3:15-4:30 pm

Register on Arbiter Today!

ALL-GIRLS LEAGUE for the fall season! From October 20 – December 12, there will be a 6th & 7th Grade All-Girls Basketball League. Games will be Friday evenings, and practices will be in Boulder (day/time TBD). Sign up through the YMCA Please register your daughter for the league here: select 2025 Fall Basketball – 6th/7th Grade Girls.

One of Summit's favorite traditions is the annual Husky Bowl. This event is the culmination of our 6th and 7th grade Flag football season. The Summit band plays the National Anthem and pep tunes. The husky always makes an appearance!

Summit does not follow the BVSD calendar and there are some days that Summit is in session while other BVSD school are not in session. Tuesday, October 14th is a school day for Summit. Lunch that day will be oven roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, with biscuit and gravy or ravioli with cheese and breadsticks.

Please print your child's schedule for parent Teacher Conferences. Remember that teachers only have 5 min to discuss your student's progress. You can always check Schoology to help your student stay on top of their assignments and students may utilize teacher office hours when in need of extra help! This is a parent only event.

Students will have a half day of school due to Parent Teacher Conferences. Half days are 8:00 am to 11:45 am. There is no food services on half days. Please make sure your student knows their after school pans!

The Open Enrollment window for BVSD schools is Nov 1st through January 7th. If you have an incoming 6th grader for the school year 26-27' make sure to sign up for a Summit Middle School tour. Tour sign-ups will be available on the Summit website starting October 14th at 3:00 pm. Incoming 9th grade students will also want to check out tours for the High Schools. You can review the BVSD website for Open Enrollment information.

This semester, we’re reading: The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop. Join Summit AP, Meredith Changeux, for Happy Hour Book Talk on Thursday, October 30th 5:00-6:30 pm (location TBD -please look for an update in the Friday Weekly!). Many Summit staff have already read this book and are incorporating this engagement language in their classrooms. This is your chance to connect with the work already happening inside the school!

Come hang out and grab a cup of coffee, meet other Summit parents and support an awesome local coffee company!

Next coffee cart is Monday, October 20th 7:00 - 9:00 am

Clark Tower’s Lemonade Shack was a great hit with students on Monday, September 15, during the Husky Bowl. Clark and his family sold 200 cups of delicious, fresh squeezed, lemonade at $5 each and raised $1,020 for Summit’s new Career, Technical and Engineering wing!

The Summit Honor Society spent a long weekend in Alamosa serving with La Puente. Students cooked and served meals, sorted donations, worked in gardens and offices, and even gleaned and cleaned carrots—all while camping together and learning lessons about resilience, kindness, and intentional community. They were also able to share the cold weather, hygiene, pet care, and other supplies generously donated by the Summit community, making a meaningful difference in the lives of those they served.

It is time to report your student/staff walking, biking, carpooling, and bus trips to and from school for the month of September. This survey will close on 10/7/2025 and Trip Tracker dollars will be distributed at schools during the third week of October.

BVSD students can report their trips here

BVSD staff can report their trips here

If you have any questions about Trip Tracker, please send an email to TripTracker@bvsd.org or visit our webpage to find information about:

• Partner businesses where you can spend your dollars.
• Non-Profits where you can donate your dollars
• Optional Printable Tracking Calendars

The goal of the Trip Tracker program is to significantly reduce car traffic and associated air pollution in front of schools, enhance safety, improve mental and physical health, and have fun!

Thank you!

Walk and Roll to School Day is October 8th! For more event information, please visit our webpage.

We would like to thank the following generous donors for their support:

Flatirons Golf Course

Ironwood Bar and Grill

Arturo Barrios

The Ainslie Family

The Morris Family

Erica & Daniel Stone

Adriana & Graeme Tower

Lisa Effress & Tim Roper

And thank you to Arhaus for hosting our event!

We raised over $40,000 at the Fall Fest/Auction for the Design Futures CTE Wing. Thanks for your support!

The campaign goal is to raise $500,000 for construction costs, equipment and furniture. Our campaign total is $414,000, so we are now on the home stretch!

All families who donate to the Design Futures Building Campaign at the Purple level of $2,026 and above will have their family name featured in our new wing! These are the sponsorship tiers for the new wing:

$2,026+ - Purple Sponsor

$5,000+ - Silver Sponsor

$10,000+ - Gold Sponsor

$30,000+ - Platinum Sponsor

$100,000+ - Transformational gift - naming rights for one of the new learning spaces

Please click here to learn more and donate to the Design Futures building project! A huge thanks to these families, companies & events that have contributed to the building project.

Summit would like to partner with local businesses for corporate sponsorships. If you have a connection to a local company that may want to partner with us, please contact Julie at juliana.scott@bvsd.org. The Design Futures team has created a beautiful brochure to share the details of the project.

Hard Hat Tours of the new CTE wing - the new wing will open in January for students!

Tuesday, October 14, 3:15-3:45 pm

Thursday, November 13, 3:15-3:45 pm - limited spots available!

Thursday, December 11, 3:15-3:45 pm may not be hard hat anymore!

Tour the new wing with Principal Adam Galvin. RSVP HERE. Tours are limited to 20 so sign up soon! Check out this VIDEO from our August tour

"The Chemistry of Colors!" "This show will feature favorite, select demonstrations curated and presented by the University of Colorado's Director of Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratories, Christopher Marelli. Colorful, lively demonstrations will inspire and pique the curiosity of young science and nature enthusiasts.

What does Chemistry have to do with colors? What do atoms do when they're excited and then calm again? How can we know more about what stars are made of by looking at their colors? Come find out!

A rare opportunity to see the famous demonstrations that allow students to understand more about the awesome Colors of Chemistry that illuminate the universe!

Saturday

October 25, 2025

9:30am - 10:30am

Christol Chemistry Room 140

University of Colorado, Boulder

In 2024 over 1,600 coats and many miscellaneous items of clothing were collected and distributed to needy families in Boulder County and to various charitable organizations. Thanks to your efforts, many people - both adults and children were able to stay warm while they were out and about last winter.

We plan to have collection boxes available by Friday, October 24 and pick-up dates are scheduled November 12 and December 3. December 3 will be the last pick-up so please make sure to drop off all coats by Tuesday, December 2.