Seventh graders enjoyed twelve sweet, snuggly visitors last week! The class was the lucky winner of a Puppy Party from the Annual Gala Live Auction, which included a special lunch from Infused Catering and playtime with two litters of Golden Retriever puppies from Show Me Goldens.

Students and puppies alike had a blast cuddling, chasing, and laughing (or barking) together! Look for more opportunities like this one at future fundraisers. New suggestions include… Kitten Party!

Questions? Contact the Front Desk.

Enrollment will be opened up to new families on Friday, April 1, 2022. Secure your spot in the class, and sign your enrollment contract today!

Use these steps to access your enrollment packet:

If you need help logging in to your Family Portal account, please contact the Front Desk. For questions about enrollment, please contact Whitney Wiese or Amy Maas.

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 31st, is a $2 Uniform Buyout Day!

This buyout will be free choice and is sponsored by The Summit Upper School to raise money for their dance on Friday, April 1st. Students may dress in any school appropriate clothing, or students may choose to dress in their regular Summit uniform at no cost.

Please remember to bring regular close-toed, close-heeled shoes for walking around the building and for P.E. class.

Spring Pictures are coming on Monday, April 11th!

Spring pictures are a free dress out photo opportunity. Students may dress in any school appropriate outfit, school spirit wear, or their Summit uniform for Spring Picture Day.

Pre-order spring pictures from Pearce Photo using the link below, and don't forget to bring your smile!

This spring, The Summit will be participating in our annual all-school service day, Ravens Reach Out Day. This year, we will once again be working with The Watershed Center. Students will be working together on light gardening tasks at The Watershed Center to help make this educational nature center even more beautiful for our community. More details will be shared with families closer to the date.

On Friday, April 29th, all students will have the opportunity to help make a difference on our campus for our second All School Native Garden Day in the Big Backyard. Students will work in staggered groups outside in the pollinator garden and sensory beds, pulling weeds, planting new native plants, and helping our gardens flourish this spring and summer to create a sustainable habitat for helpful insects, including bees and butterflies.

After students wrap up in the gardens, all parents and guardians are invited on campus for an all school pizza picnic lunch in the Big Backyard. All students will have lunch and recess from 11:45 am-12:45 pm before packing up for early release at 1:00 pm. If you would like to order pizza lunch for yourself that day, please contact the Front Desk no later than 9am on Friday, April 29th. You may also bring lunch.

Dear Summit Families,

I hope you all enjoyed a restful Spring Break as we head into the final stretch of the 2021-2022 school year. After carefully monitoring the health and wellness in our community this week, we are pleased to announce we have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus at this time and will be proceeding with our masking optional policy effective Monday, March 28th.

As a reminder, students should still continue to bring a mask with them to school as a school supply for indoor activities where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Thank you for your continued support of our commitment to learn safely together on campus.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Dr. Katie Heet

Head of School

Spend your summer at The Summit with Camp Raven! These weekly camps provide a fun, safe, and stimulating way to continue learning over the summer break. Each camp, led by talented and enthusiastic instructors, focuses on a central theme from explorations in STEM and art to music and movement. Campers will have fun while learning and making new friends!

Check out some of these exciting camp offerings, and register today!

Summit freshman Katherine S. was inducted into the LAD Fair Writers Hall of Fame this past weekend for her submission entitled "Transmission End." This is a rare honor that is only given to the best of the best! Mr. Jordan Alexander, Upper School Language Arts teacher, is very proud of Katherine for her LAD Fair honor.

Mr. Alexander says, "I am very fortunate to have not one, but two LAD Fair Hall of Fame winners in my classes. Last year, Liya J. wowed with her poetry selections. They demonstrated a deep artistry and understanding of emotions and concepts far beyond her years and experience levels. Her ability to make sense of the abstract and complex is always enjoyable and insightful to read.

This year, Katherine S. has achieved this honor for her story 'Transmission End,' a story in epistolary form detailing the construction of an Artificial Intelligence. Katherine has always had incredible creative insight and her writing is always surprising in the best way possible. Her creativity and sense of voice always make for entertaining and impressive writing."

Congratulations, Katherine! We are all so proud of you!

To begin their third trimester study of world cultures, first grade students have been learning to recognize the seven continents by their shape and location. Students have become familiar with the continents and their names, along with other features of the globe including cardinal directions, the equator, and how the location of a continent on Earth affects its weather patterns.

First grade students put their learning in action by creating the continents out of sugar cookies! They worked together to make the dough from scratch and roll it out flat.

Then, they worked in pairs or individually to cut out their selected continent. After the cookies were baked and cooled, the students iced each continent in its own color, similar to the seven continents map they have been using in class.

Finally, they assembled their continents into a complete map of the world. Ms. Ursino and the class agree that it is the messiest and most delicious map they have ever seen!

Third, fourth, and fifth grade students all took a field trip to My Hot Yoga studio with Adrienne Parnell, Summit Yoga Instructor, to try out aerial yoga!

A combination of the arts and athletics, aerial yoga offers several physical and psychological benefits, including:

To learn more about the practice, history, and benefits of aerial yoga, check out this online article from Healthline.

Ready to take a "swing" at aerial yoga yourself? Visit the My Hot Yoga schedule page to sign up for your first aerial class!

The Summit's accrediting body, The Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS), is offering a five-part parent education webinar series in Spring 2022.

We hope you consider joining other independent school parents for any of the five evening sessions led by a variety of experts to help you support your children socially, emotionally, educationally, and developmentally as we all continue to learn and grow. Please use the link below to register for the live webinars, which will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Central time.