Raven Report: October 25, 2023

The fall weather was perfect this morning for our annual Donuts with Grownups event, hosted by SPO! Keep reading for more photos!

November 2023

1: Late Start, 9:30 am

1: Admissions Open House, 11:00am-1:00pm

2: Students Wear Día de los Muertos Spirit Wear

2: Admissions Open House, 5:00-7:00 pm

3: End of First Trimester, Lower School

8: $2 Uniform Buyout Day - Panama Theme

9: Parent Informational Meeting for 3rd-5th Grades, 8:30 am

9: EARLY RELEASE at 1 pm

10: NO SCHOOL - Parent/Teacher Conferences

15: SPO Meeting, 9am 

15: High School Informational Meeting for 7th & 8th Grades

20-24: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

27: Board of Trustees Meeting, 5pm

29: Official School Pictures, Retakes

December 2023

7: $2 Uniform Buy Out Day

8: EARLY RELEASE at 1 pm, No Afternoon Fun Zone

13: Late Start, 9:30 am 

18: Board of Trustees Meeting, 5-6 pm

19: Class Winter Parties, 10:30 am & EARLY RELEASE at 11:30am

20-31: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

25-26: All Summit Offices Closed

Last Wednesday, middle school students traveled to Dickerson Park Zoo to advance their studies of animals connecting to language arts, art, geography, and ecology!

Photos and special items featured in previous years' ofrendas.

Día de los Muertos Celebrations Next Week

¡Hola a todos!

Next week, we're celebrating Día de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday where people remember and celebrate loved ones who have passed away. The holiday usually takes place on November 1st and 2nd. Throughout the week, students will learn about its history, traditions, and significance. 

A key aspect of this holiday is the ofrenda - a table that is decorated with items that honor, celebrate, and reflect the personality of deceased relatives. In honor of this holiday, we invite the Summit community to participate in an optional all-school ofrenda, displayed near the front desk from this Friday, October 27th through November 3rd. Señora Souza will be there during morning carline on Friday to assist students.

You can participate by bringing:

• A photo of a loved one
• Their favorite packaged sweets, foods, or drinks
• Fresh or fake marigold flowers
• Items your loved one enjoyed or used

All personal items will be returned. Please label items you'd like back. Students will also create decorations like papel picado, sugar skulls, and paper marigolds to decorate throughout the week.

We're excited to celebrate Día de los Muertos with our Summit community again this year!

~ Señoras Souza and Cordel

The Summit Prep is proud of our amazing faculty! Every Tuesday we'll be honoring our faculty on social media. This week, we honor Ms. Lanae Ursino, First Grade Faculty!

"I love you being my teacher. I really like doing your spelling tests. You are so nice and smart. Thank you for helping me learn!"

- Grayson J., 1st Grade

"Ms. Ursino is an exceptional educator! She excels in developing and implementing engaging academic content. Her teaching methods include skillful whole group and small group instruction, as well as hands-on projects that meet curricular goals. Ms. Ursino is not afraid to try new methods and often tinkers with new instructional or curricular methods to best meet her students’ needs. Her classroom environment is engaging and interactive, helping students to meet her high academic and behavioral standards. And, she is one of the friendliest people around. I don't think she has ever met a stranger!"

- Mrs. Bradley, Lower School Director

Early Learners' England Adventure in Morning Meeting

Early Learners had a very special morning meeting today! They heard all about the adventures of our very own Mrs. West and her recent trip visiting her family in England. Along for the trip was Rainbow, one of the Early Learners' fluffy friends!

Mrs. West and Rainbow had many exciting adventures together, including a trip to the seaside, Mrs. West's sister's birthday party, traveling on a train, and an extra special visit to Mrs. West's childhood home in Manchester. The class learned about many special things they might see if they ever visit England one day...including a double decker bus and a traditional phone booth. There were many questions about the phone with a cord on the wall! Thank you for sharing your special trip with the class, Mrs. West!

Fourth Grade Creates Pop Can Picassos

Fourth grade artists created recycled abstract art inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Cubist works. This is a wonderful and eco-friendly project that allows students to explore the revolutionary ideas behind Cubism while using readily available materials. Below is a brief description of the Cubist art movement and its key features.

Cubism is an influential art movement that emerged in the early 20th century, primarily associated with artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. This style of art sought to depict objects and subjects from multiple angles simultaneously and challenged traditional art rules, particularly linear perspective. In Cubist artworks, objects are broken down into geometric shapes, and the viewer sees various viewpoints within a single composition.

Here are the materials needed to create a Pop Can Picasso!

You will need:

• Hot glue gun
• Empty soda cans
• 6” x 9” pieces of construction paper
• Colored markers
• Colored pencils
• Paint

As students worked on their project, they were asked to think about how it challenges conventional art rules. How does your artwork represent the subject from multiple angles simultaneously, and how does it break away from traditional views of art?

This project not only allows students to explore the principles of Cubism but also encourages creativity and sustainability through the use of recycled materials.

Practical Polynomials in High School Precalculus

High school students in Precalculus are currently working with polynomial and rational functions. Though we may not realize it, many of these concepts underlie some critical calculations in science and nature.

For example, pressure and the behavior of gasses underwater for divers, the curved surfaces of communications antennas, and population changes among animal species can all be modeled using polynomials and their various representations (tables, equations, graphs).