Summit School Newsletter
INNOVATIVE TEACHING. EXPERT EDUCATORS. THRIVING STUDENTS.
March 24, 2023
Summit School Spring Concert is Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Mountain Park Church
From the Head of School...
If you have been on campus in the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed the first piece of our Summit School Sensory Path. A sensory path is a pathway that is a colorful, creative, and playful way for kids to build connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch, sound, etc., which enable kids to complete complex, multi-stage tasks. A typical sensory pathway,, consists of several exercises specifically designed to develop motor skills or help with balance.
Sensory pathways are the perfect mid-morning or post-lunch break. The high-energy nature of many of these exercises, which require kids to hop, step, and jump, can also be a great “brain break” throughout the school day - a quick five-to-ten minute movement break from the classroom that lets kids get the wiggles out!
This first piece, a hopscotch, was started by one of our Wednesday Enrichment groups. It was painted by Mrs. Angelakis, two Summit alumni-- Eleni and C.J. Bender, and I. Coming soon: sharks and surfboards. Can you jump from board to board to avoid the sharks swimming below?
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephanie Nardi
Head of School
SAVE THE DATE - Summit's Spring Gala and Auction
Dear Summit Community,
Spring is just around the corner and so is Summit's Spring Gala and Auction! Please see the attached Save the Date. We hope you join us as we come together for dinner, drinks, silent and live auctions, and to celebrate and support our amazing school, faculty, and staff.
Back by popular demand, our silent auction will include a piece of artwork from every grade level, created collaboratively by all students! In addition, join us for teacher experiences, amazing gift baskets, special live auction items, and lots of fun.
You won't want to miss it!
Gratefully,
Spring Gala Auction Committee
Summit Board of Trustees
March Mammal Madness
Cybercat Robotics Off to Worlds, Again!
The Summit School Cybercat Robotics Elementary Teams came home with 3 trophies and another banner from the Arizona Elementary State Championship.
Four teams qualified for Worlds in Texas! Go Sabrecats! #summitschoolaz
The team of Vincent, Ryan, and Bradley earned themselves an invitation to VEX World Championships by taking 2nd place, as well as receiving the Innovate Award. They were in the top 5 all day and are excited to be heading to Worlds again this year.
Additionally, competing was the team of Wade and Sydney who finished 6th place and earned an invitation to Worlds.
VEX Worlds is April 30 - May 2 in Dallas, TX.
Mrs. Pepiton is Saying Good-Bye...
Dear Summit Community,
I’m not sure where to begin, other than this is bittersweet to be typing this to all of you. Our journey at Summit began 4 years ago, with the love and support of Ms. Arce and Ms. Andrea welcoming us here with open arms! I knew it was meant to be when Zoe received the very last Kindergarten spot in 2018!
I enjoyed my time in preschool as an Investigator, a Zoomer, a Dandy Lion, and a Mouseketeer. But, my heart has always been wired more for Kindergarten! You can only imagine the excitement I felt when I was able to move up and join Ms. Vosseller for the Kindergarten team! I am very grateful that she has been such a wonderful teacher to my girls and that she has been a wonderful support to me throughout this year! Thank you to all the families, for your love and support, too. It means the world to me!
As our journey here at Summit comes to an end, we will miss all of you–coworkers, families and friends. However, my teaching career continues on into a new adventure! I have accepted a Kindergarten position with Phoenix Christian Elementary; my family and I will transition there in the fall.
I look forward to what may come in these last few months! I am excited to see the growth that will continue to happen in our classes! Again, thank you for the love and support over these last 4 years!
With love,
Ms. Kristin/Mrs. Pepiton
Summit Eats
To celebrate the diversity of the Summit School community we are launching ‘Summit Eats’ cookbook - a collection of family recipes and the stories that go with them.
We are seeking recipes that tell the story of your family’s origins, culture and history. This might be a recipe from the four corners of the globe, a Southwest favorite or quintessential soul food.
Your recipe alongside those of our community will become part of the 2023 ‘Summit Eats’ Cookbook, which we will be releasing this May! Proceeds from the sale of this book will go directly to Summit School D&I Fund (learn more about Summit’s D&I Committee below).
Keep an eye out for Pre-Sales at Global Awareness Day on April 14.
SUBMIT YOUR RECIPE NOW.
We invite you to submit a recipe that is of significance to your family here and include a short story along with it (optional). Your family will receive full credit for your recipe contribution.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
We ask you to ensure you carefully check the information is correct as we will be unable to alter or modify once submitted.
If credit for the recipe belongs to another copyrighted cookbook, it is not eligible for publication. By submitting your recipe for publication, you are declaring that you own the intellectual property rights to the recipe.
We are unable to include pictures at this time, so please do not include photos with your recipe.
You may submit up to 3 recipes for consideration. At least 1 recipe from every participating family will be included.
Each recipe will be allocated one page in the book. Please keep the total word count including ingredients list, directions, and any family story you want to include, under 250 words.
We intend to continue publishing Summit Eats in future years so if you have more recipes, there will be more opportunities to be included!
ABOUT THE SUMMIT D&I COMMITTEE
Summit School acknowledges and celebrates the unique differences within our community. In doing so we recognize the diversity of our community and larger world while preparing our students to become global citizens.
The Summit D&I Committee, led by the Head of School, is composed of parents and representatives from the Board of Trustees, the PTO, and the wider Summit parent community.
The funds raised through this initiative will support D&I led experiences. Past examples of this include the HOPI-R2 built by electrical engineer Joe Mastroianni and painted by Hopi-Tewa artist Duane Koyawena that visited Summit during Arts Night 2022, the presentation from Navajo artist Jonessa Reid and Loteria Night.
New IBE 2023-24 Application to complete and submit to IBE!
Summit parents who utilize the Arizona Private School Tax Credits for tuition need to complete their preferred School Tuition Organization (STO) new application each spring. Please find the Institute For Better Education, IBE 2023-24 application here. Upon completion, please submit it and any required documents directly to IBE at Services@ibescholarships.org before June 1, 2023. IBE will only release tax credits towards tuition in July if they have a completed 2023-24 IBE application by that date. For questions regarding the application please visit www.ibescholarships.org or call 520-512-5438. If you use a different STO, please visit their website to find their 2023-24 application form.
Summit School Community Partnerships
Dear Community Member, Summit School is pleased to announce that we are starting a community partner program with businesses in our local community. We know that connections in the community are invaluable to the success of our school and our local businesses. We would like to invite you to become a Summit Community Partner. This partnership requires no donations or financial support. Instead, we ask for mutual participation. Here is how it works. You agree to be a Summit Community Partner by posting our Summit School Community Partner flyer, poster, or our Summit School brochures in your business. We add your logo to our Summit Community Partners website page and our weekly school digital newsletter. We will reach out to you when we have campus events that you may be interested in for the purpose of sponsorship, table displays, or other connections. We offer you the opportunity to add items or information to our new family welcome bags. To get started, please complete this form or reach out to Kyle Allen, Director of Admissions and Marketing at kyle.allen@summitschoolaz.org. In addition, please send your business logo as a .png or .jpg file to the email address above. Want to know more about Summit School? We would be happy to give you a tour of our campus. If you would like a tour or have any questions, please email Kyle Allen or call 480-403-9506. Thank you for your consideration. In Partnership, Dr. Stephanie Nardi Head of School
Support Our Summit School Community Partners
Summit School
Email: Summit.School@SummitSchoolAZ.org
Website: https://summitschoolaz.org/
Location: 4515 E Muirwood Dr, Phoenix, Arizona 85048, USA
Phone: 480.403.9500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SummitSchoolAZ
Twitter: @SummitSchoolAhw