Summit School Newsletter
INNOVATIVE TEACHING. EXPERT EDUCATORS. THRIVING STUDENTS.
April 28, 2023
From the Head of School...
What an amazing school year! It is hard to believe that we are so close to the end of 22-23. While your children enjoy their summer break, we will be planning and preparing for another great school year in 2023-24.
One of the things we will be working on is responding to your concerns in our most recent parent survey. I want to thank the 52 families who responded. We read through every comment and suggestion, and as a staff we identified areas to continue to work on. You may remember that the fall survey led to changes in math, SEL, and an art and academic balance for next school year. The spring survey has indicated that we need to improve in our timely communication of events as well as regular communication about student curriculum and progress. In addition, our team of specialist teachers (art, music, PE, technology, and elementary Spanish) will be sharing out their curriculum for the school year and developing a consistent protocol for parent communication. SEL was a major focus, as well. In response, our team of Mrs. Mauermann, Mrs. France, and I will work on a clear description of SEL at Summit that will be shared out to outline topics and class lessons.
So, what should you look for in the near future?
- An outline of the increased math rigor as it applies to each grade level, PK-8.
- Class curriculum outlines for specials and regular communication from those teachers.
- A clear description of SEL (social emotional learning) at Summit School that includes possible topics and class lessons.
- Timely communication on events and student progress.
Thank you for choosing Summit School and for recommending Summit to other members of your community. As a non-profit, we are all invested in making Summit School the best it can be.
Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephanie Nardi
Head of School
Thank You
Summit Community:
On behalf of Summit School and the Board of Trustees, we would like to thank you for supporting Summit's Spring Gala "Artists in Bloom." Our community raised just over $240,000 to support our amazing faculty and a staff and the exceptional educational experiences they provide to Summit students. It was a beautiful night in so many ways!
We would like to extend a special thank you to our staff for donating their time for teacher experiences, and to Mrs. Eckles and Ms. Aisawan for guiding our “Special Artists” in creating artwork for the silent auction. This not only added beauty to our event but also raised over $3,500 for our school. Our students truly do “bloom” because of you.
A special thank you to our VIP sponsors – the Needham Family, the Vanden Bosch family, and BAREFOOT Pools. We are grateful for your support for Summit’s faculty and staff and our school, and for being such a special part of our incredible Summit community.
Lastly, our thanks and appreciation to all who donated items to our event, to all the volunteers who helped with planning and preparation, and to our Auction Planning Committee. Your time and effort, no matter how big or small, was essential to the success of our event and is much appreciated!
Our spring gala is always a great reminder of what makes Summit special. Thank you for being part of our amazing community and for your investment in our school!
With gratitude,
Nicole Johnson
Summit Board of Trustees
Camp Registration Closes April 28
Summit Continues to Excel!
We are also happy to share that Summit School has successfully renewed its seven year K-8 accreditation through Cognia. The accreditation team report states, "The engagement review team congratulates Summit School of Ahwatukee on a successful engagement review and its commitment to continuous improvement. This team believes that the school's leadership and professional staff are committed to the success and well-being of every student, staff, and stakeholder of the community."
Parent Education Event Well Attended
2023-24 Class Lists
Dear Summit Community,
As we build classes for the next school year, a great deal of time and energy will be dedicated to making decisions that create well-balanced classes and optimal learning environments. Among the factors used in making placements are:
- Balance by Academic Ability: Our students are grouped into sections with a heterogeneous distribution of academic ability.
- Balance of Behavior and Maturity Levels: Our students are grouped into sections with a distribution of children at a variety of self-directed behavior and maturity levels.
- Balance of Gender: We strive for close to and/or proportional numbers of girls and boys in each class.
- Social Relationships: In some cases it is beneficial to the functioning of the classroom and students themselves for certain children to be either placed with or separated from friends and classmates.
Summit believes that children are well equipped to succeed in any classroom. In addition, children need to have the opportunity to work and learn with a variety of teachers, which will better prepare them to successfully interact with the various teaching styles and personalities they will encounter throughout their lives.
We know that some parents wish to communicate information about their child to be considered in the placement decision. This may include the names of one or two students that you would like to see in the same class, and/or the name of any students that you feel your child may need to be separated from.
Our process relies upon the professional judgement of our teachers and considers many variables; therefore it is not possible to accommodate all requests. We will, however, take this information into account as we make final class placement decisions. We will continue to do our utmost to ensure that each school year is positive and productive for all students.
If you have information that you would like considered in the placement decision please complete this form, no later than Monday, May 8 at 3:00 pm. This only needs to be completed if you have special considerations to share. Please complete a separate form for each child. Please do not send an additional email or send your considerations to teachers.
Please note that we are unable to accommodate requests for specific teachers as part of this process.
Class lists for the 2023-2024 school year will be communicated to parents in July.
Off to Worlds!
Good luck to our Summit School Cybercats heading to VEX IQ Worlds in Dallas, TX.
MS Competition is April 30- May 2 and we have one 8th grade team attending. Good luck to Vincent and Ryan.
Elementary Worlds is May 2 - 4 and we have four teams attending.
Good luck to:
Camille, Doris, & Lucy
Alejandra, Mercedes, & Becca
Declan, Nathan, & Christian
Amelia & Anya
Let's go Cybercats! #summitschoolaz
SEL at Summit School
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Check us out on social to learn more. Go SUMMIT SCHOOL!
http://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/arizona/phoenix/summit-school-in-ahwatukee
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