Summit High School
Message From Mrs. Grimaldi
Dear SHS Families,
Please ensure that your student has their school-issued ID with them each day.
As we begin the last full month of school, please continue to monitor your student's progress and attendance in their classes. Please reach out to the teacher if you have any questions regarding your student's grades.
I ask you to please remind your student that cell phones and earbuds are not allowed to be used in class unless the teacher requests the students to use them for a class activity. We have reminders outside of all classrooms, but it would be helpful if that message is reinforced at home.
Please review the information below about NJSLA Testing and the Final Exam Schedule.
It's a great day to be a Hilltopper!
Stacy Grimaldi
Principal
News From The Health Office
Dropping Off Items
As you know there is a bin located outside the main entrance of the school for parents/guardians to drop off forgotten items that students need for the school day. Please do not use this bin to drop off or have any other unnecessary items dropped off. This includes Starbucks, Dunkin', Uber Eats, Door Dash, or other items not expressly needed for the school day.
Summit Educator Recruitment Expo
Do you know anyone who teaches or wants to be a teacher? Encourage them to join us at the Summit Educator Recruitment Expo on Wednesday, May 1st.
AP Exams and Use of the Auxiliary Gym
We will be administering AP exams during the weeks of May 6th and May 13th. Since we don't have the use of the library spaces for testing, we will be using the auxiliary gym for testing. Therefore, the auxiliary gym won't be available for student lunches the entire week of May 6th and on May 13th, May 14th, and May 16th. We are working with Pomptonian Food Services and the custodial staff to re-locate the food purchase locations and places for students to eat on these days. Announcements will be made this upcoming week so students know about these changes and the new locations.
Attention Senior Families - Reminders
Please be reminded to return the items from the senior mailing. The lawn sign order form was due April 19th. The t-shirt order form is due May 1st.
The Senior Meeting for Parents/Guardians will be held on Monday, May 6th at 6pm in the auditorium. I will review all graduation and end of year items.
Please be sure to purchase your ticket to the Senior Athletes Banquet sponsored by the Boosters. This event will be held on Tuesday, May 7th at 7:30pm in the auditorium.
Save the Date - PTO General Meeting - Friday, May 17th
Please join us for the final PTO meeting of the 2023-2024 school year. This meeting will be held in-person on Friday, May 17th at 8:30am in the high school auditorium. Speakers will include Ali Grill who will talk about the college process. There will be something for everyone regardless of grade.
Attendance Matters
It is imperative that students are in school each day and on time.
Every time a student is absent from school, it will fall into one of two categories: CUMULATIVE or NON-CUMULATIVE.
NON-CUMULATIVE absences will not count towards a student’s absence total. These absences are the only allowable absences per Statute (N.J.A.C. 6A:32-8.3) and the NJDOE Guidance for Reporting Student Absences and Calculating Chronic Absenteeism.
The five, non-cumulative absences are:
Religious Observance
College Visit (up to 3 days per year for students in grades 11-12)
Take Our Children to Work Day
Observance of Veteran’s Day
The closure of a busing district that prevents a student from having transportation to school.
All other absences are CUMULATIVE absences, and will count towards a student’s absence total. Cumulative absences are divided into two sub-categories: VERIFIED or UNVERIFIED.
A VERIFIED absence means that a student is not in school, and the school has been notified of the absence. This applies anytime a parent/guardian has notified the school of the absence, such as the student being home sick and/or missing school due to a doctor’s appointment. Verified absences may count towards loss of credit, or may result in the school district sending a letter to notify families of the number of absences accrued in a given year.
An UNVERIFIED absence means that a student is not in school, and the school has not been notified of the absence. This will result in a phone call being made to parents/guardians in an attempt to verify the absence, and more importantly, to locate the student's whereabouts. In addition to counting towards credit loss (SHS only) and generating a phone call, unverified absences also count towards truancy and/or may result in student discipline (cutting class, for example).
The chart below was created to help as a visual representation of this policy. Please review the chart, and contact your grade level administrator if you have any questions.
Cumulative absences consist of all absences from a class that do not meet the criteria outlined in the Board definition of non-cumulative absences. State law requires 90% attendance for earning credit in high school courses.
Consequences for cumulative absences for full-year and semester during the school are listed below. The number in the parenthesis refers to totals for semester courses.
6 (3) - Referral form indicating total absences will be mailed home.
12 (6) - In-school parent conference and/or phone meeting. The contact will focus on the consequences of the accumulation of the 18th (9th) absence and student non-engagement in learning..
18 (9) - The student may be withdrawn from the course and will receive a WF (withdrawn failure).
Lateness to School/Class
A student is considered late to school or class any time they arrive after the late bell has rung. School begins at 7:45am, therefore it is necessary for students to arrive on campus before this time. Students who arrive after 7:45am but before 8:00am swipe in at the main door swipe station. Tardies require a parent/guardian note to be marked verified.
Any student who arrives after 8:00am must report to the attendance station in the Main Office to sign in.
Lateness to class will be counted on a cumulative basis throughout the course of the year and will receive the following consequences:
4 lates - Genesis notations/letter
7 lates - a) 2 detentions, administrative meeting with student
b) loss of unassigned study
c) administrator may contact parent/guardian for meeting
10 lates- a) 4 detentions, additional parent conference or phone call. The meeting or phone call will focus on the consequences of the accumulation of the 12th late. In attendance during this meeting/discussion may be the administration, the student’s counselor, the teacher of the specific course, and, if necessary, a Child Study Team member.
b) Loss of parking privileges
12 lates - The student may be withdrawn from the course and will will receive a WF. which may impact graduation eligibility.
Students missing more than 15 minutes of class time are marked absent. If it is unexcused, it is a class cut and will be recorded as such.
Your student's attendance can be checked in Genesis. Please contact either Ms. Aaron or Mr. Murtagh if you have any questions regarding your student's attendance.
Closure of Sidewalk by the Lower High School Field
Due to the construction taking place on the lower field at Summit High School, the sidewalk that runs next to the lower and upper fields that connects Morris Avenue to the high school will be closed. Please encourage your students to use Edgar Street or Weaver Street to access the high school from Morris Avenue. Student should not be walking along the fencing at 412 Morris Avenue and then hopping the fence as this is not safe.
NJSLA Testing
Summit High School will be administering the NJSLA tests during the week of May 20th. The following students will take the corresponding NJSLA test.
- All 9th grade students will be taking the English Language Arts (ELA) test.
- All 9th grade students enrolled in an Algebra 1, Geometry, or Algebra 2 course will take the corresponding math test.
- Any student enrolled in Algebra 1 regardless of grade will take the Algebra 1 test.
- All 11th grade students will take the Science test.
The schedule for the week is as follows:
Monday, May 20th: Math Unit 1
Tuesday, May 21st: Math Unit 2
Wednesday, May 22nd. ELA9 Unit 1, Science11 Units 1 & 2
Thursday, May 23rd: ELA9 Unit 2, Science11 Units 3 & 4
Testing will take place each morning from 7:45am to 9:45am. Any students who are not testing should arrive to school at 9:45am on any day in which they are not testing. Click here to view the bell schedule for the week.
Tentative Final Exam Schedule
Summit High School will be administering final exams on June 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. Final exams are required in all full-year and semester classes with the exception of physical education and study hall. Please ensure that your student is in attendance for all exams. We have scheduled two exams for each exam day. The exam schedule is below:
Monday, June 10, 2024
8:00am - 10:00am: Period 7
10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 8
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
8:00am - 10:00am: Period 5
10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 6
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
8:00am - 10:00am: Period 3
10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 4
Thursday, January 13, 2024
8:00am - 10:00am: Period 1
10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 2
Friday, June 14, 2024
Last Day of School for Students
Single Session E Day
Make up Exams
Students are required to take their exams at the scheduled time. Any request to miss an exam must be submitted using this form and submitted to Mrs. Grimaldi by Monday, June 3, 2024. Approval for exam rescheduling requests will only be given for extenuating circumstances and not for reasons of convenience.
Illness on the day of an exam is addressed by the normal procedure for calling a student out sick through the attendance office.
Any student who misses an exam without prior approval will not be allowed to take the exam.
Students will be released at 12:30pm each exam day.
Food will be available for purchase in the cafeteria between 10:00am and 10:30am.
Does Your Family Need Support?
Summer EBT is a new-to-NJ child nutrition program intended to reduce hunger and food insecurity for children who lose access to free school meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) during the summer when school is not in session. This summer, NJ will be sending an EBT card to every eligible child to purchase food at participating retailers.
Parent Wellness Newsletter
Saturday, April 27th is DEA National Drug Takeback Day. Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That's dangerous and often tragic. Join in the safety effort by cleaning out your medicine cabinet and turning in your unused or expired prescription drugs to the drop box in the Summit City Hall lobby (this is also available year-round!). Here, you can safely and anonymously dispose of solid pharmaceuticals such as pills, capsules, patches, inhalers, and pet medications. The drop box cannot accept syringes or liquids.
Help keep Summit youth safe by utilizing this great service in recognition of National Drug Takeback Day!
Did You Know?
Did you know that you can view your student's check-ins on Genesis? Students scan into the bathrooms, library, help centers, counseling office, and nurse's office when they visit these locations during the school day. You can view these check-ins in Genesis. Log into your Genesis account, and click check-ins on the left side of the screen. Please discuss with your student any excessive time out of class.
You can also view how many times your student did not have their ID badge with them in school. Please help ensure that your student has their ID badge with them each morning.
Attendance Reporting
Reporting an Absence from or Tardy to School
If your student is absent from school or will be late to school, please contact the attendance office by emailing shsattendance@summit.k12.nj.us or calling 908-273-1494, option 1. Please be sure to include the student's name, grade, and reason for absence or lateness. Please contact the attendance office before 10am on the day of the absence or tardy. If reporting a late to school, please also include the time the student will arrive at school.
Reporting an Early Dismissal
Morning Drop Off & Entrances Into The Building
When dropping off your student in the morning along the driveway, please pull up all the way before stopping to let your student out of the vehicle. Please do not cross the double line along Weaver Street if you are trying to bypass the traffic line for drop off. If you drop your student off on Kent Place Blvd., please drop off only on the school side of the street. For the safety of all students and drivers, please do not make K-turns or turn around in driveways along Kent Place Blvd.
Visitors to Summit High School
Appointments must be made in advance to see teachers, counselors, administrators, and other staff. Please be prepared to announce your name and purpose in order to be granted access into the building. In the event an emergency visit is necessary, please call the school’s main office ahead of your arrival so we are prepared to accommodate your needs. Drop-off items (lunch, instrument, Chromebook, etc.) may be dropped off in the bin outside the main entrance vestibule.
Academic Help Centers
Our academic help centers are up and running during each period. Please encourage your student to visit the academic help centers during their study hall period.
Yearbook Information
Yearbook Purchase Information
Construction Update
Weekly Calendar
Monday, April 29th
C Day
Tuesday, April 30th
D Day
Wednesday, May 1st
A Day
Summit Educator Recruitment Expo, 5pm - 7pm, LCJSMS
Thursday, May 2nd
B Day
Director's Showase, 3pm, Auditorium
Friday, May 3rd
C Day
Wear Green for Mental Health Awareness Month
Saturday, May 4th
SATs at Summit High School, All Day
Looking Ahead
- Senior Parent/Guardian Meeting, May 6th, 6:30pm, Auditorium
- Senior Athletes Banquet, May 7th, 7:30pm, Auditorium
- AP Exams: May 6th through May 17th (View Schedule of Exams)
- NJSLA Testing: May 20th through May 23rd (Special Schedule)
- Tentative Final Exam Dates: Monday, June 10th - Thursday, June 13th (assuming there are no more snow days)
- Tentative Last Day for Students: Friday, June 14th (assuming there are no more snow days)