Summit School Newsletter
INNOVATIVE TEACHING. EXPERT EDUCATORS. THRIVING STUDENTS.
September 2, 2022
From the Head of School...
Dear Summit School Community,
I am happy to share the good news of the results of our fall reading and STAR assessments.
Below, you can see the school summary. Please note the percentage of students who exceed national expectations (blue row is expected range). Our students are excelling in both reading and math. Spread the word. Go Summit!
Some Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Fountas & Pinnell Reading Assessment? Why is there no fall data for kindergarten? Fountas & Pinnell is a teacher administered assessment of reading decoding and comprehension that is not new to Summit School. It helps teachers to determine a student's instructional reading level and reading comprehension goals. This assessment is given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. There is no kindergarten fall data as this assessment is not typically administered until January in kindergarten.
What is STAR? STAR is a nationally normed standardized assessment for students in grades K-8. At Summit School, we will be giving this assessment to our students at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Students in kindergarten will take the early literacy assessment, and will not take their first assessment until January. Students in grades 1-8 will take both reading and math assessments. The results of these assessments will be used to help teachers make decisions about instruction, intervention, and enrichment for our students.
What does the shaded row on the data report refer to? The shaded row of information on the data report refers to the expected or average range for a student at the grade level tested. For Fountas & Pinnell this is referred to as “meets expectations.” For the STAR assessment, these students would be in the middle or roughly 50th percentile of national scores. The range on STAR is recorded at 40-60% to account for standard deviations. As you can see from our data, the majority of our students exceed or are in the top percentages in the nation.
What does Average GE mean? Average GE stands for average grade equivalent. This is the average grade level equivalent that our students are performing at on this assessment. Your specific child’s GE was shown on the parent letter you received.
What does Average Yrs Ahead mean? This number shows the average number of grade level years our students are ahead of the national average. This number is derived from the GE above.
What will Summit School do with this information? Regular data collection is necessary to help Summit make informed decisions about instruction, intervention, enrichment, and overall programming. The data collected will be reported out to parents and the Summit Community on a regular basis.
Thank you for being a part of our Summit Community and thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephanie Nardi
Head of School
Now Hiring 5-8 Advanced Math Teacher
Start Date: Immediate Opening – Ongoing
Work Hours: 8am-1pm M, T, R, F and 9am-2pm W
Rate of Pay: Based on the Summit School Pay Scale
- Maintain positive, professional relationships with students, parents, colleagues, and administrators.
- Maintain campus attendance from no later than 7:45am to at least 3:45pm on scheduled school days (100%FTE).
- Possess exceptional communication skills.
- Differentiate instruction to ensure that a range of student needs are met.
- Collaborate with colleagues on multidisciplinary projects.
- Meet deadlines as assigned by administrators.
- Implement and model Summit’s character education and social-emotional learning curricula.
- Participate in student recruitment and retention events.
- Participate in community engagement events.
- Attend required staff, faculty, and team meetings unless given prior approval by administration.
- Attend professional development days unless given prior approval by administration with the exception of emergency or illness.
- Maintain a commitment to continuous professional learning and growth.
- Maintain expertise in subject area(s) taught.
- Model excellent teaching practices to all stakeholders.
- Perform other duties as assigned by administration.
Other Minimum Requirements
- Holds a bachelor’s degree in education or related field
- Holds an Arizona teaching certification in the area of assignment, or working on a documented pathway to certification (PreK-8)
- Current IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card
- Current First Aid/CPR certification
Preferred
- Teaching experience that includes high school mathematics
For employment inquiries, please contact:
Dr. Stephanie Nardi
Head of School
stephanie.nardi@summitschoolaz.org
4515 E. Muirwood Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85048
Direct: 480-403-9501
Main: 480-403-9500
Session 2 Athletics and NEW Coed Junior Cheer!
7v7 Passing League
Session 2 registration for 7V7 Passing Football League starts today. Please watch for an email from Tylor Wimbish, our Summit School Athletics and Activities Director. Coaches for this season are Mr. Pray and Mr. Banani.PreK-Third Coed Junior Cheer
We are happy to share that Summit School will be starting a PreK-3rd grade Junior Cheerleading Squad. We are currently seeking an individual with some cheer experience to coach. The goal is for this cheer squad to cheer on our Sabrecats from the sidelines at 7v7, flag football, and basketball home games as well as doing short performances on Summit Spirit Days or community events. Registration will be coming soon.
For questions, please reach out to Tylor Wimbish at tylor.wimbish@summitschoolaz.org.
Attendance Concerns and Policy
Now that we have started to return to a more normal environment with regard to COVID, I want to remind you of the importance of school attendance. We do not want your child to be at school if they are ill, but we ask that you consider the effect frequent tardies and absences have on the quality of education.
Our Summit School programs are rigorous and active. If your child chronically misses all or part of the school day, they may be missing a critical piece of their education. The following policy is also located in our Handbook.
Students are expected to attend class every day, excepting illness, religious observance, or family emergency. We understand the need to schedule medical appointments and recommend that you schedule these before or after school. If not possible, please consult with your child’s homeroom teacher to find the best time during the school day, so your child does not miss out on valuable learning time.
A student who is chronically absent (absent more than 10 days per semester) will be contacted via email or phone by administration. Reasons and documentation of this phone call or email for chronic absence will be documented in the student’s attendance record. The same procedures will be followed for chronic tardiness. Chronic tardiness is defined as more than eight tardies per quarter. Absences and tardiness deemed excessive may result in consequences, up to and including disenrollment, at the discretion of the Head of School.
If you have special circumstances that you feel Summit School should be aware of with regard to attendance, please reach out to me at stephanie.nardi@summitschoolaz.org.
Partnerships Build Community
Math Opportunity for 5th-8th Grade Students
Curriculum Night is September 12
Time for a Parade!
To make this happen, please consider loaning us your wagon. If you are able, please begin dropping wagons at school. Make sure your wagon is labeled with your name on the bottom for easy return. You may park your wagon next to the Idea Lab entrance. Thank you.
Referral Credits and IBE
I hope this message finds you enjoying your summer break and hopefully staying cool with these toasty temps rising. As we begin to plan for the upcoming school year, we figured it was a great time to remind you of a couple awesome programs that Summit offers.
Yes, we are still offering a $1,000.00 referral tuition credit for each new student (non-sibling of current student) who is referred to Summit for the 2022-23 school year. The credit will be applied to your FACTS account after 2 months. We greatly appreciate your referrals!
Also, if you or someone you know owns or is a decision-maker in an LLC or S-Corp, there are some new, beneficial tax changes (See message below from IBE).
Corporate Donation season is here and there have been some HUGE things happening at IBE. As you may have heard, our very generous S-Corporations could potentially receive a deduction on their Federal tax forms in addition to the State dollar-for-dollar tax credit.
Please check out the following link for more information.
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 Apparel Store- New Items Added!
Gear up with back to school apparel! Check out the Summit apparel store for customizable shirts, pants, and accessories with your favorite Summit logos!
Link: https://apparelnow.com/summit-school-of-ahwatukee-apparel
You can also support our Cybrecat Robotics by purchasing gear at https://apparelnow.com/cybercat-robotics-apparel
School Cents is Back! This year funds will support our IDEA Lab.
Summit School is a part of the School Cents Program!
We are grateful to be one of the twenty schools selected to participate in the School Cents program at the Chandler Fashion Center again this school year. You can help our school win a prize up to $3,000. It’s Easy! Between July 1st and January 15th, shop, dine or watch a movie at Chandler Mall, then upload your receipts to Shopandlog.com/chandler or take your receipts to Chandler Fashion Center School Cent drop boxes outside Barnes and Noble. Summit School also has a blue School Cents Receipt drop-box in the staff lounge. Each month, we will send home a new School Cents Flyer with more details about School Cents, including new bonus point offers available each month.
This year, funds from your shopping will directly benefit the current needs of the IDEA Lab!
Please tell your friends and family – anyone can support Summit School in the School Cents Program at Chandler Fashion Center! Thank you for your support!
Each participating school earns $400 to $3,000!
Learn More
School Cents website
Chandler Fashion Center website
School Cents flyer
1-800-539-3273
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