News and Events
Summit School of Ahwatukee Earns National Accreditation
Summit School of Ahwatukee Earns National Accreditation
March 2010
Patrick O’Brien, Head of School, proudly announces that Summit School of Ahwatukee has earned nationally recognized accreditation from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), an accreditation division of AdvancED®.
To earn accreditation, schools must meet NCA CASI’s high standards and be evaluated by a team of professionals from outside the school. Accredited schools demonstrate that they have a rigorous curriculum taught through sound, research-based methods; collect, report, and use performance results; provide adequate resources and support for its educational programs; have a clear vision and purpose; have effective and responsive leadership; and have a commitment to continuously improve. These standards are derived from educational research and best practices.
“Accreditation demonstrates to our students, parents, and community that we are dedicated to academic excellence and nurturing students’ knowledge, skills, and a love of learning, which are essential to a lifelong embrace of education,” states Pat O’Brien, Head of School.
NCA CASI accreditation is recognized internationally, which assures parents that the school is meeting high standards for quality and successful professional practice.
Dr. Mark Elgart, President/CEO of AdvancED, the parent organization of NCA CASI, stated, “NCA CASI Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school on the primary goal of creating lifelong learners. Summit School of Ahwatukee is to be commended for engaging in this process and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.”
O’Brien proudly states “Our community of teachers, parents, students and administration truly emulate our philosophy of together we can reach for the stars and be the difference. It is an honor to be part of Summit School of Ahwatukee’s many remarkable achievements, which now includes national accreditation.”
Parents and interested community members can learn more about accreditation at www.advanc-ed.org.
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The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) is a non-governmental, voluntary association of public and private elementary and secondary schools in 19 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Department of Defense Education Activity worldwide. NCA CASI is an accreditation division of AdvancED, parent organization for NCA CASI, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), and the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE). AdvancED is dedicated to advancing excellence in education worldwide.
Summit School of Ahwatukee preschool earns national NAEYC re-accreditation
Summit School of Ahwatukee’s preschool has earned re-accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals, scoring 100% on all ten NAEYC program standards.
“We are understandably proud to have earned re-accreditation, and the recognition received through such high scores,” said Andrea Benkel, Summit School’s Director of Early Childhood Education. “NAEYC Accreditation recognizes both the quality of our preschool program as among the top in the nation; and our commitment to families, by providing their children the best care and early learning experiences possible.”
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, Summit’s preschool went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the ten NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards, more than 400 related Accreditation Criteria, and a site visit by NAEYC Assessors.
“The NAEYC Accreditation system raises the bar for preschools, child care centers and other early childhood programs,” said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. “Summit’s NAEYC Accreditation is a sign that they are a leader in a national effort to invest in high-quality early childhood education, and to help give all children a better start.”
Summit School of Ahwatukee’s elementary and middle school is also accredited, through the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), an accreditation division of AdvancED®.
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The NAEYC Accreditation system has set voluntary professional standards for programs for young children since 1985. In September 2006, the Association revised program standards and criteria to introduce a new level of quality and accountability, reflecting the latest research and best practices in early childhood education and development
The NAEYC Accreditation system was created to set professional standards for early childhood education, and to help families identify high-quality preschools, child care centers and other early education programs. To earn NAEYC Accreditation, a program must meet each of the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards.
In the 23 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. Almost 8,000 programs, serving one million young children, are currently accredited by NAEYC – approximately 8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs.
Summit students explore Latin, African music
Summit students explore Latin, African music
by Marissa Belles - Apr. 8, 2010 The Arizona Republic
Summit students explore Latin, African music
In a nod to diversity and cultural education, students at the Summit School of Ahwatukee spent the past month learning music from Latin American and West African countries.
The students displayed their knowledge last week at the school's seventh annual "Día de las Americas" celebration.
Summit puts on the show to demonstrate how students and the community feel about diversity and the importance of knowing a second language in a global economy.
"The entire school meets twice a week to share what each grade level is learning," said Kathy Covert, Summit admissions and marketing director. "On the day of the celebration, presentations focused on two internationally renowned drummers and the different percussion instruments they play."
Guest musicians Dom Moio and Joe Garcia introduced students to African, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban musical instruments and shared different forms of music from Latin America, including the chacha, merengue, samba, bomba and rumba.
Throughout March, students from kindergarten through fifth grade had been preparing for their guests by listening to samba batucada, an African-influenced style of music from Brazil.
"They played drums to accompany the music and mimic the call-and-response features in the music and show the rhythmic aspects of the music," said Summit music teacher Jennifer Horne.
Students also listened to West African music.
"I loved learning the techniques to play the drums . . . and how to make the sounds louder and softer," fifth-grader Zoe Hicks said.
In workshops with Moio and Garcia, seventh- and eighth-grade students learned to play the chacha and samba with congas, cowbell, maracas, timbales, and guiro. The two artists also joined the seventh/eighth grade band on stage for a finale that involved the entire student body.
"It was fun to learn about new instruments, new rhythms and styles of music from different countries," said Krystal Corrette, an eighth-grade band member.
Summit School of Ahwatukee second-graders learn to run a business
by Coty Dolores Miranda – Special for the Ahwatukee Republic, March 8, 2010
Entrepreneurship and philanthropy aren't typical subjects for second-grade students, but they're part of a day'swork for the second graders at Summit School in Ahwatukee.
As part of a "Business in Our Community" segment, students, aged 7 and 8, initiated a business plan, procured a bank loan, with collateral, purchased products, set up assembly lines to package snack bags, advertised and sold their wares.
Now, after repaying their loan, the classes will vote to determine what area charity will benefit from their profits.
"I think this teaches us how businesses should be," said Marcee Hosmer, a student in teacher Dawn Anderson's classroom.
Marcee was involved in several aspects of her class's assembly of Tiger Terrific snack bags.
"I was a chocolate scooper, a popcorn scooper and label maker," she said proudly. "I liked doing lots of different things."
Classmate Harrison Benkel's job was production line inspector.
"I had to check and make sure everything was in there," he said of the mix containing popcorn, goldfish, chocolate chips and gummy bears.
Anderson's classroom assembled 320 Tiger Terrific bags.
"They just kept wanting to make more to sell," said Anderson, a Summit School teacher the last nine years. "They're really enthusiastic about this."
In teacher Molly Danforth's classroom, Magic Mix - a colorful blend of pretzels, cheese balls and gummy bears - was the snack bag product.
Christopher Walrod, 7, said touring the local Safeway store to see how products were delivered and positioned for sale was his favorite part of the month-long project.
"I liked that we could go into areas we don't usually get to see," he said. "We got to see the meat grinding, the freezer and the vegetable place. Everything was delivered by trucks."
The entire process - from researching what products to sell, advertising, and sales, determining gross and net profits - exposes the students to many disciplines, Anderson said.
Besides the myriad math skills needed for the project, second graders also made bar graphs to illustrate tallies of product and sales and in computer class, then transferred them to Excel spreadsheets.
"This is such a great project and represents the depth we go for meaningful, experiential learning," said Kathy Covert, Summit School spokeswoman as she watched Osasere Ighodaro and John Perkins selling the 50-cent snack bags to passersby in front of the school prior to the opening bell.
Once the profits from the 1,330 bags of both products are tallied, the students will move on to their role as community philanthropists; the combined classes vote on which nonprofit will benefit from their largesse.
In past years, proceeds have benefited the Phoenix Children's Hospital, Gabriel's Angels Therapy and the Maricopa County Animal Shelter.
And the kids' effort involves more than just writing a check: last year students personally delivered dog food to the animal shelter.
Watch a video of the Summit second grade business venture
Summit teachers recognized for excellence in teaching
Summit School of Ahwatukee middle school teachers Andrea Yocum and Amy Lecky have received the 17th annual Xavier College Preparatory Golden Gator Award for Excellence in Teaching. Xavier high school recognizes junior high teachers who have been inspirational to their freshmen students.
This is the second Golden Gator for Lecky, who teaches middle school language arts and literature. In previous years Summit math teacher Melissa France has received this award.
Yocum, Summit’s middle school science teacher, was also one of 288 teachers selected worldwide to attend this year’s Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama. The programs focus on space science and exploration in a variety of classroom, laboratory and real-life astronaut training, providing teachers with innovative techniques to educate their students about science and math.
Yocum instills a passion for science in her students. Because her focus is hands-on, experimental-based learning, students are successful in mastering advanced concepts like eighth-grade chemistry and physics and seventh-grade human body systems. In fact, 100 percent of her students passed AIMS science in 2008 and 2009, with 91 percent of Yocum’s eighth-graders scoring in the “excelling” range.
Lecky is responsible for an important rite of passage for Summit eighth-graders called ROPES (Right of Passage Experiences). Lecky inspires students to reach for their dreams. Under Lecky’s guidance each student ventures into the community to be mentored in a brand new life experience. Research papers and 20-minute presentations, including demonstrations, mark the culminating event for each student. The experience not only prepares students for the future, but also gives students a life changing opportunity. http://www.ahwatukee.com/articles/summit-7794-school-teachers.html
Summit School adopts a pilot
Summit School adopts a pilot
Ahwatukee Foothills News 7/3/2009
Summit School Adopts a Pilot
A nationwide program places Southwest Airlines pilots into 5th grade classrooms. The “Adopt-A-Pilot” curriculum includes math, atmospheric science, physics and geography.
Southwest Captain Rob Bych led this 5 week program at Summit School of Ahwatukee during the spring semester. Bych began with discussions on personal values, goal setting and achievement, and career choices. Students were shown how academic subjects relate directly to real world occupations.
Summit students also learned the history and physics of flight, how pilots control an aircraft, and the instruments they use. The importance of math became apparent as students calculated airspeed, groundspeed, the distance and time between points and fuel consumption.
Geography lessons focused on the United States’ unique landscape, including mountain ranges, rivers, deserts, forests, and swamps. Students learned time zones and how to use a compass. They were fascinated by the types of clouds, hurricanes and tornadoes as they learned how the earth’s rotation, the sun, wind and water vapor create our weather.
A field trip to Sky Harbor Airport was the program highlight for Summit students and chaperones. At Southwest Airline’s maintenance hanger, Captain Bych gave the group an in depth tour of a B-737 aircraft, including detailed explanations of the exterior, interior and the cockpit.
“This is an incredible program,” exclaims Summit School of Ahwatukee 5th grade teacher, Katie Marklow. “We are very appreciative of Captain Bych for his time and commitment toward education.”
For more information, or to apply for the “Adopt-A-Pilot” program:
http://www.southwest.com/programs_services/adopt/adopt_home.html
Arizona teachers participating in Space Academy
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Sixteen Arizona teachers (including Andrea Yocum from the Summit School of Ahwatukee) are among 288 teachers from 16 countries and 47 states to attend the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy programs from June 13 – July 3, 2009 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. |
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The programs focus on space science and exploration in a variety of classroom, laboratory and real-life astronaut training, including a high-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space missions, land and water survival training and state-of-the-art flight dynamics programs. Since the program’s inception, Honeywell and its employees have sponsored 1,100 scholarships for teachers from 36 countries and 50 U.S. states, to participate in the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy programs. Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions. For more information, go to www.honeywell.com/hhs |
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Summit students jump rope for heart
June 19, 2009
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Summit School of Ahwatukee kindergarten though sixth grade students recently participated in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart Event, which educates and raises awareness about heart disease. Summit School donated $3,600 to the American Heart Association.
Summit students participate in poetry contest
Summit students participate in poetry contest
Kindergarten and third-grade students from the Summit School of Ahwatukee were recently presented certificates for participation in a poetry contest project sponsored by the Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs (AFGC). The purpose of the project was to encourage students to gain an appreciation for and to think about the beauty of nature that surrounds them.
Two students from the Summit School were selected as the first place winners by AFGC and the Pacific Region.
During a recent school assembly, Susan Smith from the Desert Pointe Garden Club presented certificates to aSummit School kindergartner who took first place with her poem titled "The Clouds" and to a Summit School of Ahwatukee third-grader who took first place with her poem titled "Nature." Also receiving certificates were the first runners up from kindergarten and third grade
Make this summer memorable without losing your “cool”
June 19, 2009 Ahwatukee Foothills News
Commentary by Andrea Benkel , Summit School of Ahwatukee Director of Early Childhood Education
High temperatures can often send parents running to the TV or mall with young children. There are some simple and inexpensive ways to keep your child happy, cool, and smiling this summer.
As a parent/preschool teacher/preschool director, I've had a front row seat to some ingenious ways to entertain the under five crowd.
Painting with water: A bucket of water, an assortment of paintbrushes (the bigger the better!) and an outdoor surface are the perfect spot for summertime painting. The water creates a lovely design and dries without any muss or fuss. Have your child paint shapes, letters, faces, and see if it disappears before they are finished counting to 30 or singing the ABC's.
Ice Treasures: Fill a plastic bowl with ice cubes and small trinkets (the size will depend on the age of your child.) Fill the bowl to the top with tap water and freeze overnight. The next day, take the ice block full of treasures outside and let your child:
· Put rock salt on the ice to see if it helps it melt.
· Use a turkey baster or pitcher to pour room temperature water over the block to melt it.
· Chisel into the ice block with plastic or wooden tools.
Whatever they can remove from the ice they keep. I have watched children spend close to an hour trying to uncover the treasures hidden in the ice!
New life for an old ice cube tray: Take your old ice cube trays, eye droppers and an assortment of fruit juices and head for the patio. Let your little one create their own "concoction" as they mix a variety of juices in the ice cube compartments. As an extra bonus, give them straws and let them drink their mixtures right out of the ice cube tray!
Shaving Cream and Squeegees: Let your kids cover the outside of a siding glass door with shaving cream. After they spend time drawing on it with their fingers, give them squeegees and have them see how much shaving cream they can squeegee off in one swipe. You may have a streaked door, but at least it will smell clean!
Marvelous Marble Pick Up: Get out your small wading pool, scatter marbles and small toys on the bottom, and fill about 1/3 of the way with water. Challenge your children to see what they can pick up with their toes. For that matter, challenge yourself too!
Of course, all of these activities should be modified to accommodate the age of your child and it goes without saying that supervision is vital. Sometimes though, staying cool means thinking outside of the box when it's too hot to go outside of the house!
Andrea Benkel, MAEd, is the Director of Early Childhood Education at the Summit School of Ahwatukee and is also a mentor in the Early Education Emerging Leaders Program for the state of Arizona. She can be reached at andrea.benkel@summitschoolaz.org.
Gymnasts take gold
Gymnasts take gold
The level six gymnastics team from Gold Medal Gymnastics Academy in Chandler and Tempe took first place in the 2009 Arizona Spring Championships held recently at Grand Canyon University. Team members Rachel Binkley, Sarah Caswell and Karlee Tumbleson are residents of Ahwatukee Foothills.
Gold Medal Gym is owned by Amanda Borden, Gold Medal winner in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
For information, visit www.goldmedalgym.com.
Summer camp is a friend in need
Summer camp is a friend in need
by Megan Boehnke - Apr. 24, 2009 03:19 PM
The Arizona Republic
When Phoenix cut ties with a summer camp for children with cancer in the midst of its budget crisis, it took less than a month for the Ahwatukee community to ensure the camp won't miss its first summer in 22 years.
The volunteer Erin Vosseller started volunteering with Sunrise Summer Fun day camp at age 18.
"The kids and the people involved have become like my second family," she said, 15 years later. "I've learned a lot from them because their perspective on life is so different than mine."
What she did
When the camp was in jeopardy of shutting down for this summer, Vosseller quickly started finding volunteers at her own school, The Summit School of Ahwatukee, where she has taught kindergarten for 10 years.
For years, Phoenix has provided a facility, pool access, craft supplies, a van and two paid staffers to the camp, sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
"I didn't know what we were going to do," Vosseller said. "We began looking for alternative locations, but trying to find a place that's safe for the children when it's hot outside and close to a pool," she said.
When word got around Summit School, it started a chain of donations.
Andrea Benkel, preschool and kindergarten director for the school, got the OK for the camp to use the school's building.
What's next
Vosseller is still seeking volunteers and donations. One of the biggest expenses will be renting a van for two weeks. The American Cancer Society provides the camp with one van, but it holds only 11 children, about half what is needed.
Businesses donating products or services include As You Wish, Tumbletown and Cake Café. "I'm not expecting a handout by any means, but if I can save on the budget, that's more I can do for the kids," Vosseller said.
If you or someone you know is a neighbor helping a neighbor during these tough economic times, we want to hear from you. Contact Paul Maryniak, community editor, at paul.maryniak@pni.com.
Summit School celebrates Poetry Night
Summit School celebrates Poetry Night
School Notes
Ahwatukee Foothills News
Sixth-grade parents and teachers enjoyed an entertaining evening of classical and contemporary poetry at the Summit School of Ahwatukee's annual Poetry Night.
Platforms and backdrops draped in black, reminiscent of the coffee houses in the ‘60s, set the tone. Each student shared two poems, one classical piece and one song lyric.
Students identified a potential future career choice and then had to contact and personally interview someone currently in that career. Students summarized the experience with a report including how reading, writing and listening skills are important in that person's career.
Both projects had many good lessons embedded about voice inflection, tone, written and oral communication, body language and first impressions.
Best Preschool 2008
1st Place: Summit School
4515 E. Muirwood Drive
(480) 403-9500
www.summitschoolaz.org
There are few early choices a parent can make that will have more impact on a child's development than what school - in this case preschool - to send them to.
"Our families appreciate our commitment and success in creating an engaging learning environment, which meets both the academic and social needs of our children," said Andrea Benkel, director of early childhood education for the Summit School, the readers' choice for 2008's "Best Preschool" of Ahwatukee Foothills.
"We provide a developmentally-appropriate, play-based curriculum that allows children to flourish as students and individuals," Benkel added, noting that students enjoy the library, learning Spanish and participating in tumbling, art and music every week, while also learning the importance of being comfortable in front of a group of people (public-speaking skills) at a young age.
Sonoran desert comes alive for Summit students
Sonoran desert comes alive for Summit students
Summit School of Ahwatukee second-graders have been studying plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert.
Students hosted their own "Desert Day Museum" for parents and school members showcasing their individual Powerpoint presentations. Students explored Web sites to gather information and created visual aids and poster displays to enhance oral presentations.
Children also learned about Arizona's first farmers, the Hohokams. After researching Hohokam desert life, students took a trip to the Casa Grande Ruins. A tour by a Ranger Alan led students to artifacts, pictures and models of Hohokam pottery, jewelry, homes and life. The children also made petroglyphs, clay pots and did sand art.
Summit art classes keep busy
Summit School of Ahwatukee art teachers Kathleen Kupper and Selene Kupper write about what their classes are working on.
Preschool
We read Eric Carle's Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, followed by an invitation to design and create an architectural model of a house to hold the moon. Architects build circular openings to capture light. We began by drawing a circle colored with oil pastels. Squares of wood create the massing model and allow open spaces for light in the upper levels of the curved walls.
Kindergarten
In the story Color Dance, Ann Jonas further introduced the expanded palette that can be made from primary colors. We learn how Paul Klee uses line and color to create a composition. On a square of watercolor paper, students used China markers to draw vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines. Palettes of primary watercolors are mixed to create secondary colors.
First grade
The first-graders continued designing and constructing models of their houses for the community project. The introduction to architecture and contemporary residential design provided an understanding of how architects consider site context, concept, functionalism, structure and lighting. We began designing and creating painted representations of the community's public spaces.
Second grade
We completed our Chinese dragon paintings and an exploration of Chinese art and architecture. Our final drawings stretch across rectangles of watercolor paper and unfold with pattern, texture, and color. Third grade
The Metro light rail brings an inventive transportation alternative to Phoenix beginning in December. The third-graders were invited to design a light-rail station as an innovative mix of sculpture and architecture. The metallic structures will be further studied and documented through photography, drawing and painting.
Fourth grade
In recent decades, contemporary artists have sited earthworks in the Arizona and Southwest landscapes. We looked at the work of Nancy Holt, James Turrell, Michael Heizer and Robert Smithson as innovators of the land art movement. Students were invited to create a proposal for a sited intervention in the Arizona desert. We explored an art technique of spraying against torn paper templates to create a base landscape representation.
Fifth grade
Applying classroom studies of land and water forms, the students are creating a deep map book. Our project began with a sprayed painting of liquid watercolor using torn paper and tape to create a base geology. We began working on contour mapping that will lead to topographic models for the covers.
Sixth grade
The Cosquer Caves in Southern France are presently accessible only by diving under the lip of an overhanging cliff at the ocean's edge. The students are invited to design an entrance chamber, accessible from above by a hermetically sealed drilled shaft. Within the chamber, visitors are allowed to accommodate to the environment of the caves and to begin to understand the significance of this unique site. The designed space is a media event in preparation for the prehistoric galleries of animals and handprints. Templates and masking tapes over-layered with sprays of liquid watercolor form an evocative imagery. Seventh and eighth grades
The students have been given an opportunity to explore a real design project. The preschool playground needs shade structures, interactive large-scale manipulatives and landscape architecture. Students are working individually and in teams to create innovative solutions. Next week, final presentations that include models, photographs and drawings will be presented to the preschool students and staff. We are hoping to construct several of the project ideas.
Summit Chess Team takes blue ribbon
Summit Chess Team takes blue ribbon
Summit School of Ahwatukee Chess Team won first place in the kindergarten- through third-grade category in the Arizona Chess Central Chess Tournament held at the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus.
Third-grader Gage Reitzel also won first place in the individual category, and second-grader Ethan Shanker took second place in the individual competition.
Summit School Mixes Planning Architecture – Artful Design Inspires Youth
Art students at the Summit School of Ahwatukee aren't just painting and drawing.
Students enrolled at the 4515 E. Muirwood Drive school learn about architecture and design during their art classes. And as a result, their projects are anything but average.
Ten-year-old Jessica Daniels spent a recent class planning a public art project for a potential metro-Phoenix canal system. In his third-grade class, Andrew Pagone, 8, pondered whether to use solar power to sustain a light-rail station he had designed.
Jessica, Andrew and the other students at Summit School are participants in the Vitruvius Program, which focuses on exploring art, design and architecture in a creative way.
Summit School art teacher Kathleen Kupper created the specialized program with husband Eugene in 1988. Daughter Selene now teaches with her mother at the school.
Their curriculum is based on the premise that exposing students to design and architecture at an early age allows them to be stronger problem solvers and more active community members, Kathleen Kupper said.
Projects are often designed to complement lessons in students' other classes.
On a recent Thursday, a fifth-grade class listened intently as Kathleen described that day's assignment.
If Phoenix city planners and designers want to build canals, art students should be thinking about ways to bring the community together through public art projects, she said.
So the students got to work.
Sterling Leverett, 10, started cutting slits into a piece of cardboard. Though he began making tentative movements with his scissors, Sterling had created his own public art project by the time Kathleen told students it was time to clean up.
Nearby, Jessica was tempted to keep working on her elaborate cardboard structure instead of moving on to her next class.
Third-graders were equally excited about their educational project.
"For our project today, I want you to think a little like a sculptor," Kupper said, explaining that the students would be creating light-rail stations where patrons could show their tickets and board the train. Incorporate some art into the building, she instructed.
Shayna Lurie, 8, used a wavy piece of cardboard to create an artistic wall for her structure. Then she thought about ways to incorporate shade so passengers could keep cool before boarding.
Duane Miller, 9, took some time to visualize his station.
"Sometimes I can just picture something in my mind," he said, rubbing his chin.
Duane, who is still deciding whether he wants to be an engineer or a football player when he grows up, said his art classes are giving him some practice for what may be his future career.
During another recent project, Duane created a hybrid vehicle - a mix between a helicopter and a boat - that flies and is powered by lightening. If he decides to become an engineer, Duane said he would like to spend his time working on such a vehicle.
Summit School of Ahwatukee a Green Hero Contest finalist
Summit School has been selected by the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University as one of the five school finalists in the Everyday Green Hero contest.
Summit School's environmentally forward push began three years ago when the entire school went paperless. Parents receive weekly classroom updates and information about school events via e-mail, instead of paper copies, among a host of many things.
Classroom curriculums include formal education on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. The school has joined the "Wal-Mart Recycling Challenge" by collecting droves of plastic shopping bags. Recycling ink cartridges has earned more than $3,500 in the past two years, purchasing art and classroom supplies. Every classroom and office is equipped with a recycling trash can.
Summit School Spanish curriculum explored
Summit School of Ahwatukee Spanish teachers Richard Cordova and Elsa Conti write about what their students are working on.
Preschool
The Spanish curriculum is developmentally appropriate and relevant to the children's class activities and daily life. Many of the songs, activities and conversational phrases are integrated into the preschool day.
Kindergarten
Amigos read their mini-book titled Mi libro de la clase y de los colores (My Class and Color Book) and read Corduroy in Spanish on the smart board. They identified, wrote and practiced numbers from 1 to 10 and learned the "Números" song while dancing.
First grade
Children practiced body parts vocabulary as they created a puppet and played lotería (bingo). Illustrating and labeling "cosas de la clase" on the smart board was fun.
Students read a bilingual story of Skippyjon Jones, the Tortillitas poem and sang "El Chocolate." Phrases of the month: Hola! Me llamo and ¿Puedo ir al baño?
Second grade
Children chose classroom items to research in Spanish/English dictionaries for proper translation, and completed a word search activity. They added to "Verbos de Acción" (action verbs) books, with sentences including "Me gusta ... bailar, cantar, saltar, visitar, comprar." They practiced the poem "Mariposa Linda" and the song "Los Pollitos".
Third grade
After a video of the story of "Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos" (Friends of the Orphans), students made a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting their lives with those of the children in the orphanage in Central America.
Fourth grade
Students presented their wild animals and adjectives PowerPoint projects in Español. Using the smart board, they reviewed numbers from zero to 100 in Spanish.
Phrases of the month: Hola, ¿Cómo estás? ... Muy bien / Así-así / Muy mal.
Fifth grade
Fifth-graders visited preschool book buddies to read books in Espanol to their little friends and help them with a Spanish activity. Mayan research projects were presented. Students reviewed demonstrative adjectives and took turns creating sentences beginning with Este, esta, estos and estas.
Sixth grade
Students began to learn the verb "ser," with adjectives. Working in groups they learned what sports and hobbies they like, using the information to create a chart in Spanish. Students presented their Spanish knowledge to the entire student body, in the bi-weekly educational school morning meeting, ending with the song, Guantanamera.
Seventh grade
Students enhanced vocabulary by learning to describe a famous person in Spanish. They visited their reading buddies in first grade to practice reading and speaking skills.
Eighth grade
Students learned the use of indirect object pronouns and revisited stem-changing verbs (o-ue and e-ie). Students are practicing Spanish composition in preparation for high school entrance tests.
Summit School students, grads and families serve others
Summit School students, grads and families serve others
Summit School of Ahwatukee students, recent graduates and their families have pledged a minimum of 380 hours of community service to St. Vincent DePaul, United Food Bank, Paz De Cristo, Arizona Special Olympics and many other organizations.
Ten students, ages 11 to 14, and three alums are members of East Valley Boys Service Club (EVBSC).
Founded in 2005, EVBSC is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing young men and their families' community service opportunities. EVBSC coordinates the service projects and acts as the liaison between volunteers and the organizations they will serve.
Each boy commits to a minimum of 10 to 15 hours of community service. Additionally, at least one parent or adult must also volunteer with the child, at each event.
"We strive to teach the importance of recognizing the needs of others and reaching out to them," says Summit School of Ahwatukee principal Pat O'Brien. "We are proud to have so many of our young men engaging in these valuable community projects."
For more information on East Valley Boys Service Club, visit www.evbsc.org.
Summit students help less fortunate
Summit students help less fortunate
Tough economic times increase the burden on organizations such as Homeward Bound, which provides assistance to struggling families. Phoenix-based Homeward Bound houses upwards of 150 families.
Summit School of Ahwatukee's fifth annual Thanksgiving community outreach project assisted 19 of these families by providing all of the items needed for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Large, functional laundry or wicker baskets were filled with all of the ingredients for a full Thanksgiving meal, including gift certificates for perishable items. To add joy to the day, families also received festive napkins, a fall table cloth and a board game, creating an enjoyable meal and family fun.
Summit School extends a warm thank you to Target, a great community partner, who allocated part of their school funds budget to contribute $15 gift cards to enhance the family baskets.
Summit students tech-savvy
Tahnja Wilson, technology teacher at Summit School of Ahwatukee, shares why her students are tech-savvy:
Kindergarten
Students master how to log in and work in a networked environment. They learn the parts of a computer and how to use the mouse and keyboard, create using software as a tool and use technology to expand learning from social studies and literary themes.
First grade
LEGOs are used to explore math, science and technology concepts. Students can invent, design, build and program robots and don't even know that they are learning the basics of programming.
Second grade
Students read One Hen, the true story of a West African boy named Kojo. The story exemplifies that one person can make a positive impact on his or her life and community. Using lessons from the story, children are introduced to microfinance and sharpen PowerPoint, Excel and research skills.
Third grade
The medieval era is the topic in social studies. In technology, we went on a medieval Web quest, researching five interesting facts and pictures and presenting them in Word. We also made and launched our own catapults.
Fourth grade
The state of Arizona is the theme in social studies. Thus, in technology we use online simulations to investigate land-use changes in Maricopa County from 1912 to 1995. Students create a digital product for Arizona State University' iCademy project.
Fifth grade
Students design and program a computer video game.
Sixth grade
It is the world of high finance. Starting with a virtual cash account of $100,000, student teams try to create the best-performing portfolio using a live trading simulation. Through this project, students satisfy national and state standards for economics, mathematics, business, English and language arts, social studies, technology and family and consumer sciences.
Multiple grades
This year seemed the right time to start a technology-oriented service project. Grades 2-6 are sponsoring a school in Uganda. Students will use the computer to create books needed by the Ugandan students. Depending upon our adopted school's needs, students may make math, reading, social studies, music or science books. Summit students will be writing, illustrating and designing the books using Publisher, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet-based software.
Summit teacher Lecky wins teaching awards
Summit School of Ahwatukee middle-school teacher Amy Lecky is a recipient of the 16th annual Xavier College Preparatory Golden Gator Award for Excellence in Teaching. Xavier recognizes junior high teachers who have been inspirational to its freshmen students.
Lecky has also been named one of the best teachers in Ahwatukee in the annual "Best Of" contest sponsored by the Ahwatukee Foothills News.
Lecky, a Chandler resident, has been teaching for 14 years, with the last six as a middle school literature teacher at Summit School of Ahwatukee. She also serves as middle school coordinator and the eighth-grade moderator. Under her leadership two programs have been developed at Summit: ROPES (Right of Passage Experiences) and SERVE (Summit Excellence Reflected in Volunteer Experience).
Lecky's philosophy is for students to be confident in their abilities, embrace life, enjoy school and, most importantly, have fun while learning.
Summit students help less fortunate
Summit students help less fortunate - Ahwatukee Foothills News
Tough economic times increase the burden on organizations such as Homeward Bound, which provides assistance to struggling families. Phoenix-based Homeward Bound houses upwards of 150 families.
Summit School of Ahwatukee's fifth annual Thanksgiving community outreach project assisted 19 of these families by providing all of the items needed for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Large, functional laundry or wicker baskets were filled with all of the ingredients for a full Thanksgiving meal, including gift certificates for perishable items. To add joy to the day, families also received festive napkins, a fall table cloth and a board game, creating an enjoyable meal and family fun.
Summit School extends a warm thank you to Target, a great community partner, who allocated part of their school funds budget to contribute $15 gift cards to enhance the family baskets.
School Notes: Summit School of Ahwatukee Field trips. 11/19/2008 Ahwatukee Foothills News
Summit School of Ahwatukee
-The magic of pretend enthralled preschooler's at the recently opened Children's Museum of Phoenix. Preschoolers painted a giant wooden playhouse and used recycled items made into pretend food, water and cooking materials in the child-size industrial kitchen and pizza parlor.
-During Career Week kindergartners learned first hand about dentistry with a walking field trip to visit Dr. Rashmi Bhatnagar at Bella Vista Dental Care.
-The Phoenix Zoo visited Summit first-graders, bringing Creepy Crawlies into the classroom.
-Rich Isle, also known as The Reptile Guy, let second-graders see and touch snakes, lizards and an iguana, teaching about the habitats of these interesting creatures. On Nov. 17, the second-graders will visit the Casa Grande Ruins to experience Arizona's first farmers, the Hohokam people.
-Fifth-graders visited the Halle Heart Center, learning the benefits of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
-A visit to Arizona State University's Physics Lab gave sixth-graders the opportunity to experience electron microscopes, an ION Beam Accelerator and other physics applications.
-Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders experienced rock climbing and rappelling to reinforce the importance of teamwork.
Summit School of Ahwatukee
Summit School of Ahwatukee
- The magic of pretend enthralled preschooler's at the recently opened Children's Museum of Phoenix. Preschoolers painted a giant wooden playhouse and used recycled items made into pretend food, water and cooking materials in the child-size industrial kitchen and pizza parlor.
- During Career Week kindergartners learned first hand about dentistry with a walking field trip to visit Dr. Rashmi Bhatnagar at Bella Vista Dental Care.
- The Phoenix Zoo visited Summit first-graders, bringing Creepy Crawlies into the classroom.
- Rich Isle, also known as The Reptile Guy, let second-graders see and touch snakes, lizards and an iguana, teaching about the habitats of these interesting creatures. On Nov. 17, the second-graders will visit the Casa Grande Ruins to experience Arizona's first farmers, the Hohokam people.
- Fifth-graders visited the Halle Heart Center, learning the benefits of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
- A visit to Arizona State University's Physics Lab gave sixth-graders the opportunity to experience electron microscopes, an ION Beam Accelerator and other physics applications.
- Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders experienced rock climbing and rappelling to reinforce the importance of teamwork.
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