Winter Newsletter – 2024
Summit54 Chosen to receive Aspen Community Foundation grant for 2024
Summit54 is delighted to have again been chosen to receive an Aspen Community Foundation grant for 2024. Summit54 will use the ACF grant of $21,000 to help sustain its year-round academic and life enrichment programming for more than 850 elementary-aged children in the Roaring Fork Valley. Summit54 has supported more than 8000 young children during the past 12 years.
Summer Newsletter – 2023
2023 Summer Advantage
June 19 – July 21, 2023
Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Summit54 takes great pride in offering the ONLY summer academic program available to elementary students in Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs. Summit54 has sponsored the award-winning Summer Advantage program since 2012, positively impacting more than 8000 students. New this year, Aspen School District will partner in the Basalt program and provide daily bus transportation for its students. We’re thrilled to be able to share this program with Aspen students!
The 2023 program will span five weeks, operating Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., starting June 19 and concluding on July 22. 600+ elementary aged students will participate in this summer’s program.
The dedicated program managers, educators and other Summer Advantage staff all play a vital role in the program’s success. Each year, all educators participate in a three-day mandatory training session.
The Summer Advantage day begins with breakfast in the classroom, providing teachers time to get to know their students and learn about their families. Breakfast is followed by Focused Kids brain exercises to help children relax and prepare to learn. On M-Th, we spend two hours on literacy and one hour on math. The low ratio of scholars to teachers (11-1) allows us to provide a great deal of personal attention to each student. In the morning, you’ll typically see teachers and teaching assistants working with 5-6 scholars, while another small group is working independently. Math is followed by a hot healthy lunch and then active recess. The afternoons offer two enrichment programs such as dance, music, art, science, etc. Each scholar has two enrichment programs on M & W, and two other enrichment programs on Tu & Th. FunFridays feature a guest speaker and field trip. We also include a student led community service project and college visit.
Parents are required to attend a mandatory parent meeting prior to the start of the program. They sign a contract promising to have their child attend the program every day unless sick, be on-time, supervise 20 minutes of nightly reading, maintain a reading log, and attend a parent/teacher conference half way through the five-week program. Parents are also invited to an end-of-program parent luncheon and graduation ceremony.
After-School Tutoring Program
We are delighted to share that Summit54 successfully provided FREE After-School Small Group Tutoring to more than 275 elementary students again during the 2022/23 school year. This completes our third consecutive year of providing After-School tutoring. Our commitment to supporting these young learners has remained unwavering. We are thrilled to share incredible testimonials from our tutors about the impact of this program!
In the After-School Tutoring program, students received one hour of tutoring immediately after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The sessions took place in Carbondale, Basalt, and Glenwood Springs, ensuring accessibility for the students within their own school communities.
The program accommodates the needs of our students throughout the academic year, offering Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions. While some students eagerly participated in all three sessions, others found success in one or two sessions, benefiting from tailored instruction every step of the way.
Unlike more affluent families who have the means to hire private tutors, the families Summit54 serves are unable to do so. By offering free tutoring, we help bridge the gap to ensure that all students have the support they need to succeed academically.
Furthermore, our licensed teachers, who are essential in delivering these sessions, are paid $65/one hour session by Summit54. The extra income is helpful for many of our exceptional teachers.
The positive influence derived from the after-school program is abundantly evident. We have enclosed herein a few of the many commendations from teachers who have witnessed the remarkable progress of their students. These testimonials speak volumes about the effectiveness of our tutoring initiatives and the lasting impact they have on young minds.
Summit54 Successfully Launched Its 10th Consecutive Year of Free Summer Learning Today for 650 Elementary Students
June 20, 2022
CONTACT: TERRI CAINE/SUMMIT54
970-618-2219
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Summit54 Summer Advantage program began on Monday, June 20th – New program site at Ross Montessori School
Summit54 and its partners, Roaring Fork School District and Ross Montessori School, welcomed 650 elementary students today for five weeks of free academic and life enrichment programming, M-F from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students from all 13 elementary schools in the Lower Valley were invited to attend the District sponsored program at Basalt Elementary School, Crystal River School and Glenwood Springs Elementary School.
New this year, Ross Montessori School is hosting a program for 100 Montessori rising first through seventh grade students. “We are thrilled to be able to offer an opportunity for children to keep learning this summer with Summit54’s sponsorship of the Summer Advantage program. These young scholars thrive when they have exposure to new ideas and lessons,” said Erin Beaudette, Director of Student Services at Ross Montessori.
Enthusiasm for the program continues to grow throughout the Valley. “We’ve had far more interest this year from families who want their children to attend the program, which is super exciting,” said Kyle-Leigh Berry, Program Manager for Crystal River Elementary School. “It is truly rewarding to be a part of this program because in the Fall, I can always tell which students attended Summer Advantage. They’re ready to move forward with new material without needing to review the prior year’s material.”
“Summer Advantage is different from the school year because alongside their in-class learning, scholars also experience learning outside of the school building, in their community during weekly field trips,” said Molly Peterson, Program Leader for Glenwood Springs Elementary School. “I think the program is successful because the teachers have fun and the students have fun while they learn through the summer.”
“One of the things that I like most about the program is the enrichment classes we have in the afternoons,” said Danielle Bailey, Program Leader for Glenwood Springs Elementary School. “Teachers teach classes they are passionate about and share their excitement with the scholars in the program. Who knows, the enrichment classes the scholars take today could spark an interest they pursue in the future.”
The award-winning Summer Advantage program has historically generated an average 2+ month gain in math and reading during the five-week program. Without access to a high-quality summer academic program, students typically regress up to three months during the long break. (White, 1906; Heyns,1978; Cooper et al, 1996; Downey et al, 2004; Alexander, Entwisle & Olson, 2007). COVID-19-related learning loss combined with the usual summer slide is expected to have ripple effects for years to come, which makes this summer’s program more important than ever.
The RFS District and Ross Montessori both provide facilities, utilities, janitorial service, computers, internet access, IT support, food service, bus transportation, and parent and teacher outreach; and both contribute approximately 10-15% of the total fee paid to Summer Advantage USA for implementing its award-winning summer academic and life enrichment program at their school sites. Summit54 raises the balance of the annual program cost from local governmental bodies, foundations, businesses and generous full-time and part-time residents.
Historically, 84% of the District scholars enrolled are Latino; 76% are English Language Learners and 74% receive free and reduced lunch during the school year. “Our mission is to help bolster academic abilities among all elementary aged children in the Lower Roaring Fork Valley,” said Terri Caine, Founder and Executive Director of Summit54. “This program is successful because kids enjoy the program and think it is fun. The morning begins with breakfast in the classroom where educators strive to develop personal connections with their students, after breakfast, all classes use Focused Kids@ for a few minutes of engaging brain exercises to let go of stress and prepare the brain to learn, then we have two hours of literacy and one hour of math. We work hard to make learning fun with interactive games and small group interactions. With two educators per classroom of no more than 22 students, we provide a great deal of personal attention to every scholar. We also have a Spanish speaking educator in every classroom. The rest of the day includes a hot healthy lunch, outdoor recess, and two afternoon enrichment programs such as art, music, drama, dance, karate, and yoga M-Th. By ending the day with enriching and entertaining activities, the children go home remembering all the fun they had. We also promote the Friday field trips all week, building excitement for the conclusion of the week and leaving scholars with fond memories to savor through the weekend.”
Although this is Summit54’s 10th consecutive year of providing FREE summer academic and life enrichment programming in the Roaring Fork Valley, it is the ninth year of Summer Advantage. During the summer of 2020, when schools were closed due to Covid, Summit54 provided programming for students in 23 unique locations using regional parks and other outdoor locations. The 501c3 also began free after-school programming in 2020/21school year to help children who had fallen behind due to Covid-related school closures and the move to on-line learning. Summit54 will continue its free after-school small group tutoring program during the 2022/23 school year.
For additional information about the Summit54 sponsored Summer Advantage program with the Roaring Fork School District and Ross Montessori School, please visit www.Summit54.org
Fall Newsletter – 2021
FREE AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING IS BACK
Summit54 launched its “Free” After-School Tutoring Program on September 13th in five Roaring Fork School District elementary schools. Summit54 began year-round tutoring during the pandemic and continues this important service to help young students regain lost ground due to school closures and the move to online learning.
This program was made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors who quickly stepped up to fulfill a match opportunity for $75,000 from the 2020 Rescue Fund. The one-hour tutoring sessions will run through December 18th on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons, immediately after school. If funds allow, the program will resume after the Holiday break and operate through the end of the school year.
2-TO-1 MATCH OPPORTUNITY:
2022 SUMMER ADVANTAGE PROGRAM
We are excited to announce that Bren Simon and John & Jessica Fullerton are offering a two-to-one match opportunity (up to $100,000) to fund the 2022 Summer Advantage program.
Please click below to support this important program and triple your impact during our two-to-one match opportunity!
LEARN MORE ABOUT SUMMER ADVANTAGE
Summit54 brought this free five-week academic and life enrichment program to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2012. The program serves more than 550 under-privileged rising 1st – 6th grade students annually in the Roaring Fork Valley at elementary schools in Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs. To date, more than 6000 students have benefitted from the program. Historically 87% of our Summer Advantage scholars are Latino, 76% are English Language Learners, and 74% receive free and reduced lunch during the school year.
The Summer Advantage Program offers two nutritious meals a day, three hours of literacy and math learning, an average of two hours of physical activity, afternoon enrichment programs, and Fun-Tastic Fridays, which consist of educational field trips, college campus visits, and scholar-led community service projects. Free bus transportation is provided, which is especially important for our dual-wage earning families.
In 2021, the Food Bank of the Rockies used our school sites as food distribution centers providing ALL scholars with healthy afternoon take-home snacks and up to 14 take-home meals each week. Also new last summer, Mountain Family Health Centers staffed their health centers adjacent to our school sites making access to medical and dental care far easier for our families.
The Roaring Fork School District is our partner in providing the annual Summer Advantage program, providing three elementary school facilities, utilities, janitorial service, food service, bus transportation, communications support, and $100,000 cash each year.
