Summit High School

Dear SHS Families,

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday spent with loved ones and family. Please be reminded that Friday, December 20th is the last day of school before the holiday break. School will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

With the start of the winter season and the chance of inclement weather, please be sure that your contact information is correct in Genesis so you can be notified in the event that our schedule needs to be changed due to inclement weather.

It's a great day to be a Hilltopper!

Stacy Grimaldi

Principal

Please encourage your student to participate in this week's Spirit Week which will culminate in a Pep Rally on Friday, December 20th. The themes for each day are below.

Monday, December 16th: Pajama Day

Tuesday, December 17th: Holiday Hats and Socks Day

Wednesday, December 18th: Exercise Clothes Day

Thursday, December 19th: Flannel Day

Friday, December 20th: Ugly Sweater Day

Below please find information about The Governor’s School in New Jersey in the Sciences and Engineering and Technology. Summit High School can nominate one junior in each of the categories.

The Governor’s School:

A tuition-free program for high school juniors across the state to take advantage of rigorous and demanding STEM-related summer residential academic programs. This year, the Governor’s School is offering two programs.

Programs:

• The Sciences: July 6 – 26, 2025 at Drew University
• Engineering and Technology: July 5-25, 2025 at Rutgers University

Additional Information:

• Governor’s School in The Sciences Website and Program Description
• Governor’s School in Engineering & Technology Website and Program Description

Eligibility:

• The student must be a New Jersey resident and be a high school junior during the 2024-2025 school year.
• The student must have a very strong interest in the area (sciences or engineering and technology) and be committed to the acquisition of knowledge and the pursuit of opportunities in that field.
• The student must be able to fully commit to the demanding schedule of the program.
• The student must be one of the top students in their school. The student should have primarily “A” grades in honors math and science classes and outstanding scores on standardized achievement tests. Students who have demonstrated very strong abilities outside the classroom can also be strong candidates in spite of weaker standardized test scores.
• Competitive candidates rank in the top 5% of their class and score above the 90th percentile on standardized tests.

To Apply:

Students interested in being considered as Summit High School’s nominee in either of these programs, must complete the appropriate application below in its entirety and submit it to Mrs. Kaplan via email or in the School Counseling office by Monday, December 16, 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications:

• Governor’s School in The Sciences
• Governor’s School in Engineering & Technology

Note: Those students selected as Summit High School’s nominees will be notified prior to winter break. They will be required to complete the Governor’s School application, essays, and supplemental materials by Wednesday, January 8, 2025.

Please contact Mrs. Kaplan (lkaplan@summit.k12.nj.us) with any questions.

New Jersey Scholars is a tuition-free intensive interdisciplinary academic summer program for juniors. During the five-week summer residential program, New Jersey Scholars explore a specific topic from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The dates for the 2025 Program are June 29, 2025, through August 1, 2025, at The Lawrenceville School. This year the Scholars will study Wartime Cultures: Knowledge and Art in Conflict and the Aftermath. Additional information about this year's theme and program can be found here.

Summit High School can nominate up to two students for the New Jersey Scholars Program. From the pool of candidates, an NJSP selection committee will select 39 students from across the state to be the New Jersey Scholars Class of 2026. More information about the New Jersey Scholars Program can be obtained from the website: http://www.newjerseyscholarsprogram.org/wordpress/.

Students who are interested in applying to be considered as Summit High School's nominee must complete this application in its entirety. Completed applications are due to Mrs. Kaplan via email or dropped off in the School Counseling Office by December 16, 2024. Students will be notified if they are chosen as Summit High School’s nominee before winter break and will be required to complete additional application materials.

See Mrs. Kaplan with any questions!

As previously shared, the District is undergoing a comprehensive strategic planning process this year. In October, we hosted a general session where participants gained insight into the planning process, reviewed strategic plans from other districts, and discussed where Summit Public Schools currently stands with strengths and weaknesses. The feedback from this session provided invaluable insights from many members of our school community.

We are now entering the next phase of gathering input and invite you to participate in our strategic planning survey. This survey will be distributed to several key stakeholder groups, including students in grades 6-12, teachers, staff members, parents of current students, and Summit community members.

Participation is voluntary, and all responses will be collected and analyzed by The Madison Institute, which is the company facilitating the strategic planning process for the District. Your feedback will be instrumental in identifying the District’s strengths and areas for growth, which will help shape our goals and ensure that Summit Public Schools continues to thrive in the years ahead.

The survey will be available to complete from today, December 6, through Friday, December 20. Please click here to complete the parent survey. Instructions to translate the survey can be found here.

Summit High School students will have the opportunity to complete the student Strategic Planning survey. We will provide some time for students to complete the survey during the school day between December 12-20.

As per District policy, parents/guardians have the right to opt-out their child from participating in the survey. To do so, please contact your child’s building principal before December 12. If you are interested in viewing the questions from the student survey, please click here.

Summit High School will be administering midterm exams on January 23rd, 24th, 27th, and 28th. Midterm 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:

Thursday, January 23, 2025

8:00am - 10:00am: Period 1

10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 2

Friday, January 24, 2025

8:00am - 10:00am: Period 3

10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 4

Monday, January 27, 2027

8:00am - 10:00am: Period 5

10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 6

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

8:00am - 10:00am: Period 7

10:30am - 12:30pm: Period 8

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 Friday, January 17, 2025. Missing an exam and rescheduling it will only be approved for extenuating circumstances.

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.

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.

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.

When a visitor arrives at the school, they will be asked to provide identification, such as a driver's license or state-issued ID card. If the visitor does not have any means of identification on them, they will be asked to input their first name, last name, and date of birth into our visitor management system. The identification is then scanned into the system, and the visitor's information is checked against a database to ensure they are not on any prohibited lists. Once the visitor's information has been verified, a temporary badge will be printed and provided to them by the school security officer or school secretary. This badge must be worn at all times while the visitor is on school grounds and will be collected upon their departure. All visitors to the building must be escorted by a staff member at all time.

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. We will not inform students when items have been dropped off for them.

Our academic help centers are available each period of the day. Please encourage your student to visit the academic help centers during their study hall period.

Please be advised of upcoming road work on the following streets and areas, as of today, Sunday, December 15. Road closures and detours may be in effect in these areas; please leave extra time while driving in or near these areas. Schedule subject to change.

Monday 12/16

8AM – approx. 4PM Prospect St at Larned Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Sunset Dr at Valley View Ave
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Winchester Rd
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Pembroke Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Evergreen Rd near Madison Ave

8AM – approx. 4PM Chestnut Ave at Broad St

Tuesday 12/17

8AM – approx. 4PM Prospect St at Larned Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Sunset Dr at Valley View Ave
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Winchester Rd
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Pembroke Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Evergreen Rd near Madison Ave

8AM – approx. 4PM Broad St near Summit Ave

Wednesday 12/18

8AM – approx. 4PM Prospect St at Larned Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Sunset Dr at Valley View Ave
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Winchester Rd
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Pembroke Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Evergreen Rd near Madison Ave

8AM – approx. 4PM Broad St near Summit Ave

9AM – approx. 4PM Broad St at Park Ave

Thursday 12/19 - Friday 12/20

8AM – approx. 4PM Prospect St at Larned Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Sunset Dr at Valley View Ave
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Winchester Rd
8AM – approx. 4PM Portland Rd at Pembroke Rd

8AM – approx. 4PM Evergreen Rd near Madison Ave

The scheduled time frame for road work is weather-dependent, and every effort will be made to minimize any inconvenience to residents during this time. Please call the Summit Police Department Traffic Safety Bureau at 908-273-0051 with any questions.

This information is available on the city website at www.cityofsummit.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2391.

Monday, December 16h

A Day

Spirit Week: Pajama Day

Tuesday, December 17th

B Day

Spirit Week: Holiday Hat and Sock Day

Wednesday, December 18th

C Day

Spirit Week: Exercise Clothes Day

Thursday, December 19th

D Day

Spirit Week: Flannel Day

Friday, December 20th

E Day - Pep Rally Schedule

Spirit Week: Ugly Sweater Day

Period 1: 7:45am - 8:20am

Period 2: 8:24am - 8:59am

Period 3: 9:03am - 9:38am

Period 4: 9:42am - 10:17am

Pep Rally: 10:17am - 11:21am

Lunch: 11:21am - 12:17pm

Period 5: 12:17pm - 12:52pm

Period 6: 12:56pm - 1:31pm

Period 7: 1:35pm - 2:10pm

Period 8: 2:14pm - 2:49pm

• Monday, December 23rd through Wednesday, January 1st - No School, Holiday Recess
• Monday, January 20th - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Thursday, January 23rd through Tuesday, January 28th - Midterm Exams
• Friday, January 31st - Single Session Day