Summit High School

Dear SHS Families,

It was great seeing so many families at Back to School Night last week.

Please note that school is closedl on Thursday, October 3rd for the observance of Rosh Hashanah.

It's a great day to be a Hilltopper!

Stacy Grimaldi

Principal

Wallburg Studios will be back at Summit High School on Tuesday, October 8th for picture re-takes and make-ups. They will be in the main office conference room from 7:45am until 11:47am. Please remind your student to attend if they did not get their picture taken during the first week of school or would like a re-take.

Student IDs are ready for students to pick up. Please encourage your student to stop by the school store at lunch on Monday, September 30th to pick up their ID.

Summit High School will be providing all 10th and 11th grade students the opportunity to take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 16th. A letter with more information about this test was sent to all 10th and 11th grade families last week.

All 10th and 11th grade students must report to school for a 7:45am start of testing on that day.

All 9th and 12th grade students should report to school at 9:45am for grade-level programs.

The schedule for Wednesday, October 16th will be:

10th and 11th graders report at 7:45am for testing

9th and 12th graders report at 10am for programs

9th grade program: Naviance and Class Meeting

12th grade program: College Application Workshops

Testing should conclude by 11:00am.

On Tuesday, October 8th, SHS will be participating in Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day.

Did you know if you were prescribed opioid pain medication in high school you have a 33% increase in the risk of future opioid misuse?

Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day aims to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic's devastating effects. During the lunch block students are encouraged to participate in an interactive activity with Ms. Akian, SHS nurse, and Ms. Herber, SHS Student Assistance Counselor, to discover the facts surrounding opioid use.

Please be on the lookout for Ms. Akian’s Wellness Wednesday, email blast to learn how you can help support your student.

Starting at 7:30am each morning, there will be three entrances to the building open for students. They are the entrances along Kent Place Blvd., the main office entrance, and the entrance by the gymnasium. Prior to 7:30am, all students must enter the building using the main office entrance.

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. 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.

See the video below for some more information about how to make drop off safer for everyone. Thank you to Rachel Rydzewski and Rachel Zucker for creating this video.

Attendance matters in high school. Therefore, it is imperative that students arrive to school on time. Students must be in their first timeslot class by 7:45am. Any student who arrives after that time will be marked late.

Please be sure to drop off your student with enough time so they can get to class on time.

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.

The Summit High School PTO has supported a multitude of programs and events throughout the last school year. The PTO contributed over $40,000 to programs and capital improvements to enrich our high school community.

The following are some of the highlights:

• PTO Scholarships for graduating seniors
• Student Travel Assistance for the language trips
• Hospitality appreciation events for teachers and staff
• Teacher Wish List items for classroom needs, special projects and speakers
• Beautification of our school’s gardens and grounds
• Programs and flowers for graduation

Please help us continue to support our students and staff by becoming a member of the SHS PTO. Join the PTO by clicking on the “Become a Member” button on the PTO website, summitshspto.com. Thank you in advance for your support!

Senior Portraits: Yearbook selection due no later than 10/31/24.

If you haven't taken a photo with Wallburg Studios yet, contact them at 908.277.2078 or peterwallburg@gmail.com to arrange an appointment for your senior.

If you have taken photos with them, once you receive your proofs via email, click the link to select your photo for the yearbook.

If you prefer to use another photographer, please send a head-and-shoulders photo (jpg format) to creinholt@summit.k12.nj.us no later than 10/31/24.

Sometimes students request schedule changes. All requests to drop and/or add new courses require administrative approval. Included below is a timeline and scheduling window that includes the parameters to drop/add classes and change levels. Requests for a teacher change within a given subject area will not be approved unless the student has had a previous course failure with that particular teacher. All course changes are based upon availability.

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.

Construction continued this past week on the interiors of the chorus room, the drama room, and the library. The work on the outside of the library has also progressed with the stone and brickwork installation and roof installation.

Monday, September 30th

C Day

Tuesday, October 1st

D Day

Speech Parent Meeting, 7pm, Auditorium

Wednesday, October 2nd

A Day

Rosh Hashanah Begins at Sundown

Thursday, October 3rd

No School - Rosh Hashanah

Friday, October 4th

B Day

• Monday, October 14th - Single Session Day
• Monday, October 21st - Share the Keys, 7:30pm, Virtual
• Thursday, October 31st - Deadline for Senior Portrait Selection for Yearbook
• Monday, November 4th - Last Day of 1st Marking Period