End of the Year Letter
Dear Summit Family,
It is hard to believe the year is just about over! I have loved getting to know your family these past two months, and I am looking forward to getting to know you all even better next year. As we close out the 2021-2022 school year and look to the future, 1 Chronicles 168-11 seems fitting:
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
God has done some wonderful things in and for our students this year. We’ve seen growth “in wisdom and stature” across the academic disciplines and as measured in inches gained (and perhaps a few dozen baby teeth lost!). We’ve seen students start a relationship with Jesus as Savior, and we’ve seen friendships mature as students learn to grow in self-control and love for one another. Our students have benefited from instruction from our wonderful Warrior Teachers and special guests, and they’ve gotten to enjoy many academically-enriching activities that made learning come alive through the generous donation of time by faithful Summit volunteers.
Although God has called some of Summit’s teachers on to other ventures, he has already provided us with several wonderful new teachers to carry forward our mission in the coming school year. We are nearing being fully staffed with excellent teachers who love the Lord and have proven instructional and academic excellence. We have currently filled six of our teaching positions as well as an administrative position, and we are engaged in encouraging conversations with several other outstanding individuals looking to potentially join the Warrior Team. We believe we’ll be able to share names representative of a fully-staffed faculty with you soon! Please keep praying that God will bring those he wants to partner with our mission, and that our leaders will have wisdom in discerning God’s leading. We are praying that God will provide us with teachers matching two critical criteria:
We desire to hire teachers who are “chasing God’s heart”, meaning they are living their lives in active pursuit of spiritual growth. (Incidentally, “Chasing God’s Heart” will be the theme for the 2022-2023 school year.)
We desire to hire teachers with proven excellence in their respective fields in order to fulfill our mission of providing an excellent education rooted in God’s Word.
Enrollment is likewise looking strong with numbers hovering around 100 students right now. This is in line with historical enrollment numbers this time of year, and actually a little higher than some recent years have seen. Seventh grade is now on a waitlist status, and sixth grade only has two slots remaining. Several other classes also have only a few spots remaining, so if you have friends who are looking to join the Summit Family, please encourage them to apply soon. We are planning to cap our classes at 15 as we maintain our low student-to-teacher ratio.
As we look to the summer, there are a few projects through which parent volunteers could bless the school. If you are interested in helping with any of the following, please reach out to jmathews@summitchristianschool.org so we can connect and come up with a plan:
Technology- We are looking for individuals with a strong understanding of computers/Chromebooks/iPads who can help us ensure the devices we have are running at optimum capacity, and to help us identify devices that should be laid to rest;
Deep Cleaning- We would love to deep clean each classroom before the students return in August;
Classroom Libraries- We would love to level our classroom libraries. This is an easy task that requires the use of an iPad or laptop;
Gardening- Our playgrounds and flower gardens could use fresh mulch, which we will provide;
Painting- There are a few classrooms and offices that could use fresh paint. We would also like to paint all the doors in the main classroom building, but that would require the use of a sprayer and the skillset necessary to use it;
Organization- There will likely be several organizational tasks that will need to be accomplished in the main office;
Furniture Moving- There is a possibility that a few classrooms will move over the summer. If we move forward with this plan, we will be grateful for any “muscle” we can find!
PTF- There are several parents interested in re-upping our Parent Teacher Fellowship. Please reach out if you would like to join them.
I’m looking forward to making the most of these last few days of school (after a refreshing long weekend!) as we strive to finish the 2021-2022 school year Warrior Strong! Thank you for entrusting your children to our care, for your continued prayer and support, and for the important role you play in keeping the Summit Family centered around God’s heart- under the cross and around our mission!
Your Partner in the Gospel and Education,
Jennifer S. Mathews
Head of School