Algebra I - Parent Letter
Dear parents,
Welcome to the high school Algebra I matehmatic’s
course at FMS. Students who are successful in completing this course have
the opportunity to receive one high school credit. I am excited about a new
year of mathematics and will keep you informed regularly about the curriculum,
goals, my expectations and the progress students make.
The state legislature, in 1993, began a statewide reform movement, Goals 2000,
raising the expectations for higher performance of all students in Washington
schools. As a result, teachers have been asked to align curriculum to the
GLEs (Grade Level Expectations) and challenge students to be critical and
creative thinkers. On January 8, 2002, the No Child Left Behind law was signed
by President Bush with full approval from Congress. This law now requires
every state to test students at grades three through ten and requires that
no child, especially those students who are failing, be left behind. Therefore,
a partnership between teachers, parents and students will be important if
the goal of improved student achievement is to be reached. Students will be
expected to be serious and motivated learners. Parents will be asked to monitor
students’ homework, provide a place for quiet and serious study at home,
and take the initiative in checking that assignments are completed and handed
in. Teachers will teach to the state standards, create caring learning environments
as well as challenging units of study, and inform students and parents regularly
of the progress that is being made. This partnership (teacher, student and
parents) will make it possible for students to make gains academically and
ensure success at school.
To keep parents and businesses informed about educational
reform in our state and to provide helpful materials, the “Partnership
for Learning” has been formed. This independent, nonprofit business
coalition provides parents, teachers, businesses, and community leaders across
the state with free printed materials that communicate what is happening in
educational reform. They have an excellent web site: (http://www.partnership4learning.org/)
that details their work.
This Algebra I course has been aligned to the state “GLEs”
and a challenging course of study will be presented to students. I am committed
to being an encourager of students and will lead them to discover the “mathematician”
within. I will do my best to create an environment where students are free
to investigate, explore, discover, and make mistakes. Work will be done individually
and collaboratively in groups throughout the year. There will be direct instruction
of skills, group and individual problem solving as well as assessments and
journal writes. Students will have homework every evening and will be expected
to complete the work before class begins the following day. Grading categories
are: Daily work (20%) of a student’s quarter grade, GLEs (35%), assessments
(40%), and parent letter signatures (5%).
Please read the “Algebra I Course Syllabus”
sent home with students today for more information about the expectations
of this course.
Students are expected to obtain the following supplies
and bring them to class daily. All school supplies should be purchased and
ready to use by Friday of the first week of school. School supplies are: a
three-ringed binder, five dividers, a pencil pouch (to hold pencils, red pen,
two colored pencils, an eraser, a highlighter, protractor, compass, and a
six-inch straight edge), textbook, and a scientific calculator (TI 30xa is
the cheapest and is excellent),
Please feel free to contact me at any time about questions
you may have about this course or about your students’ progress. Call
me or e-mail me at:
School: 664-8961
Home: 665-8762
e-mail: brewer.b@mail.wsd.wednet.edu