Dear parents,
Welcome to the Pre-Algebra matehmatic’s course at FMS.
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. In 2005, OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruciton) completed grade level expectations from K-10. 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. 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: (www.partnership4learning.org) that
details their work.
This Pre-Algebra 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 their mathematical
potential. 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.
There are four categories for math. They are: Daily Grades
(20%), GLEs (35%), Assessments (40%) and Parent signatures (5%).
Please read the “Pre-Algebra” 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: a three-ringed binder, five dividers, a pencil pouch (two #2 pencils,
two colored pencils,
red pen, 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),
Call me or e-mail me at: School: 664-8962
Home: 665-8762 e-mail: brewer.b@mail.wsd.wednet.edu