Dear Students and Parents/Guardians: Monday, August 23, 2010
Welcome to math class! My name is Ms. Rissmann, and I am looking forward to spending the year with you. I know you can learn a lot in this class if you work hard every day. I promise that I will work hard with you.
My classroom expectations are that students show up prepared, pay attention in class, and they do their personal best. I believe that effort and motivation are extremely important in life, and I am confident that if my students provide that, together we can accomplish great things.
In order to arrive at class prepared, please purchase the following materials for this math class, and bring them to class everyday:
- Pencils and eraser (do not use pen in this class)
- Handheld pencil sharpener
- 1-inch 3 ring binder for this class only or shared with another class
- Dividers for binder (dividers should read: HW, Assessments, Resources)
- Spiral or Composition notebook to use as a math journal
- Binder paper (loose leaf)
Homework Policy: Math homework is given Monday through Friday, and your child should write down the assignment in their agenda. Each day your child will be able to check the correctness of their work in class, and once a week there will be a quiz that contains problems like the ones on their homework. On Mondays, I collect a homework summary sheet that I ask you to sign. This sheet records whether the student completed their homework on time or not, and it also includes the bellwork and some addition homework questions.
Grading Policy: Tests and Quizzes = 70%
Classwork/Math Journal = 20%
Homework/Bellwork = 10%
All quizzes and tests may be retaken to earn a better grade. To retake, a student must turn in their quiz corrections as well as providing proof of topic improvement. This can be achieved by either meeting with the teacher for help or by completing an assigned set of problems.
Additional ways to support your child in math:
- Check that your child did their homework each evening
- Review and sign their homework summary page each week
- Check their agenda to ensure they are writing down and doing their homework
- Regularly ask to see the student’s math journal. It should be neat and organized.
- Schedule a meeting with me to discuss your child’s progress (call or email me)
- If your child is slow to recall their multiplication facts (1 x 1 to 12 x 12), please quiz them on a daily basis until he/she can recall these facts within seconds.