Start of School Letter

Dear Parents, Guardians and Caretakers;

Welcome to the new school year! This letter is to introduce myself and to pass on a few important pieces of information about the upcoming year in 7^th and 8^th grade mathematics at Thomas Prince School.

First and foremost, please ensure your child is coming to class every day with the following required materials. These are extremely important to their learning experience in math class.

·         One accordion folder (6 pockets) to carry current paperwork from class to class.

·         A three-ring binder (maximum of 2”) dedicated to math with 6 dividers and an ongoing supply of 3-hole punched, loose leaf paper (3-hole punched allows the student’s work to be handed in for review and then easily stored in the 3-ring binder). The binders will be stored in my classroom.

·         A spiral-bound, 3-hole punched notebook.

·         A modern scientific calculator… Scientific means it has function keys for exponents, trigonometry (sine, cosine, tangent), roots and Pi … Modern means it has a screen that displays the expression as it is being keyed into the calculator and then displays the answer on the same screen. A common (and recommended) type is the TI-30XIIS.

·         A pencil case with an ongoing supply of writing utensils (pencils and pens; if mechanical pencils, a supply of lead).

·         Their math textbook protected by a good book cover.

·         Their daily planner.

·         The child’s name should be on the calculator, accordion folder, pencil case and notebook.

Please be sure to periodically check your child’s supply of the above items. If each student shows up at every class with the required materials, we have more time for productive learning.

Second, we will be emphasizing a simple but important set of class rules. These include:

• Respect – for your child’s classmates, for her or himself, for the school staff, for their textbooks, for other school materials, and for the furniture, building and grounds.
• Be on time and be prepared for each class.

I will be discussing and enforcing these rules, including consequences, throughout the school year.

Regarding the 3-ring binder mentioned above, I require each student to maintain an organized, 3-ring binder throughout the year for math class. For the student it serves as an organizer for their notes, tests and other materials important for learning and studying. For parents it provides a means to regularly review the work their child has been doing in math.

Third, let me share some information about grading. The make-up of each term’s grade will, at a minimum, be based on the student’s achievement in the following four areas: class work and participation; homework; tests and quizzes; binder organization and content.

Finally, we will be making much broader use of the Internet this year in math. I will be making web-based materials available to most classes for their use. To start, each student will be receiving a document providing registration information at the Pearson Prentice Hall web site. At a minimum, your child will be able to logon and access an online copy of her/his textbook at this site, eliminating the need to carry the hardcopy home at night. During the course, they will find additional practice material available at this site that is not included in the hardcopy textbook. Additionally, I will be maintaining my own math website containing math materials and links, located at

http://www.teacherweb.com/MA/ThomasPrinceSchool/MrBrownsMath/index.html .

I hope you will encourage your child to further pursue their math learning through the web.

Should any concerns arise regarding your child’s achievement, I will contact you immediately. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress or any of the above information, please contact me immediately at rod_brown@wrsd.net or 978-464-2110.

I thank you in advance for your support throughout the coming school year. Please send me an email confirming that you have read this letter with your child. Optionally, please copy/print and complete the information on the form below, sign  and have it returned to me during the first week of school. I would appreciate if you could include your regularly used email address. I find email to be an effective and efficient tool for many parent/teacher communications.

Sincerely,

Rod Brown

Thomas Prince School - 7^th & 8^th Grade Math

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I have seen and read the introductory letter about 7^th and 8^th grade math for the 2007-08 school year at Thomas Prince.

Student’s Name: _________________________________    Date: ____________

______________________________          ________________________________     

   Parent/Guardian/Caretaker signature               (Please print Parent/Guardian/Caretaker name)

Home Phone:  __________________  Email address: ________________________     

Office Phone:  _________________  Cell Phone:  __________________________