Start of School Letter
 

Dear Parents, Guardians and Caretakers;

Welcome to the 2008-09 school year! This letter is to pass on a few important pieces of information about the upcoming year in 7th and 8th grade mathematics at Thomas Prince School.

1. 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. If each student shows up at every class with the required materials, we have more time for productive learning.

  • One accordion folder (6 pockets) to carry current paperwork and homework;

  • A three-ring binder (maximum of 2") dedicated to math with 6 dividers and an ongoing supply of 3-hole punched, loose leaf paper. I require each student to maintain an organized, 3-ring binder throughout the year for math class. The binders will be stored in my classroom. 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.

  • A spiral-bound notebook (or equivalent bound notebook) for taking notes in class;

  • 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.

2. I will be emphasizing a simple but important set of class rules These will be enforced, including consequences, throughout the school year. 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.

3. 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.

4. We will periodically be making use of the Internet. 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 and other sites that are 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 complete the information on the form below, sign, detach and have it returned to me during the first week of school. I find email to be an effective and efficient tool for many parent/teacher communications, so please be sure to include your regularly used email address.

Sincerely,

Rod Brown

Thomas Prince School - 7th & 8th Grade Math

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                    I have seen and read the introductory letter about 7th and 8th grade math for the 2008-09 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: ____________________________