Dec. 15
This is the last week of instruction and all classes will test Thursday (open book) on their last unit. Students will receive the take-home six week exam Friday. Although it's not due until the Friday after they return from break, we encourage them to work on it as a study guide for their final exam. It should highlight what will be tested.
All late work is due by the end of the week.
Students continue to receive progress reports every Monday.
Call me at 214-236-5603 with any questions.
Dec. 8,
Sorry, no tutoring Mon - Tues Dec 8 - 9, due to minor complications fron surgery pre-Thanksgiving.
Nov. 20,
Fall break is upon us. All my students will have a homework assignment over the holiday. Math 7 is just starting Chapter 4 on Equations and will have general review worksheet. Pre-AP math will come back to do the Chapter 4 Review in the text and test on the Chapter on the Tuesday they return. Many Math 7 students will need to retest on fractions that week. All students will receive progress reports that Monday.
Nov 6,
Support from parents getting the weekly progress reports has been gratifying (altho I had to mail a few to get them home).
Students currently have two major assignments as the end of the six weeks is Friday of next week. The Data Collection Project is due next Monday. Projects should contain 4 to 5 pages; cover (optional), hypthesis, data collected, data presented in fraction, decimal, and percent form, bar and circle graphs, and a written conclusion discussing how the results of the survey compared with the student's predictions.
Next Wednesday the take-home six week test is due. This was handed out last Wednesday. The only students who shouldn't get an A are those who put it off until the last minute. They can call me with questions at 214-236-5603.
Oct 20
Parents of all my students should receive the first of the new, weekly progress reports tonight. Call me at 214-236-5603 if you have any questions. I apoligize to parents who gave me emails and cell numbers at last week's parent conferences. The office lost my sign in sheets. They were taken up at the end of the evening before I could make copies.
This week Math 7 has a mid unit test on Chapter 3, Decimals, on Wednesday. Pre-AP has an end of Chapter 3 test that same day. Students who failed the Chapter 2 test, or who scored in the 70's, need to come to tutoring so they can retake the test.
Homework will be assigned Thursday.
RS
Oct 13,
Again, test today on Chapter 2. Tuesday is parent conference and I hope to see many of you. Tuesday we also start a new unit on decimals, fractions, and percents and how to go from one to another.
Homework WS Wednesday on decimals.
Due to much missing work last six weeks, I'll be sending home a progress report every Monday, starting October 20. Please ask to see it and question any blanks. These are assignments your child didn't turn in.
October 8,
Benchmarks are behind us and we resumed regular lessons today. A cursory glance over returned Benchmark answer sheets indicates that many students are still confused over order of operations.
We did multiplication rules for positive and negative integers today and will finish chapter with division Thursday. If you are trying to help your student, remember that when you multiply or divide two numbers with the same sign (positive or negative) the answer is positive. When the signs of the two numbers are different (pos-neg or neg-pos) the answer is negative.
We will test on this Monday, October 13. I will have tutoring Thursday, Oct 9, for those who need help.
I regret that my schedule of late has been filled with faculty and other meetings (I coordinate UIL competition and coach the 7th and 8th Math Olympiad teams, as well as serving on the site-based committee). That seems to be behind me now, so schedule tutoring with me by email or calling my cell at 214-236-5603.
Your child's success is my success. I don't succeed unless they do. I'll also be sending out potential failure notices this new six weeks. Students missing work (and there were many, you've received a call or letter) got a pass the first six weeks but I will fail them this new six weeks.
RS
October 1,
Homework today - a worksheet on adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers.
Six weeks ends Friday with the six week exam worth 15% of grade. Tutoring available Thursday afternoon (sorry, lots of meetings this week).
Benchmark Exam next Tuesday. Tutoring available Monday afternoon.
Sepember 21,
Review Monday and major exam Tuesday on Chapter 1. Short week with Friday off (don't call, I'll be on the river fly fishing for trout). Dance on Thursday will further reduce the learning time so I'll be pushing the kids to get ready for Benchmarks Oct. 6.
RS
September 17,
I did not print 7th period progress reports over the weekend because there was so much missing work, I swore I must have left a folder of papers at school. No such luck. I've given students through today (Wednesday) and am now grading overdue work and will have progress reports for them Thursday. If your child has a daily assignment grade that ends in a 1 or 6, rather than my usual 0 or 5, that was a late assignment.
Homework Thursday due Friday - a worksheet on number sequences. This was tested heavily on last October's Benchmark and my Blueprint for this year's shows 3 problems on this topic.
Benchmark exams will be the week of October 6 - 10. Since they've given us a list of lessons and objectives and the number of questions for each, I'll have targeted review before the test. If your child indicates a lack of understanding, or I call to say he/she is floundering, please arrange for after-school tutoring and pickup. No tutoring this Friday due to a faculty meeting to discuss implications, if any, for HW Longfellow in Dallas' planned staff reductions.
Please call the school board or Superintendent's office and tell them that you are concerned that reducing the on-site staffing at any school in which you have children cannot help but adversely effect their learning!
RS
September 14,
Had test and quiz last week as we ended up the first half of the six weeks. Look for a progress report Monday.
September 7
We're moving right along, having completed a very full week of lessons. There will be a home work worksheet assigned Monday, a quiz for review on Wednesday, and a mid-unit exam on Friday. Note that under our grading policy, your child will be offered the opportunity to retake the test should he or she fail for a new grade.
Please plan on attending our first PTA meeting this Tuesday at 6:00 PM. We'll be electing this year's officers and the entire faculty will be available for a short, informal meet-and-greet afterward. If you can arrive early, please attend our site-based meeting for a smaller group session with our new Principal, Ms. Tovar, and our Assistant Principal, Mr. Calicchio.
September 2
As last year, I will always keep the most current updates at the top. If you need my cell number, scroll down to the opening notes.
Last week we finished a pre-assessment test to check each student's mastery and retention in the six basic math skill areas. This will help tailor individual instruction.
On Wednesday. September 3, we will have our first homework, which is to do the Chapter 1.1 and 1.2 review problems on page 77 of the Glencoe book handed out today. If your child did not bring home a book, please ask where it is. We have a rigorous week of instruction and I will continue to make phone calls if your child is not attentive and quiet. Class work is done in pairs or, sometimes, groups of three. If your child is not restraining talk within the group to the subject matter, I will also call to ask for your help. We have ambitious goals for each student and will do what is necessary to help them achieve.
Please plan to attend the PTA meeting next Tuesday, September 9, at 6:00. You will have the opportunity to walk the building and talk to the teachers.
August 25, 2008
Welcome back to Longfellow.
Parents: My contact number is my cell, 214-236-5603.
Students should expect a rigorous year. After winning the National Blue Ribbon School award last year, we're starting fresh with a new Principal and a determination to be an Exemplary school.
The first week of 7th grade math will be classroom procedures, textbook distribution, a review of the Dallas Problem Solving and Frayer Models, and several days of "pre-inventory" testing to see which objectives from last year have stayed with each individual student.
Please contact me if you ever have a concern about your child's performance and I'll do the same if I need your help. You should receive from your child the first week a classroom rules list to sign, giving me daytime and evening telephone numbers to contact you if necessary and a Syllabus describing the first six weeks' topics and schedule.
Education Gateways makes no warranty for SchoolNotes.com.
Information on this site is generated by the users. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of Education Gateways or its members, and
Education Gateways is not responsible for user's conduct on SchoolNotes.com.
