Welcome to Math Savvy @ Hollenbeck Middle!!!

Welcome everyone to our class blog! First and foremost, I need to apologize for the size of this blog post. There is a lot to share for the first two weeks of school but don’t worry, not all blog posts will be this long! I am super excited for what we have in store this year! Between our class website, schoolnotes.com, and this blog, I sure hope you and your parents will not have any trouble staying informed and on top of your education this school year. The purpose of this blog is to strike up conversations about math, as well as, provide a place for students to receive help from both their peers and me.


What’s been going on in math:

~First Week of School~

We started the year off with a bang! Our Huddle Up Tailgate Party (@ schedule pickup) and Back to School Pep Rally (first day) were a blast for sure! What fun our students had watching their teachers play games, sing & dance with excitement for a new school year! Over the summer, many teachers (myself included) spent numerous hours attending workshops and conferences; planning, and preparing ways to help our school become the VERY BEST in academics and character!!! Our first week of school was dedicated to implementing strategies designed to help students feel more at home and recognized within our school community. Tuesday and Wednesday focused mainly on Hollenbeck’s Four Core Ethical Values: Honesty, Kindness, Respect & Responsibility, while the next two days were spent discussing expectations for students in all areas of the school (hallways, cafeteria, classrooms, assemblies, and on the bus). This school-wide attempt to help our Hollenbeck Family reach its mission: Achieving Academic and Personal Growth, was evident throughout the first week! I can’t wait to see the growth you all will continue to make this year!

~Second Week of School~

During the beginning of this week, our class took some time to discuss safety issues in reference to the Internet. Being that this is an eMINTS classroom and we will be utilizing a great deal of technology on a regular basis, I feel it is extremely important that my students are knowledgeable on ways to be safe when online. We viewed both Amy’s Choice and Tracking Teresa and held an in-depth discussion of real safety issues in regards to communication online. In this same way, I would like to recommend some pieces of advice when participating in this blog:

1) Before posting any information or opening your own blog of any kind, you MUST first receive your parent’s permission.
2) I STRONGLY recommend that no matter what you post online (on this blog or elsewhere); if the option is there for your post to be private, make it private! This will keep people who have no business contacting you from being able to know anything about you.
3) Think BEFORE you post! Remember that what you say will be viewed by others as is true with many things is life…you can’t take back something you’ve said (especially when it is posted on the Internet). I will have overriding access to deleting and modifying comments when necessary but please be sure to stay focused and appropriate when adding to our class blog.

We ended up this week taking time to find out what we know already in math. The last few days have been filled with a very long assessment of skills. This test was prepared with the intention of helping students and parents recognize student strengths and weaknesses in mathematical abilities. We will take the same test at the end of the year to give you a true picture of what you have learned in entirety this school year. In addition to this assessment, students completed a timed multiplication test today. Every year parents ask how they can help their child grow in their successes in math; this is my initial suggestion to my students…LEARN YOUR MATH FACTS!!! :-) :-) :-) Parents may view their child’s multiplication test percentage on Pinnacle (located in the notes section). Please be sure to ask if you have any questions regarding any of this information.

TODAY’S SUPERSTAR STUDENTS:

Scoring 100% on their Multiplication Timed Test: Joe Crawford (2nd hour) & Nicole Kuhlmann (3rd hour)

Class Highest Scores on the Multiplication Timed Test: Tommy Mai (4th hour), Megan Wood (5th hour), Kenny Griffin (7th hour), & Taylor Powell (8th hour)

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Rauth (2nd hour), Morgan Carlson (3rd hour), & Amber Walter (7th hour)

ALL OF YOU ROCKED THIS TEST!!! CONGRATS YOU ARE A TRUE SUPERSTAR!!! :-) :-) :-) KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!! :-) :-) :-)

What’s coming up???

Next week we will begin with our Jumping Jack’s Experiment in our Variables and Patterns book. Hope to see you come with some energy and excitement for learning…this is going to be fun!

Main learning objectives for V & P (Variables and Patterns):

-Identifying variables in situations
-Recognizing situations in which changes in variables are related in useful patterns
-Describe patterns of change shown in words, tables, and graphs
-Construct tables and graphs to display relationships between variables
-Observe how a change in the relationship between two variables affects the table, graph and equation
-Use algebraic symbols to write equations relating variables
-Use tables, graphs, and equations to solve problems

Miscellaneous:

~If you haven’t turned in your eMINTS CUP (Computer Use Policy) or Parent Survey do so soon so you don’t have to miss out on any fun stuff in class this year!

QUESTION OF THE DAY— Each year in the Chinese calendar is named after one of 12 animals. The year 2007 is the year of the PIG. How many years in the 21st Century are "Years of the PIG"?

**Be the first student to reply correctly to the Question of the Day and you will receive a small treat in class on Monday!!! Good luck!!! :-)
Have a WONDERFUL weekend everyone!!! See you on Monday!