Dear Parent/Guardian:
Welcome to Central Middle School and the 7 Green Team. I am Mr. Lee Olmstead and will be your child’s math teacher for the school year. This first contact is to inform you of classroom rules and regulations that are expected to be followed and to inform you of the math curriculum that will be studied during the school year. Excelling in these areas is essential for academic and social success.
Central Middle School will continue the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) system. Most students should, by now, be familiar with this program. The system rewards students for doing what is expected of them and even going above and beyond what is expected. Students will earn “Senator Bucks” which can be redeemed in the class or school store for supplies and entered in monthly raffles for prizes. The PBS system, school policies and procedures have been discussed in class as well as in a school assembly conducted by the school’s administration. My class rules and expectations have been reviewed with all students during the first few days of school. These will be reinforced throughout the year. Students will also be issued a copy of the textbook and are expected to cover and take proper care of them. Damage may result in fines up to the replacement cost of the book.
The Math curriculum is built around the Connected Mathematics Project. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1991-1996, and in 2000-2006, the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) developed a complete mathematics curriculum for middle school teachers and students. CMP helps students and teachers develop understanding of important mathematical concepts, skills, procedures, and ways of thinking and reasoning, in number, geometry, measurement, algebra, probability and statistics. A more detailed letter is included for your review and an overview of our first unit the students have begun.
Each student will be responsible for keeping a 3-ring math notebook with paper and five (5) sections labeled as warm-up, class work, glossary, homework, and journal/reflections. Also, I prefer that students use only pencils in class and have plenty of erasers for them. Optional supplies are a scientific or graphing calculator (please label with your child’s name), metric and English ruler, colored pencils, and graph paper. Please, check your child’s agenda every day for any assignments. If possible, I ask students to send in a few supplies that will help make our year a little more bearable like Kleenex tissues and hand sanitizer. I have attached a “Getting to Know Your Child” sheet that I ask you fill out for my confidential use.
Grades will be calculated on a weighted system. Formative assessments (homework, drafts, discussion questions, readings, quizzes, etc.) will count between 15% and 20% of a student’s total grade. Summative assessments (midterms, exams, final drafts, projects, performance assessments, finals, etc.) shall count as the larger part of the student’s total grade, between 80% and 85%. It should also be noted that there remains some flexibility for individual teacher usage, given that effective grading by teachers must be based on both evidence and professional judgment. Students must average a 70% for the year to pass. Final grades are based on the following:
A = 94 – 100
B = 85 – 93
C = 77 – 84
D = 70 – 76
F = 69 and below.
All assignments are expected to be completed properly and turned in on the assigned due dates. Incomplete and/or sub-standard work that is submitted will be returned to be redone as outlined in our Power of I policy.
I believe in keeping parents/guardians informed as much as possible. In addition to periodic phone calls, grade sheets will be sent home on a bi-weekly basis starting in September. Progress reports with a grade of 76 and below must be signed and returned. As you can see, I have a class website up and running and can be a useful tool in case student absences or just to keep up with what is happening in class at any given time. Furthermore, an after-school tutoring program will begin in October and may contact the main office for further information.
If you have any questions or if I can be of further assistance, contact me below:
Central Middle School Office: 302-672-1772 ext. 3023
Email (quickest and easiest): Lee.Olmstead@Capital.k12.de.us
Thank you and I look forward to a successful school year with you and your child!
Sincerely, Mr. Lee Olmstead
7 Green, Math