Dear 8th Grade Parents,
Welcome to 8th grade math! I am really excited about what this year will hold as far as math content and our classroom is concerned. For those parents that I got to meet last night, this might be a little redundant...or it might be refreshing to read it at your own speed instead of listening to me try to cram it all into 7 minutes! :)
Our math classroom is based on real-world problems where math conversations and discovery are the focus. We value multiple methods when solving a problem so we can make broader mathematical connections. Mistakes are avenues to learning and are expected in my classroom.
Our first unit will be working with angles...measuring them, identifying angle types, and using angle relationships to find missing angle measures. Your student may come home with stories of getting a hole-in-one on their miniature golf hole or how a railroad yard is just chalk full of angles!
We do not have a textbook, but instead are building TWO of our own as we go. A 3-ring binder will be used for all of our handouts, practice, and activities. The students will also keep an ISN (Interactive Student Notebook) in the classroom where specific notes will be organized in a glossary-type book. I ask that these books stay in the classroom so they can always be used as a reference when learning, but students are more than welcome to take pictures of their notes (or we can make a copy) before or after school so they have something to study from at home.
In the attached brochure, you can read about my grading policy and how quiz retakes will be handled. Below, you will find the parent letter from Ms. Weimer, my student teacher this first 10 weeks of the semester so you can get to know her a little better.
If you should ever have a question or concern about your student in math, please feel free to email me. I am a strong believer that when we work together, we can ensure the best path for your student's success!
Dear parents,
I wanted to introduce myself to you all, since I will be student teaching with Mrs.
McCabe for the first 10 weeks this semester! My name is Jenna Weimer and I am a
senior in Sterling College’s math education program. I grew up in Fresno, in the
Central Valley of California, but came to Sterling three years ago to continue my
softball career as a collegiate pitcher/outfielder and to learn a thing or two (or maybe
a bit more) about teaching.
I grew up in a family full of teachers and loved almost everything about it (except
maybe the paperwork), so for most of my life I’ve known this is what I want to do!
Math looked to be a pretty fun concentration, and I have not regretted that choice
once!
To many people, math simply means an algorithm of meaningless computations
aimed at a single solution with no real relevance to life and career, and I do not want
that to be the experience of any student I ever work with. It is my goal this semester
to join Mrs. McCabe in bringing math to life for every student we teach. During my
time here, I hope to help deepen our understanding of the field of mathematics,
discover the many ways a problem can be tackled and why these ways work, make
real-world connections to the concepts we are learning, and push each other toward
excellence through a variety of collaborative, hands-on activities.
I am extremely excited to be working with your students at Reno Valley and look
forward to getting to know and invest in each and every one of them! I would so love
to meet you while I am here, so please come say hello! If you have any questions,
feel free to shoot me an email at jweimer@sterling.edu, and I will happily chat with
you!
Thanks so much!
Ms. Weimer
