Parent-teacher conferences

Parents: I'm looking forward to meeting with you during our first-semester parent-teacher conferences.

Conferences will be held on Tuesday, 9/27, and Thursday, 10/6.

I will be available for conferences from 3:30 - 5:30 each of these days. See you soon!

More opportunities for review: iGrad at CHS

This week, CHS is starting an after-school club where students can get help, make up quizzes, and earn graduation credit.  The club is called iGrad.  It runs from 3:00 - 5:00 in the Horizons Room in the library every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  It will be staffed by teachers and CU students that specialize in particular context areas, as follows:

Tuesdays: Spanish, Math, Science and other subjects
Thursdays: Geometry, Algebra, and other subjects
Mondays and Wednesdays: All other subjects, no specific math and science help


This represents another great opportunity for students to ask questions and get help.

Our first summative assessment

Our first summative assessment is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26.

What will the test cover?
The test will cover all of the objectives from our first unit on solving single-variable equations.  Students have pink "self-assessment" sheets taped into the inside cover of their notebooks that list all of these objectives.

Some suggestions on how to prepare
Here are some resources that other students have found useful to prepare:

1. Students' notebooks have a complete record of all of our class activities.  Students can look back thorough all of these activities to assess mastery and find questions to ask.
2. Students have feedback from the check-in assessments that they have taken throughout the unit.  They should look back at these assessments to assess mastery.
3. Students have a pink "self-assessment" sheet taped in the beginning of their notebooks that lists all of the objectives that the test will cover.  Students should thoughtfully self-assess themselves on these objectives and use the results to focus their study.
4. We have scheduled two review sessions for students to come in and get help.

Review sessions for the week of Sept. 19

We've scheduled two review sessions for the week of Sept. 19 - Sept 23:

1. Wednesday, September 21, from 2:00 - 3:00 (during tutor time)
2. Friday, September 23, from 3:00 - 4:00 (after school)

In these review sessions, we will review the material that was assessed on our first four check-in quizzes.  Students and parents: Please check your grades in Infinite Campus.  If you have a "5/10" for either of these quizzes, then please plan to attend one of these review sessions.

We will also answer any questions that students have before taking our first summative assessment on Monday, Sept. 26.

Some thoughts on homework

Last week, the New York Times published an article about homework:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/opinion/sunday/quality-homework-a-smart-idea.html

We've read most of the research that is discussed in the article, and we try to incorporate the best practices that are summarized.  As we said in the syllabus:

We’ll use homework for many purposes.  It will be used to practice new concepts and skills.  It will be used to explore previously unseen topics.  And it will give you a chance to apply your knowledge to new situations.

In other words, we don't think homework should be busy work, and we don't think that homework should just be a repetition of what we did in class.  Homework is an opportunity to practice, but it's also an opportunity to problem-solve.

Are we getting it right?  Are your sons and daughters challenged enough on the homework?  Are they getting enough practice?  Are they problem-solving?

Please email me at Frederick.Peck@BVSD.org or leave a comment on this post if you have any suggestions for how we can improve the homework.

Update: Review session date change

I apologize, but due to a faculty meeting, I have to reschedule our Thursday review session to Friday.  The review session will still be held from 3:00 - 4:00.

Review sessions for the week of Sept 12 - Sept 16

We've scheduled two review sessions for the week of Sept. 12 - Sept 16:

1. Monday, September 12, from 3:00 - 4:00
2. Thursday, September 15, from 3:00 - 4:00 Friday, September 16, from 3:00 - 4:00

In these review sessions, we will review the material that was assessed on our first two check-in quizzes.  Students and parents: Please check your grades in Infinite Campus.  If you have a "5/10" for either of these quizzes, then please plan to attend one of these review sessions.