Dear Parents,

I would like to welcome you and your students to my 7^th and 8^th  grade classroom. I expect it to be a wonderful year full of educational experiences, large and small group projects, and a working environment that is hands-on and memorable. Due to budget cuts and different allocation of funds, I am asking for your support in providing materials to make this a productive year full of experiences. All items are needed but the most important item would be the Dry Erase Markers. We like to use whiteboards in the class, but the students run through these very quickly, making a large supply of Dry Erase Markers essential.

Materials that are needed are:

Ø      Pencils                                                Folders

Ø      Colored pencils                                    Glue sticks

Ø      Markers                                             Highlighters                            

Ø      White paper                                                Erasers

Ø      Lined paper

Ø      Graph paper                                       Dry erase markers

Ø      Construction paper                                      

 (Please check one)

o       I have read this letter, and our family will be able to contribute_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

o       I have read this letter, but we are unable to contribute any supplies at this time

Please sign this note and have your student return it to Mr. Almond.  Students who return this with a parent signature will receive 20 points of extra credit (roughly equal to one assignment). 

Thank you for your time,

Mr. Almond 

___________________________             _______________________

     Student Signature                                            Parent Signature

Riverside Meadows

Algebra 1 Course Syllabus

2010-2011

Teacher: Tom Almond

E-mail: talmond@plusd.org

Course Overview:

In algebra, students learn to reason symbolically, and the complexity and types of equations and problems that they are able to solve increase dramatically as a consequence. The key content for the first course, Algebra I, involves understanding, writing, solving, and graphing linear and quadratic equations, including systems of two linear equations in two unknowns. Quadratic equations may be solved by factoring, completing the square, or applying the quadratic formula. Students should also become comfortable with operations on monomial and polynomial expressions. They learn to solve problems employing all of these techniques, and they extend their mathematical reasoning in many important ways, including justifying steps in an algebraic procedure and checking algebraic arguments for validity.

In simpler terms, students will be able to do the following by the end of the year:

1. Multi-step equations and inequalities
2. Linear Functions
   1. Graphing equations
3. Quadratics
   1. Graphing
   2. Factoring
   3. Radicals/roots
4. Rational Expressions

Course Requirements:

Students have been placed into the Algebra 1 program for the following reasons:

1. STAR score of proficient or advanced on last year's STAR test
2. Teacher recommendation
3. End of year assessment (given at the end of last year)

Textbook and Materials:

The following is a list of supplies each student needs to have:

• A three ring binder with dividers. This is a must as students will have their binders checked periodically. During the first week of class I will show the students how their binder needs to be arranged. AVID students may use their AVID binder.
• A compass
• A protractor
• Graph paper
• Lined paper
• Pencil (homework will not be accepted if done in pen)
• A scientific calculator. (this may be kept at home as I have a class set) I suggest a Texas Instrument Scientific Calculator, but any will work.

Grading Policy:

Students will be graded on the following criteria.

• 60% of a student's grade will be based on tests/quizzes
• 40% of a student's grade will be based on homework

Homework will typically be worth twenty points per assignment, broken down as follows:

• 5 points for the daily warm-up
• 5 points for notes
• 5 points for completed homework. Must either show work or explain in complete sentences how you got each answer.
• 5 points for a daily reflection

Late work Policy:

Late work will be accepted for only one day and the student will only receive ½ credit for the assignment. After one day late it is the policy of the 8^th grade teachers to not accept the work. It is our intent to be firm and consistent on this policy as we are preparing our students for high school and trying to teach them responsibility.

Thank you. I am looking forward to a wonderful year.

I have read and understand the course syllabus for Algebra 1.

Parent/Guardian________________________________________

Student______________________________________________