Welcome parents!
Here are the four questions I receive most frequently, and I hope my website's information is helpful. If not, I fully profess being in the "old" category of utilizing technology. I do not own a Smart Phone, Smart Watch, Ipad, Kindle, or any similar products. My cell phone has the ability to make phone calls and receive phone calls; I love it. Likewise, my understanding is apple products are various brands of delicious round fruit. I can do e-mail though, and so if you have any additional questions please send me an e-mail at cwatson@args.us and I will be happy to help.
1) What materials will my son/daughter need for your class?
Answer: -The generic requirements for math classes are a an SOL calculator, three ring binder with pockets, notebook, and loose leaf paper. Details regarding calculator purchase are available below. Geometry students are recommended to purchase a protractor and compass.
A) SOL approved calculator. A list of approved calculators is attached, although the general rule is you want anything from the TI-83 or TI-84 series. A good graphing calculator is a substantial investment, but once purchased as long as students keep track of their calculators and don't damage the device the calculator will last them through college and beyond, and sample prices and links to calculators are below (Note: these are not necessarily the lowest prices, but provide a good reference for what to purchase).
Amazon:
TI-83 Plus: $92.99, https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-TI-83-Graphing-Calculator/dp/B00001N2QU/ref=sr_1_8?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1504095876&sr=1-8&keywords=ti-84
TI-84 Plus: $111.99, https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-84PL-CLM-1L1/dp/B007WM3MW2/ref=sr_1_10?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1504096017&sr=1-10&keywords=ti-84
2) My son/daughter is going to be absent (illness, performance, field trip, etc.). What should he/she do to make up the day's lesson?
Answer: -All lessons are available online, and students will receive a pacing guide at the start of each month to track what lesson was missed. However, please have your son or daughter send me an e-mail to coordinate making up assignments.
3) My son/daughter has a question about ..., would like extra practice with ..., would like extra support on ... What should I/he/she do?
Answer: -There are lots options for support in every class at ARGS, and my recommendation is for students to choose whatever option or options work best from the list below:
A) Have your son/daughter read his or her notes from class to you. You do not necessarily have to understand anything he or she says, but the process of explaining and your interest in his or her learning are tremendously helpful for practicing topics.
B) Have your son/daughter check their notes. Everything we do in class is echoed on the homework, classwork, quizzes, and tests. If you are having challenges with a problem, check your notes for a similar problem for comparison.
C) Have your son/daughter check their book. All students receive a textbook at the start of the year, and the textbook is the resource with definitions and examples for material studied every year. Nevertheless, my pragmatic understanding is most Geometry books tend to find a comfy place in students' lockers and sleep well during the year. Please urge your son or daughter to use his or textbook, and as a compromise textbooks have even been uploaded online (see tabs to the left) for easy access.
D) Have your son/daughter check online resources. Khan Academy and Purple Math are excellent free web resources providing video tutorials.
E) Have your son/daughter come to my after school review sessions Monday from 3:30 - 4:30 or ask me a question during lunch Tuesday or Thursday. I am available thrice during the week for inquiry, and if these times are still difficult to make, send me an e-mail.
F) Have your son/daughter sign up for peer tutoring. Peer tutoring is an effective means of substantial continuous content remediation about a third of the school participates in either as a tutor or tutee every year, particularly in freshman level classes when everyone is adjusting to a new academic climate. To do so, please send me an e-mail at cwatson@args.us with the heading "Requesting peer tutoring for ...".
4) My son/daughter says he/she turned in this homework assignment, but in PowerSchool the grade is a zero. Why is that?
Answer: -I fully acknowledge I am human, and the best way to settle any grade dispute is for a student to show me (in person or by e-mail) his or her homework completed assignment, or other paper with grade in question. All homework will be stamped upon receiving credit, and the stamp can be used as a reference.
If students have not received their homework back yet, then I recommend students wait until receiving their assignments to inquire about scores (students will receive homework scores after every quiz or test). Probably 90% of all homework questions can resolved by one of the four qualifiers: Did the student show his or her work? Did the student put his or her name on her paper? Is the student sure he/she turned in the paper and the paper is not in his or her folder? How sure?