Welcome back & a new home for math at Mayfield

Dear Mayfield Families,

Welcome to a new school year! I'm writing with two things I'm excited to share.

First, we have a math website. My hope is that it grows into a central hub for all things math at Mayfield: a place to find resources, updates, contest dates, and maybe a spark of curiosity. It's a work in progress, and it will get better as I hear from you about what would actually be useful.

Be sure to check out my favorite part: the Problems of the Week. The main problem is open-ended, which means you can answer it in a sentence or spend an hour digging in, and both count. Submit your thinking, then check back the following week to see how everyone else approached it. There are also weekly contest problems posted. If your student is thinking about trying a math contest this year, even casually, one problem a week is wonderful practice.

Second, I'm serving as Math Department Chair this year. After two years at MJS working with students in small groups, after school, and through our math contests, I'm looking forward to supporting our teachers and families more broadly, particularly as we continue our rollout of California Reveal Math.

A few things you can expect from me this year: small-group support during the school day, after-school math help, and our three campus math contests. And if something isn't clicking for your student, or you're just not sure where to start, I'm always glad to help think it through. Your child's teacher will always know their day-to-day work best, and I'm here to support all of you.

One last thought. I didn't always think of myself as a math person, and I meet a lot of students and parents who feel the same way. If that's you, I'd actually suggest that the story isn't finished. Math isn't a race to the right answer, it's a way of thinking. My commitment this year is to help every student at Mayfield find some real joy in it.

Here's to a wonderful year. Please don't hesitate to reach out.

Brittany Reeser 

K-8 Math Specialist and Math Department Chair