Course Information

Math 7

Riverside Virtual School 2020 - 21

Teacher: Tarra Castillo

Email: tcastillo@riversideunified.org

Remind app code: @7e764g

Introduction

Welcome to Math 7 at Riverside Virtual School! My name is Ms.Castillo and I will be your teacher for this course. I normally work at Miller Middle School, but have been reassigned to RVS for the 2020-21 school year! This is a big change for me, but nonetheless I still love math and I look forward to helping you develop a love of it too. Obviously, this is unlike any other year either you or I have ever undertaken but I’m excited to lead you through it. We’re going to work hard and we’re going to have fun. Do not hesitate to contact me for anything. The best way is by email but we’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk and work together in google meets as well. Be sure to download the Remind App to start receiving course announcements.

This program takes an innovative approach to math learning which includes doing problems to develop your understanding of concepts – but rest assured, I expect that you will be very successful with all forms of mathematics problem-solving. You may feel uncomfortable sometimes because you don’t know the answer. That’s OKAY!!! Keep working, fight through, and we’ll make sense of what you learned. The more your brain works to figure out the problems, the more likely it is you’ll remember it later.

Your work will all be posted in google classroom and you should check it and your email daily to ensure that you keep up with your work.

Google Classroom: Your work will all be posted in google classroom and you should check it and your email daily to ensure that you keep up with your work. This is also where you turn in any work.

Google site: will have lots of information about the course along with videos in case you are absent or need to review things (if you're reading this, that's what you're on right now :) )

Supplies

While you may not be physically present at school, you are still “in class”. It just happens to be at your dining room (or wherever). We’ll be working on things just like we would in the classroom. There are few things that will help you be successful in our class and you should have these items with you every day:

1. A composition notebook
2. A pencil and eraser
3. A calculator

Aeries/Grades

Your scores and class grades are always on Aeries, including any missing assignments. Every other week, I will email a grade report to you and your parents. With an Aeries parent account, you may check your grade at any time. If an assignment is missing (red), please see what the assignment name is, go to our google classroom and do the assignment. It is important to keep up in math because every skill builds on the previous ones. Work more than one week late will not be accepted. If you are confused, please go back and watch videos on the topic, come to my office hour, and/or email your questions. Do not be content not knowing something - ASK!!!!

Assignments

Assignments include Edpuzzles, khanacademy, and practice problems. They are worth 30% of your grade. The curriculum is designed to foster excitement about–and deep understanding of–math. Be prepared for critical thinking and problem solving!

Assessments

Assessments include projects, daily check-ins, quizzes, and exams. This category is worth 70% of your grade.

Google Meets (in person time)

In our live meetings, we will do a variety of activities including group whiteboards, practice problems, problem solving, and assessments. This is your class time - you should treat it like you would class time.

1. Be on time, prepared (computer charged, headphones if needed, your comp book, pencil, and workbook with you) and ready to work.
2. Have your camera on and your mic off until you’re called on.
3. Pick a quiet room to stay in where there won’t be any background noise.
4. Don’t take your computer around your house with you during live meets, leave it in one place. If you need to use the restroom, quietly get up and do so quickly and come right back.
5. Use the hand raising button to volunteer (be prepared to be called on as well)
6. Stay focused & participate - ask questions when you’re confused, communicate loudly and clearly
7. If you’re absent, watch the video recording for that day and make up any missed activities and/or assignments.

Remind

Join my class on the Remind App! This is how I will send weekly announcements and other important information.

Text @7e764g to the number 81010

or visit this website rmd.at/7e764g

This is a great app which does not share phone numbers, but allows us to communicate easily.

Office Hours

Office hours are a time for you to come ask for help/tutoring. They are every wednesday from 11-12pm in which I will open a live google meets (very important: not the google meets link we use for regular class). Click here to open standard google meets, then click on “join or start a meeting”, then enter code: OfficeHoursCastillo

What can parents do to ensure their child’s success?

1. Check your student’s workbook and comp book to be sure they’re completing the lessons, notes, and classwork.
2. Ask them to describe what they did that day in math
3. Check Aeries regularly to stay updated on their grades
4. Ask to see their google classroom weekly so you can see what they’re working on and what’s due. Parents can only view google classroom through the student’s account. So make a weekly habit of sitting down and looking over this together to ensure assignments are getting completed.