Dear Parents,

I want to thank you in advance for taking an active role in your child’s mathematics education. The kids seem ready to go, and I am looking forward to a great year. There are a few things about my class I would like to share with you to help make the year go more smoothly for all of us.

Homework—I assign homework almost every night. We have time to start it in class, but will probably not finish it. It will be your child’s responsibility to have it completed by the next math class. I feel it is important for the kids to practice the skills they are learning on a daily basis.

Supplies—Your child is expected to have their math supplies in class every day. These supplies include homework, pencil, notebook paper, notebook/3-ring binder, school planner/agenda, and his/her math textbook.

Absences—When it is necessary for your child to be absent, there are several ways he/she can find out about the missed assignment(s). He/she can do the following:

* check my school website (select Regular, or Accelerated, or TAG)

* call/e-mail a reliable classmate that is in his/her math class

* check the absent folder for his/her notes/assignment(s) upon returning to my math class

* come see me during your Advisory class (Period 5)

If you know 2-3 days in advance that your child will be absent and would like to have their notes/assignment(s) before that time, please let me know as soon as possible. I would try my very best to get any notes and assignment(s) to them ahead of time.

Tutorials—I am available for tutoring before and/or after school, except for Mondays and Fridays. You should look at my tutorial schedule (found on my webpage, found on our team information sheet and posted inside my classroom) for the days and times I will be available. If your child just wants me to spot check their work and/or they are beginning to feel a bit lost, I encourage them to come to tutorials as soon as possible. Our skills continually build on one another throughout the year, so I do not want them to wait until they are totally confused before asking for help. If a student makes below a 80% in my Quiz/Test, I highly encourage them to get the concepts cleared as soon as possible.

Please check out the tutoring schedules of teachers as your child has access to any teacher he/she is taught by:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AoOepbPA9hx_dE16ZlBJRm9ZNWJHSGZVdkNnRlJZWkE&output=html

Grading Policy-

50% Daily/Homework Assessments & Quiz

50% Test Assessments

Thank you,

Mrs. Sur, 6^thGrade Math,

Dear Parent,

I am pleased to tell you that we will be using a website called IXL in our classroom this year. IXL is a comprehensive math review site with an unlimited number of practice questions in hundreds of skills—all of which are aligned to state standards. One of the best things about IXL is that your child can access it from home, so you have a chance to see your child's progress!

To get your child started on your home computer, please follow these easy steps:

1. Go to https://www.ixl.com/signin/cedarvalley

2. Enter your child's username and password and click Sign in.

(Note: If the username and password are not listed below, they will be provided separately.)

Username:_first name initial+full last name

Password: student ID number

3. Click on Math at the top of the page and navigate to your child's grade level.

4. Find a skill to practice by doing one of the following:

· Select a specific skill to practice from the list of skills. You can place your mouse over any skill to see a sample question and click on the link to begin.

· Go to the Awards section. Each grade level presents challenges for your child to conquer and virtual prizes to be uncovered. Place your mouse over any challenge to begin.

In addition to making math practice exciting, IXL is designed to help your child learn at his or her own pace. The website is adaptive and will adjust to your child's demonstrated ability level. The site also saves all of your child's results, so you can monitor your child's progress anytime by clicking on the Reports at the top of the page.

I hope you'll encourage your son or daughter to use IXL daily. Here's to a year of working together to make math fun for your child!

Sincerely,

Sonali Sur

6th Grade Regular, Accel & TAG Math,

Team 6-2 Lead and Math Horizontal Lead,

Cedar Valley Middle School.

STAAR Resources:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/

The Week of STAAR

The Day of STAAR Testing

Please eat a filling and healthy breakfast. You will need your energy and a sharp mind…

“TACKLING” A STAAR Math Problem

Carefully read the problem and determine what it is asking you to find out.

Eliminate any and all unnecessary information or details.

Decide “how” you will need to work the problem.

Refer back to the Formula Chart for formulas and measurement conversions.

Use the work space to write it all out and solve the problem.

Read all possible answer choices before you choose one.

“TACKLING” A STAAR Reading Passage

Determine the purpose.

Write the main idea for each paragraph.

Stop frequently and ask yourself, “What am I reading?”.

Read over the questions and underline the important words.

Prove your answer by writing the number of the question by the paragraph that supports your answer.