Happy Holidays

(Origami Tree--Museum Of Natural History)



Count the number of "ifs"

December 6, 2012

There will be Algebra Regents tutoring on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 am.  Please apply if you are available to work on Saturday(s). Please encourage your students to attend tutoring if they are signed up to retake the algebra Regents exam.

CUNY does not consider a student College-Ready unless s/he scored 80 or higher on at least one of the Math Regents exams in high school.  Therefore, students who are currently taking Algebra II & Trigonometry and scored lower than 80 on MXRE or MXRG have been notified to retake the Integrated Algebra Regents exam.  If you are teaching MRF42/QT2, it is likely that more of your students have been notified to retake the Integrated Algebra Regents exam.  Please encourage them to take it and ask them to attend the free Saturday tutoring.

In calculating the grades for this quarter, I included the 1^st quarter if it helps a student. In mathematics, the work gets harder and harder. I do not wish to give too many N’s to discourage my students. Remember, I am teaching MEF81QC. My students do not speak English and they do not know a lot of math either, some even have problems speaking Chinese.

There are basically three scenarios I can think of - a student’s grades have been dropping from the 80’s down to the high 60’s or lower; a student’s grades have gone from the 50’s up to the 70’s or higher and a student’s grades remain basically the same. Counting the previous quarter(s) might help some students. I would not pass anyone who has not passed any exams during this quarter.  If you have any questions, please contact me before you submit your grades. Do not assume.

If you have students who have been absent more than four times this quarter, please contact their parents and set up a meeting with me. I would like to speak to them so as to improve the attendance rate in your class. If you cannot reach the parent, please let me know right away. I will try to reach them for you. We have very high passing percentages and the only way to maintain it is to get every student to attend his/her math class.

 If you wish to have any students removed from your class, please call me before you call the Dean’s Office.  And if you have any students removed from your class, you must contact and speak to the parent. And if this is not the first offense, you must also ask the parent to come in for a conference.

If you have any questions about Skedula, Mr. LoBone will be here on 12/11 from periods 5 – 8. A light lunch will be provided. I have the sign-up sheet. Please come in and sign up just so we know how much food to order.

I would like to see your exams before you give it to your classes if you are teaching MEF, MGF and MRF classes. I have not seen the exams of some teachers. Please do not give unit exams just so all students are prepared for the mid-term, final and the Regents exam.

I plan to keep our department’s tradition by ordering Chinese food to celebrate the holiday seasons.  I would like to have the celebration on Thursday, December 20, 2012. If you have any objections, please let me know. I would like to ask people to chip in for soda, desserts, etc.  Once again, the food should get here about 11:30 am or so.

Thank you very much and have a great weekend.