August 30, 2006

Dear Students and Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

Welcome to the AIS family of the Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP)! Instead of just studying one type of math per year (algebra, geometry, etc.), we will be studying topics from all of the following areas: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, number theory, statistics, and probability. More information about the IMP program is available at the IMP website, www.mathimp.org, under the heading Resources and Especially for Parents. More detail about the IMP 2 curriculum is in the IMP 2 syllabus.

Students will have homework every night as well as Problems of the Week (POWs). We encourage you to make IMP assignments a family event and to assist and participate whenever you are able. The problems are interesting and thought-provoking, and you will have fun discussing them together. Because doing homework is such an important part of being a successful math student, if a student does not have her/his homework on time, s/he will need to attend a Homework Detention during lunch with one of the AIS math teachers so that the student completes the missing assignment(s). Please review the syllabus for more detail. Student homework is checked and stamped in the first 10 minutes of every class period on Assignment Logs. Assignment Logs are collected and graded approximately every two weeks.

IMP 2 students will have an individual or group quiz/test most Fridays. In addition, to maintain communication with families, every Monday I will send home a progress report, quiz/test and/or Assignment Log (with HW detention slips if appropriate) to update you and your student on their progress in the class, and it will need to be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to me on Tuesday. These signed updates count as homework assignments.

The IMP textbook provides students with daily classroom activities and homework assignments. However, it does not contain explanatory passages on concepts. Those are the products of the discovery and cooperative learning techniques of the IMP program. Therefore, it is essential for the students to both actively participate on a daily basis and to keep a careful and thorough notebook. I am providing each student with their first notebook and students are responsible for purchasing any additional notebook(s) they need during the year.

In order to actively participate in class, students need to be in class, on time, and focused. Please review the syllabus to understand the attendance policy. In addition, students need to make sure that all cellular phones and electronic devices are off and out of sight during class as they are a major distraction to learning. If students have any electronic equipment in use during class time, I will take the item until the end of the period. If it continues to be a problem, I will refer it to the Vice Principal.

Students who participate actively in class and complete their assignments will succeed in the Interactive Mathematics Program and will learn a great deal of mathematics. I am looking forward to an exciting year during which we all gain in our appreciation of the power of mathematics. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Felipe Lora
flora@woodburn.k12.ca.us