Math 9 Honours Entrance Assessment

This message is for all the grade 8 smarty pants in my Math 8 classes who signed up for Math 9 Honours.  There is an entrance assessment that you need to write this week (I just found out about it, please blame Mr. Marzouk).  We will write the assessment this Friday, March 8, during flex time.  Since you are allowed one hour to complete the assessment and flex time ends at 9:30 AM, you can arrive early and start at 8:30 AM.  You are allowed a calculator for this assessment.  I know its not a lot of notice, so remember, blame Marzouk (BOOOOOOOO).

Assessment Week

It's Assessment Week!  Yes, there are no classes scheduled this week but those of you in grades 10 and 12 have provincial assessments to write.  Meanwhile, the school is open and all of your teachers are here so this would be a great time to come in for extra help.  If you're planning to come in to see me for math help, please note the I'm available anytime except during Tuesday morning, Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday afternoon.  Whatever your plans, I hope you have a productive week!

Math Clinic

The Math Clinic is up and running!  If you find yourself needing help with math, please stop by A207 during lunchtime on Tuesdays and Thursdays and during flex time any day with your questions.  There will be some very keen and eager math tutors there waiting to assist you.  If you're lucky, you may see Mr. Marzouk there too (he's the one with the hypnotizingly shiny head).

Of course, I'm also available to answer your questions during flex time...still just sitting here by myself most mornings, feeling lonely.  😢

Happy New Year

Welcome back!  I hope you had a restful Winter Break.  It sure was hard getting up this morning.  Returning to school, we find ourselves in the midst of term 2.  It's a short term, further shortened by assessment week in late January, so it's really important to keep up.  That means staying on top of things and coming in to flex time for help when you need it.

On a positive note, only ten weeks until Spring Break!

Happy Holidays

I hope your Winter Break is filled with fun and happiness (and no math).  See you in the New Year.

Math Contests

If anyone is interested in writing math contests this school year, please see me for an application form.  If you would like more information about the many different math contests that we offer at this school, please see Mr. Marzouk in A207.  The bottom line, you get to miss other classes to do more math...for fun!  Woohoo!

I Wrote a Math Quiz...Now What?

It's the end of September and we're knee-deep in math (yuck!).  Every class has had a math quiz now.  Here are a few just few quiz-related things to remember.

1. You can see your quiz marks by logging into MyEd (aka "Family Portal" on the school website).  If you are having problems with your MyEd login, please see the office with your issues.  Note that your parents can also log in to MyEd to see your scores. 😱
2. If you miss a quiz, please see me or email me to arrange a time to make up the quiz.  Make-up quizzes take place during flex time on Friday, but only for a limited time!  Please do it before it's too late.
3. Come by during flex time or after school if you would like to see your quiz and to go over your mistakes.  Just because the quiz is over, doesn't mean the learning is over.  Learning is never over.  Please come by to see your mistakes and learn from them.

How to Succeed in Math Class

Another new school year, full of fantastic possibilities.  This is my 30th as a teacher (insert "old age" joke here).  Over the last three decades, I've worked with a lot of successful students, and some who just couldn't quite catch on.  From these students, I've observed what I believe are three behaviours that lead to success.

1. Attendance - This one's pretty straight forward.  You can't learn that course content if you're not physically here.  You can try learning by yourself from the textbook, or your friends, or the numerous resources online.  However, none of that compares to actually being in class, and the evidence is proof of that.
2. Attention - Now that you're in class, you need to actually engage in the lesson.  You need to focus.  I know, it's math and it's kinda boring sometimes...and there are so many more interesting things on your phone...STOP!  Put that phone away!   That's called a distraction, and nothing good ever came from distractions.  They cause car accidents, and worse.  Pay attention, it won't drone on forever.  Focus!
3. Practice - It was hard, but you made it through the lesson.  No one said it would be easy.  Hardship builds character!  Now the most important part, practice!  You need to try the math.  Not just look at it, not just think about it, but take out a pencil and TRY it.  Write some things down.  Do some calculations.  Make some mistakes.  Mistakes are awesome, because that lead to LEARNING, as long as you identify your mistakes and correct them (be sure to seek help with anything you don't fully understand).

That's it.  Attend class regularly, focus in class (avoid distractions), and put real effort into doing the practice.  Do these three things and you are almost guaranteed to succeed in this course.  Not only that, these three behaviours will probably get you pretty far in your other courses too.

I hope you have a successful school year.

Welcome Back

 Welcome to a new school year!  More to come...