Office Hours- Tuesdays after school 2:30-3:30

I'm also in the math lab block A on Days 2 and 6 and available for Extra Help most block As and often after school too.

Video for Parents!

Discrete Math-Overview and Policies 2023-24

Ms. Bell- Room 428-bellc@wellesley.ps.org

Website: https://wellesley.instructure.com 

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
             ― Jane Goodall

 

General Topics: Graph Theory, Applications of Graph Theory (management science decision-making considering traveling street networks, scheduling without conflicts, designing various types of networks, choosing new emergency or service facility locations and more), Surveys and Polling, Language and Fundamentals of Statistics, Combinatorics, Probability, Interpreting Graphs, Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, and as time permits, Apportionment, Voting Methods, Power in Voting, Review of Logic and Recognizing Fallacies. 

 

Materials: You will need pencils/pens, graph paper, a TI-83 or 84 graphing calculator, and a math notebook or binder.  Be sure to have all that in class each day.  If you are using a spiral bound notebook, you will also need folders or pockets for handouts.  We use a lot of handouts!  Stay organized.  Additionally, please bring in a box of tissues for classroom use.

 

Term Grading Breakdown:

• Class Participation and Group Work - 5%
• Homework/HW Quizzes- 5%
• Quizzes, Tests and Project Assessments- 90%

 

*The grading breakdown is subject to change.  You would be informed of any change and the reasoning behind it.

 

Classroom Policies:

1. Extra Help/Open Classroom/MATH LAB- You are strongly encouraged to come to room 428 or the Math Lab when you have questions or just want to do some math work with a teacher nearby for support if needed. I will post my Block A and after school Extra Help hours on Canvas each week. The Math Lab is open all blocks of the school day, A-F.  The Math Lab is in room 452 during A block and is held in room 426, right next to our classroom, the rest of the school day.  It’s a great resource, use it!  (I’ll be in the Math Lab 5 blocks per cycle this year.)

 

2. Food, Drinks, Electronics- NO CELL PHONE USE IN CLASS- TAKE A BREAK FROM THEM- IT WILL FEEL GOOD! You will put your cell phone in your assigned pocket number on the cabinet door when you enter class and you can pick it up again when class ends. Drinks are permitted if they have tops.  Keep snacking to a minimum and be sure to clean up after yourself.  Thanks!

 

3. Fire exit/emergency – Please adhere to the designed route and policy when we need to leave the building. Fire Alarm Exit Plan- LEFT out door and then RIGHT and down MAIN STAIR WELL and out back of school to SEAVER ST. Be quiet and move with speed!

                                   

4. Leaving class- If you must go to the bathroom, sign out on the sign-out sheet and check off again when you return. Only one student is allowed out of the classroom at a time unless there is an extenuating circumstance. Try not to leave class much- you miss out and we miss you!

 

5. Enrich our classroom. You have the power to make our school and this classroom better!  Let’s make our Discrete Math class fun and a positive part of the day for all.  Be a force for good!  Be respectful of all people and things. Do not get in the way of your own or others opportunities for learning and thinking and having a good day.  We are all counting on you.  Please. And thank you in advance! 

Attendance: 

• If you are late to class without a pass, sit down to work as quickly and quietly as possible. Each unexcused late is recorded and brings down your Class Participation grade. Also, the WHS policy is 3 unexcused lates =1 cut.  Being late is a distraction to the class, a hassle for the teacher, and it will make class more difficult for the late student.  Be respectful- please do your best to be on time! 

·       You will receive a zero for any HW, quiz, in-class assignment or test that you miss due to an Unexcused Absence or a Cut for our class.  If you need to talk to me about exceptional cases then do so ASAP.   Do the math; zeros hurt your grade a lot.  Plus, you’ll miss out on good mathematics- come to class!  

• Check Canvas when you are absent. And email me or see me when you return to check in also.  It’s also smart practice to talk with a classmate about what we did in class.  After an excused absence, any previously assigned work is due on the day you return to school.  If you miss class on the day of an assessment, you must communicate with me as soon as you are back to school (or before) and schedule a time to take a make-up assessment within 2 school days of your return to school. Makeups can be scheduled to start anytime between 7:30 and 2:45 on most days.

 

Please refer to the Student Handbook for more on the WHS Honor Code, Attendance Policies and other school rules and policies.

 

Our Discrete Math Class Website- CANVAS:

Go to your Canvas page, login, and click on Discrete Math- https://wellesley.instructure.com/ 

• I will always post quiz and test dates on the site.
• I will post links to videos and articles that relate to the material we are covering.
• I will post Smart Board slides from class, but sometimes not until the next day. Come to class- looking at the slides on your own is not the same as participating and learning in class!
• I will post some online discussion questions on the site periodically that you will need to post a response to. This way you have time to think before answering “big questions” and we will have a chance to hear from everyone, which is usually not possible during class time.

 

Assessment Notes:

-Test dates will be announced at least a week in advance.  You’ll have 2-3 tests (or test weight projects) per term and a couple quizzes.  Quizzes will be announced at least 2 days in advance.

-Short/unannounced quizzes can be given anytime and your notes are allowed as a reference.

 

Academic Integrity:  Please read and follow the Honor Code located on page 1 of the Student Handbook.  If you use reference, cite the source(s) used to complete the assignment.  Do not pass off the work of others as your own.  If you cheat on an assignment or assessment, I will notify your counselor and call home and you will get a zero on the assignment.  Keep your integrity- your best is enough!

 

“Life is reciprocal: The energy you expand always comes back.”

-Oprah Winfrey

“Optimism doesn’t mean that you are blind to the reality of the situation. It means that you remain motivated to seek a solution to whatever problems arise.”
-The Dalai Lama

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” 

-Duke Ellington