Video for Parents who missed Back to School Night

BTSN Notes for Parents & Guardians-2024-25.pdf

Term 1 Office Hours/Extra Help

MONDAYS 2:30-3:15 in room 428

(If Monday is a Holiday then office hours will be Tuesday that week.)  

Extra help also available some block As (7:30-8:30) and after school by appointment.

Discrete Math-Overview and Policies 2024-25

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

“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, a scientific or graphing calculator, graph paper, a small ruler, charged laptop and a math notebook or math binder or binder section, and folders or pockets.  (I suggest using a spiral bound notebook for classwork and homework and a couple folders or a small binder or binder section for handouts.)  Be sure to have all that in class each day.  We use a lot of handouts!  Stay organized.  Additionally, please bring in a box of tissues for classroom use by September 6th.

 

Grading Breakdown:

Terms 1, 2 and 3

• Quizzes, Tests and Projects- 90%
• Classwork and Homework- 10%

Term 4

(For students not doing a senior project)

• Quizzes, Tests and Projects – 65%
• Classwork and Homework- 10%
• Average of terms 1, 2, and 3- 25%

Year Grade (For students NOT doing a senior project)- Average of your four term averages.

Year Grade (For students that DO a Senior Project)- Average of your term averages for terms 1, 2 and 3.

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

Classroom Policies:

1. Extra Help/ “Office Hours”/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/ “Office Hours” hours each week. The Math Lab is open most blocks of the school day. 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.  When open, there will be a math teacher there to help you with your work.  It’s a great resource, use it!  Here are the times that I’ll be working there this year: Day 1: Blocks A and C (yellow), Day 3: block E (purple), Day 5 blocks A and D(yellow))

 

2. Electronics- NO cell phone or smart watch use in class- PARK your phone and/or smart watch (in “Do Not Disturb” mode) when you enter the classroom and pick it up as you leave. To promote learning, avoid distractions, and focus on being present and respectful, we will NOT use phones and other electronics, aside from your laptops, in class. This includes headphones.  Please don’t make this something I have to spend time policing.  It should feel good to have a break from these devices!  

 

3. Food and Drinks-

Drinks are permitted if they have tops.  Keep snacking to a minimum and be sure to clean up after yourself. 

 

4. 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!

                                   

5. Leaving class- If you must go to the bathroom, go and return efficiently. (Leave your phone parked.) Only one student is allowed out of the classroom at a time unless there is an extenuating circumstance.  If you need to go to the nurse, let me know and I’ll give you a pass.  Try not to leave class much- you miss out and we miss you!

 

6. Enrich our classroom. You have the power to make our school and this classroom better!  Let’s make our Discrete Math class a fun and positive environment.  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.  Focus on the thinking and learning.  (Not grades/points.)  We are all counting on you, what will your impact be?  Please do your part to enrich our classroom! 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 3 unexcused lates =1 cut.  This is a WHS policy.  Being late is also 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!  

-Excused Absences- 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.  Your parent(s), counselor, and assistant principal will be alerted if you are repeatedly absent on assessment days.

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

Discrete Math Class Website- CANVAS: https://wellesley.instructure.com/ 

-I will post homework, and quiz and test dates.

-I will post links to videos and articles that relate to the material we are covering.

-I will post Smart Board slides from class, as needed, not daily.  Come to class and take notes- 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 and project due 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 would be allowed as a reference, the grades on these may or may not count toward your grade.

Academic Integrity:  Please read and follow the Honor Code located on page 1 of the Student Handbook.  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 definitely 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