Dear Parents!
Your child is taking a high school Math course. High school Math is quite challenging , and your son/daughter will have to work really hard to successfully complete this class. There is a number of things that you, as a Parent, can do to help your children pass this class.
First of all, make sure they do not miss a single class. While some subjects let you just catch up on reading at home, Math isn't the one. It will take you at least a week to catch up on a material after missing just one Math class. When you schedule any appointments, keep in mind the time of Math class, not to sign your child out during this class.
Secondary, ask your children every night what they did in class today, ask them to show their class notes and home work. They will have homework every day (starting first week of class) including weekends. It should not take more than half an hour if they pay attention in class. Every afternoon they must practice skills and concepts learned that day to check if they did understand them. If your children can not show their binder full of class notes followed by homework assignment, this is a very troubling sign.
Last, but not least, please make sure your child comes fully prepared to class. Since first day of class he/she will need a cheap binder to keep organized all materials I will be distributing in class. There should be some loose paper and some graph (grid) paper in it. A student must have a textbook every day in class as well as at home. It is absolutely necessary for every student to have at least one (preferably set of them) dry erase marker with their name on it. (They will use them on daily basis practicing skills and concepts on the board). Additionally, you need a set of sharpened pencils with good erasers in Math class. A cheap individual pencil sharpener becomes very helpful with three to six minutes breaks between the classes and big number of students who need to sharpen their pencils before the class starts. Finally, a folder is necessary to file all your child's work.
Don't forget to check your child's attendance, every day grades, and progress @ Parents Command Center @ epsb.com I usually post grades the same or the next day the assignment is due. This way you can also see what assignments are coming. Look for the paper copy of their progress reports/report cards every three weeks.
I hope your child will have a successful productive year at Ville Platte High!
With best wishes and kindest regards, sincerely yours
Kate Aucoin