August 23, 2011
Dear Students and Parents
Welcome to Algebra 1B, the second year of our two
year Algebra 1 program. Algebra 1B will
consist of both an extensive review of Algebra 1A, and in-depth coverage of
those California Algebra 1 standards not covered in 1A.
It’s important that both
parents and students understand that Algebra 1 can be a rigorous, demanding,
and sometimes very difficult course. Practice
is crucial and successful students complete their homework. If a
student is struggling with the tests in Algebra 1, they are often either
neglecting or struggling with their homework. For that reason, parents are strongly
encouraged to check their student’s homework daily. Their daily assignments and links to homework
help sites can be found in my weekly lesson plans on my teacher page on the
school website, specifically http://www.tulelake.k12.ca.us/ths/Teachers/blarsen/lp.htm. If a student needs tutoring, I’m available during
their class-time, before school, after school, and during 9th
period. I strongly encourage students
who are having difficulty to take advantage of this service. We will also be covering the previous day’s
most challenging problems at the beginning of each class.
The Quarter grades in Algebra
1 will be weighted as follows:
Warm-up
Exercises (done
daily/graded weekly) 5%
Citizenship (quarterly/tardies weekly) 5%
Notebooks
(graded
each unit) 10%
Homework (checked daily/grade
entered weekly) 35%
The Semester grades are
weighted at 40% per quarter and 20% for the final exam.
I encourage parents to
contact me with any questions or concerns.
The best way to reach me is by
e-mail at blarsen@tulelake.k12.ca.us. You can also reach me by telephone at
667-2292 extension 243 or you can generally find me in my classroom, Room 9,
before and after school.
v
Students will not be allowed to leave the classroom
without their
v
Cell phones can never be seen or used in Room 9. If they are seen or heard, or if there is a
suspicion they are being used, they will be taken away. They can be picked up in the office at the
end of the day.
v
MP3 players (ipods), can
never be used during the lesson portion of your math class, nor can they be
used during tests. Occasionally, with
permission only, students will be allowed to use these devices during seatwork.
v Daily homework assignments will be due at
the beginning of the next class period.
Late assignments will be accepted until a cut-off day near the end of
each quarter and will be graded at approximately 75%.
v The
heading on each assignment will be at the top of the page as illustrated in the
following example:
Algebra
1B P.3 Mathis Fun
v
If you finish your work or a test early you must read
or do quiet work.
v
You will not be released from your
chairs at the end of the period until the teacher says, something like “Have a
good day.”