August, 2021

Greetings Students and Parent or Guardians,

I am pleased to have your child enrolled in my Algebra I class for the school year. Symbolic reasoning and calculations with symbols are central in algebra. Through the study of algebra, a student develops an understanding of the symbolic language of mathematics and the sciences. In addition, algebraic skills and concepts are developed and used in a wide variety of problem-solving situations.  We will spend time in our in person class building Relationships and finding Relevance to our Rigorous work in Algebra. We will strive daily to encourage students to become better THINKERS, CONTRIBUTERS, and COMMUNICATORS.

It is my belief that education is a team effort.  The team is made up of the following: The student, the parent or guardian, and me.  My name is John Molla and I want this to be a successful team.  To be successful we all have to do our part to our best ability. Students are responsible to be ready to learn and have FUN with math every day.  Parents should be aware and have access to Aeries and Google Classroom for their student and are welcome to call or email anytime to get any information. Students will need a device and access to the internet each day.  If you have any device or connecting issues, please follow the appropriate procedures as quickly as possible and get any of these issues resolved so that each student can be successful. I will be prepared, ON TIME, and willing to help in anyway each and every day.

Success in this class will require participation and interaction between the student and teacher and the students with their peers. Your child will have a variety of activities that will be assigned daily. There will be a combination of internet based assignments and pencil and paper assignments. If additional assistance is needed, I will be available through e-mail, ([email protected]) or Google Classroom.  E-mail is the best way to get quick responses to most of your questions or issues.  Please do not hesitate to communicate with me about you students progress as that will only lead to student success.

Grading will be done on a total points scale.  Tests and Quizzes will count as 60 percent and HOMEWORK/CLASS PARTICIPATION will count as 40 percent.  The Homework percentage is a large part of the grade because I want students to PRACTICE.  The only way to improve Algebra skills is to practice! 

The student should exhibit his/her responsibility by being prepared for instruction. The best preparation and opportunity for success requires having a quiet place to work and practice, a device and internet connection, charger, access to the book, a writing tool, and paper.  Each student should have these items for each day in class as well as at home. Successful students will be doing each assignment on time, following directions, and asking questions. Students will be expected to maintain a notebook, which will contain the daily informational notes, examples problems, and daily review problems. All work will be turned in via Google Classroom and then place and organized in the student notebook.

If you have any questions, please contact me via [email protected] or at 626-913-3699 extension 3255. You may also visit rowlandhs.org find my website and click on Algebra I to find the homework each day. Also remember to use the Google Classroom page and Aeries to keep track of your students progress.

I look forward to the challenge of teaching and learning during this return to the classroom and in person teaching and learning.  It will be a team effort and when we each do our part; your student will be successful.

Thank you,

John Molla