Dear Students,

            First off, I would like to welcome all of you to our class for the 2010-2011 school year.  I am looking forward to working with each and every one of you in some capacity throughout the upcoming year.  I understand that math does not come easy for everyone.  However, I do expect that each one of my students comes into this class with the expectation that they will succeed.  Math isn’t as scary as some people make it out to be.  I truly enjoy this subject and love being around it on a daily basis, which is one reason why I chose to become a teacher.  As long as you enter our classroom with a positive attitude each day, I will do everything I can to help you succeed.  Each week, I will make sure you know which days I will be available after school for extra help, as well as any free periods I will have during the day.  You are always welcome to come see me for any difficulties you may be having.  If you are having trouble, I strongly urge you to take advantage of this.  If you can’t make it in during any of those times, please come and see me so we can work something out.  I will always be available to address any questions or concerns.  Located below is a brief overview of our Integrated Algebra curriculum.

Course Overview: This course is an introduction into many of the mathematical principles you will be using for the rest of your high school career.  As you will see throughout the course of this year, it is important to have a strong base in algebra no matter what direction your education takes you.  This year, we will be covering the following topics: Properties of Real Numbers; Solving Linear Equations; Graphing Linear Equations and Functions; Writing Linear Equations; Solving and Graphing Linear Inequalities; Systems of Linear Equations and Inequalities; Exponential Functions; Quadratic Equations and Functions; Polynomials and Factoring; Rational Equations and Functions; Radicals and Connections to Geometry.  This may look overwhelming on paper, but don’t worry.  Everything is related, and we will be taking each topic one step at a time.