Dear Students,

My name is Samantha Cruz and I am your new mathematics teacher. I teach

Geometry, Mathematics for College Readiness, and Web Design. Before we talk
about my expectations, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself.
I am originally from Orange County, New York. That
is why my favorite NFL team I the New York Giants
(no relation to Victor Cruz)! I moved down to Florida
when I was sophomore in high school, and I have
loved the sunny weather ever since. I attended
Florida Atlantic University for both my
undergraduate and graduate education. As an
undergraduate, I received my bachelors degree in
Philosophy with a minor in Anthropology. I have a
philosophy club at the school. If you are interested in
joining, message me for more information. Three
years later, I returned to FAU to get my Masters
degree in curriculum and instruction with a
concentration in grades 6-12 mathematics,
graduating with a 4.0.
One of my favorite sports growing up was
gymnastics. I still remember watching the 96
Olympics and seeing Kerri Strug, injured, score
9.712 on vault. This was high enough for the
Magnificent Seven to win the first ever US team
gold in womens gymnastics. (In those days, the
highest possible score on any event was 10.0). It
was a moment many Americans will never forget.
2012 was the first year since then that the
womens gymnastics team won a team gold. I was in gymnastics for 5 years. I was
never good enough to compete in the Olympics, but I did compete in smaller
competitions. My dad and sister both coach gymnastics, still.

I have a son who takes up most of my time when I

am not at work. To the left is a picture of him at his
first trip to Disney for his 6th birthday. He got to meet
Aladdin and Jasmine. He loves video games like
Disney Infinity and Skylanders. He also really likes
Super hero shows and Pokemon. When I am not busy
at work, I am taking him to the drive-in or to the
water park. He also loves reading books.

Now that you have learned a little bit about me, Id like to tell you about my
expectations for you in my class. I highly recommend that you attend one of my
open house webinars to learn more and ask me any questions you have. You can
check to see when the next open house is scheduled in the following link:
http://www.americanhighschool.org/open-house/.

Being Successful Online

Our school is a self-paced, independent study program. This means that is
important for you to be able to pace yourself and understand what ways you learn

best. Use the pacing guide in the course to create a schedule for yourself. If you are
having trouble finding the pacing guide, ask me and I will send it to you.
Knowing what kind of learner you are is also important. You can use the following
questionnaire to help you identify what type of learner you are: http://varklearn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/. Use your results to determine what materials
work best for you in the course. For example, if you are a visual learner, you might
want to use more videos and looking at examples. Videos are also helpful for
auditory learners. If you are read-write learner, you would start by reading the
material and doing the learning activities. Kinesthetic learners should use the
interactive tools.
In addition to knowing what type of learner you are, it is also important to know how
to get help when you need it. Ask me for help by sending me a message in the
message center or contacting me on Skype. My Skype name is americanvhsmath.
You can also use the internet as a tool, but be careful. Make sure the sources you
use are credible by checking multiple sources. Also, make sure that you are able to
clearly explain your answers in your own words. When you do message me for help,
make sure you very clearly indicate what you need help on by letting me know the
name of the course you are enrolled in, what specific unit and lesson you are
working on, what parts you understand, and what parts do not make sense to you.
Use the following template to ensure that you are meeting all of these conditions
when you send messages:

An example of this might look like the following:

Work in My Class
There are two types of assessments in my class, formative and summative
assessments. Formative assessments are supposed to be a part of the learning
process. This means that when you do these, you are still learning the material. It is
okay if you make mistakes or do not understand the material right away. You will be
allowed to redo formative assessments. Formative assessments include practices
given after each lesson, applies given after each practice, ungraded learning
activities that are part of each lesson, and alternate assessments.
Summative assessments are used to measure what you have already learned. They
are given at the end of each unit and at the end of the course. There are no re-dos
allowed on summative assessments. This includes unit projects and the pre/post
test.
You must always show work on all assignments submitted to me. This includes
applies, learning activities, and unit projects. Applies and learning activities without
work shown will not be accepted. You will not get credit for answers without work
shown on Unit Projects.
Pre/Post Test

The pre-test is given at the beginning of the course and it does not affect your
grade. It is given to see what you know about the course before you start it. At the
end of the course, a very similar test will be given so that we can see what new
information you learned that you did not know when you took the pre-test. The posttest does count towards your grade, so make sure that you take it seriously.
Learning Activities
The learning activities are ungraded activities that are in each lesson. They are used
to help prepare you to take the practice that is given for each lesson. In my class, I
only require them if you fail the practice more than once (This is not true for all
teachers). I will not check them unless I see that you have failed the practice
multiple times unless you ask me to. If you want me to check your learning
activities to make sure you are on the right track, feel free to send me a message
asking me to check them for you. If you are having trouble with the learning
activities, it is okay to ask me or others for help. While they are not required, it is a
good idea to complete them to make sure that you have done your best to pass the
practice.
Practices
Practices are self-graded tests that are given at the end of each lesson. In order to
be allowed to move on to the next lesson, you must score at least 70% or higher on
the practice. If you fail a practice, you will have to send an improvement request to
me to redo it. It is okay if you fail the first time, as practices are a part of the
learning process. It is also okay to ask for help with questions while you working on
a practice. If you fail a practice once, I will allow you to redo it without doing any
additional work, but I will recommend that you do the learning activities. If you fail
more than once, I will require you to complete your learning activities and I will
check them to make sure you understand the lesson before allowing you to move
forward. If you fail the practice a third time, in most cases you will receive an
alternate assessment. Anytime you fail a practice, make sure you send an
improvement request right away, regardless of how many times youve failed it.
Applies
Applies are teacher graded assignments that are given after the practices. When I
grade applies, I will grade them using pass/fail criteria. This means that you will be
scored 100% if you seem to understand the material well enough to move on to the
next lesson. I will give feedback on any questions you missed, and you should read
the feedback so that you will know what to fix when you do your Unit Project at the
end of the unit. If I do not feel you are understanding the material, I will reject the
apply and ask you to redo it using my feedback. If you need help while working on
an apply, make sure you ask for it so that you will be able to move forward.
Alternate Assessments
Alternate assessments are given if you fail a practice three times or more. If you fail
the practice three times, you should still send an improvement request. I will be
able to see your history when I check the improvement requests, and I will send you

the alternate assessment if necessary. Please do not request alternate assessments.

They will be assigned to you when I feel they are necessary for you to be able to
move on. I would like to see you do your best to pass the practice assessments
before an alternate assessment is necessary.
Unit Projects
Unit Projects make up the largest portion of your grade. They are given at the end of
each Unit and can only be attempted once. You should not receive help with the
Unit Projects. They are used to see what material you learned in the Unit. For every
Unit Project, there is a rubric available which tells you what you will be graded on.
Use the rubrics that are in the assignment page to make sure you do not leave
anything out and get the highest grade possible. If you ask me for help on Unit
Projects, I can clarify instructions or tell you what lessons to review, but I will not
help you complete the questions. Do your best to complete them independently.

That is all from me for now. Please check your messages regularly as I will send out
updates frequently. If you missed an update, you can always check my webpage. I
have all previous messages saved in the Updates section. My website is
http://mscruz10.weebly.com. It is also a great place to go to find out more
information about me, share information about yourself, and stay informed on
upcoming events in my class. I look forward to meeting you and working with you in
my class!
Samantha Cruz
High School Mathematics Instructor
Mathematics Department Head