Team Louis (Cava's Christie Louis' Class): Math Boot Camp Opportunity

Hi Learning Coaches,

I wanted to remind you of this awesome opportunity to sign your student up for Math Boot Camps if you feel they are struggling in Math. The following letter was kmailed to you today, but I wanted to make sure everyone received it and had the opportunity to sign their student(s) up before the classes filled. These have been notoriously popular and hard to get into! J

Dear Learning Coach,

A new boot camp session is getting ready to start! These online classes are a great way to help your student overcome some of those common math hurdles that keep students from reaching their math potential. This session will last three short weeks, running February 25 – March 15, 2013. We are able to offer several topics with our Boot Camp instructor, Suzanne Westbie, Math Intervention Specialist. Please read the descriptions below to see if your student would benefit from these short, intensive support sessions.

What are Math Boot Camps?
Math is a tough topic for many students, and sometimes students can develop gaps in their learning that can hinder their progress in math. Math Boot Camps are small group intensive intervention classes taught in Blackboard Collaborate designed to provide extra instructions to student struggling with specific math skills or concepts. Topics for boot camps are those that students tend to struggle with most or those that are necessary to master before other skills can be mastered. Classes last a short 3 weeks, and during that time students attend 30 minute classes 4 days per week. Average class size is about 15 students. Students can sign up for one topic during each session, and we do ask that they participate consistently throughout the four-week session. Regular attendance is imperative for student success!

Session Topics: (All sessions are held 2/25 – 3/15)

How do we sign up?
Because these classes require a significant commitment to attend, students may participate in one boot camp per session. To sign up for a boot camp, please fill out the survey linked below, choosing the session topic and time that meets your student’s needs. Sign ups will close when the class is full, or on February 20th at 4:30 pm! Attendance at sessions is imperative for student success, so please only sign up for session topic/time your child is able to attend.

http://tinyurl.com/cavabootcamp

How do I know if my student was accepted?
Students are placed on a “first come first served” basis. You will receive a kmail no later than Friday, February 22nd welcoming your student to class, and the boot camp will appear on your student’s class connect schedule. Sign ups are also monitored so that as classes fill up, the session time is removed from the survey. Please note the grade level in the session description – students not meeting grade level guidelines will not be placed in the session.

What can I expect during class?
Students will log into the session through a link on their Class Connect schedule. On the first day of class, students will take a short quiz on the topic to see what they know. This will be used as a starting point to measure how much the student has learned during sessions, and it will help the teacher design instruction that meets the needs of the students in the class. A goal will be written for your student based on how they did on the quiz so that you know what your student will be working on during class time. The rest of the classes will be chalk-full of instruction and practice! Your student will learn strategies for solving, remembering, and applying the boot camp topic. At the end of the 3 weeks, students will take a post-quiz to determine what they’ve learned. This data will be provided to learning coaches at the end of the session so you can discuss with your teacher the next steps your student can take in math.

Will Math Boot Camps be offered again?
Yes! We plan to offer one more boot camp session beginning March 18th.

**Please note, these boot camps are NOT required, but are intended to offer an additional level of support for your student in math.

Thank you for your interest,

The Intervention Team