Subject: Maisy's math class
From: "Andrew Callard" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Anne Kennedy" <[email-masked]>, "Nan Pickens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 12:48:22 +0000

Hunter and Kathleen,

I hope you are both well.  I missed Maisy yesterday morning for our 7:35 am appointment.  I was going to go over her quiz with her so that I could address with her some of the concepts she was confused about on the quiz.   I told her that Wednesdays before school actually don't work for me starting next week, since I am working with the Boys Ensemble then, but I could meet on Tuesday mornings before school, which she suggested as an alternate day.  Do you think she will be able to commit to these Tuesday morning sessions on a weekly basis?

If not, we'll have to use her break time, which I know she would not prefer, but I feel that she is not going to be able to succeed in this class without regular support.  In order for her to stay in this Algebra I class, I am going to need to see her score in the B range or above on assessments and show increased participation in class in the upcoming month or so.  Otherwise, I'm going to need to move her to the Introduction to Algebra class so that her math learning time can be most productive.  From a cognitive perspective, there's no point in having her stay in the Algebra I class if her mastery of material is consistently incomplete and she is getting C's/D's on assessments.

I strongly  believe that Maisy has the capacity to get at least in the B range in this class, as she was doing at the beginning of the year.  Time and time again, I have seen Maisy make connections and master concepts when she invests adequate time in homework and seeks me out for help to answer her questions.  I also think that she has the raw aptitude to be able to succeed, but sometimes  in class, when she doesn't understand a concept right away, she disengages somewhat instead of trying to address the confusion.

I am ready and willing to meet with Maisy on a weekly basis and support her as much as possible, but I also need to see increased effort on her part so that it is clear to me she is invested in her own growth and improvement.

I would be happy to discuss this over the phone if you'd like.  I want Maisy to have the most successful year possible in math and I look forward to charting an effective path forward.

All the best,
Andre