The AG Classroom is located at 6829 Millbrook Street, San Diego, CA 92120.

The best way for parents to contact me is email, julie@livingmath.net

Classes are drop-off. The Allied Gardens Park is a mile up Greenbrier, the Benjamin Branch Library is across from the park, and the S3 Coffee Bar has seating and wi-fi if you would like a place to wait.

See full Class Syllabus for all meeting dates and topical details.

Key Dates 2023-24:
7/11 Invoices emailed; 7/15 $35 Material fee due; 8/9 Print materials ready for pickup

Prior to 8/14: If your student’s Prealgebra base is not strong, (s)he should start the PreClass assignments early. This gives time to review Prealgebra as needed. Prealgebra will be reviewed briefly but will not be retaught, and students who are missing key skills may not be successful in the course. Proficiency with basic equations solving, negative number properties and fractions are assumed to be mastered coming into this class. See the Syllabus for Prealgebra concepts that will be reviewed at high level the first month of the class.

8/14 – 8/18 PreClass Assignments. Do not allow your student to skip this please.

8/16 OPTIONAL New students Orientation Class day at my AG Classroom if students RSVP

8/21 First class day HCS Academy / 8/23 First class day AG Classroom

9/4 Labor Day Holiday, no class or hw

11/22 NO CLASS, IS Day

11/23 – 24 Thanksgiving holiday

12/20 Semester 1 Exam Part 2 IN CLASS. Semester 1 grades will be final this week.

12/21 – 1/3 Winter Break; 1/4, 1/5 Independent study days

1/8 First class back of 2024

1/15 MLK Day ZOOM Class only; recording available

1/19 President’s Day Holiday, no class or hw

3/25 – 31 Spring Break

5/27 Memorial Day, no class or hw

5/29 In Class Final Exam / Final class day

Grades final by June 7.

Every student must have current emergency contact information on file before the first day of class. Please fill out and submit this form https://forms.gle/frKLoNCFkcLiMQYg8

Privately homeschooling families receive an invoice, less any discounts your family qualifies for. Fees are payable by:
Cash
Check
Venmo (Julie-Brennan-33)
Paypal - Bank Transfer option only, no credit card

Charter schools have different billing requirements - email me directly about this if it applies.

MATERIALS: Your $35 material fee covers ALL print materials. NO CURRICULUM purchase required, I provide everything. Materials may be picked up from the AG class site after 8/9 and reg / material fees have been paid.

Students should have at least a scientific calculator EVERY class period, and should not be using phones as calculators. Not only do phones create a distraction, your student needs to be using a device that is allowed in standardized testing and/or college placement exams. Only non-internet accessible calculators may be used for these exams, and proficiency with calculator use is a factor in how well students do on these exams.

At a minimum, students will need a scientific calculator. A TI-83/84 Plus series graphing calculator is highly recommended by October, especially if you anticipate your student going on in math. If funds do not allow, www.desmos.com may be used at home.

IF YOUR STUDENT IS LIKELY to go on to higher math: this is my advice regarding calculators for Algebra.

This comes up every year, so this is my advice regarding calculators for high school math courses. This information is also on my parent's page.

As long as your student has a basic scientific calculator, they will be able to function well in Algebra and Geometry. www.desmos.com is a nice online app that can be used at home for similar applications as the graphing calculator.

It your student is likely to take Algebra 2 and beyond, the benefit to investing in a graphing calculator now is the time it gives your student to learn how to use it and develop speed of use with practice. Kids who have worked with these for a few years become fast and proficient with the functions, allowing them to do better on placement exams. Desmos isn’t permitted on exams as all internet-enabled devices are prohibited.

If purchasing, you want either the TI-84 Plus (as of 8/24/22 selling at $90, one of the lowest prices I’ve seen) or

The CE model (on 8/24/22 $119, I’ve seen it as low as $99)

The TI-84 Plus is older technology so saves money. It requires AA batteries which last up to two years. It is heavier than the CE. My daughter still has hers that she used throughout college and loves it.

The CEs are lighter, thinner, newer tech and are super nice if you can afford one. My family bought me one for Christmas because I couldn’t justify buying one for myself when I already had a TI-84. The CE is the one I like to use now, it’s fun. It has a charger and stays charged for a couple weeks or a month depending on the amount of use. And it comes in cool colors 😲.

Even if you don’t think your student will be taking Calculus in college, this is an investment that can pay off if the student has college plans at all. Colleges often use SAT or ACT scores to place non-traditional track students and validate course prerequisites. Beyond the educational benefits, proficiency with these calculators provides a score advantage when taking these tests. For applied math and science courses like Statistics, the calculator is often required, and is a powerful technological tool that is more like a hand-held computer when you learn how to use it. It’s up to your goals and budget as always, but hopefully this gives you some factors to consider.

I still have a couple used calculators that I can loan out for $5 per semester. Compare prices at different times if you can wait – they were on sale a week ago but came back up this week, it isn’t unexpected for them to drop again.

Your student’s assigned work and grades will all be in one place in Canvas, an online educational application.

If you provided a student email in your family registration, your student should check their email for an invitation to join Canvas. It is usually quite easy to join, however, I recommend that you be sure your student records their user information and password. A couple students did get locked out last year.

If no student email was provided, PLEASE SEND ME the email your student will be using for the year. It can be a family email, but keep in mind the email will be used for all student communications.

If you want to separately monitor your student's assignments and grades in Canvas, let me know and I can add you as an Observer linked to your student.

The PreClass Assignment is posted, and access to Canvas is required. So your student will need to set this up before next week at the latest.

Strong basic PreAlgebra skills are required. PreAlgebra review will be at a quick pace and high level, as it is assumed students have mastered the content well enough last year to step up to the next level with a refresher.

I have posted recommended Prealgebra review resources here.

These are optional, but if your student struggled with Prealgebra, these can provide a low stress way to ease back into the Fall. Fractions, integers (negative numbers) and basic equation solving skills are three of the most important skills needed from the beginning of the class. We will do a review of these, but it will be a quick refresher assuming your student learned it well enough to dust the skills off and start using them at a higher level.

Hands On Equations is particularly recommended for equations and negative number properties. It is a program that can be gone through pretty quickly with older students. I can loan you a game piece kit if you'd like one, or you can make up a kit yourself from game pieces at home. Short video lessons are linked at the website.

Math Antics is my paid teacher account link that gives access to some practice problems and solutions with each lesson. This site has worked well for a targeted Prealgebra refresher and is usually liked better than Khan Academy.

The week before class there will be a few days' assignment to begin working with three of the most important Prealgebra concepts applied in Algebra: fractions, integers (negative numbers) and basic equation solving skills.

Any questions, please email me at julie@livingmath.net.

An occasional absence can be made up, but it may be difficult to keep up if a student misses more than one class in a row. Attendance has been the highest predictor of success in this and future math classes. Consistent follow-through with assigned work between classes and engagement during class discussions are also factors.

If at all possible, time your family vacations around dates we are not meeting to minimize missed class time. If a number of students in the class plan on participating in an out of town activity, if I know this well in advance, I may be able make some syllabus changes that will make it easier for students to keep up with the class.

By far, students who attend in person bi-weekly come out of this year learning the material more effectively than students who only attend in person once a week. Even good students find themselves frustrated with the abstract, challenging material and have to put time into relearning Algebra concepts later on; learning is not as deep or lasting if attendance is missing. The class is interactive and specifically designed to set your student up for their independent study days. Bi-weekly attendance ensures they are only "on their own" for one or two days a week, and that Monday holidays do not result in two week gaps between classes. If your schedule does not allow for the second class day, your student needs to be very disciplined and be able to use video resources effectively to be successful.

Zoom attendance will be available as a backup for students who become ill or if in-person attendance is not possible. Some students learn well attending remotely, but most lose at least some learning effectiveness attending remotely. We homeschooled our four kids, so I understand the challenges of driving in the middle and high school years. Even so, it is usually worth the effort to get a student here in person. If you are interested in carpooling, send me an email and I will send out a carpool interest list.

If remote attendance is necessary, participants are requested to turn their cameras on and participate as much as possible. I use a wired ethernet connection with upgraded internet speed to minimize technical issues in my AG Classroom.

Registration and material fees are non-refundable. If after giving the class a few weeks you find it is not working well for your student, you may request a refund. After October 1st, tuition is non-refundable.

Classes that have met the minimum of 8 or more: Pro-rated tuition based on weeks not attended, less discounts, is refundable.

Classes of less than 8 students: 50% of the semester tuition is refundable. Please note that if multiple students in a small class drop, it is possible a class may be cancelled.

If your family moves away, your student has the option of continuing the class remotely.

A carpool interest list is available here. Put your info on the list if you want to be contacted by others.