Parent Involvement
SCOE is actively involved in helping schools and districts strengthen the engagement of parents in supporting mathematics learning. Our Math at Home booklet, developed in 2001, has been widely distributed and is now being revised and updated. This publication has served as a centerpiece for family math events at many Sonoma County school sites.
As an outgrowth of this work, SCOE now offers a mathematics festival model that provides a venue for students and their parents to experience math together. We are also developing a Math at Home booklet for parents of children, age 0 to 5.
Math at Home (K-12)
Math at Home is a publication developed by SCOE to support and encourage parents to help their children learn and enjoy mathematics. It reaches out to parents of children in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The booklet is available for bulk purchase, in English and Spanish, at a cost of 40-cents per copy. Use the links below to preview the publication and download the order form.
Math at Home, English (pdf)
Math at Home, Spanish (pdf)
Order Form (pdf)
New in 2010: The K-12 Math at Home booklet is currently being revised and will be reissued in the 2010-11 school year. Additions will include a section on the importance of algebra and how parents can support their children's algebra studies, mathematics for English-language learners, and a glossary of key mathematics terms. The new booklets will be posted online as soon as they are available.
Contact for orders
Francine Merlonghi, Program Technician
(707) 524-2806 or fmerlonghi@scoe.org
Math Festivals
SCOE offers three unique mathematics festivals that bring hands-on mathematics activities into local schools.
- Number Festival: 20 stations addressing "number sense" topics and skills.
- Algebra Festival: 18 stations addressing pre-algebra topics and skills.
- Geometry Festival: 20 stations addressing geometry and measurement.
These festivals are designed so that groups of students can rotate through a series of workstations or centers that highlight various mathematics concepts and skills. The students work with a variety of manipulatives and activity sheets that guide them through the workstation and allow them to interact with a concept or skill. The festivals are geared for grade K-8 students and are flexible enough to be accessible to many different levels of mathematics proficiency. The festivals come with a presenter and all the required materials for the stations.
Math festivals are a great way for students, teachers, and parents to experience mathematics in a setting other than typical “school math.” Mathematics problems and tasks that allow for various pathways to solutions are provided, encouraging students to apply skills and strategies already learned and giving them the opportunity for discourse with peers and/or families.
Fee schedule
- Full-day ($250) – Includes 4-6 rotations depending on bell schedules, lunch times, etc. This is usually sufficient for all students at one school to experience the festival.
- Half-day ($150) – Includes 3-4 rotations. This is usually sufficient for a grade span, K-2 or 3-6, to experience the festival.
- Evening ($150) – This option allows students and parents to return to school in the evening and experience the festival together. It is an excellent opportunity to build a strong home-school connection.
- Full-day and evening ($350) – This is the most powerful option. After experiencing the festival during the day, the students return to school with their parents and act as docents, tutors or guides as they go through the festival together.
Contact
Dave Chosa, Math/Technology Specialist
(707) 522-3163 or dchosa@scoe.org
Exploring Math at Home:
A Family Guide for Children 0-5
Exploring Math at Home is a new initiative that is now being developed through a partnership of the Sonoma County Office of Education and local agencies focused on early childhood development. With seed funding from the California Mathematics Council, these partner agencies are creating a parent booklet highlighting the importance of laying a strong mathematics foundation in early childhood. The booklet will describe mathematics learning for children from birth to age 5 and provide tips and suggestions to help parents support early math learning.
Like the successful Math at Home (K-12) booklet, this publication will be available in both English and Spanish. It is being designed for use at family math events and will include an event model that can be replicated at various sites. Publication is expected in the 2010-11 school year.
Partners include the California Preschool Instructional Network, Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County, and First 5 Sonoma County.
Contact
Doreen Heath Lance, Regional Director
(707) 524-2853 or dlance@scoe.org