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Back to school means back to math for East High School students

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Back to school means back to math for East High School students

By Cynthia Chin
East High School

Congratulations to the following members of the Class of 2019 who were recognized in June as Outstanding Seniors in Mathematics: Ariel Haber-Fawcett, Marlin Lee and Khailanii Slaton.

Two sophomores — now juniors — were named as Trevor Knight Rising Stars in the math department: Isabel Hernandez and Khadidiatou Sene.

Do you want to make a difference at East? 
Community members who can assist East students at any level of mathematics are welcome as volunteers. 

To assist a student one-on-one in algebra or geometry, use the Achievement Connections direct email achievementconnections.east@gmail.com.

Contact Cynthia Chin 608-204-1603 ext. 41534 or cchin@madison.k12.wi.us to inquire about volunteer placements in the classroom or assisting students with advanced coursework.

East juniors and seniors who tutor during a free period can razzle-dazzle their prospective colleges with a one-semester daily commitment as a Mathematics Teaching Assistant. Earn either Service E credit as a volunteer or elective credit toward graduation. See your counselor to sign up for this independent study option. If you don’t have a specific teacher’s class in mind, ask Ms. Brown or Ms. Chin about classes with anticipated need.

Volunteer opportunities in mathematics and other subject areas can be viewed on the school website and at volunteeryourtime.org. Listings will be updated in September for the new academic year. On the website, find “Opportunity,” search by “Agency” and choose “Madison East High School.”

Do you have a graphing calculator or need one? 
New school-supported technology will provide individual students with many more mathematics tools than before. However, graphing calculators are still considered the technology of choice for ACT, Advanced Placement and other exams.

Information about graphing calculator purchase or rental is available at registration and from teachers during the first weeks of school. Obtaining a calculator at the very beginning of the year is strongly recommended. If you own one, please protect your investment — mark it permanently with your name and record the serial number on the back. Do not leave calculators unattended.

Anyone who can donate a used graphing calculator can contact the math department chair, Ms. Kristin Brown, kmbrown8@madison.k12.wi.us.

Math Club: Watch for announcements about meetings, competitions and fundraisers to support the calculator rental fund. New members are welcome at all grade levels.

Engineering Club: The East Engineering Club welcomes students of all backgrounds to explore engineering as a career path or just as something fun to try. We enter competitions, support each other academically and conduct science outreach programs at middle and elementary schools in the East attendance area. Focus areas for 2019-20 will be programming, computer engineering, sensors and controls, and alternative energy.

Thank You: Dane County by Youth for Youth recently provided a $1300 award to support East student-led programming for families during 2020 National Engineers Week. Watch for announcements regarding a second annual Noche de Ciencias sponsored by the UW-Madison SHPE Chapter. A startup meet and greet with SHPE at East is currently scheduled after school Monday, Sept. 23.

We are grateful for support from community grants and individual donors to attend the NSBE Regional and National Conferences in 2018-19. This year we hope to continue building on partnerships with NSBE groups in Milwaukee and at the Ford Motor Company. Out-of-state travel opportunities we are pursuing include the Nov. 15‒17 NSBE Fall Regional Conference in Grand Rapids, Minn. and possible spring visits to the Engineering Open House at the University of Illinois-Champaign or the SHPE Regional conference (dates and location TBA). Interested students and families should contact Ms. Chin (cchin@madison.k12.wi.us) as soon as possible. Registration for the fall conference will begin in August. More detail is available at the club’s GoFundMe page for these events (gofundme.com, search for Madison East Engineers). 

First Tech Challenge: Arrangements are being made for our robot team to get an early start on this year’s competition. You will design, build and program a lunar-rover-style robot (from scratch) to perform various tasks within a given time limit. View an introductory video at firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc/game-and-season.

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Sector 67 and volunteer advisers, there is no cost for East students to join a team. Meetings begin in September to prepare for late January competition. Interested students should provide their names and contact information as soon as possible to Cynthia Chin, cchin@madison.k12.wi.us or 608-204-1603 ext. 41534.

Math Modeling Team: Students interested in applying mathematical thinking and tools to complex, open-ended societal, economic or scientific problems are invited to check out East’s Mathematical Modeling Team. Creative thinking and technical writing skill are keys to success in this form of competition, and you will improve in these areas if you give the team a try. Team preparations begin in late September. Math teachers will announce how to sign up. 

Women in STEM: The group meets weekly to provide young women and other interested students a regular forum for career exploration, collaborative activities and guest presentations by professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Watch for announcements as to time and place. See Mr. Arnold or Ms. DeJongh for more information.