Dear Parent/Guardian:
Hello and welcome to your child’s Academic Year 2021-22. My name is Amir Ghavam and I am honored to have the opportunity and the privilege to be your child’s mathematics teacher this year.
This course is very challenging. In order for your child to be successful, it is absolutely essential that your child studies not only for completion, but more importantly for comprehension. It is equally important that your child comes to each class period prepared, having all the recommended, required, and relevant material.
It is most essential that your child reads each upcoming lesson (in the Textbook) once – BEFORE it is taught – for exposure and familiarity, and once – AFTER it is taught – for in-depth comprehension.
In my 40+ years of working with math students, I have found students who genuinely study together are able to grasp the material much better than when studying alone. Because of that, I highly recommend that you encourage your child to get into a (virtual or in-person, when safe) Study Group with trusted subject mates, in the evenings and on the weekends, if possible. In addition, the regular Office Hours and the Enrichment Sessions are extremely beneficial for students to get additional clarification on whatever they need.
IMPORTANT: Cognitive research has shown that multitasking, while studying, does NOT work. If your child is distracted by cell phone, social media (Snapchat, FaceTime, Skype, Instagram, Tweets, Facebook, etc.), or any other unrelated activities while studying, he/she is sabotaging his/her own education and setting himself/herself up for failure. While I am NOT against social media, I am a very strong opponent of multitasking or anything that divides students’ attention and causes distraction!
IMPORTANT: At your earliest convenience, please sign up for the Parent Portal, so you can have real-time access to your child’s progress and grades. Please be advised that points are earned within separate categories.
I look forward to working with you, as my partner, in providing the best and most effective learning opportunity for your child’s success. I trust that you will contact me, from time to time, for feedback and collaboration. IF/WHEN ISSUES ARISE, AFTER SPEAKING WITH YOUR OWN CHILD, I NEED YOU TO INFROM ME IMMEDIATELY, SO I CAN PROVIDE THE NECESSARY ASSISTANCE TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE.
Please feel free to contact me with your questions, concerns, or comments in any of the following ways:
- Email: aghavam@gusd.net (Best method)
- Phone: (818) 248-8324 Ext. 1234 (Leave a message) (NOT APPLICABLE WHEN DISTANCE LEARNING)
- In-person meeting (By appointment only)
Please ask your child to share the Course Description and Policies (Course Syllabus) accompanied with this letter. After reviewing it with your child, please complete the bottom portion of this sheet.
Please keep a copy of this handy for your future reference.
I look forward to meeting you at the back-to-school night.
Most respectfully,
Amir Ghavam
-----Please complete the bottom portion and have your kid post THE ENTIRE SHEET, as a PDF, in the Google Classroom------
I, as the parent/guardian of this student, hereby acknowledge that I have read and that I understand and agree with the Course Description and Policies (Course Syllabus), accompanied with this letter:
Period:
Student’s Name (Please Print) Student’s ID Number
Parent’s/Guardian’s Name (Please Print) Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature
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Parent’s/Guardian’s Phone Number Parent’s/Guardian’s email Address