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The Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics are thrilled to be hosting the upcoming Association of Teachers of Mathematics of New England's annual conference. The conference will be held on October 20 - 21, 2022 at the Killington Grand Hotel in Killington Vermont. This year's ATMNE conference theme is "Fall in Love with Math." The past few years have made the work of teaching and learning difficult for all involved with education. We believe that educators and students will benefit from a renewed sense of love for the art of mathematics. We also believe that embracing equitable and effective math teaching practices, such as focusing on depth, as well as encouraging students to see themselves as confident problem solvers who can make valuable mathematical contributions, will create a math classroom full of a love for learning. For more information on the conference or to submit a proposal to present, visit vermontmath.org. Proposals are due on May 15, 2022 and presenters will be chosen in June.

Proposal Form: https://forms.gle/3gT4yJ1tcABimvFt9

Hi mathematics educators! We know times are tough, but we wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year and announce the first MTC4SJ workshop of the year. We're excited for next Tuesday's session Mural Mathematics about the intersection of math and art, featuring one of the artists that has worked on social justice murals in Hartford, Bloomfield, and Windsor. See below for the registration link and the full description. Please share with colleagues and we hope to see you next week!

 1/18 Registration

Title: Mural Mathematics
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 18, 6:30-8:00pm (EST) via Zoom
Presenters: Angela Boratko, Hartford Public Schools; Sacha Kelly, CREC; Caroline Psutka, Manchester Public Schools
Description: Throughout Connecticut, murals and other art installations have increased the visibility of social justice issues. For example, in Hartford, Bloomfield, and Windsor there have been Black Lives Matter murals created by community artists and activists. Join us to experience the crucial yet easy to overlook mathematics behind these murals. This is an opportunity for you to consider: "What social justice issue would you stand up for?" Participants will experience some of the elements of this student project including Google mapping tools for measurement, exploring circle properties, and drafting a social justice mural design. We will also share all components of the project, including extensions to take action in your own community.

January is National Mentoring Month!

Mark your calendars and join us in a variety of events and opportunities occurring this January 2022:

• January 12, 2022, 9:30-10:30 am: Virtual Coffee about STEM Pathways
• January 13, 2022, 1:00-2:00 pm: 2022 STEMConnector Annual Member Kick-off
• By February 4, 2022: Nominate students, role models, companies and organizations to be recognized and honored for their efforts to attract, advance, retain, and promote women and girls in STEM

Check-out other opportunities posted on the Million Women Mentors Website.

Hi mathematics educators!

The third Tuesday of the month is only a week away, which means it's time for another MTC4SJ workshop! We are excited to showcase the work done by our Summer Stars cohort, starting off with a great lesson on food deserts in Connecticut. See below for the registration link and the full description. Share with colleagues and we hope to see you next week!

 11/16 Registration

Title: Hungry for Change: Food Deserts in CT

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 16th, 6:30-8:00pm (EST) via Zoom

Presenters: John Madura, Clinton Public Schools; Brian McDermott, Glastonbury Public Schools

Description: Based on 2010 census data, approximately 23.5 million people in the United States lived in an area designated as a food desert, the designation for a place in which there is limited access to affordable and nutritious food. In Connecticut, there are food deserts in several locations, including major cities like Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. Join us for this session to experience a lesson that engages students in considering the operational definition of a food desert and encourages them to consider its meaning and how it can be calculated. Students will engage in the mathematical practices of modeling with mathematics and attending to precision as they explore geometric measures of “center” in an attempt to identify the best location for resources that can reduce the burden of living in a food desert.

The Samsung Citizenship team is accepting applications for the 12th annual Solve for Tomorrow STEM contest. The contest rewards 100 schools with over $2 million in technology and classroom supplies. 

The application deadline is Monday, Nov. 15th, and all teachers need to submit at this point is the problem in their community or school that they'd like their students to solve for using STEM and the steps they will take to get there. You do not need to be a STEM teacher to apply. Any educator is eligible with students in grades 6-12.

Here is the contest homepage, with the link to Apply as well as contest rules: www.samsung.com/solve.

Welcome to a new school year! The K-5 Illustrative Mathematics Consortium would like to welcome you to their first meeting. Please save the date for the first virtual meeting to be held Monday, November 22nd from 3:45 - 4:45.

One of the goals of this Consortium is to help educators navigate the glows and woes with implementation of the Illustrative Math K-5 resource in order to maximize its potential for student learning across the state.  They are looking forward to the collaborative work of our collective members this year as educators navigate the ongoing residual challenges from Covid 19 and the first year of implementation of IM. As a Consortium, they have been meeting and collaborating with educators of grades 6-8 since 2017, the first year of implementation for 6-8 Illustrative Mathematics. As this is the first year of the K-5 IM resource, they are excited to include the elementary community.

The challenges this year are greater than ever with many questions around unfinished learning and meeting the needs of our learners while ensuring focus on grade level content.The first meeting will be an opportunity for Illustrative Math K-5 users across the state to begin the conversation for collaborating and sharing best practices for the 2021-2022 school year.  This initial session is open to grades K-5 coaches and district leaders who are implementing the Illustrative Math resource.   

During this meeting, educators will reflect upon the implementation of the Illustrative Math resource this fall, continue to learn about available Illustrative Math resources, as well as collaborate in looking ahead at implementing Illustrative Math throughout the rest of the school year.  If you are using Illustrative Math in grades K-5 and can contribute to or benefit from collaborative work around implementation, you are encouraged join this productive session!  

The meeting will be held from 3:45 - 4:45 pm on Monday, November 22nd via google meet. 

If you plan on attending this meeting, please complete this form to RSVP for the November  CT Illustrative Math Consortium K-5 Meeting by Wednesday, November 17th.

The second session of the school year will take place next Tuesday (10/19) evening from 7:00-8:30pm (EST). Scott Kapralos will be sharing math lessons from CREC's first "Racial Justice Action Week" and lead a discussion about particular district data. See below for the registration link and full description. 

REGISTRATION

Title: Racial Justice Action Week

Date/Time: Tuesday, October 19th, 7:00-8:30pm (EST) via Zoom

Presenter: Scott Kapralos, CREC

Description: In February of 2021, the CREC Magnet Schools launched its first annual “Racial Justice Action Week.” Teachers were given lesson plans to implement in their classroom to investigate and act on a wide range of racial justice issues. Come join this session to see an overview of the math lessons provided to teachers and engage in inquiry about the racial and ethnic makeup of advanced level (AP/ECE/IB) courses in the CREC schools. Use this as a blueprint for having students investigate your own district’s data to determine if enough is being done to disrupt the patterns of racism and systemic bias that are pervasive in our schooling systems.

We know that great teaching can be found in every corner of the country and we need your help to find it! Show your appreciation by nominating a teacher for The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) – the highest honors bestowed on STEM educators by the United States government.