Welcome to this year’s math club! This page provides a list of details and resources that will come in handy throughout the year.
Getting started
Our official web site is https://rmsmath.sharplogic.com. This site includes our coaching session schedule, homework assignments, competition schedule, and more. It also includes links to most of the resources listed here, so this should be the first place you go when looking for information. Please don’t email the chair or coaches for something that is already published on the site.
If you’re new to the math club, you should check out our overview video on YouTube that explains the overall philosophy of the club and how we work to help everyone grow.
Email Notifications
When students are registered for math club, the student email provided and the PTSA parent email are added to the MathClub group in the PTSA Office 365 account. All important math club emails will be sent to that group by the chair account. These emails go to both parents and students. Students are ultimately responsible for their own participation in the math club, so the excuse “my parents didn’t tell me about this” isn’t acceptable for content covered in these emails or on the web site.
Coaching sessions
Coaching sessions begin the week of 10/30. They will be held in the RMS Commons:
- Mondays 4:30-5:30PM
- Wednesdays 3:30-4:30PM
- Fridays 4:30-5:30PM (as needed)
Please refer to the schedule to confirm which days will have sessions. We will not have a remote option this year. The homework assignment for each session (if assigned) is available on the schedule and will be updated as the year progresses. Homework assignments will be covered in sessions, so you don’t need to submit them. While not strictly required, it is strongly recommended that everyone attempt the assignments to maximize the benefit of the coaching.
The value of our coaching sessions cannot be emphasized enough. The students who regularly attempt the homework and actively attend sessions are the ones who show the greatest growth throughout the year. Much of this is due to our excellent coaching staff made up of high school students who have incredibly strong math and communication skills. Please make the most of your access to our current coaches.
All student members are encouraged to attend all sessions. However, attendance is never required. There are no separate schedule invites, so it’s recommended you add a recurring appointment to your calendar.
Proctoring
Proctoring is essential for the success of a club meeting. We are required to have an adult proctor for each club meeting. You must have a PTSA membership and be a LWSD-approved volunteer, which is a simple online process that covers you for two years. See our proctor instructions.
You can sign up for proctoring slots using our SignupGenius link. The curriculum and coaching are handled by our coaches, so the work is very light. You can also help out students if you’re interested.
What if we don’t have proctor volunteers?
If we don’t have a proctor, or the scheduled proctor does not show up to start a meeting, then that session will be cancelled. If you need to cancel, please find a replacement because we need to cancel the session otherwise. Parent emails are available in the competition sheet if you need to find a replacement.
Sessions in the upcoming week will be cancelled in advance if we do not have proctors lined up by the previous Friday. We used to try to find and/or accept last-minute replacements, but it never really worked so we won’t support it this year. If you would like to step up as a semi-permenant proctor, please let us know at mathclubchair@rmsptsa.org.
Competitions
We track competitions on our competitions page and participation through the competition sheet. Please update the information for your status on these competitions ahead of the deadlines posted. If you don’t see a competition listed, then it’s not one we officially support. Generally speaking, we support major national competition series like the AMC series and Mathcounts. We also support regional team competitions like Math Is Cool. If you’d like to recommend a competition, please let us know at mathclubchair@rmsptsa.org. Everyone is encouraged to participate in whatever competitions they find interesting, even if participation isn’t managed by the club. No competition is required.
Spread the word!
We keep math club registration open for the entire year, so please forward this to anyone who isn’t on the list that you think would want to participate.
Good luck to everyone this year!