Welcome Back...Again!

Allow me to be among the first to welcome you to Team 801, East Columbus Magnet Academy! This page will be one of many ways I communicate with you, the parents and students as we navigate through your 8th Grade year.

The 8th Grade is one of the more significant grades you will experience during your academic career. It is a time of great transition and growth. If you enter this time with enthusiasm, determination, and focus, you will position yourself to have more positive options available for you in the future. That certainly is my hope and the hope of all of the other teachers on my team, that you will be educated, socially aware and prepared, and equipped with better options for your future.

I teach Math for Team 801. In my class, we will study probability, Data analysis, number operations, Geometry, Set theory, sequences, and ALGEBRA. A significant portion of the year will be devoted to teaching algebra, the algebra your parents learned when they were in 9th Grade. Math is not as hard as some of you may feel it is! I have condensed my philosophy about math down to one sentence: "If you can remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can NEVER get a math problem wrong." This year we will have much more collaboration and interaction in class. I will allow everyone the chance to learn from me and from each other, as you will have plenty of time to talk to your teammates about the concepts we are learning as the year progresses. It is important that you hard to master the standards we will be teaching you, for as I am sure you are aware, you must pass the CRCT in reading and math in the 8th Grade to get promoted to 9th Grade. If you work with me and your classmates, I can almost guarantee you that will happen.

This year, you will need plenty of paper and pencils (we don't do math in INK!), a three-ring binder to organize your materials, and a composition notebook. Make sure you come to class each day prepared with all materials, organized neatly, and a desire to work and learn. I am extremely excited about the opportunity I have to get you all ready for high school. Welcome to ECMA! Welcome to the 8th Grade! And welcome to Team 801, where our motto is "801! SECOND TO NONE!!!"

~ Mr. Armstrong