High School

April 26, 2013

Dear Parent or Guardian,

I want to write to you about four exciting developments in the educational program at Eastern Christian high school. I will write to you about these four topics by covering one per month in April, May, June, and September.

This month's topic is the math program at ECHS. In the 2011-2012 school year, a parent survey confirmed parents' concerns about students who are not able to take a math course during a given semester. The result has been students who do not study math for a semester, or even longer. We do not believe that is good for math learning. During this 2012-2013 school year, we spent many hours studying this problem and brainstorming solutions. With the help of the student services team and math teachers, and support of the board, we have found a solution.

Beginning in 9th grade, students will be advised to study math in consecutive semesters, especially when studying Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Once a student progresses beyond Algebra II, we believe the gap in time has less of an impact. We have scheduled the majority of next year's 9th and 10th graders in this manner and are eager to see the elimination of the time gap in their study of math.

Thank you for your willingness to express this concern. It is special to partner with parents and find solutions that best serve our ECHS students. If you have questions about your child's math schedule, especially as a 9th or 10th grader, please contact the deans' office.

The May installment of my monthly letters to parents will focus on EC's new financial literacy graduation requirement.

Sincerely yours,

Joel T. Uecker, Ed.D.
High School Principal
joeluecker@easternchristian.org