Happy New Year from your regional directors!
Front: May Vang (region 4), Jessica Fricke (region 6), Janee’ Riivard-Johnson (region 5)
Back: Dave Kennedy (region 1), Jessica Strom (region 7), Kristen Helland (region 8), Ann Vogel (region 3), Bob Foley (region 2)
We hope you have had a wonderful holiday season with some time off to relax and recharge. As you are starting 2020, please keep in mind that we are here to serve you. We want to know how we can support you and your region!
Every year at the spring conference in Duluth, “regional meetings” are held. This is one opportunity for your voice to be heard and for your region to be represented. Please consider attending this meeting. Your input is valuable and helps shape the focus and goals for the year for the MCTM organization.
Another opportunity for you to get involved is to be a speaker at the conference. The speaker proposal form will be open soon, if not already (by the time of this posting). Be on the lookout for more information at http://mctm.org/.
Please feel free to contact your regional director (or any one of us) for support or if you would like to get involved with MCTM. See below for a short bio of your regional directors. We hope to see you in Duluth!
Region 1: Dave Kennedy, Saint Peter High School, Saint Peter MN. region1dir@mctm.org
This is my 30th year of teaching. This year I teach Algebra I, Precalculus, and EL support. I enjoy finding new ways to get feedback from students and encouraging mathematical discussion, often using technology for that purpose.
Region 2: Bob Foley, Montevideo High School, Montevideo MN. region2dir@mctm.org
I have been teaching for 20 years. This is my 3rd year in Montevideo. I teach Advanced Algebra 2, Algebra 2 and Algebra 1. I enjoy assisting students in making connections in mathematics.
Region 3: Ann Vogel, Royal Oaks Elementary School, South Washington County Schools. region3dir@mctm.org
I have been teaching for 38 years and 30 of those years in first grade. Hearing children explain their math thinking is such a joyful time in my classroom. I look forward to hearing your thoughts around math at the MCTM conference. At the conference, come to the Region 3 Meeting to hear the “math voices” from our regional colleagues.
Region 4: May Vang, Capitol Hill Magnet School, St. Paul Public Schools. region4dir@mctm.org
This is my 12th year of teaching. I currently teach Pre-Algebra (6th-7th grade) and Geometry (8th grade). I love talking math with students and teachers. Sharing ideas and collaborating with you on some of the latest and newest instructional strategies get me excited to go back to my students.
Region 5: Janee’ Riivard-Johnson, Kenny Elementary, Minneapolis Public Schools. region5dir@mctm.org
I have been teaching for 26 years in Minneapolis. Notice and Wonder is one of my favorite engagement strategies. I wonder how many members from Region 5 will I meet at the MCTM Conference?
Region 6: Jessica Fricke, Kindergarten teacher, Sunset Hill Elementary School, Wayzata Public Schools. region6dir@mctm.org
This is my 20th year as an elementary teacher and still every year I am in awe watching learners explore math concepts through play. My favorite games for having fun with math for kids of all ages are Ratuki, Tenzi, and Yahtzee. Find a way to play with math today!
Region 7: Jessica Strom, Win-E-Mac School, Erskine MN. Algebra 1, Algebra 2, College Algebra/Trigonometry. region7dir@mctm.org
This is my 17th year of teaching, all in the same school! I love to learn more about teaching math and how we learn it through the years. I have become a “Thinking Classroom” addict and love to incorporate Number Talks, Notice/Wonder, Open Middle Problems and more. I love that teaching math doesn’t have to be lecture and note-taking anymore!
Region 8: Kristen Helland, Barnum High School, 7th grade pre-algebra, College Algebra, College Pre-Calc, College Calculus. region8dir@mctm.org
This is my 12th year teaching in Barnum, just south of Duluth in a 7-12 building. My favorite part of being in a small school is that I get to teach the excitable 7th graders who are just starting their journey at the high school and the 11th and 12th graders who are on their way out the door onto their next adventure. Some of my favorite classroom activities are from Desmos and Open Middle.