October 22, 2014

Dear Parents and Guardians,

My name is Donald Aulner and I will be your childs Math teacher for this 2014 -2015 school year.
Additionally, I would also like to extend to you and your child a very warm and sincere welcome to my
classroom. I have been teaching for over 15 years in various capacities and one of my specialties is
mathematics. I look forward to working with both you and your student this year.
My philosophy for learning is quite simple. First, I recognize that each child is different and has unique
abilities. It is my job to recognize these unique gifts and understand how your child learns best so I can
use that information to help him/her be successful. Second, teaching is a team effort between the
teacher, parent, child, and other students in the classroom. To be successful we all have to work and
communicate well with one another so that assignments, expectations, and performance are always
understood and that there are no surprises. Third, I am convinced that student learn best when a variety
of teaching and study techniques are used, and when new learning is reinforced through real-world
applications. Fourth, students tend to learn more effectively when they feel free to express themselves
and their ideas in an atmosphere of encouragement, community, and creativity. And finally, I believe
that learning math needs to be a fun and exciting. My goal is that each and every student will move
forward next year with a new sense of self-confidence, appreciation, and passion for mathematics.
As noted previously, I believe a students ability to do well is a collaborative process and that open
communication and cooperation between the students family and school is the foundation for this
success. To facilitate such collaboration the school has already scheduled two parent-teacher
conferences which are listed on my class webpage (awesomenavyteach.weebely.com). You are also
welcome to reach me anytime through the schools main office at (210.555.1111) or my email
(awesomenavyteach@outlook.com). If you would like to talk in person I can schedule an appointment
before or after school.
In addition to the paperwork I send home with your student each Friday, I will keep you informed of
what the class is doing and any assignments via the class webpage. All of your students grades are
available 5 days after the assigned turn-in date on (parent connection.com). Additional reports on your
childs progress will be sent home at the end of the first nine weeks of school, the end of the first
semester, the end of the first nine weeks of semester two and the end of the school year. To help
reduce homework time, students are allowed to use a calculator. If a calculator is used the student must
explain how they got their answer.
Thank You,
Donald L. Aulner
8
th
Grade Math
Garcia Middle School