Atlanta High School
Bhavin K. Pastakia
Mathematics Teacher
(903) 796 – 4411 Ext. 5112
Room # 112
Email: bpastakia@atlisd.net
August 2023
Dear PreCal Students and Parents,
I am excited to be teaching and working with you at Atlanta High School this year. I have a background in Accounting and Finance. My hobbies include spending time with my family, playing basketball, and fishing.
Required Materials
A covered textbook.
A pencil and a pen. We all make mistakes. However, we can erase the ones we make in pencil. Assignments should be done in pencil and corrected with a pen.
A Spiral notebook.
A graphing calculator (TI – 84 plus) will be issued to ALL students. This is an expensive machine, but it has become an indispensable tool for exploration in higher mathematics. If lost the students/Parents are required to pay $125 for replacement.
Classroom Principles
Seven general principles guide our work together:
Be respectful.
Be courteous.
Be prepared.
Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Try your best at all times.
Bring appropriate materials and assignments to class.
Do not eat or drink unapproved beverages in class.
Attendance & Tardiness
As in college or at a career, you are expected to arrive to class prepared and on time each day. If you are absent, you are responsible for making up missed assignments. If you are aware that you are going to be absent, please plan ahead by using your syllabus and asking me or other students what assignment you will miss.
Grading Policy
Your grade each six weeks is calculated as follows:
Homework/Quizzes/Notebook 50%
Tests 50%
Total 100%
Homework
Clearly, to be good at anything in life, one needs to practice, practice, and practice! Homework provides daily practice essential for developing mathematical understanding of the concepts introduced in class. Homework is assigned nearly every day and is due at the beginning of the following class period.
Makeup/Late Work
Grades for late work will be administered as follows:
1 day late - deduct 20 pts
2 days late - deduct 30 pts
3 days late - deduct 40 pts
4 days late - deduct 50 pts
No late work accepted after 5 days
Unexcused Absences (i.e. skipping)
The grade for make-up work after an unexcused absence shall be zero, please reference Board Policy EIAB.
Tests/Reteach
Practice is essential in mathematics and will lead to successful performance on exams. A student who earns below 70% on a test will be given the opportunity to retest after participation in the re-teaching process within a reasonable amount of time. A student who refuses to participate in an initial testing administration will be denied retesting opportunities. Retesting is designed for those students who have yet to master the material covered/presented.
Cheating
Cheating shall be defined as giving or receiving information or help on a test, possession of any unauthorized material prior to or during a test, copying another student’s assignment, submitting duplicate work, or having someone else complete an assignment on behalf of the student. Plagiarism, the use of another’s ideas or products as his own, is also defined as cheating. Any student involved in instances of cheating will have his paper taken up immediately, have a zero recorded for their work, and may be sent to the assistant principal for further disciplinary action. If a student is referred to the office, the assistant principal will address disciplinary action.
Electronic Devices
Cell phones, iPods, lasers, and other electronic devices are barred from the classroom unless permitted by teachers for instructional purposes. Electronic devices used in the classroom without the teacher's permission are subject to disciplinary action.
Food/Drink
No food will be allowed in the classrooms or hallways. Water or products that meet federal nutritional guidelines will be allowed in the classrooms or hallways only in a clear plastic twist-top container.
Course Sequence
1st Six Weeks
Unit 01: Graphs, Attributes, and Applications of Functions
Unit 02: Composition and Inverses of Functions
2nd Six Weeks
Unit 03: Polynomial and Power Functions, Equations, and Inequalities
Unit 04: Rational Functions, Equations, and Inequalities
3rd Six Weeks
Some of Unit Four will run into six weeks.
Unit 05: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions and Equations
4th Six Weeks
Unit 06: Sequences, Series, and Binomial Expansion
Unit 07: Problem-Solving with Trigonometric Ratios
5th Six Weeks
Unit 08: Trigonometric Functions
Unit 09: Trigonometric Equations and Identities
Unit 10: Vectors
6th Six Weeks
Unit 11: Parametric Equations
Unit 12: Polar Equations
Unit 13: Conics
Final Notes
Students should know that I am happy to give any extra help that I can. Feel free to stop in before or after school any day. No question is too small. Many parents find email to be a great way to keep in touch with me. Feel free to email me or call me at school during the week. My conference time is 10:39 a.m. to 11:29 a.m. I also can be reached from 3:35 to 5:45 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after school. Also, Tutoring will be available Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:45 to 4:45. I look forward to working with you and giving you the best education!!
Sincerely,
Bhavin K. Pastakia