"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! Many of you have heard that phrase before. It became popular back in the 1970's, and it is widely referenced today by decision-makers in the business world. You may have even used this phrase when contemplating making repairs or upgrades in your own home. The same is true in schools. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" permeates our decision-making process, too.     

However, there are times when something is broken and needs fixing. One of those areas in need of repair at Father Lopez is our mathematics program. Although some adjustments and improvements have been made in recent years, more needs to be done to elevate this program.

During the last school year, an SAT Prep course was initiated at Lopez. It included practice and preparation for the math section of the SAT college admissions test. During the summer, 25 students enrolled in our math enrichment camps for Problem Solving and/or Advanced Critical Thinking. This fall, incoming freshmen with the strongest math aptitude scores were encouraged to enroll in both Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II. Ten students elected to do so. This can give them an edge when applying for college, and it places them on a rigorous track culminating with our highest math offering (Advanced Placement Calculus BC).

When you receive your Annual Report magazine later this month, you will see that our AP scores in math are low. Although there has been a slight upswing in these scores--including our first "5" score in Calculus since 2010--more needs to be done, and more will be done.

Principal Pat La Morte and Assistant Principal Patty Dailey have been working with our Math Department to restructure our curriculum. At the core of this restructure will be a rapid move to a single publisher for our math textbooks. We will not be asking parents to purchase another math book this year. Rather, we will "loan" the new book to students for the remainder of the school year. Along with the new books, we will invest in publisher-specific training for our math teachers.

We will also be providing a Math Tutoring Center (MTC) after school on Mondays and Wednesdays in the France Family Multi-Purpose Center. The MTC will be staffed by two certified math instructors. One will focus on the foundation courses of Algebra and Geometry, the other on the higher-level Calculus courses. One-on-one tutoring will be available.

Other strategies will be in play, too. This includes establishing the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society at Lopez.  This is aimed at encouraging and supporting student achievement in math, and it will give our mathletes an opportunity to enter competitions.

I wanted all of our readers to be aware of these changes in our math program at Lopez. Although it may be grammatically incorrect, I believe the successful implementation of these steps will lead us to say, "It ain't broke any more"!

We are pleased to welcome Heather Wolynic to the Lopez faculty. Originally from Long Island, New York, she has been an instructor at Calvary Christian Academy in Ormond Beach since 2005. She earned her BA degree in Graphic Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.  

She will be the instructor for students in the following classes: Digital Video Production; TV Production I and II; and, Computing for College and Careers. During the second semester, Ms. Wolynic will also teach a Web Design class. Additionally, she will be available until 5:30 pm each day to supervise and assist students using the TEAL Lab and Maker Space areas in the O'Neill Family Media Center.