October 2009
Welcome to the 2nd edition of our e-newsletter and to the
(3x9)th year of the MATHCOUNTS program! We look forward to another year of working with teachers to make math a more fun, compelling and rewarding experience for their students.
Schools should have received their school kits by September 30. If you have not, contact your coordinator ().
There are three ways to register for the competition part of the program — you can, use the form in the School Handbook, or The deadline for registering is Dec. 11.
A new searchable registered schools database will be provided for coaches this year to allow you to determine more easily if a school is registered (as opposed to opening and searching a pdf each time).
Another change this year is that registration fee has increased for the first time in nine years. Please see the story below for more information on this change and ways to help pay for your school.
Chapter Competition Schedule
Check the Schedule for Competition page on the MATHCOUNTS Web site for dates for Chapter competitions. We'll add dates as Chapter Coordinators send them in.
Psssst.... please pass this on
We’d appreciate it if you would forward this newsletter to fellow math teachers in your school and encourage them to subscribe to receive it. We only publish it three or four times a year so we don’t clutter up their mailbox!
Registration fees increase
The national MATHCOUNTS has raised registration fees by $10 for a team and $5 for an individual. The new rates will be $90 per team and $25 per individual.
Several factors led to this decision, including the current economic climate’s impact on the financial stability of MATHCOUNTS, the loss of some long-time national sponsors, and the fact that fees have not increased in over nine years.
Several steps have been taken to ease financial burden on schools. Title I rates ($40 per team and $10 per individual) will remain the same, schools will have an incentive to register a team of four ($90 versus $25 per individual), and the Club Program will remain a free option.
Schools will also be able to take advantage of the new Referral Program which has three components:
1. Schools may refer new schools (a school that has not participated in the Competition Program for the previous two years) to the Competition Program. If the school being referred registers a team of four, the school that referred them will receive a $10 refund on their team’s registration fees (the school making the referral must have a team registered). A school may refer multiple schools but the amount refunded cannot exceed the total amount of their registration fees.
2. The new, referred school registering a team of four will also receive a $10 refund on their registration fees.
3. Schools that have participated only in the Club Program (and not in the Competition Program) will also receive a $10 refund for their fees should they register a team of four for the Competition Program. Additional information regarding the Referral Program will be included on the Registration Form, as well as in the School Handbook.
At you smarter than a Mathlete?
Max Wang (left) and Gregory Nemecek challenged visitors at the MATHCOUNTS booth at the State Fair to find out if they were smarter than a Mathlete. Max was on the team that went to National last spring. His Eden Prairie team took first place in the 2009 State Meet.
They're going to Disneyworld — again!
The national meet will be held in Orlando again next year. The 2010 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition will be held at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, May 6-9, 2010.
The dates for the Minnesota State Meet are March 12 and 13 and the competition will again be held at the Radisson Conference Center in Plymouth.
Mathletes honored at White House
One of the great things about being a MATHCOUNTS student is the people you get to meet and the places you get to go. For example, take the winners of the 2009 National finals. The first and second place teams and their coaches were honored in an Oval Office ceremony July 20, receiving congratulations from President Barack Obama.
Find your chapter
You can find what chapter your school is in and who your coordinator is by visiting the Find Your Chapter page on the MATHCOUNTS web site
>>Click here to see Chapter Coordinator profiles and photos.
Sponsors play an important role
Minnesota MATHCOUNTS couldn’t exist without the support of our donors. We appreciate their commitment to improving math in Minnesota and we know you do too.
Please note that we have added a secure online donation capability on our Home Page to make it easier for individuals and parents to support the program. If teachers could forward the newsletter to parents and encourage them to donate, it could help grow the program.
- 3M Foundation
- Medtronic Foundation
- Xcel Foundation
- Lockheed Martin
- Ecolab Foundation
- Goodrich Foundation
- MN Professional Engineers Foundation
- Schott Foundation
- Securian Foundation
- Members of MSPE
- Members of Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science and Technology Societies (MFESTS)
Missed the previous issue of M2 News? It's right here.