Palm Beach Chapter

What is MATHCOUNTS?  What is a MATHCOUNTS tournament like?  Why be a MATHLEATE?  What are the prizes?  What are the Rules and Requirements?  What are the important dates to remember?  How do I participate?  Who are the Coaches?  Who are our MATHCOUNTS coordinators?   What is MATHCOUNTS? MATHCOUNTS is a national math coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory. MATHCOUNTS is one of the country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students. President George W. Bush and former Presidents Clinton, Reagan and Bush have all recognized MATHCOUNTS in White House ceremonies. The MATHCOUNTS program has also received two White House citations as an outstanding private sector initiative. MATHCOUNTS promotes student interest in mathematics by making math achievement as challenging, exciting and prestigious as a school sport.   At the beginning of each school year, the MATHCOUNTS Foundation provides a complimentary copy of its School Handbook and other materials to middle schools across the country. Teachers and volunteers use these materials to coach student "Mathletes," as part of in-class instruction or as an extracurricular activity. After several months of coaching, participating schools select students to compete individually or as part of a team in one of the more than 500 written and oral competitions held nationwide and in U.S. schools overseas. The first competitions are held at the local level in February with winners progressing to state competitions in March. Results at the state level determine the top four individuals and top coach who earn the opportunity to represent their state or overseas team at the national finals. trip to represent their state at the national finals in May. At all levels, MATHCOUNTS challenges students' math skills and rewards them for their achievements.   In addition to school coaching, MATHCOUNTS business and industry partners often host local MATHCOUNTS activities, such as workshops for teachers, minority outreach programs and public awareness events to encourage participation and promote the importance of mathematics. MATHCOUNTS has an active alumni program to encourage past participants to continue their involvement in the program. MATHCOUNTS alumni go on to coach school teams, help review program materials, volunteer at competitions and serve as role models for current Mathletes. MATHCOUNTS attracts students with an interest in high-tech and engineering fields. In a recent surveys of past state competitors the top three chosen college majors were engineering, mathematics and computer science. And, MATHCOUNTS participants are high achievers. Surveys show that nearly 45 percent of alumni report a combined SAT score of 1500 or above.   What is a MATHCOUNTS tournament like? The tournament is from 9-3 on a Saturday in February, usually at a local high school and lunch is provided. First, there are Sprint and Target Rounds where kids work individually. Then there’s a Team Round where kids work together on teams. After lunch, the exciting Ciphering Round takes place where each team puts up one student at a time to see who can answer the questions fastest. And last is the Countdown Round. The top ten students compete, two at a time, head to head, to determine the top four students of the tournament.   Why be a MATHLEATE? Improve math scores (FCAT, SAT, Classroom) Challenging and fun Share common interests with new friends Meet students from other schools Develop teamwork skills Vie for scholarships and prizes Sense of accomplishment Explore cool math topics Explore math related careers   What are the prizes? A gift bag is given to each student with lots of cool stuff from MATHCOUNTS and our sponsors. Everyone is eligible to win prizes in the raffle like CD players, telephones, etc. Trophies are awarded to each person on the top four teams, the each of top four individuals, the best new school and the most improved school. The top two teams win a trip to Orlando to compete in the state tournament.   What are the Rules and Requirements? Up to 8 students from each school can participate. If a school has 4 participants, they can form a team (only one team per school, and a team must have exactly 4 members). One coach per school can participate. A teacher or volunteer at your school can serve as your coach. If your math teacher is not available to coach, engineers from the Florida Engineering Society will be volunteering as coaches. There will be a coaching session on a Saturday in January at an engineering office near 45th St and I-95. Please contact the Florida Engineering Society at FES_palmbeach@yahoo.com or at 561-753-9723 for assistance. Only 6th, 7th and 8th grade students are eligible to compete. Go to www.mathcounts.org for more information. Unofficial participants are eligible for all activities and prizes except the top four individual places and the top two team places.   What are the important dates to remember? Registration packages are mailed out to each school in Palm Beach County in October. A coaches workshop may be held in November. The registration deadline is in early December. The county tournament is on a Saturday in February at a local high school. The state tournament is in March in Orlando.   Contact your MATHCOUNTS coordinator for specific dates and locations for this year’s tournaments.   How do I participate? Contact your local MATHCOUNTS coordinator!   Mathletes: Talk to your math teachers to see if your school is sponsoring a team. If your school is not sending an official team, you may still participate individually, or by organizing your own team of four mathletes from your school. These local coordinators will help you with the registration process and with coaching assistance.   Volunteers: The local coordinators listed below can inform you of opportunities to volunteer as coaches, proctors, scorers, and tournament coordinators. A large number of volunteers is needed to put on the event and your help and interest is greatly appreciated.   Sponsors: The program is sponsored by the Florida Engineering Society and the Florida Engineering Foundation. The costs of hosting the County tournament and sending the winning students and coaches to the State tournament is substantial. Your assistance as a sponsor is sorely needed and greatly appreciated. We will recognize the generosity of our sponsors at the tournament, in our program, in our Chapter newsletter, and for donors of $200 or more, in our State newsletter. These local coordinators will provide you with the necessary information about where to donate and the tax information necessary to claim a deduction.   Who are the Coaches? Registration packages are mailed to each school in Palm Beach County in October. The registration deadline is in early December. The local coordinators listed below can help you obtain another registration package, inform you of the details of our County tournament, and assist with coaching suggestions.   Who are our MATHCOUNTS coordinators? For the 2006-2007 school year, the Palm Beach County Coordinator is:   Kyle Grandusky Phone: 561-655-1151 Email: kgrandusky@sfrninc.com   This information is also available on the Committee Chairs list on the Palm Beach Chapter FES website and on the official coordinators list at www.mathcounts.org/Program/program.html