News from the Eastern 1 Region
Shawn Towle, Eastern 1 Regional Director
Winter 2017/2018

Greetings to all NCSM members from Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont!

It has been a busy fall in E1 and there are some great learning events coming up. With the support of an amazing team of state team leaders, we have been getting the word out about NCSM and the many great resources available to members.

Thank You!

NCSM is an all volunteer organization and could not meet the challenge of our new Mission and Vision Statements without our amazing members. My work as E1 Regional director is supported by an outstanding group of team leaders and members who step up at all of our events and help spread the word about the great work of NCSM.

This fall, I owe thanks to many members who stepped up to help and to all of you who keep your membership active in NCSM! I think almost every single one of us has a story about the one person who reached out to us and said "you need to join NCSM."

Here are some special thanks…

  • Patty Kelly for distributing materials to Vermont educators at their fall conference
  • Beryl Szwed and Suzanne Libfeld for being an NCSM presence at the AMTNYS and NYSAMS conferences in November
  • Maria Diamantis for organizing an NCSM table in Connecticut at the annual conference
  • To all of the NCSM members who attended the ATMNE conference in November and connected with members, including my NCSM table team of Jenny Jorgensen, Pam Rawson, Judy Curran Buck, and Cathy Boutin.
  • Ronni David and Robin Schwartz for being terrific hosts and such a warm welcome for me at the Association of Teachers of Math in New York City (ATMNYC) conference at Hunter College in November.

Fall NCSM Journal

I was really excited to get the Fall 2017 edition of the NCSM Journal. I’m looking forward to trying out "The Teacher Action Q-Sort: A Card-Sorting Tool for Professional Learning" with teachers in my district in December. We will be using the Q-card sort at our next vertical meeting to have an opportunity to reflect on our teaching practices in the classroom. It looks like a great opportunity to pause and think about how to bump up our teaching from good to great by prioritizing some of our relative weaknesses and celebrating the strengths. Every journal has great ideas and learning opportunities. As a member, you can access current and past issues of the journal in pdf format.

I hope you have already registered for the conference in Washington, DC. It is going to be a great week of learning and networking to improve mathematics instruction for ALL students.

Do reach out to me or to your state team leader for any support you need or ideas that you have for strengthening our community of mathematics education leaders throughout the region. NCSM is a completely volunteer organization and we work together as members to really build something amazing together for students.

Here are some news items from our regional mathematics organizations and a few suggestions as we continue another exciting school year.


NCSM 2018 Annual Conference April 23-25, 2018
Leading Mathematics Into the Future: Inspiring Monumental Change

NCSM is happy to announce the 50th NCSM Annual Conference! Whether you are a first-timer or a veteran of NCSM annual conferences, join us for three exciting days in Washington DC, focused on important issues for leaders in mathematics education. Register online now.


Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC)
ATOMIC is hosting their Annual Conference and Meeting, "Talking About Mathematics: Putting the Focus on Students’ Lasting Learning" on December 4. The event features Cathy Seeley delivering the keynote address entitled "Who’s Doing the Talking? Using Student Conversation to Drive Mathematical Learning." State Team leader, Maria Diamantis will be at the NCSM table. Do stop by and say hello if you are attending.

Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS)
AMTNYS held their 67th Annual Fall Conference in Buffalo, NY on November 3-4, 2017. Next fall, the conference will be held on November 2-3 (2018) in Saratoga, NY.

It is time to mark your calendars for New Cubed 2018 Summer Conference. It will be held July 8-11 at Siena College in Loudonville. The New Cubed conference is a summer conference that connects the associations from New York, New Jersey and New England (AMTNYS, ATMNE, and AMTNJ). This is a favorite of mine, as a K-12 teacher, because the design of the conference is a low cost option for teachers and there have been some really great sessions given by math educators from throughout the region. Registration is a reasonable fee (we stay in the dorms), we eat our meals together in the dining hall, you don’t need a substitute, it is not testing season, and for the past two years, there has been a STEM camp for students, so you can bring the whole family! There are also evening activities/excursions. It is a great "retreat" of sorts with fellow math educators from all over the Northeast. More information will be coming out in the spring.

Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine (ATOMIM)
By State Team Leader: Jenny Jorgensen

Another Casco Bay Math Teachers’ Circle was enjoyed by myself and a good group of other math enthusiasts. We explored interesting patterns such as Luhn Algorithm, an interesting multiplication pattern, and a geometry curiosity. If you are interested in "doing math" with a group of people who enjoy "mucking about" with math problems, put Wednesday, April 4th on your calendar. It’s a great opportunity to meet other math teachers and engage in doing math together with a group of colleagues. The Casco Bay Math Teachers’ Circle has meetings in Portland and is open to all!

A group of math leaders gathered in Augusta to begin planning for our spring Math conferences which will have a focus on Formative Assessment and will also be the culmination of our state-wide book read: On Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had by Tracy Zager who will be the keynote at the conference. Put either date on your calendar, March 10th in Bangor and March 17th in Portland.

Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Massachusetts (ATMIM)
By State Team Leader: Rebecca Poulo

The BMTC is a community of teachers and mathematicians who come together regularly to freely exchange ideas about math and teaching. In our monthly Boston Math Teachers’ Circle meetings you’ll get a chance to work together on intriguing math problems alongside mathematicians from local universities. Problems for our sessions are typically chosen by the whole group – we start off by thinking about a particular situation, and then explore mathematical connections and see where it leads us! Our summer retreat and monthly meetings provide a place for middle school math teachers to:

  • Re-energize/discover their passion for math through mathematical explorations with colleagues in an enjoyable, supportive setting
  • Develop and share math knowledge and problem-solving strategies to help teachers enrich their classroom teaching

Save the dates: ATMIM has also scheduled their upcoming Winter Conference (January 23, 4:00-8:00 PM in Hopedale) and their 2018 Spring Conference (March 22, 8:30-3:30 PM in Worcester). The spring conference "Using Technology to Enhance Mathematics Instruction" is accepting presentation proposals (Due Dec 15).

The Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England (ATMNE)
The next ATMNE Annual Conference will take place December 6-7, 2018. This annual meeting brings together all 6 New England Affiliates (all members of each of the 6 state affiliates are automatically members of ATMNE). Next year’s conference will be hosted by RIMTA, the Rhode Island Mathematics Teachers’ Association. Check out the website and the great line up of featured speakers! A call for speaker proposals will be going out in mid-December. Watch for it!

New Hampshire Teachers of Mathematics (NHTM)
By State Team Leader, Judy Curran Buck

On October 10th, NCTM President-Elect, Robert Berry was the guest speaker at NHTM’s Fall Dine and Discuss. After an update on NCTM’s latest initiatives, the focus was "Using Tasks and Discourse to Position Students as Mathematically Competent."

NHTM is celebrating the 50th year of its newsletter, "Mathesis", with nods to the number 50 in articles throughout the year.

Mark your calendar! NHTM is looking forward to co-hosting its first joint conference for math and science educators on April 7, 2018 at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH.

New York State Association of Mathematics Supervisors (NYSAMS)
NYSAMS was founded in 1969 when it became evident that there was a need for mathematics supervisors and mathematics educators in New York State to have an organization devoted primarily to trends in mathematics, supervision, and communication. Any person who has a dedicated interest in promoting mathematics education in New York State is eligible to become a member. Current membership includes individuals teaching or supervising in K-12 or college as well as retirees and members of the New York State Education Department.

NYSAMS will hold the next New York State Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame Dinner and NYSAMS Leadership Summit in the fall the day before the AMTNYS annual conference.

Rhode Island Mathematics Teachers Association (RIMTA)
By State Team Leader, Cathy Boutin

On October 19, RIMTA held its annual Fall Meeting at the New England Institute of Technology in East Greenwich. Over 60 people attended this conference. Sessions included presentations by the Elementary Math Leaders Group, New England Tech, and noted author and speaker John SanGiovanni. We look forward to Mr. SanGiovanni returning to Rhode Island in 2018 for the ATMNE Fall Conference.

On November 9, RIMTA held its third Trivia Night at Doherty’s Ale House in Warwick. A great time was had by all. Another Trivia Night is tentatively scheduled for this spring.

RIMTA hosted its first Coffee Hour on November 18 at Brewed Awakenings in Warwick. This informal get-together allows people to share their ideas and ask questions of colleagues they would not normally be able to meet. Another Coffee Hour is planned for this January.

The Spring Meeting, the culminating event of RIMTA’s year, will be held on May 17 at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick. RIMTA is proud to welcome Sue O’Connell to Rhode Island as the featured speaker at the meeting.

Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM)
By State Team Leader, Lara White

VCTM’s annual Conference, "Math for Everyone", was held on Monday, October 16, 2017 at

St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. Our conference was dedicated to the memory of Mary

Calder, a past-president of VCTM,NCSM member and long-time advocate of math education in the state of Vermont. Mary passed away on March 29, 2017. We had about 85 attendees at our conference, and 22 presenters on topics primarily centered around mathematical discourse, proficiency based learning and assessment, and equity/access. The 2017 Robert W. Chaffee Service Award was given to Harvie Porter, a member of the VCTM board for 35 years and long time ATMNE representative.

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND A MATHEMATICS CONFERENCE

As you plan ahead, here are some math conferences in our region:

2017 Event Location
January 23 ATMIM Spring Winter Conference Hopedale, MA
March 10 ATOMIM Annual Conference Bangor, ME
March 17 ATOMIM Annual Conference Portland, ME
March 22 ATMIM Spring Conference Worcester, MA
April 7 NHTM Annual Math & Science Conference Derry, NH
April 23-25 NCSM Annual Conference Washington, DC
May 17 RIMTA Spring Conference Warwick, RI
July 8-11 New Cubed Conference Loudonville, NY
Nov 1 NYSAMS Hall of Fame Dinner and Leadership Summit Saratoga, NY
Nov 2-3 AMTNYS Annual Conference Saratoga, NY
Dec 6-7 ATMNE Annual Conference Warwick, RI

For more information about each conference, check out the NCSM calendar of events. If you have an event to be added to our regional calendar, let me know:

NCSM AFFILIATES

Thank you to our Eastern Region 1 Affiliates of NCSM. We appreciate your affiliation with us!

  • Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine (ATOMIM)
  • Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England (ATMNE)
  • Boston Area Mathematics Specialists (BAMS)
  • New York State Association of Mathematics Supervisors (NYSAMS)
  • Rhode Island Mathematics Teachers Association (RIMTA)
  • Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM)

If you would like to join this impressive list of affiliates, contact our Affiliate Group Chair, Nanci Smith. She’d love to work with you. Let’s keep this list growing!

All the best,
Shawn