With our conference coming up on October 4th, we have opened the SVCTM Online Store.  This online store offers a variety of products with either printed or embroidered SVCTM logo.  Show your support for SVCTM and a small portion of your purchase price goes towards SVCTM's professional programs.  You'll look great!  Order today!  Go to: http://svctm.qbstores.com/  Now through October 8th you'll save $10 when you order $40 or more! 

The NCTM Regional Conference program contains several local speakers and many speakers from across
the nation. Dan Meyer will provide the opening keynote. For the full list of featured presenters, the online conference planner, or to register, go to www.nctm.org/richmond. Register by October 10th to receive the early bird discount.

This week NCTM released their position statement on procedural fluency. 

NCTM Position  Procedural fluency is a critical component of mathematical proficiency. Procedural fluency is the ability to apply procedures accurately, efficiently, and flexibly; to transfer procedures to different problems and contexts; to build or modify procedures from other procedures; and to recognize when one strategy or procedure is more appropriate to apply than another. To develop procedural fluency, students need experience in integrating concepts and procedures and building on familiar procedures as they create their own informal strategies and procedures. Students need opportunities to justify both informal strategies and commonly used procedures mathematically, to support and justify their choices of appropriate procedures, and to strengthen their understanding and skill through distributed practice. 

For more information please visit: http://www.nctm.org/about/content.aspx?id=42833

Corrections to the Virginia Mathematics Teacher

The NCTM regional conference dates on the back of the Spring Journal are incorrect.

The correct cities and dates for the fall NCTM regional conferences are:

·         Indianapolis, Indiana; October 29 – 31, 2014

·         Richmond, Virginia; November 12 – 14, 2014

·         Houston, Texas; November 19 – 21, 2014

Regional NCTM Conference in Richmond Registration is now open!

VCTM and The Greater Richmond Council of Teachers of Mathematics are co-host organizations for the NCTM Regional Conference in Richmond on November 12-14.  This is a wonderful opportunity in our own backyard.  Join us to hear presentations by Dan Meyer, Diane Briars, Skip Fennell, Linda Gojak, Steve Leinwand, Cathy Seeley, and Stuart Murphy as well as Virginia’s own Michael Bolling, LouAnn Lovin, and Joy Whitenack.  Go to http://www.nctm.org/Richmond/ to:

·         Read about the featured presentations;

·         Check out the online conference planner to learn about more than 200 sessions that will be offered;

·         Reserve a hotel;

·         Download a justification toolkit to make the case for why you should attend;

·         Sign-up to volunteer; and

·         REGISTER to attend!

Summer Opportunity for Students

CHROME STEM Summer Camp for Teens is open to rising 10th to 12th graders with at least a 2.75 GPA who want to pursue careers in STEM.  The camp is July 7 – 11 at Norfolk State University. It is free to participants.  Encourage interested students to go to www.chrome.org for more information and to apply.  Applications are due May 15, 2014.

Applications are now being accepted for VCTM’s Professional Development Grant.  The grant can be used to attend workshops, institutes, or other in-service opportunities.  Two $500 awards are given.  Applications are due by May 1, 2014. 

For information or to download an application, go to www.vctm.org. 

During a recent VCTM affiliate meeting, Cathy Shelton, VCTM's NCTM representative shared lots of resources for grant opportunities for teachers.  Be sure to check out the MET Grant, Scholarship, and Award Summary below!
 Opportunities to expand your professional horizons!  

• provides funds to support classroom teachers in improving classroom practices and increasing teachers' mathematical knowledge. 
• offers grants for prospective teachers and NCTM's Affiliates
• recognizes the lifetime achievement of leaders in mathematics education.

The NCTM Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented annually following a nomination and selection process. Other awards are available through a competitive process based on proposals submitted by individual applicants. 

You can view: 

• Current MET Board of Trustees  
• MET Award, Grant, and Scholarship recipients 
• 2013-2014 MET Grant, Scholarship, and Award Proposal Abstracts  
• Tips for Writing Successful Proposals for MET Grants and Scholarships 
• Listing of active named funds and honorees  
• MET Grant, Scholarship, and Award Summary (PDF) 
• How to make a tax-deductible gift to MET and support MET programs