In early February 2013, the PTO Board at Wren Hollow Elementary School made a decision to implement the MATH FACT SCHOLARS weekly math testing program to provide Wren Hollow’s kindergarten through 5th grade students with a “before-school” opportunity to further develop their math skills.

“About 5 months ago, I enrolled my two boys in the MATH FACT SCHOLARS–Community Math Program that is held on Tuesday evenings at CBC High School. I had been looking for a quality math skills program my boys could get excited about. It was amazing, they loved taking the math tests every week!” said Jackie Polys, Wren Hollow’s PTO President.

“After learning that the program was available as a before-school enrichment program within elementary schools, I shared it with our PTO board and we scheduled a presentation. After the presentation, we all had a strong feeling that this program was going to be a great success at our school and decided to get it started right away,” added Polys.

The MATH FACT SCHOLARS program was designed to motivate elementary aged students to develop quick recall of basic math facts. Using simple math strategies and taking the time to practice math skills at home using the program workbooks, students master the basic facts and progress to advanced math skill levels, including working with fractions, decimals and percentages. These advanced skill levels help to create a solid foundation for learning more demanding math concepts in middle school & high school.

Enthusiastic about this math enrichment program where students earn medals and trophies as they advance through the eight skill levels, Wren Hollow’s PTO President, Jackie Polys, and PTO Treasurer, Jen Hoskins, volunteered to act as the school’s MATH FACT SCHOLARS/PTO co-chairs and quickly pulled together a team of parent volunteers to assist with implementing the program once every week during the school year. Parents that help during the testing sessions, grade student tests, file graded tests and help students get their next test for the next testing round. Other parents that want to help, but are unable to be at the morning testing sessions, volunteer “behind-the-scenes”, sharpening pencils, replenishing test copies, etc.
Krithi Bolledula, Nick Gottfried, Dylan Hoskins, Nicky Jumps, Jack Polys, Brendan Hoskins, Kathryn Luth, Hilary Jumps and Allison Luth are all ready to take their first math test of the day!

On Tuesday, March 5th, Wren Hollow PTO held their first MATH FACT SCHOLARS testing session and had 50 joyful students parading into the library area to take math tests for the next 30 minutes before school started that day.

It is anticipated that over 125 students will become enrolled in the program within the next 3-4 months. First grader, Hilary Jumps, said “It’s so much fun taking the math tests with my friends. It’s going to be really great to get the medals!”

On April 2nd, two students successfully completed the testing requirements for the level they were working on and earned their first math achievement award. 4th grader, Brendan Hoskins, earned the Bronze Medal, and Kindergartner, Kat Luth, earned the Blue Ribbon. “I am so excited that I earned my bronze medal in only 4 testing sessions! It made practicing every day worth it,” exclaimed, Brendan Hoskins.

In just a matter of a few weeks, the parents at Wren Hollow Elementary School were able to successfully implement this extracurricular math enrichment program. “The MATH FACT SCHOLARS program has been a huge hit at our school. The kids and parents love it!” said Jen Hoskins, PTO Treasurer and MFS/PTO co-chair.
For many adults who see the program in action, the MATH FACT SCHOLARS program brings to mind the concept “it takes a village to raise a child” in that parents at home and parent volunteers are supporting the learning process by motivating students to set and achieve math achievement goals, and encouraging each student to nurture the study habits required for academic success. This parent involvement also serves to reinforce the sense within the school community that math achievement is a valued skill!

In addition to the many engaged parents helping with the program at Wren Hollow Elementary School, a local businessman, Doug Compton, with Coldwell Banker Home Loans, offered to sponsor the program and made a donation to the PTO, helping to offset the costs of implementing the program at the school. For Doug Compton, becoming a sponsor for the weekly math testing program was very personal. “I struggled with math all through grade school,” shared Compton. “I really didn’t start succeeding in math until I was in college and started utilizing the math lab almost daily. I was finally able to get my questions answered on an individual basis. I was also taught basic theory in a way I understood. I’ve come a long way since those days. Ironically, I use Algebra and Calculus on a daily basis now,” he added.

Doug Compton knew that his sponsorship of this math enrichment program would have a positive impact on students in many ways. “I think in school such as life, you have to want to succeed. If something isn’t going your way you have to take steps to ensure your success. MATH FACT SCHOLARS gives every child the tools and opportunity to succeed in math. There are many time constraints on parents and children these days. Having MATH FACT SCHOLARS as a before-school program helps ensure that every child at Wren Hollow can participate and have the opportunity to grow and succeed.”

“MATH FACT SCHOLARS makes me want to try harder to pass the tests so I can earn all the medals and trophies and become a MATH FACT SCHOLARS Ambassador at my school. Then, I can help grade tests for other kids!” said 4th grader, Jack Polys.