Notre Dame High School Department of

Mathematics

In today's data driven world, the need for school graduates to understand mathematical concepts and be able to use reasoning strategies to make decisions has never been more important. The Mathematics Department at Notre Dame offers courses that seek to develop students' skills in reasoning, problem solving, and analytical thinking.

Math Courses

Students to develop the following five strands of mathematical proficiency:

a) Conceptual Understanding – an understanding of mathematical concepts, operations, and relationships. Students learn new ideas by connecting to ideas they already know through reasoning, proving, and communication, allowing for true retention and helping to prevent common errors.

b) Procedural Fluency – the carrying out of math procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately.

c) Strategic Competence – the ability to successfully work through the steps of the problem-solving process: formulating, representing, and solving.

d) Adaptive Reasoning – the capacity for logical thought during all parts of the math process, from computation to justification to reflection.

e) Productive Disposition – the habitual inclination to see mathematics as a sensible discipline that is useful and worthwhile. Students are encouraged to see the beauty and joy in mathematics and to persevere through its challenges.

In addition to the all of the work that is done in math courses across all grades, the department gives special attention to the preparation of grade nine students for the provincial EQAO test. Initiatives like After School Numeracy Programs, weekly math help clinics (lunch hour and by appointment) help students practice and refine their math skills to prepare to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired over the course of their grade nine year.

Destreamed Grade 9 Math Course

Notre Dame High School is proud to offer the Destreamed Math Program which replaces the traditional Grade 9 academic and applied courses. This course enables students to consolidate and continue to develop an understanding of mathematical concepts related to number sense and operations, algebra, measurement, geometry, data, probability, and financial literacy. Students will use mathematical processes, mathematical modelling, and coding to make sense of the mathematics they are learning and apply their understanding to culturally responsive and relevant real-world situations. Students will continue to enhance their mathematical reasoning skills, including proportional reasoning, spatial reasoning, and algebraic reasoning, as they solve problems and communicate their thinking.

AP Calculus

Ontario students are required to complete three math courses in order to graduate with their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Students learn to transfer the skills that they develop in mathematics to other areas of their academic studies. Our math courses are offered for all pathways and include Locally Developed, Applied, Academic, and AP placement, along with Workplace, College, and University courses (in grades 11 and 12). For those students who want to challenge themselves and be prepare for the rigorous work in mathematics at the postsecondary level, we offer courses within the congregated AP program. Our students can start from pre-advanced placement level in grade nine and continue to grade 12, when they can take AP Calculus.