It is the conviction of the Mathematics Department at St. Margaret's Episcopal School that mathematics is not an isolated discipline, but a tool necessary to understand many other fields and to make informed decisions in an increasingly technological world. To this end, we strive to develop in our students personal and intellectual habits in an environment that encourages individual and collaborative learning.

While we value the mastery and fluency of computational techniques, we stress the understanding of the conceptual underpinnings and the examination of the reasonableness of results. Acknowledging and valuing the sustained intellectual efforts required by the discipline, we motivate our students to persevere through the challenges inherent in rigorous mathematics. Our instructors create a community of learners in which students learn from each other both in and out of the classroom. It is our fervent hope to provide a supportive environment for the development of an enduring conceptual understanding of mathematics which is necessary for success in a rapidly evolving, technological world.

Consequently, the Mathematics Department seeks to impart to its students through its K-12 curriculum an enduring understanding of specific knowledge, principles, and habits of mind such as:

• Develop computational proficiency and skills using traditional algorithms
• Problem-solve, reason, and think critically and conceptually
• Engage as a community of learners in the reasoning, application, and appreciation of mathematics
• Integrate technology into the learning of mathematics without developing a dependence upon the technology
• Grow personally through the struggle and mastery of an academic discipline
• Develop a multi-representational approach to mathematics where results are expressed verbally (articulating the answer in writing), analytically (using symbols and equations), numerically (finding the answer), and graphically (using a graphing calculator)