Summer 2011
Dear Families,
After hours of hard work and study, your child has successfully completed the school year and now deserves the rest and relaxation that summer brings. During these lazy warm days, children continue to read or have stories read to them daily. In the same vein, we would like math to be an integral part of their summer.
Summer Math Packets are included here for students who have completed Kindergarten through 5th Grade. The packets can also be downloaded, in living color, through this website via class links listed under Academics/Lower School/Summer Work. Students are required to complete the packet during the summer and return it to Mrs. Sarshik on September 7th. Current 5th Grade students can return the packet to Mr. Notary in the Middle School. Completion of this summer review work will help to ensure that students begin the new year feeling mathematically confident.
Additionally, there are many opportunities at home to keep your child’s mind mathematically active. For example, have your child notice how decimals are used in the price of gasoline. While waiting at a doctor’s office, talk to your child about elapsed time. A restaurant offers many examples of adding money or dividing the bill. The depth of a swimming pool prompts an interesting conversation about measurement. These are all small examples of how you can keep your child’s mind actively engaged in mathematics and at the same time model for him/her how everyday life is naturally filled with numbers and calculations.
Also, we would suggest that there are many mathematical games and activities that you can play with your child that simply involve a deck of cards and dice. Concepts such as place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division can be reinforced easily with a creative game of war. Another option for students who have completed 1st through 5th Grade is the First In Math website. These children have subscriptions that can be accessed from any computer through July 31st.
We wish you a summer filled with good times, laughter, lazy days, and even some math. Please contact me with any questions or concerns. See you in September.
Sincerely,
Susan Sarshik
Lower School Math Coordinator
susan.sarshik@germantownacademy.org