Schoolwide News

Can math build community? I think it can.  Every day, I see how problem solving brings students together, even at a first introduction. There’s something powerful about a good math challenge: it gets people talking, thinking, and collaborating. What if we could bring the whole school together through a single set of math problems?

That’s the idea behind the Problem of the Month. Each problem set includes five levels of difficulty, labeled A through E, with each level getting more challenging than the last. The goal is for everyone to find a place to start, and also find challenges.    

Problems will be posted on the first school day of each month in the Lower and Upper School iCommons, as well as in my room (Room US 19⅓, next to the STEAM lab). They’ll also appear in the Math Corner section of this Bulletin, so you can tackle them with your child or solo, if you're feeling brave.

This month’s theme: Party Time!  The September problems are all party-themed, and were provided by the Noyce Foundation. Shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 license.

You can access the problem set here.

Submissions are open to students (and parents too, if you want to flex your brain). Just use this Google Form or drop off a paper copy at my room with your full name and grade level before the last school day in September. I’ll recognize students who attempt the problems — especially those who stretch to higher levels.

Thanks for being part of this experiment in building a school-wide culture of joyful problem solving. I hope these problems spark some great conversations at home!  I'd love to hear how it goes!  Please email me with feedback: tcalcagni@eabdf.br.