US Math: Inside & Outside the Classroom

May Wong, Burke’s longtime math teacher and advisor, has taken on the role of Upper School Math Specialist. She is leading a number of activities and programs that offer students more opportunities to extend their comprehension of math concepts. “I’m so excited to provide these activities to Burke’s students! I look forward to stretching students’ thinking as they explore new topics and have fun in the process.” 

This contest challenges students to think critically and solve multi-step math problems in real-world situations. Officially open to 6th - 8th graders, students are welcome to try problems at or above grade level so any Upper Schooler can participate! The first challenge is due before Winter Break. Challenge 2 will be announced at the end of January. 

All Upper School students participate in Math League as part of their math classes. There are five meets per year, once a month October - February. Students have 30 minutes to solve six problems on their own in each meet. Students can find problems from previous meets on the Tic Tac Toe Extension Boards in their Google Classrooms or get problems from their math teacher. The top scorers are honored at an Upper School assembly at the end of the year. 

Math Team kicked off with the first of many early morning meet-ups! A longer-term commitment, this competition is open to sixth, seventh and eighth graders and meets once a week before or after school from November through February.  Students have fun, learn new skills, solve challenging problems, and prepare for competition! Last year, Burke’s had a strong showing, coming in 4th place out of 17 schools. Up to 12 students can compete individually and four of the students will be selected to compete as a team. 

Open to any Upper Schooler, this club meets to play games, solve puzzles and explore fun math topics. This cross-grade meetup is designed as a welcoming space for Upper School students to be curious, collaborate, and sharpen their math skills. 

Girls' Adventures in Math is a team-based online math challenge where the competition questions come in comic book form based on the lives of four female mathematicians and math concepts. The GAIM competition takes place in April 2024.