05/28/2026
Hello to all families of incoming 8th graders for the 2026–2027 school year!
I’ve been getting quite a few questions about summer math work, so I wanted to share an update early. There will NOT be a summer math packet for students entering 8th grade.
Instead of assigning worksheets, I’d much rather encourage students to stay mentally active in simple, meaningful ways throughout the summer. Just 10–15 minutes a day of practicing basic skills can make a huge difference when school starts again!
One of the best things students can practice is:
• Multiplication facts
• Adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers
When these skills become automatic, students are able to focus more on problem-solving and higher-level math concepts during the school year.
Here are two easy games families can play together to keep math skills sharp:
🎲 Race to Zero
Roll dice or flip two cards and assign positive/negative values. Players decide whether to add or subtract their product to get as close to zero as possible. This is a fun way to build understanding of integers and absolute value.
🃏 Integer War
Use a deck of cards (remove face cards and keep Aces as 1). Red cards are negative numbers, and black cards are positive numbers. Players flip two cards and either add, subtract, or multiply them. The first person to correctly solve the problem wins the round!
And lastly… READ!
Yes — even the math teacher is encouraging reading! Strong reading skills help students tremendously in math, especially with word problems. Reading just 15–20 minutes a day can expose students to thousands of new vocabulary words each year and greatly improve comprehension skills.
Thank you for your support and enjoy your summer! We are looking forward to a great year ahead with your students.
