Join the PCR Math Olympiad Team!
Entering Its Fifth Year at PCR...
The Mathematical Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) is an international math competition for grades 4 through 8, headquartered in Bellmore, New York. Last year 170,000 students from 6,000 teams from 50 states and 30 countries worldwide participated in the competition. It is open only to schools, home schoolers, and institutes, not individuals. The Math Olympiad season runs from November to March each year, though we will start preparing in September and continue through May. The purpose of MOEMS is to stimulate and further enthusiasm for mathematics. MOEMS teaches major strategies for problem solving, develops mathematical flexibility in solving problems, strengthens mathematical intuition, and fosters creativity and ingenuity in mathematics.
2016-17 PCR Wednesday Math Olympiad class.
2016-17 PCR Thursday Math Olympiad class.
PCR has a Math Olympiad team that competes in the Elementary Division (grades 4 through 6). In 2014, the La Canada Unified School District (LCUSD) adopted Math Olympiad as its official after-school mathematics enrichment program for GATE students as well as other students in 5th and 6th grade who show exceptional ability in math. For the current 2017-18 school year, Math Olympiad at PCR will be limited to just GATE students.
Math Olympiad should not be viewed as after-school recreation, a math remediation course or as a child-care option. Participants are expected to behave responsibly, contribute to the team, and abide by a code of conduct.
Two sections of Math Olympiad will be offered at PCR in the 2017-18 school year. The first class will meet on Tuesdays and is taught by parent volunteer Andres Castano. The second class is held on Thursdays and is taught by 4th grade teacher Lara Berdahl. Students are permitted to take either the Tuesday or the Wednesday class, but not both.
The PCR Math Olympiad team meets weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 3 to 4:00pm in room 31. First class this school year will be September 12th, 2017. The team takes the Math Olympiad tests once a month during the Math Olympiad season (i.e. November to March.) On non-test weeks, the team will explore a topic or strategy in depth, and review questions from previous tests. Following the end of the Math Olympiad season, the team will continue to meet on Wednesdays to learn and practice mathematical problem solving techniques through math games, contests and solving mathletics problems. In the Spring, the team competes in the Mathzilla! mathematics competition -- the inter-school math competition between La Cañada elementary schools.
PCR's winning team accepts the Team Trophy at the 2017 Mathzilla 4.0 district elementary competition.
Students will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Math Olympiad invitations for 5th and 6th grade GATE students were e-mailed to parent on August 24, 2017.
Students who have successfully registered online need to download a permission form, sign it, and return it either the PCR front office or to Math Olympiad class. First classes will be held the week of September 11, 2017 in room 31 (i.e. Ms. Berdahl's classroom.)
To learn more about the international Math Olympiad program, go here:
http://www.moems.org/program.htm
If you have any questions, please contact Amy Marcoullier at amarcoullier@lcusd.net.
