Summer Assignments



Our Philosophy

St. Andrew’s believes that summers should be both rejuvenating and academically fruitful. We value rest and play as essential ingredients for student health and creativity. We also value continued intellectual development in the “off-season” of the academic year. Our summer assignments are designed to aid in that development by maintaining skills and fostering intellectual exploration.

Questions about Summer Work can be directed to the appropriate Division Head or Department Head.

Jordan Love, Head of Lower School Amy Hamm, Head of History Department
Candace Gregg, Head of Middle School  Paul Ternes, Head of Math Department
Ginger Cobb, Head of Upper School Daphne Clyburn, Head of Language Department
Morgan Evans, Head of English Department Josephine Monmaney, Head of Art Department
Will Ferriby, Head of Science Department Alex Simson, Head of Health and Wellness Department
Monique McMillan-Jackson, Head of Religion and Philosophy Department

General Expectations

  • Students in the Lower School will be given a summer reading list and teacher instructions for any accompanying projects at the end of the school year. Parents and students can also find this information on this page.
  • Students in the Middle School will participate in their annual community read. This year, students will read "The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life" and complete a packet in addition to grade-specific summer reading assignments. Students should also complete the appropriate Math packet for their 2024-2025 Math course.
  • Students in the Upper School are assigned summer reading for English and History courses and a summer work packet for Math courses. AP Biology, AP Language and AP Studio Art students are also assigned summer work/reading.

All reading assignments and Math packets must be completed before the first day of class.

  • Reading guides are available online for all English and History texts in order to bring focus to each student’s reading and thinking. Students should reflect on the questions and topics listed in the guides before reading the assigned source as this will assist them in reading with a purpose. Written responses to the guide questions are not required. 

Lower School

Middle School English

Upper School English

Upper School Language

AP Biology

AP Art and Design

Click here to access the AP Art & Design summer assignments. Assignments on this site were reviewed with each course registrant during May course orientation meetings with Ms. Cook.  Please note that this website can only be accessed by those students who are enrolled in the course. For questions, contact Lauren Cook.

Middle & Upper School Math

Upper School History

Tinkering & Technology Resources for All Grades

List of 4 items.

  • Create and Play with Monthly Project Kits

    Creation Crate: Learn how to build electronics with a monthly kit. 

    Tinker Crate: Building kits for Design projects.

    Stay up to date with what’s new in the Maker movement by subscribing to the digital Make magazine. FREE

  • Math Enrichment

    MathCounts Problem of the Week: Three problems are created every Monday on a real world topic. Detailed solutions are available the following week. Ages 10+, FREE

    MathCounts Minis: One hundred activities with videos and problem sets focusing on singular middle school math topics. Detailed solutions are available. Ages: 10+, FREE

    Exploding Dot: Great engaging, self-paced curriculum developed by James Stanton. Each world introduces an interesting math concept and allows students to explore and play. FREE

    Alex Bellos’ Monday Puzzle: Mr. Ternes’ favorite puzzler offers new puzzles bi-weekly with solutions. The archive goes back five years. So many great problems! FREE

    How to Learn Math Course: Developed by Stanford Professor Jo Boaler, "How to Learn Math" is a class for learners of all levels of mathematics. There are 6 sessions; the first three are approximately 10 minutes long and the last three approximately 20 minutes long. FREE

  • Learn to Code

    Scratch Jr: This app introduces programming to children by inviting them to create their own interactive stories and games. Children can snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. Designed for ages 5-7. FREE

    Scratch: With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations and share your creations with others in the online community. Ages 8-16, FREE

    CodeCombat: Game-based coding platform. This is a fun way to learn the fundamentals of Python or JavaScript. FREE 

    Swift Playgrounds: Apple’s app coding software platform for iPad. From Science Teacher Ms. O’Shaughnessy: “I’m learning now! I am very impressed with the structure of the learning. Perfect for beginners.” Designed for ages 9-12, FREE

    Tynker Summer Code Jam: Weekly free coding activities on the Tynker platform, minecraft mods, games and more. 

    Code.org: Great for beginners, awesome for intermediate learners, and amazing for advanced learners. Play and learn how to code, develop an app or learn software. This is a tremendous resource for students who want to learn code. HOUR of CODE is housed on this website as well as AP course content and everything in between. All ages, FREE

    Code break: Short daily lessons and activites on code.org/break.

    Tinkercad: A browser-based, easy-to-use 3D design and modeling tool. You don’t need to know CAD to create printable designs using this entry-level program. Ages 9+, FREE

    D!LAB software: Come back in September ready to use the router, laser cutter or 3D printer here at St. Andrew’s. Learn Fusion, Rhino in Lynda. Use the links to learn how to design and prepare files for laser cutting or create dimensional objects in Rhino. Ages 15+, FREE

    Khan Academy Kids: Khan Academy Kids is a free, fun, educational program designed to inspire young children to become learners for life.

    Khan Academy:  Academic content, computer, math, and science available in short lessons. SAT prep course. Ages 15+, FREE (Khan Academy Kids also available for younger children.)

    Coursera: A tremendous database of learning for US and beyond. JAVA, Python, and much, much more - free courses and pay to learn. Ages MS and up depending on type of class. 

    FreeCodeCamp: Learn to code like a professional! Great projects with endless possibilities. Write code for non-profits! Ages 15+, FREE

    HackerRank: Test your coding skills against others in the online problem solving computer puzzle site. FREE

     

  • Be a Citizen Scientist

    Zooniverse: Citizen scientists and activities that support scientific research.

    San Diego Zoo Global Academy: One to two hour courses on animal care at the Zoo.

    Citizen Sort: Citizen science activities as games; try Happy Match with animals of the Serengeti!

     

Additional Resources

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.