Our math summer camp list has been updated, with one new addition (Campersand). There are math camps all over the country, some free, some not. A few admit everyone they can fit, others ask you to complete an application, write an essay, or do a bit of a math 'try out'. The table below can help you make a choice. Some things to note: Middle School parents, Math Path is recommended and relatively close (Kansas City this year). If you are interested have your child apply right away. While they will take applications through April they have rolling admissions and the longer you wait the lower your chances are you'll be admitted. Camps in Chicago--MC2, UIC, and UChicago--tend to have later deadlines than national camps, and the UIC and UChicago websites are usually updated in March or April. If you are on MC2's mailing list you will get updates. If you need any advice, email us at info@mathcirclesofchicago.org or hit the 'Contact' button on this website! UPDATED MARCH 11, 2024

To achieve our mission and live our values — for the children participating in Math Circles programs — our students must feel safe. We recognize that different children face different challenges to their safety — whether to their health, to their economic security or mobility, or to their social & emotional well-being. Right now, the challenges are particularly severe for some of the children we serve. The history of our modern and interconnected world means that events far away affect people in Chicago, and our students are no exception. Chicago is home to the largest Palestinian American population in the country, and the third largest number of Jewish Americans. The violence in Israel and Gaza — and the deaths of thousands of people, including Palestinian and Israeli children — affects people around the world, including in our own community. We know that some families are mourning and we offer our respects to the loss of life. Our families also face growing polarization and violence directed at people based on their race, religion, nationality, or other aspects of their identity (including in the Chicago area). The work of learning and unlearning is hard in an increasingly polarized world. Part of the joy and beauty of studying mathematics is to apply logic, thoughtfulness, and collaboration to create a better world collectively. These new challenges to our students’ safety — and their ability to learn and grow as we aspire to support them — means it’s even more important to the Math Circles community to ensure all our children feel safe: because we care about them, because we owe it to them and to their families, and because without safety, we can’t help them become critical thinkers and realize their power. Our desire to create safety and well-meaning in our learning spaces with the communities is ongoing and in dialogue with the communities we serve. This semester, we intend to do the following and will continue to improve our efforts to cultivate spaces of joy and safety at any math circle sessions our students attend: Work to equip our teachers to respond to concerns and questions that may be raised by our children, and to equip them to address incidents of bias appropriately. Support our teachers in their own concerns. Work to equip our teachers in supporting students’ social and emotional health, Work to empower our students to have conversations about how math can further the cause of social justice. As Sara Rezvi, program director of MC2 notes, all children, regardless of race, class, religion, or any other forms of difference, have a right to dignity, safety, and learning in joyful math spaces. Joyful spaces cannot be authentically created without actively and courageously combating racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, anti-Muslim hatred, antisemitism, and other forms of oppression that continue to exist in mathematical spaces, especially towards members of those groups who have been the most marginalized and sidelined. Doug O’Roark, Executive Director Sara Rezvi, Program Director Co-Signed by Ameerah Sanders, Communications Michelle Harton, Operations Manager Jocelyn Wilcox, Project Lead Paul J. Karafiol, Board Chair

Cultivating Math Joy for PK-2 Children At Home by Sara Rezvi, After School Program Director

Three Changes You Will See in Your Child in 3rd and 4th Grade By Jocelyn Wilcox, 3rd/4th Grade Project Coordinator and Coach

Math Circles of Chicago focuses on the relationship between students and mathematics 

Happy new year! School is starting, and soon math circles will circle up. We have a great deal of news! We are happy to announce our new program level, Cheng-3/4 ! This program will serve 3rd and 4th and honors our favorite mathematician, Eugenia Cheng . For several years Dr. Cheng has led an MC2 summer program at Back of the Yards High School. You can meet Dr. Cheng on August 31st at her book release party, and listen to her on a recent issue of NPR's podcast " The Indicator ", where she discusses issues related to her new book, "Is Math Real?" (Spoiler alert: Yes and No!) In an equally happy announcement, MC2 has a new staff member. Jocelyn Wilcox is our new Project Coordinator & Coach . Their chief responsibilities will be managing our new 3rd/4th grade program, coaching teachers, and leading our MAPSCorps work. Jocelyn has taught for MC2 for a few years now, including teaching Haynes-5/6 in Chinatown and leading summer camp sessions in Back of the Yards. They have experience teaching math in a wide range of grade levels, expertise in Montessori, along with stints school leadership. The staff is thrilled to have Jocelyn join the team! MC2's most advanced program level is Euler. Enrollment in Euler has dipped since the advent of Covid, so we've decided to take a pause this term. In the meantime, we will be polling high school students and their teachers as we determine what new programming we can offer high school students during the academic year. We have a new website! We know that there are still a few kinks to work out--please know that we are working on it daily to reduce errors and make it work more smoothly. Feel free to point out issues so we can get them addressed! Email info@mathcirclesofchicago.org if you have suggestions. If you've made it this far, that means you really like MC2! In that case, please consider sharing our fall flyers at your local school, library, or coffee shop: Color flyers: English Spanish Black and white flyers: English Spanish Our fall calendar for our Hubs is now available on our Locations page. Hubs are In Person and Online sessions open to all students, serving 3rd to 12th graders. If you are a Chicago Public School Teacher and might like to start a math circle in your own After School Program, fill out our Teacher Inquiry Form . If you want to get involved but don't want to teach, try our General Inquiry . We look forward to seeing you this fall one way or the other!

I spend a lot of time thinking about how Math Circles of Chicago can be impactful. Many parents give us permission to see their children’s grades and standardized test scores....

For a few years we’ve made the claim that MC2 is the largest math circle in the world. It’s a claim that, admittedly, is hard to verify, but seems likely...

This summer, Math Circles of Chicago offered free camps for Rising 6th – 13th graders. Our camps came to an end last Friday, and we think it’s safe to say...