2024 RCDS
Summer Work
Summer is the perfect time to pick up a good book and read!
To prevent the summer slide or loss of academic achievement experienced during summer months, we encourage students to READ READ READ to keep growing as strong and curious readers as well as critical thinkers.
Early Childhood Center (N-PreK) & Lower School (Beginners-4th Grade) 2024 Summer Reading
The entire ECC and Lower School are expected to read My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook. At RCDS, we uphold our pillars of being Kind, Honest, Responsible, and Respectful. This book is a wonderful example of the importance of Respect. Some students might read this community book with their parents, while others will read it independently. We will start the school year by discussing the concept of respect and its importance in our lives at school and beyond.
Students in rising Nursery, PreK, and Beginners will be required to read two books in total. In addition to My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook we ask all students in Nursery, PreK, and Beginners to read at least one book from our Pillars and Maker Innovation Book list.
Students in rising 1st-4th Grades will be required to read three books in total. In addition to My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook we ask all students in rising 1st-4th grades to read at least one book from our Pillars and Maker Innovation Book List and at least one book from their Grade-Level Theme List.
Additional Lower School Suggestions
If you are looking for additional suggestions for your child to enjoy outside of their required reading, please see below for recommended books and authors by grade level.
We encourage our students to read and enjoy as many books as they can during the months of June, July, and August. Each student will tally their book count on their Summer Reading Logs (accessible for download here). Our goal is to reinforce the enjoyment and significance of independent reading. We love to see our students immersed in their books! Please send a photo of your child reading to Lisa Fallon at lfallon@rcds.org. Your participation will make our summer even more spectacular!
Upper School (5th-8th Grade) 2024 Summer Work
Below are the Upper School summer reading lists and math packets by grade level. In the case of both reading and math, distributing the work over several weeks builds the habits of reading and problem solving as daily, even hourly, endeavors that can be an enjoyable part of life. Even in the summer. Often the simplest approach is the best; for example, reading for a certain amount of time such as twenty minutes, or completing two or three pages of the math packet at a time.
All rising fifth and sixth graders are required to read two books in total. All fifth and sixth graders will read The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. The second text should come from the lists linked below, which are labeled by grade level.
All rising seventh and eighth graders are required to read two books in total. All seventh and eighth graders will read either The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacey McAnulty OR The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine. Unless they plan to read three books, students should NOT read both The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and The Absolute Value of Mike. The second text should come from the lists below, which are labeled by grade level.
In addition to the required reading, many families look for other books to enjoy. The lists below also include a list of suggested books that are age-appropriate if your child wishes to read more than the two required books. Please note that these additional texts may not be substituted for the required books.
In addition to reading, RCDS requires summer work in mathematics. You can access the math requirements listed below by grade level or posted in the Google Classroom of your child’s math teacher from 2023-2024. If you have questions about which math packet to complete, do not hesitate to reach out to Bill Lamb at blamb@rcds.org.
