MOEMS posts a problem of the month each month at ​http://www.moems.org/zinger.htm 

 Here are some challenging word problems that are similar to what 4th and 5th graders experience at a Math Olympiad. Math team members can use these for extra practice and everyone else can use them to help extend your problem solving skills. Solutions are at the bottom of this post. 

1)  Suppose today is Tuesday. What day of the week will it be 100 days from now?
2)  The four-digit numeral 3AA1 is divisible by 9. What does A represent?
3)  A purse contains 4 pennies, 2 nickels, 1 dime, and 1 quarter. Different values can be obtained by using one or more coins in the same purse. How many different values can be obtained?  




Solutions
1)  Every 7 days from "today" will be Tuesday. Since 98 is a multiple of 7, the 98th day from today will be Tuesday. Then the 100th day from today will be Thursday.
2)  If the number is divisible by 9, then the sum of its digits is divisible by 9. The digit sum is 3 + A + A + 1 = 4 + 2A. The digit sum cannot by 9, otherwise A = 2 1/2. So 4 + 2A = 18 which produces
     A = 7.
3)  The largest amount that can be made is $0.49. Using the given set of coins, any amount from $0.01 to $0.49 can be made. Therefore there are 49 different amounts that can be made. 

IDENT-A-KID                   
Be prepared … Order your child’s Ident-A-Kid card now! A representative from the Ident-A-Kid Child ID Program will be at Lewis Elementary on Friday, September 8th.
 
The Ident-A-Kid program provides parents with an identification card that has your child’s photograph, fingerprint and vital information on it. The Ident-A-Kid card is designed to provide parents and law enforcement officials with crucial information should your child become lost or missing. Parents keep the card with them at all times and, in an emergency, can provide it to law enforcement for immediate response. In addition, the United States Government’s Social Security Administration recognizes the Ident-A-Kid Card. It may be usable in supporting either secondary or third level identification, should it be needed. Look for information coming home in your child’s backpack soon! To learn more about the program, visit http://www.identakid.com/. To order your ID cards, please visit http://identakid.com/paypal/blate-pay/.

I am planning on having a club for as many grade levels as I can at some point this year for students who stay in ASP on Wednesdays. I am not doing 4th or 5th grades since we already have the Math Olympiad team available to them.  I only have 16 spots and will accept the first 16 kids to sign up. You can sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIiyhdy1xEUwOzLOFN3dmWNPFBtsTwBKzwzc7VQlu3grWvBg/viewform .