Learning and Teaching
Mathematicians at SMCM
Teachers as Learners
At SMCM, we believe that high-quality student learning begins with continuous teacher growth. This year, our school was selected to participate in the Mathematics Acceleration Program offered by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).
Our Year 2 and Year 4 teachers, alongside some Year 5 and Year 6 teachers, have been engaging in intensive professional learning delivered by MACS and some experts in Mathematics Education grounded in the Science of Learning. To make the most of this opportunity and to maintain consistency, we have expanded this initiative whole-school where teachers and Learning Support Officers across all year levels are participating to ensure a consistent, evidence-based approach to mathematics across every homegroup.
One of the ongoing professional development processes has been Learning Walks - short classroom visits where a group consisting of school Maths coaches, MACS learning partners and our leadership team observe live teaching in action to gather real-time insights. These observations allow us to refine instructional strategies, aligned with MACS vision and current research as well as to celebrate teaching strengths. Through a continuous cycle of feedback, reflection and intentional practice, our staff model the same commitment to lifelong learning that we foster in our students every day.
Matific Olympiad 2026
From 10 – 14 August, SMCM students joined millions of young mathematicians across more than 20 countries in the annual Matific Olympiad. Every student who participated was recognised for their effort and performance by being presented with a certificate. Congratulations to all our participants!
Australian Problem Solving Mathematics Olympiads (APSMO)
74 dedicated SMCM mathematicians have been participating in the 2026 APSMO program as part of the extension opportunities we offer at our school. Working in mixed-age learning
environments, these students have sharpened their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. For several participants, this marks their fourth consecutive year in the program with many reaching new personal bests.
Last week, our APSMO teams completed their final contest for the year. All participants will be presented with certificates in recognition of their efforts and achievements next term.
Sawako
Maths Coach Foundation - Year 2.
Division Athletics
On Tuesday 8th September our SMCM athletes participated in the Division track and field competition. Well done to Daniel A, Jayden L, Jonathan P, Thomas C, Noah W, Lucas N, Jax N, Lionel D, Antonio L, Ethan U, Jonaz T, Lilly C and Janai D for competing at this level. Congratulations to Lionel D (2nd 1500m) and Noah W (2nd 200m) for making it through to the Northern Region competition to be held in October. We wish them all the best for this event.
Excursion to the Melbourne Museum
On Friday 11 September, Year 5 visited Melbourne Museum as part of our novel study of The Grandest Bookshop in the World. Students were thrilled to see historical artefacts connected to the novel and make links between our learning and the fascinating exhibitions throughout the museum. It was a wonderful day of discovery, exploration and learning beyond our homegroups.
Quotes from some of our explorers:
“A highlight was learning new dinosaur names I didn’t know before” - Ellie M (Disciples)
“I enjoyed when we went into the forest gallery and the first nations to see what it was like before we were here” - Mia M (Disciples)
“Last friday when we went to the museum. Some of my highlights were when we went into the forest area where we saw frogs, fishes and turtles. We then went to the Melbourne Gallery and saw an old house. Lastly, we went to the dinosaurs and dynamic earth to see the four elements of Earth.” - Sienna M ( Josephites)
Last friday Year 5’s went to the Melbourne Museum. One thing that was really good was when we went to the Melbourne gallery as they had all types like apes, guns back from World War 1 and an old house.- Mason V ( Josephites)
"Last Friday we went on an excursion to the Melbourne Museum. Once we got there we got to experience what dinosaurs looked like 230 million years ago. After seeing those amazing dinosaurs we went to go see the living insects. At first I was freaking out, then it was really fascinating to see how interesting and enormous those insects were. After having a good break for lunch we went to visit the rain forest to explore different trees, bushes and animals. After exploring that we went to see the Old Melbourne and also we went to see the grandest bookshop in the world (Cole’s Book Arcade) because that's the book we're focusing on this term. Then we went to explore the Dynamic Earth. It was really cool because there was a 3D movie that you could watch. Doing that was absolutely amazing. Then we went to have a play on the playground before heading home."
Christian S (Samaritans)
"The Melbourne Museum was an informative place full of new things to learn. We went to the Dinosaur Walk first and we saw different and unique dinosaur bones. The Dynamic Earth section had glistening gems that everyone was blinded by and the short 3d video was engaging and full of new facts. In the Old Melbourne section we saw an area dedicated to the Coles Book Arcade from our novel study on The Grandest Bookshop In The World. We also saw the different biomes like the reef and the rainforest in the Wonderful Creatures section. The rainforest was idyllic and even had small waterfalls. Everyone enjoyed this experience and this will be one of the highlights of this year."
Charlotte S (Samaritans)
"We really enjoyed looking at the objects from Cole’s Book Arcade because they helped us imagine what it would have been like to visit the shop over 100 years ago. It made us realise how much shops and entertainment have changed over time. The scavenger hunt also made the visit more fun because we had to carefully explore the exhibits to find information and answer questions. " (Pilgrims homegroup)
Year 2 Excursion to Lehmann’s Farm Park
Last week on Monday our Year 2 students set off on an exciting local walk to Lehmann’s Farm Park.
At the park, the Year 2’s spent time exploring the rich history and beautiful surroundings of our local area. While at the park students had the opportunity to investigate the land including who owned the land and their family history. They took a look at the views of the city skyline and sketched some pictures of what they see now.
The children saw the original farmhouse and standing beneath the historic windmill, which gave everyone a real sense of what farm life was like in Epping long ago.
A highlight of the day was when the students got to play on the dairy-themed playground, climbing, sliding, and playing together.
It was a fantastic day of hands-on learning, physical activity, and community exploration.
Golden Children
Congratulations Stefan (Year 1- Rose) who earned his Golden Child Award recently.
It was a truly impressive achievement, particularly because Stefan did not have STEM classes during either Term 1 or Term 2. By the time he began STEM in Term 3, he had already achieved nearly all of the Masters required to become a Golden Child.
His incredible determination, perseverance and ability to retain such a wide range of knowledge at such a young age were remarkable. It was a real pleasure to watch Stefan demonstrate his knowledge and confidently recall facts from so many different areas of learning. His achievement is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through curiosity, dedication and a genuine love of learning.
Stefan has earned the title of Golden Child for the first time - Well done!
(To earn the title of Golden Child, students must earn masters in and be able to name facts about: The planets, rainbows, bones, the solar system, clouds, the mouth, birds, towers, lightning and thunder and all 118 elements
of the Periodic Table)
Mike
STEM Teacher