Extended Learning/ Gifted & Talented

On this page: Our first Brooklyn Park Tournament of Minds Team / South Plympton Debating Teams Achieve Outstanding Success

Our first Year 5/6 Tournament of Minds (TOM) Brooklyn Park Team!

Emmaus has been involved with the Tournament of Minds (TOM) for over a decade. This year, one team from Brooklyn Park (BP) and two teams from South Plympton (SP) across Years 5/6 will compete.

The BP team officially kicked off last week with a six-week problem-solving challenge that they will be working hard at recess/lunch for for the next few weeks to solve their problem together. 

Our pioneering BP team includes these seven students: Sam S, Ella G, Ella R, Derrick X, Piera M, Tyler H and Isabelle K. 

In TOM, students in teams of seven solve authentic, open-ended challenges in disciplines such as The Arts, Language Literature, Social Sciences, and STEM. Success in these challenges hinges on the team’s ability to demonstrate exceptional creativity, innovative problem-solving, and cohesive teamwork.

The team will need to complete two challenges, presented in the style of A dramatic play with props and costumes.

• Long-Term Challenge: Six Weeks preparation, 10-minute presentation. Example: "Explain the background and reason why a most unlikely group in society has gone on strike. The members believe they are justified in their actions but do other members of the society necessarily agree with them?”
• Spontaneous Challenge: 4-Minute preparation, 1-minute presentation Example: “When does Red equal Blue?”

Teams must demonstrate teamwork by involving every member in both the long-term and spontaneous challenges.

The TOM competition SA Branch will be held on Sunday 8 September, at Adelaide High School. Qualified teams will compete in a National Championship in Sydney, on 1-2 November.

It’s so exciting for BP to be part of this this year, and I look forward to sharing our results with you later. Thank you for your support of the students and the Gifted and Talented/Extended learning team as they prepare for this exciting event!

Emily Sanders

Extended Learning Teacher, Brooklyn Park

South Plympton Debating Teams achieve outstanding success

Our Year 5/6 Debating team has achieved remarkable success this season, winning all four of their last debates. They currently sit at the top of the leaderboard with an impressive score of 363 out of 400. This talented group of students has consistently outperformed Year 7 teams in a Year 6/7 division. Thank you to our parent coach, Bek Reddin, who has been training with the students regularly each week.

In addition, our Year 8/9 team has also demonstrated exceptional skill. Under the coaching of Neven Daoud and student coach Caleb Z (Year 11), they have won all four of their debates so far, securing a commendable 4th place on the ladder. Their most recent victory was especially noteworthy, as it was Sophie C's (Year 8) first-ever debate.

We are incredibly proud of both teams' achievements and there's great momentum for the upcoming finals. These teams represent two of our six debating teams, all of which have shown great skill and attitude this season.

In a fun twist, our Year 6/7 team, currently sitting in 5th place, participated in a "Crazy Hair" round. The creative hairstyles added a touch of fun to the serious competition, and we have included a photo of the team.

Nick Rodda 

Gifted and Talented Program Key Teacher, South Plympton