SPC Newsletter

Maths News

Maths Online

We are happy to inform parents and families that all of our students from Years 7 to 10 Mathematics (and Essential Maths Year 11) have been enrolled in Maths Online through our College.  Most classes have been using it regularly for formative and summative assessments and it is a great tool.

 

Parents and families can have access to the student accounts to see how they are going, review progress, and learn together.  There are videos that help with the lessons, which many families find helpful when working on homework and tasks together.  Even if no tasks are set, students can complete any work from any year level at any time or go back and repeat something they have already done to further their learning.  Your child’s login and password are unique so please ask them to show you what they have been doing and how they have been going, or email Vicki Hutchinson (Head of Mathematics) at vicki.hutchinson@stphilips.nt.edu.au for more information about the account details.  Maths Online can be accessed at www.mathsonline.com.au or through a student’s Schoolbox homepage and there are lots of great activities for parents to explore with their young people.

 

Maths Help

As per the Ex-Activity schedule, Maths Help runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday upstairs in the Library for all students (junior and senior).  Students from all year levels are welcome and there are at least two Maths teachers on each afternoon keen and able to help all students complete their homework, revise work that is completed, learn difficult concepts, complete enrichment tasks, etc.  We look forward to seeing many more students attend next week and throughout the term.

 

Upcoming Enrichment and Maths Competitions

Students are welcome to apply to be involved in the CAT Competition (Computational and Algorithmic Thinking) competition or Maths Enrichment and Maths Challenge activities that open up in the coming weeks.  The main ones that we enjoy participating in are:

  • The CAT is held from the 2nd to the 4th of May and can be done either online or through a paper copy.  It helps students develop their skills in programmed solutions for computational thinking problems and is aimed at those interested in coding and problem-solving.  Students should register with Ms Hutchinson in person or through email if they are interested.  
  • Later in May (Thursday 25th) there is the OCC (Oxford University Computational Challenge), and successful students are invited to also compete in the next round on the 8th of June.  This is for students interested in coding.
  • The AMC (Australian Mathematics Competition) is the big one that normally is completed by many Years 7, 8, 11, and 12 students (unfortunately it clashes with Year 9 and 10 camps).  Many students will enjoy participating in this again from the 2nd to the 4th of August.
  • Other competitions are occurring later on in the year that students are encouraged to look into through the AMT website and speak with Ms Hutchinson if they are interested in any (or all) of the competitions.  More information is available at www.amt.edu.au
  • Students are also welcome to do enrichment through their regular classes for Mathematics.  All of the Mathematics staff have access to textbooks, Maths Online, and resources above the level that they are teaching, so students are welcome to enrich themselves by trying different levels of tasks in their classrooms.

~ Vicki Hutchinson 

Head of Maths / Deputy Head of Rolland House