Learning Diversity

Reminder

2025 Academic Competitions

Dear Parents 

St Bede’s will once again this year enter students in the following competitions:

The ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools).

Drawing on over 40 years of international assessment experience and academic rigour, ICAS is a school competition that inspires, celebrates and challenges millions of school students across Australia, New Zealand and the world.

The competition questions are set in modern, real-world scenarios where school students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. The subjects span literacy (English, Writing and Spelling Bee) and STEM (Mathematics, Science and Digital Technologies).

Students from Years 2-6 may enter (except for the writing competition you must be in at least year 3).  Students must be competent in their chosen subject/s as these assessments will be challenging! Over the years our students have found ICAS assessments to be an engaging and beneficial experience.

We will also enter students in the AMC (Australian Mathematics Competition).

First run in 1978, the Australian Mathematics Competition is Australia’s longest running, largest and most well-known maths competition for school students.

The AMC contains unique problems designed each year by leading educators and academics to challenge and extend your students’ problem-solving skills.

For this to work I require all competitions to have the same closing date for entries and the school will strictly not accept any late entries.

Entries close on the last Tuesday of Term 2.

Tuesday the 1st of July

The Competitions basically are spread out across the month of August.

If you would like for your child to participate please fill in the table below by ticking the relevant boxes, putting this form in an envelope (with  the correct amount of money) and return to the school office by NO LATER THAN Tuesday the 1st of July- the last Tuesday of Term 2!

Please label the envelope with:

ACADEMIC COMPETITION ENTRY

Your child’s name

What year level they are in.

A separate envelope for each child in the family is appreciated.

Lastly, just a reminder that these assessments are designed to be challenging. Please only enter your children in the subject areas they feel confident and capable in.

Amanda Martin

Learning Diversity Leader/Deputy Principal

St Bede’s Primary, North Balwyn

amartin@sbedesbn.catholic.edu.au