Rise and Shine

Student Excellence Program

                   Maths VHAP Masterclass (grade 5/6 students):

 In the final week of Term 2, a group of our high-ability Maths students took part in an exciting Maths VHAP Masterclass led by special guest Andrew Lorimer-Derham—inventor, creative problem-solver, and founder of Think Square and Mirrogram.    

Andrew brought a fresh and mind-bending approach to mathematics that challenged students to think deeply, creatively, and strategically. Throughout the day, students tackled a range of engaging and often perplexing challenges, including:

  • The World’s Hardest Puzzle – a 12-piece conundrum that only 7 people in the world have successfully solved!
  • Cashed Up – a logic and number-based challenge that stretched students' problem-solving skills.
  • Money Box Challenge – students used mathematical reasoning to unlock hidden solutions.
  • Last Piece – a visual-spatial challenge where students had to rethink their strategies and assumptions.

These activities required persistence, collaboration, and a willingness to try multiple strategies—a true celebration of mathematical thinking! Students were encouraged to approach each challenge with a growth mindset, and many experienced "aha!" moments throughout the day.

To cap off the experience, some students were awarded prizes for their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and the way they embraced the challenges. The room was buzzing with excitement and a sense of accomplishment as students shared their discoveries and reflected on the power of persistence in mathematics.

This was more than just a maths workshop—it was a powerful reminder that mathematics is about curiosity, strategy, and joy. We are incredibly proud of our VHAP Maths students for their enthusiasm, perseverance, and positive attitudes throughout the day.

A huge thank you to Andrew Lorimer-Derham for inspiring our students to see maths through a whole new lens!

 

English VHAP Masterclass (grade 5/6 students): In the final week of Term 2, a group of our high-ability English students took part in a special English VHAP Masterclass designed to spark creativity, build collaboration, and extend their love of storytelling.

 

The day began with students gathering in the VHAP room after morning roll. To break the ice and ignite their imaginations, they took part in a storytelling game called “Suddenly”. Standing in a circle, each student added a sentence to a shared story – with every line ending in the word “suddenly.” This fun and unpredictable activity warmed up their creative muscles and set the tone for a day of rich literary thinking.

 

The first major session of the day featured a visit from award-winning author and illustrator Judith Rossell (Withering-by-Sea, Wakestone Hall). Students were captivated by Judith’s insights into the writing process, where she shared her inspirations, drafting techniques, and behind-the-scenes stories from her publishing journey. After the session, students reflected on their favourite takeaways and began planning their own creative responses.  

Following morning tea, students took on the challenge of collaborative storytelling. Working in small groups, they co-wrote original narratives—deciding together on plotlines, characters, and structure. Each group read their final piece aloud to their peers, showcasing a wide range of voices, ideas, and writing styles.

To finish, students reflected on how writing with others differed from their usual independent writing tasks in VHAP. They discussed how collaboration introduced new ideas, challenged them to compromise and communicate, and often led to unexpected twists and creative breakthroughs.

 

This masterclass was a fantastic opportunity for our VHAP English students to grow as thinkers, writers, and teammates—and to be inspired by a celebrated Australian author. We are so proud of the enthusiasm, teamwork, and creativity shown by all involved.

 

Well done to our young authors! 

 

 

 

Maths Competition Update - One Round to Go! 

Our three Tarneit Rise maths teams – Maths Explorers (grade 3), Maths Games (grade 4), and Maths Olympiads (grade 5/6) – have been working incredibly hard this year as part of the APSMO (Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads) competition series.

 

Each team has now completed three of the four contests, with the final round taking place in Week 8. These competitions have challenged students to think creatively, work systematically, and apply problem-solving strategies to complex and unfamiliar problems.

 

Here’s a quick look at how each team is tracking:

 

Maths Explorers – Our younger problem-solvers have been exploring number patterns, logic puzzles, and multi-step reasoning in fun, engaging ways.

 

Maths Games – Students in this group have tackled intermediate-level challenges that require strong reasoning and strategic thinking.

 

Maths Olympiads – This team has faced the most advanced problems, using algebraic thinking, number theory, and logic to solve high-level questions under timed conditions.

 

Across all three teams, we’ve seen fantastic growth in confidence and persistence, with many students improving their results each round and showing a real passion for mathematical thinking.

 

We’re incredibly proud of all participants and can’t wait to celebrate their achievements after the final contest in Week 8. Well done to our brilliant young mathematicians – keep up the amazing work!

 

 

Maths Problem of the Week:

In our last newsletter our Maths Explorer, Maths Games and Maths Olympiad students challenged you all with some problems similar to what they have been solving in class. Here are the solutions to last week’s problems: 

 

Magic Square https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGVWmfMqwVw 

 

Pattern Blocks 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP6Zwvfmdus 

 

Tops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzSB-V0HcM