MATHS

MATHS HELP CLASSES

Every Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime A14 and A17 become a hive of industrious mathematical thinking during Maths Help Class.

Students from across all year levels use the time to complete homework, catch up on missed class time or to simply explore and expand their mathematical knowledge.

Looking around the rooms many faces are familiar, regular attendees who come to work collaboratively with friends, teachers or independently. Some are completing missed assessments, others are conferring with their teacher at the whiteboard as they discuss a tricky problem.

Maths Help is run by Mrs Mullane on Tuesday and Ms Mauger on Thursday but Mr Manolas, Mr Zhu, Ms Nguyen and many other teachers can often be found there.

Students can seek help on whatever concepts they are currently working with and Mr Manolas is often advising senior students on the use of the CAS calculator. He also runs specific lunchtime classes dedicated to CAS.

At particularly busy times (usually when a Year 12 SAC is around the corner) the classes often spill over into A15 as well! It is wise to get there early to get a seat.

When asked why they came to Maths Help students responded with:

“It is a calm environment where I can concentrate on getting my Maths done and I can eat my lunch inside!” Tom

“Teachers are always there to help you.”  Stefan

“A great place to get help and get work done.”  Betty

“I can talk to different teachers and get help on difficult work.”  Nina

So come along and check out Maths Help Class. See you there.

Mrs Mullane

Senior Maths Teacher

RUN, MATHEMATICIANS!

Large crowd, intent look, swift movements, ticking clock...

This was a contest of speed…

This was a tournament of minds…

This was a feast of mathematics and a platform to shine...  

On Sunday 19 August, five McKinnon students (Amit Ben-Harim, Amit Samuni, Lachlan MacDougall, Garry Xia, Lucy Song) were honoured to participate in the University of Melbourne Schools Maths Olympics. The competition was a maths relay that tested our mathematical thinking, teamwork and tenacity. Under the team name “Paranormal Distribution”, we were split up into two groups on opposite sides of a theatre with a runner relaying a question from the marker to the groups.

There were lots of interesting questions on the day, ranging from the most efficient way to settle debts to problems about villages and volcanos. In a fun and encouraging atmosphere, the theatre became a place where different ways of thinking were colliding, weaving and thriving…

Whilst McKinnon did not finish in the top five, the experience still proved to be enjoyable for all involved. A special thank you goes out to Mr Killeen and Mr Zhu for making this event possible. It was truly a fascinating race!

Lucy Song

Year 12J