Learning & Teaching News

Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) 

Each year all students in Grade 5/6 enter either the Maths Olympiads or Maths Games Competition run by the APSMO. Select students from Grade 3/4 enter the Maths Explorer Competition. These all involves 4 competitions  (there are 5 questions in each competition), one each month from May to August. The competitions vary between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the difficulty level of the questions. Each question has a recommended time.

The main aim of the competition is to:

• Introduce students to important mathematical concepts
• Teach major strategies and develop flexibility for problem solving
• Foster creativity and ingenuity and strengthen intuition
• Stimulate enthusiasm and enjoyment of mathematics
• Provide for the satisfaction, joy and thrill of meeting challenges.

At Monday's Assembly, we presented special awards to 5 students from each competition. All students should be commended for having a go and giving their all in these competitions.

House Debating

As part of their English learning in Term 4, all students in Year 5/6 participate in a House Debate. The benefits of debating are immense, and can be categorised into 4 areas:

Thinking and research skills

• Analytical thinking skills.
• The ability to think clearly under pressure.
• A strong sense of curiosity and a love of learning about issues and the world around them.
• An ability to gather and evaluate information from a range of sources.
• Informed exchange of ideas.
• Initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively.

Communication skills

• Coherent and confident expression of ideas in collaboration with teammates.
• The ability to coherently and convincingly argue a point of view for their team, which they may not personally support.
• Public speaking skills.
• Word power and strength of language.

Social skills

• Self-esteem and self-confidence.
• A sense of understanding, tolerance and acceptance of different views on issues.
• Respect of the right of others to hold differing and alternative ideas.

Sportsmanship

• Generosity of spirit between participants, across all school sectors.
• Teamwork and sportsmanship.
• Valuing participation more than the outcome.
• A sense of responsibility to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.
• The ability to respond appropriately to constructive feedback.

Students in the other levels attend these debates in support of their house and this exposure is a valuable asset when it is their turn to debate for their house when they are older.

The schedule and topics are below. Parents and friends are most welcome to come and watch.

The results of Round 1 were extremely close and both debates were of an outstanding standard. The results were:

Fraser (275) def Perkins (274)

Clarke (281) def Jackson (277) 

Nick Byrne

Teaching and Learning Leader