Leadership Communication

Book Week Celebrations

Our Book Week celebrations were a fantastic opportunity for students to share their love of books, stories and reading. It was wonderful to see the creativity, excitement and enthusiasm displayed across the school. Be sure to visit each year level’s pages to see photos from their Book Week celebrations.

Mathematics in Term 3

This term, students across the school have continued to develop their understanding of number, patterns, operations, measurement, multiplicative thinking and mathematical reasoning.

A major emphasis in our mathematics teaching is helping students progress from finding an answer to showing their thinking and then to reasoning. A correct answer is important, but it is not the end of the learning. We want students to understand how they reached an answer, explain why their strategy works and convince others using mathematical evidence.

To support this progression, students use VLS, which stands for Visuals, Language and Symbols. Students might use materials, drawings or diagrams to make the mathematics visible, describe their strategy using precise mathematical language, and connect their thinking to numbers, symbols and equations. VLS gives students a shared way to communicate their ideas and helps them move from computation to deeper thinking and reasoning.

A typical mathematics lesson begins with narrow skill fluency practice and reviewing previously taught content followed by explicit teaching, guided practice and a carefully designed task. Students then compare strategies and summarise the important mathematics from the lesson. This consistent structure helps students connect new learning with what they already know and provides regular opportunities to show, explain and justify their thinking.

Fluency remains an important daily focus through our Number Fluency Program. They work on a clearly identified number skill within their current NFP set, complete focused practice and check their accuracy using an appropriate checking strategy. When students believe a skill is fluent, they can nominate themselves for assessment. The teacher then confirms whether the skill can be completed flunetly, or provides precise feedback about what to practise next.

This is not drilling, instead it is delibrate practice. It is targeted, responsive practice that strengthens the foundational number skills students need. As these skills become automatic, students can devote more of their working memory to representing problems, selecting strategies, noticing connections and explaining their mathematical reasoning.

Mathematics Competitions

Earlier this year, 123 students from Years 5 and 6 participated in the Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition. Students achieved 19 Credit awards and one Distinction, alongside 103 Participation awards. We are very proud of their achievements, with their efforts reinforcing the value of using VLS to make thinking visible and communicate mathematical reasoning. Students will recieve their certificates and results for this competition over the next week.

More recently, 321 students from Years 3 to 6 participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition. The competition gave students another opportunity to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar and challenging problems while demonstrating persistence, flexible thinking and mathematical reasoning. We look forward to celebrating their achievements and presenting awards when the final AMC results and certificates arrive.

Have a great weekend,

Ben Dixon

Maths Curriculum Leader