Maths Games Day

Maths Games Day at Parkdale Secondary College

The excitement was contagious as Parkdale Secondary College welcomed Year 7 students from across Melbourne for our annual Maths Games Day on 23 June. Students from government, Catholic, independent and primary schools came together for a day of mathematical thinking, teamwork and friendly competition.

Supported by the Mathematical Association of Victoria (MAV), Maths Games Days celebrate students who enjoy mathematics and challenge them to think creatively, solve problems collaboratively and persevere through complex tasks.

The day kicked off with a fast-paced Team Relay, where teams raced to solve one mathematical problem at a time before sprinting back to have their solution checked. The room quickly filled with excitement as students debated strategies, encouraged one another and worked together under pressure.

Next came the Construction Challenge, where teams used their creativity and mathematical understanding to build as many accurate geometric models as possible. The quality of the constructions was outstanding, with students demonstrating remarkable precision, craftsmanship and innovation.

After recess, students tackled a series of Fermi Questions, making informed estimates and justifying their reasoning. This was followed by challenging Logic Puzzles, where persistence, careful reasoning and teamwork were the keys to success. It was wonderful to see students embracing difficult problems and celebrating each breakthrough together.

The day concluded with everyone's favourite event—the Mintie Wrapper Challenge! Students carefully unravelled their Mintie wrappers into the longest continuous strip possible without tearing them apart. While simple in concept, the challenge demanded patience, precision and a very steady hand, providing plenty of laughs and excitement to finish the day.

Congratulations to Camberwell Girls Grammar School, who claimed the overall title, with St Bede's College finishing second and Beaumaris Secondary College placing third. We are also incredibly proud of our Parkdale Secondary College students, with one of our teams finishing an outstanding 5th overall, only a handful of points behind the leading teams.

More importantly, every student who participated displayed outstanding teamwork, perseverance, communication and problem-solving throughout the day. It was fantastic to see so many young mathematicians enjoying the challenge, supporting one another and discovering that mathematics can be both engaging and fun.

A special thank you to our wonderful Year 8 student leaders—Laila, Neko, Kenzie and Lily—whose enthusiasm, organisation and willingness to help ensured the day ran smoothly. Their support was invaluable and greatly appreciated by both staff and visiting schools.

We are already looking forward to hosting another fantastic Maths Games Day next year!