From the

Assistant Principal 

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week many students from Foundation to Year Six are all eagerly awaiting the results of this year’s Maths Talent Quest. The Maths Talent Quest is an annual competition run by the Mathematical Association of Victoria that encourages students to independently carry out real world mathematical investigations on their own, with a small group or with a class. Students must choose their own topics, design the mathematical investigations, develop research questions, collect and analyse information and data and draw conclusions which will inform action with minimal teacher assistance. It is a fantastic way for our students to apply their mathematical knowledge and skills in a real-life setting. When we began doing MTQ at Rowville Primary School, 30 students participated in the MTQ, but in this, our fourth year, over 230 of our students worked on completing a real-life mathematics investigation for the MTQ!

It is so great to see so many of our students feeling excited and passionate about mathematics, but the benefits of the Maths Talent Quest are not just mathematical! Students must collaborate with others and learn strategies to work effectively with other team members. Together they must plan who will take on specific roles in the group and uphold responsibilities as group members. Students must be adaptable and persistent when their investigation is not panning out as expected. They must challenge their assumptions, be flexible thinkers and problem solvers to generate new ideas and solutions. Students must develop their reasoning skills so that they can give evidence to support their thinking in their investigations. They need to learn and practise time management skills so that their investigations will be completed in time. And most importantly, they need to uphold our school values of respect, pride, responsibility and perseverance to ensure that the work that they are undertaking either alone, with their team or with their class, is their very best.

Students have undertaken these investigations with focus and dedication, often working at home or at lunchtimes to complete their investigations. I am so proud of all students who challenged themselves this year and the effort they have put in, to create something that they can be truly proud of, no matter what the result. 

A huge thank you to Mrs Coveney for coordinating this program and commitment to many hours of judging projects from other schools across the state. Congratulations Maths Talent Quest Team, and good luck!

All students in our school undertake an inquiry each term into “How the World Works”. Over their seven years at Rowville Primary School students undertake inquiries into the transdisciplinary themes of ‘Exploring our Humanity,’ ‘Explaining our World,’ ‘Sharing our Planet’ and ‘Systems and Structures.’

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of visiting the Foundation classrooms and witnessing their How The World Works inquiry in action. I was greeted by shopkeepers and welcomed to visit florists, hairdressers, coffee shops, toy stores, supermarkets and more. The students had worked incredibly hard to create their own version of shops from the local community and were practising their responsibilities as both customers and shop keepers.

During this real-world investigation, students applied their literacy and numeracy skills when creating shop signs, labels and price tags and when using money. They also reflected on their role in the local community and how they could demonstrate our values of responsibility and respect when visiting the shops.

Hemi – “I thought a lot about the shop keepers. It took me such a long time to set up my shop and I hope people are responsible and don’t make a mess. I bet it takes the people in the shops forever to set up!”

Mia – “When people visit my shop, I make sure I say hello and ask if they need help. It’s nice when people say hi back, that makes me feel good.”

India – “I wanted to make sure the customers who visited my hairdressers felt relaxed so I was kind and gentle.”

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey 

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will open Monday 5 September and close on Friday 16 September.  The survey is conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time with either a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The survey link and school PIN are available on your Compass portal.  I encourage all families to participate in this survey.

Kind Regards,

Tiffany Bamford

Assistant Principal