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Accolades keep adding up

Who hasn’t seen a kindergartener with a backpack so big it’s almost dragging on the ground.

Four kindies at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School Fairfield have taken matters into their own hands and designed and then made a 3-D model of a school bag that’s much easier on their little backs.

Our Lady of the Rosary Fairfield student Bryan Yeung’s impressive 2-D school bag design Kindy student Bryan Yeung’s impressive 2-D school bag design.

Cindy Wang, Bryan Yeung, Chandler Tran and Hannah Ly were among four teams from Our Lady who have wowed the judges of a prestigious mathematical competition with their ingenuity.

The Investigating with Mathematics Competition, run by the Mathematical Association of NSW (MANSW), asks students in Kindergarten to Year 12 to come up with a solution to a real-life problem using maths.

Teams in Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 at Our Lady placed first in the state competition and then Kindergarten and Year 1 went on to come first in Australia, with Year 2 and 6 receiving Highly Commended Awards.

“We are very proud of our students and teachers,” school principal, Jackie Vella, said.

Bryan and Hannah said winning made them “happy.”

Dr Christine Mae, Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) K-12 Mathematics and Numeracy Education Officer, said: “It is exciting to see that we have such young minds engaging in high levels of challenge by investigating real-world problems in and around the school.”

Our Lady of the Rosary Fairfield kindy student, Chandler Tran “I’m the smartest in the family,” claims kindy student, Chandler Tran. “I’ve learnt how to count up to septillion!”

WHAT THEY INVESTIGATED

Kindergarten
Using a 2-D plan, Cindy Wang, Bryan Yeung, Chandler Tran and Hannah Ly …

October 12, 2020|

Making learning count

Gifted maths student Tracie Duong, 16, was among 102 students and 24 teachers from Sydney Catholic schools to give up a day of their school holidays to build their problem solving and analytical skills in the lead-up to the new Mathematics HSC.

St Clare's College Waverley Year 12 student, Janice Nyoto “I want to be an engineer, probably mechanical. I love maths and science,” forum attendee Janice Nyoto, a Year 12 student at St Clare’s College Waverley, said. Photo: Kitty Beale

Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) organised the all-day Mathematics Extension 2 (MX2) Student Forum at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Sydney both to help get students exam-ready for the new Advanced Mathematics HSC, as well as to help increase overall student participation in higher-level maths courses.

For Tracie, it was a no-brainer to take up the opportunity. She is already used to putting in some hard yards to achieve her dream of being a civil engineer.

“In the middle of Term 4 last year, my teacher said to me ‘Tracie, you can do Mathematics Extension 2 if, during sport, you go to St Pat’s.’ So I did it,” said Tracie who is currently in Year 11 at all-girls secondary school Mary Mackillop Catholic College Wakeley.

Tracie’s school does not offer the maths course but nearby all-boys secondary school Patrician Brothers’ College Fairfield, more commonly referred to as St Pat’s, does offer it.

Mathematics Extension 2 is the highest level mathematics course for students with a special interest and ability in mathematics and students will sit their HSC exam on 26 October.

MX2 Student Forum

NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) Inspector Mathematics and Numeracy, Anna Wethereld, addresses maths students NESA’s Anna Wethereld addresses Sydney …

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