Maths Olympiad

Students and teachers across year 4,5 and 6 have been finalising preparations for the school’s inaugural participation in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) Year 4 Maths Explorer program and the Year 5/6 Maths Olympiad.

A select group of year 4 and year 5/6 students came together last week to apply their problem solving skills in a Maths Olympiad and Maths Explorers rehearsal. The students had 30 minutes to complete their allocated questions, capturing their understanding and working - out along the way. Anticipation had been building for both programs since last week with a number of extremely excited students even seeking to ask Mr Bombaci questions on active supervision. Diligent and demonstrating high expectations in their preparation, students have been accessing their personal Google Classroom where they could practise previous versions made available as additional home learning.

Today was the first of 5 competition dates for 2022. The Year 4 students competed in a new competition called ‘Maths Explorer’ and were encouraged to demonstrate collaboration while completing the 2 challenging questions; collaboration being a very familiar concept for our Featherbrook students. Students were highly focused and shared their learning at the conclusion.

The Year 5/6 students competed in the traditional Maths Olympiad, working independently and being hard at work from the start of the session. Following their allotted time, students shared their experience and problem solving strategies with each other. Throughout both competitions, students were well prepared based on the rich classroom experiences their teachers have provided and drawing on the 4 mathematical proficiencies of Fluency, Understanding, Reasoning and Problem Solving. All of the students who represented Featherbrook College are excited to share their journey over the next 6 months.