We are halfway through the academic year and things are certainly starting to build-up in the Mathematics Faculty. The Year 12 girls have only the equivalent of a term left of classes before they enter into exam mode. As Mathematics teachers, we are aware of the need to keep the girls’ confidence and enthusiasm up, but that they also need to get down to some serious study to consolidate their understanding and skills.

We are teaching the girls that the use of the ‘CAS calculator’ needs to be an automatic response when completing questions that allow for its use; it not only saves time, but the girls are less likely to make careless errors.

Year 10 Mathematical Methods students share strategies using their CAS calculators.

This term, there are two SACs for each of the three Year 12 Mathematics subjects and we are also starting to run trial exams for those who would like to practise completing a paper under timed conditions.

In the lower year levels, the Semester 2 courses are now well under way. In the Mathematical Methods classes at Years 10 and 11, we have started weekly quizzes called ‘LUIS’ which stands for ‘Let Us Improve Skills’. The questions in these papers cover the basic skills that are fundamental to the course. It is essential that students can factorise, solve equations and apply formulas correctly, and by the girls completing problems under test conditions they will soon recognise where they need further consolidation.

Clementine Newton-Brown (Year 10) writes her solution to a matrix problem on the smartboard.

Saffron Scheele (Year 7) and Chloe Butterfield (Year 7) discuss how to lay out the cards to make the algebraic equations true.

Mathematics Teachers Assist the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Mrs Cherie Johnstone and Mrs Louise Pearson are currently working with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) to develop annotated work samples that will be made available to all teachers in Victoria. This work involves all of the Mathematics classes at Years 7 and 9 completing a task, and their solutions are assessed with comments added to their work. This has been an interesting exercise which will continue into this term. Some of our girls’ work is already made available on the VCAA website. Obviously there is no school or student name linked to the work.

Mathematics Competitions Results

We recorded some excellent results in several Mathematics competitions held in Semester 1.

In the Computational and Algorithmic Thinking competition, a small number of St Catherine’s students sat the examination. Paula Chen (Year 9) was awarded a High Distinction with a 99 percentile. Charlotte Wood (Year 7), Chloe Butterfield (Year 7), Emily Dziedzic (Year 10) and Gabriella Tymms (Year 12) all gained a Distinction. A further 32 girls were awarded a Credit.

In the Australian Maths Trust, the girls who are in the Mathematics Honours program completed the three week program where they were required to complete six problem solving questions. In this competition, the explanations of why a particular solution is correct is of utmost importance. Year 9 students Madeleine Farrer, Eloise Rudge and Angela Yu were all awarded a High Distinction with 95 percentiles. Qing Chun (Joanna) Yang (Year 7) and Tszki (Lily) Zhang (Year 7) both gained a Distinction, while five girls were awarded Credits.

Great work girls!