St Margaret Mary’s Preschool at Croydon has won a top award in the Primary Mathematics Association Powerful Learners Mathematics and Numeracy Challenge.
St Margaret Mary’s School children, families and educators were delighted when they were awarded the State Winning Entry in the Preschool whole site category, at an award ceremony on November 1. The awards were presented to successful students and teachers by the Honourable John Gardner, State Minister for Education.
CESA are partners with PMA in their statewide Primary Mathematics Association Powerful Learners Mathematics and Numeracy Challenge, as part of our quest for continuous improvement in Mathematics and Numeracy. The Maths Challenge is open to all students and schools in South Australia.
The Maths Challenge encourages whole classes, individual students, small groups and even families to explore an investigation demonstrating mathematical learning, skills, problem solving and thinking, and encourages students to explore the use of mathematics in everyday situations and expand their understanding beyond the classroom to real life problems and investigations.
The Primary Maths Association celebrated 25 years of the Powerful Learners Mathematics and Numeracy Challenge in 2019, however St Margaret Mary’s Preschool entered the Challenge for the first time this year.
The Preschool has a focus on quality early learning in Literacy and Numeracy. Their award-winning investigation started with story mapping through Literacy and developed into a mathematical investigation using directional language, mathematical direction and mapping over 3 months. This investigation moved from the Preschool setting and led the children to go on short walks around the neighbourhood, creating and following their own maps. The investigation culminated in an excursion to Botanic Park where the children put their Numeracy into action, using maps to find landmarks, follow directions and collaborate in decision making and learning.
Rosary School students from Year 2 and Year 6 received Highly Commended awards for their submissions, with Year 4 winning the state’s top prize in their category.
St Pius X School submitted 5 entries in the Challenge and received 3 state-winning awards, one from an individual student in Year 1 and the others from Year 1 and Year 5 classes.
Students from Tenison Woods College, Loreto College and Rostrevor College were also named as award recipients in individual categories.
The mission of the Primary Mathematics Association is to promote, develop and encourage excellence in both the learning and teaching of primary Mathematics and Numeracy in South Australia, and to encourage children and young people to actively participate in Mathematics and Numeracy. Over the years many Catholic Schools have taken part in the PMA Maths Challenge, designed to deepen student involvement in their learning and extend mathematical thinking.
The Maths Challenge also encourages educators to enter reflective writing on their mathematical learning. Five teachers from three CESA schools were finalists in this category, with the winner announced as Michelle George from St Margaret Mary’s School, who was presented with the Pam Meredith Award for Outstanding Reflective Writing.
Congratulations to all involved at St Margaret Mary’s Preschool and all awarded CESA schools, on this recognition of your outstanding work in the Primary Mathematics Association Mathematics and Numeracy Challenge.
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