iServi News | 22 May 2020 | Term 2, Week 4
Servite College has two teams competing in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiad (APSMO) this year.
APSMO is a challenging competition for high-achieving students that develops core mathematical problem solving skills in an positive environment.
The goals of the Olympiad are to:
- Introduce students to important mathematical concepts
- Teach major strategies and develop flexibility for problem solving
- Foster creativity and ingenuity and strengthen intuition
- Stimulate enthusiasm and enjoyment of mathematics
- Provide for the satisfaction, joy and thrill of meeting challenges
This year Servite has 60 students from Year 7 and 8 participating in the competition. Our Year 7 team has been meeting with our Numeracy Coordinator, Ms Donnelly, each Friday at lunch to practice and improve their problem solving skills. Students in our Year 8 team have been working on problem solving strategies during their Mathematics Extension classes.
The standard competition consists of five separate contests held a month apart between May and September. This year has brought some unique challenges, with our first two Olympiads being completed remotely. Our last three Olympiads are scheduled for 17 June, 5 August and 16 September.
In recognition of the unprecedented challenges facing the education system with COVID-19, for 2020, the Olympiads will run as intra-school competitions in which an individual student’s performance is only measured against other students from within their own school.
Ms Kim Walker
Head of Learning Area – Mathematics