2019 School Magazine

MATHS FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS (MYA) ENRICHMENT PROGRAM T he Maths for Young Australians (MYA) Enrichment Program was held over 16 weeks during Term 2 and Term 3. Girls from Year 8 and Year 9 attended workshops, organised by Mrs Mazzaglia and Ms Bailey. Girls were taught new concepts and then discussed and applied them to a series of progressively difficult multi-step problems from a range of advanced mathematical topics. Year 10 competitors worked through their student notes independently before completing their problem booklets. This experience has definitely encouraged us to expand on our previous mathematical knowledge and strengthened our resolve. Overall, it was an exciting, challenging and enjoyable experience that has left each girl with a sense of accomplishment. Simran Mackrani (9H) and Grace Paschkewitz (8O)

MATHS CHALLENGE FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS T hroughoutTerm2, 13 students fromYears 8 to 10 participated in the Maths for Young Australians Maths Challenge. Girls had four weeks to complete six complex problems. Girls attended workshops to work on these problems together and could seek help from their teachers if necessary. The competition allowed students to improve and extend their problem solving abilities and advance their critical thinking skills. Working with others allowed students to discover new ways of thinking and looking at problems while extending themselves beyond the Mathematics classroom. Anna Butler (9G) COMPUTATIONAL AND ALGORITHMIC THINKING COMPETITION T he Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Competition (CAT) is offered to students in Years 7 to 10 by the Australian Mathematics Trust. On Wednesday 3 April, 29 girls competed in the CAT competition. The exam consisted of unique problems with hidden patterns and algorithms, which girls had prepared for with practice sessions on previous exam papers. Overall, it was an engaging and beneficial experience which allowed girls to explore mathematics from a different angle. We highly recommend the competition to anyone interested in problem solving or maths in general. Johanna Conomos (9W) and Leia Kirkham (9B)

AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD COMMITTEE INVITATIONAL PROGRAM

MATHPATTA O n the 11 August, girls from Years 9 and 10 travelled to Marrapatta to attend Mathapatta. The two-day camp, involved studying interesting and complicated Mathematical concepts. From code breaking to roasting marshmallows in the sun with our knowledge of parabolas, we participated in a wide range of activities. A highlight of the weekend was ‘The Amazing Race’, which involved groups of four working together to solve a series of problems. We thank Ms Mazzaglia, Ms Bailey and Dr Jenkins for organising this year’s Mathapatta. Stephanie Burgess (10E) and Sierra Reza (10H) Each week I attended training sessions at Brisbane Grammar School, where past members of the Australian International Mathematics Olympiad taught us number theory, algebra, combinatorics and geometry. We received monthly problems involving all four concepts that we were required to solve. Recently, I was invited by the program to sit the Senior Contest, which presented five problems to complete in four hours. Overall, this program has helped me grow immensely as a mathematician and enhanced my creativity and observation skills. Samantha Tang (10L) L ast year, I was invited to participate in the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee’s (AMOC) Invitational Program. This program opened my eyes to a new world of mathematics. I discovered new concepts and found problems that puzzled me for hours, and sometimes days.

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