Maths mentals and spelling skills on show

“Super Spellers and “Maths Whizzes” did themselves proud at St Catherine’s Catholic College, Singleton on Wednesday 20 November at the inaugural Diocesan Spelling and Maths Bee.

Following regional tournaments, 28 “Super Spellers” and 21 “Maths Whizzes” qualified for the diocesan level.

Given it was the first year of the competition, the standard was very high. Students competed brilliantly and showed excellent spirit and sportsmanship throughout the gruelling rounds of both the spelling and maths bees.

The diocesan spelling bee gives students with a talent or skill in memorising or recognising the sounds and letter blends of words the chance to succeed in a single elimination knockout tournament. Each student is given a word of similar difficulty or from a similar category that they have to decipher and spell correctly. One strike and you’re out.

The maths bee concept was created more than five years ago by a student from St James’ Primary School, Muswellbrook in response to a need to promote mathematics within the school. It is similar to the spelling bee in terms of a single elimination knockout. Students are given a short mathematical problem in either addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or problem solving and asked, in a short frame of time, to mentally compute the answer.

A terrific time was had by all and we hope to see all schools and regions in the Diocese compete in 2020.

Congratulations to the following students, who were winners and runners-up on the day. 

Thank you to the staff of St Catherine’s Catholic College, Singleton, for their outstanding hosting of the event, to the principals and teachers who supported it in its first year, and to the parents and students for their outstanding enthusiasm.

We cannot wait for 2020.

SPELLING BEE RESULTS

  ES1 STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3
WINNER William Yapp - St Mary's Warners Bay Lili Aveiro - St Joseph's Merewether Marie Betts - St Joseph's Merewether Noel Peterson - St John's Lambton
RUNNER UP Grace Turner - St James' Kotara South Samuel Williams - St Joseph's Merriwa Max Adams - St Francis Xavier's Belmont Tom Harborne - St John's Lambton

 

MATHS BEE RESULTS

  ES1 STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3
WINNER Grace Turner - St James' Kotara South Luis Griffiths - St Paul's Rutherford Harley Harrison - St Catherine's Singleton Cody Bates - St Joseph's Merriwa
RUNNER UP Axel Runchel - St James' Kotara South Edward - St Mary's Scone Koby Gawthorn - St James' Kotara South Natasha Hague - St Paul's Rutherford

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