Hallam Primary School grade five and six students have topped the table at a state online maths competition.
Designed by education platform Maths Circle, the ‘Melbourne Rocks’ maths competition challenged students from 50 primary schools on their times table skills.
Maths Circle chief executive Bruno Reddy said Hallam Primary was a standout performer from the beginning.
“As the competition began to unfold, my team and I were fascinated by the outstanding performance of Hallam Primary; they led the field from the beginning and are to be congratulated for their excellent results.”
The comp was designed to multiply the ‘joy factor’ in mathematics, with the classroom “pumping” with music and excited screams, he said.
Hallam Primary’s grade five and six team leader Deb said “the kids are still buzzing and excited to do it again next year.
“The bottom line is that it’s great when kids are learning their tables.
“It’s not easy to get them into a routine of practising but the Times Tables Rock Stars really helped because it’s fun, they love being on devices and it works.”
It showed how technology can work wonders in an economically and culturally diverse school with 40 languages, Deb said.
“We cater to refugee families, very well-off families, and disadvantaged families. We’ve got them all.
“As a school community, we don’t see the kids as culturally different, and we hope the kids don’t either.
“Melbourne Rocks has helped us show this around mathematics and learning times tables. It made it really equitable and showed the community that we’re all the same.”
Hallam Primary School will compete at a national ‘Oz Rocks’ maths competition in October.
