Thursday, 2 November 2023
Students have formula for success in Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition
The sums were right for the 2023 Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition, with students from across the Hunter excelling in the annual event.
With participants from some 330 schools across the Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, North Coast, Northern Rivers, Central West and New England North West, the competition challenges students to complete 35 questions without help from calculators, rulers or other mathematical instruments.
In the Year 6 division Jonah Jo from St Philip’s Christian College, Waratah was a joint winner while The Junction Public School’s Samuel Brennan finished in third place. In Year 5 two Newcastle students shared the third place honours, in New Lambton Public School’s Wenhao Wei and Tighes Hill Public School’s Isaac Hood.
Our Chief Distribution Officer Paul Juergens presented major award winners with their prizes in a ceremony at the Newcastle Permanent Centre of Excellence on 31 October, while District Awards were presented at local branches across NSW.
“The Hunter region always performs well in this competition and this year was no exception, so I extend my congratulations to the students and their teachers for their fantastic efforts,” Paul said.
“Although we live in a world where we carry answers in our pockets, it is still critical that students learn to problem-solve and think on their feet.
“This competition tests those skills and asks students to apply and extend their numeracy knowledge to find the solutions they need.
“We use maths every day, and the skills these students are learning now will set them up for life.”
Based on their results, all participating students received a high distinction, distinction, merit or participation certificate, while those who placed or won a District Award also received a Newcastle Permanent account credit.
The Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition is the largest and longest running competition of its kind in Australia. More than 600,000 students have registered to participate since it started in 1981.
Year 5 winners
First: Roy Feria Amador, Coast Christian School
Second: Alex Shi, Gosford Public School
Equal third: Wenhao Wei, New Lambton South Public School
Equal third: Isaac Hood, Tighes Hill Public School
Year 6 winners
Equal first: Jonah Jo, St Philip’s Christian College, Waratah
Equal first: Daniel Yang, Gosford Public School
Second: Reggy Wu, Gosford Public School
Third: Samuel Brennan, The Junction Public School
Year 5 District Awards – Newcastle Region
Drsika Bobby Kannan, New Lambton Public School
Kai Tran, New Lambton South Public School
Sebastian Grover, Newcastle Grammar School
Seth Withanage, Newcastle Grammar School
Ryan Kurtz, St Philip’s Christian College, Waratah
Shotaro Iwamoto, St Philip’s Christian College, Waratah
Owen Prince, Caves Beach Public School
Archie Kerr, Eleebana Public School
Jack Blanch, Hillsborough Public School
Year 6 District Awards – Newcastle Region
Silas Donald, Belair Public School
Abhineeth Biju, Maryland Public School
Kolana Zhang, New Lambton Public School
Chloe Ting, Holy Family Primary School, Merewether
Ashein Perera, Edgeworth Public School
Aaron Hopton, Eleebana Public School
Noah Thurtell, Eleebana Public School
Connor Prince, Caves Beach Public School
Bailey Preece, Caves Beach Public School