Building Skills and Confidence in Maths – Term 1 Overview
What a whirlwind of a first term! Our students have tackled a mountain of mathematics while also growing in confidence with our school systems and expectations.
Ms. Rhodes and Mrs. Chaney would like to take a moment to reflect on what’s been covered, and to thank you for the kind emails sharing the joy your children are experiencing in Maths.
What We’ve Covered in Term One:
Year 7
- Special Numbers: Place value (to the billions), prime numbers, rounding, multiples (LCM), and factors (HCF)
- Whole Numbers: Addition and subtraction (up to 4 digits), multiplication (3 × 2 digits), division (3-digit ÷ 1-digit), using vertical algorithms and short division strategies
- Decimals: Place value, four operations using the above methods
- Integers: Introducing positive and negative numbers in real-life contexts (e.g. credit and debt), and all four operations
- Order of Operations: Using the B.E.D.M.A.S procedure
- Financial Capability: Comparing food prices to calculate meal costs and exploring budgeting for a school garden
Year 8
- Special Numbers: Prime and composite numbers, square and cube numbers, rounding, multiples, factor trees
- Whole & Decimal Numbers: Operations up to 6 digits using vertical algorithms and division strategies
- Integers: Applying positive and negative numbers to financial contexts
- Order of Operations: Including integers in multi-step problems
- Financial Capability: Budgeting to purchase and maintain a vehicle; covering living wage vs. minimum wage, W.O.F., registration, insurance, and comparing petrol vs. hybrid costs
Year 9
- Special Numbers & Place Value: Building on Year 8 with larger numbers and more complex factorisation
- Whole & Decimal Numbers: Advanced algorithms with 4 × 3-digit multiplication and multi-digit division
- Integers: Applying integer operations to everyday financial scenarios
- Order of Operations: Creating real-world equations and solving using B.E.D.M.A.S
- Financial Capability: Exploring vehicle ownership costs and deeper financial language
Looking Ahead to Term Two
Next term we’ll shift focus to Algebra and Measurement. A key priority across all levels will be ensuring students are confident with their basic facts and times tables up to 12 × 12, as this underpins success in new concepts. Strengthening these foundations will allow us to move forward more effectively.
Thank you again for your support—let’s keep the momentum going into Term Two!
From PAT Maths Testing To Statistics And Data
Students completed the PAT maths test and now move into statistics and a possible end-of-term data investigation.
Wrapping Up Probability, Gearing Up for Geometry
Students finish Probability exploring theoretical vs experimental chance. Next week they dive into Geometry with perimeter, volume & transformations.
Building Skills in Rational Numbers and Statistics
This term begins with Rational Numbers, followed by Statistics, with the e-asTTle test set for Week 7. Regular practice is encouraged.
