Mathematics

Highlights from 2023 were:

HSC results

The 2023 Year 12 cohort achieved some of the strongest HSC results seen at Warners Bay High School in recent years. The Mathematics department helped students to achieve to their potential throughout the year with:

• 1 student in Extension 2 achieving a Band E3.
• 1 student in Extension 1 achieving the highest possible Band, a Band E4, and 4 students achieving a Band E3.
• 1 student in Advanced Maths achieving a Band 6 (as well as 3 of the extension 2 students receiving a notional Band 6, meaning that if they had sat the advanced exam, they would have achieved a Band 6). A further 3 students achieved a Band 5 in the Advanced course.
• 3 students in Standard 2 achieving a Band 6 and 14 students achieving a Band 5.
• 3 students in Standard 1 achieving a Band 5.
• These are excellent results. All of these students embodied the spirit of a mathematician. They embraced the challenges of mathematics and worked hard to understand how mathematics connects everything around us through creative and critical thinking and problem solving. Above all, these students sought to understand why things worked the way they did, which allowed for a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts.

Breakfast Club

During 2023, the Maths faculty introduced Maths Breakfast Club. The breakfast club runs each Monday morning from 8:15 am and allows students a safe place to seek further support and help from experienced and dedicated maths teachers whilst also enjoying some hot chocolate. Breakfast club has grown in popularity throughout the year. There were a number of times where multiple rooms needed to be opened up to accommodate the influx in students seeking help.

Ninja Maths

The Ninja Maths program was introduced into Stage 4 classrooms during 2023 to improve fluency in foundation skills through regular practice. Stage 4 students spent the first 10 minutes of every lesson practicing basic numeracy skills and getting teacher feedback to improve their skills. Foundations testing conducted throughout the year showed an increase in the number of students demonstrating mastery of the four operations. Most notable was a 12% increase in the number of students with mastery of their timestables. 

Week of Inspirational Maths

To begin their journey through high school Mathematics, we encourage Year 7 to approach maths with a growth mindset. Time is taken at the start of the year to give students messages about 'You can exercise your brain', 'No one is a maths or non-maths person', 'Speed is not important in maths', 'Struggle and mistakes are important in maths, you learn more from them' and 'Everyone can learn maths to high levels'. These messages encourage positive self-talk about maths and promote having a go. A growth mindset is vital to learning anything to the best of your ability. The Week of Inspirational Maths program is a favourite among teachers and students alike.