The sums were right in the 2023 Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition, with students from across the Central Coast excelling in the annual event.
With participants from 330 schools across the Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, North Coast, Northern Rivers, Central West, Riverina and New England North West, the competition challenges students to complete 35 questions without help from calculators, rulers or other mathematical instruments
Local students took first and second placings in both the Year 5 and Year 6 divisions, with first place in Year 5 going to Coast Christian School’s Roy Feria Amador and second to Gosford Public School’s Alex Shi.
Gosford Public School further shined in Year 6, with Daniel Yang finishing equal first and Reggy Wu coming in second.
Newcastle Permanent Chief Distribution Officer Paul Juergens presented major award winners with their prizes in a ceremony at the Newcastle Permanent Centre of Excellence, while district awards were presented at local branches across NSW.
“For the second year running Central Coast students have topped both the Year 5 and Year 6 divisions which is a wonderful achievement, so I extend my congratulations to the students and their teachers for their fantastic efforts,” Juergens 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.