DENMAN Public School Year 5 student Ashton Blake received the top title in his division of the 37th annual Newcastle Permanent Primary Schools Mathematics Competition.
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He sat the 35-question exam paper along with almost 19,000 pupils from 323 primary schools across the Hunter, Central Coast, Northern Rivers, Mid-North Coast, New England and Central West regions in August.
Newcastle Permanent CEO Terry Millett congratulated the student on his achievement during Wednesday’s presentation at McDonald Jones Stadium.
“A big congratulations to Ashton for his excellent work topping the Denman region and taking out the District Award for his school,” he said.
“Ashton, his family and school can be very proud.
“It’s clear he has an aptitude for mathematics.
“I’m sure we will be seeing great things from Ashton in the years to come.
“Newcastle Permanent recognises mathematics as a fundamental life skill and the ongoing support from local schools highlights the importance of numeracy and literacy.
“The Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition has been encouraging students to become enthusiastic about mathematics since 1981.
“The increasing number of schools participating in recent years shows it continues to be very popular with pupils, and reinforces the relevancy of mathematics in the school curriculum.”
Denman Public School principal Megan Druitt also commended Ashton on his outstanding results.
“All members of our school community are very proud of the Year 5 and 6 students who achieved success in this year’s competition,” she said.
“And, particularly Ashton, for achieving such a wonderful result.
“Denman Public School has a history of strong results in mathematics and this year’s entries continued this success with a total of 18 merit certificates, eight distinctions and one high distinction awarded to pupils at our school.”
Different to typical tests, Newcastle Permanent’s Primary School Mathematics Competition challenges students to complete the exam without using calculators, rulers or geometrical instruments.
Participating schools are divided into the Hunter, Northern and Central West regions, with the top-ranking pupils from each year receiving an award shield for their school in recognition of their achievement.
One hundred top performing students from all regions are invited to attend an intensive two-day Mathematics Camp in March 2018, where they have the opportunity to hone their skills and meet other students with similar interests and abilities.