We are justifiably proud of our high standards in numeracy in Scoil San Treasa.

As indicated previously, in line with the National Strategy for Literacy and Numeracy we are giving added focus to aspects of the Maths programme right throughout the school. These include the following areas: problem-solving, boosting further the positive attitude to Maths, oral and mental Maths, the language of Maths and linking Maths with the real world and practical, everyday activities. On a pilot basis for the next few weeks, we will be posting a ‘problem’ or ‘challenge’ on the school website each Friday – one for Juniors (restricted to pupils from Infants to Second Class) and one for the whole school (open to all pupils).

Children will be welcome to attempt the problem/challenge, write their suggested answer on a sheet of paper (together with their full name and class) and post it in the specially-designed boxes in the school foyer by 2:20pm on the following Wednesday. There will be a small prize for the first correct solution drawn from each box – to be awarded on the Thursday or Friday. In this way, there will be an element of luck involved. Participation in SST Solve-A-Problem is optional. The problems/challenges posed will take a variety of forms and will vary in degree of difficulty. Some of them may not initially seem to be closely linked to Maths at all but may nevertheless prompt your child’s problem-solving and thinking skills, and may whet their appetite for problem solving. Just as is the case with real-life problems, some of the problems may be perplexing and difficult, some may be relatively easy, some may have more than one correct solution and some may take a while to tease out. We hope that you will find this to be another useful way of engaging your child with Maths in a broad and thought-provoking way that is not restricted to the classroom or textbook.