Math is everywhere. It’s in the number of kilometres it takes to get to school each morning and in the countdown to Christmas break. It powers your favourite video games, calculates the fuel needed for airplanes, and helps engineers design the world around us. Whether we notice it or not, math is woven into our daily lives, and it belongs to everyone!

For many, the word math can spark feelings of stress or uncertainty, but it doesn’t have to! When we explore it through curiosity, creativity, and real-world connections, math becomes exciting, rewarding, and even fun. Below are some stories from across our schools that show just how impactful math can be.

“There is a lot of math in sports. When I’m playing soccer, I have to count the players. When I’m taking a free kick, I have to calculate how many people are around me, or even how many goals we have to get to win. — Oreo, a Grade 6 student at Pius XII CES.

Students at St. Benedict CSS Are Prepping for Math Contests

Students at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School recently welcomed a special guest, Mr. Te Bokkel, from the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing at the University of Waterloo.

Each year, over 100 students from Grades 9 to 12 at St. Benedict participate in the Canadian Intermediate and Senior Mathematics Contests, with many going on to compete in additional provincial and national challenges. To help sharpen their skills, Mr. Te Bokkel led a workshop focused on problem-solving strategies and pattern recognition.

Throughout his session, he encouraged students to step back and look at the bigger picture when approaching complex questions. He shared a memorable analogy: while you could kill a fly with a fly swatter or a sledgehammer, it’s always best to choose the simpler, more efficient tool. The same idea applies to math. Simplifying the problem first often leads to clearer, faster solutions.

Students left feeling motivated, better prepared, and excited for the competitions ahead. With growing interest and strong participation, St. Benedict continues to build a community of creative, confident problem solvers. Best of luck to all competitors this year!

“To get better at hockey or the piano, you have to practice. The same can be applied to math.” – Mr. Te Bokkel

Math Buddies at St. David CES

At St. David Catholic Elementary School, students are discovering that math becomes more meaningful when we learn it together. The Learning Buddies partnership between Ms. Visentin’s Grade 4/5 class and Mrs. Healy’s FDK students pairs older and younger learners to explore number sense, math vocabulary, and problem-solving side by side.

For the younger students, learning with an older peer makes math feel exciting and approachable. They hear math language used naturally in conversation, practice skills through repeated play, and build the confidence to take risks and persist through challenges. With a buddy cheering them on, motivation and focus grow.

For the Grade 4/5 students, teaching math strengthens their own understanding. Explaining concepts aloud encourages flexible thinking and deepens comprehension. They also develop patience, communication skills, and leadership as they guide their younger peers and begin to notice how math connects to everyday life.

Together, both groups are building positive math mindsets. They’re discovering that math can be social, creative, and fun, and that everyone has a place in the world of numbers. And along the way, they’re building a stronger classroom community!

“I’m really good at math, so it’s nice that I get to teach younger students who need extra help.” – Parker, a Grade 5 student at St. David CES.

Math-ketball at Bishop Alexander Carter CSS

Students in Mr. Yoo and Mrs. Denomme’s Grade 11 University/College Math class paired up and participated in a fun and competitive review game called “Math-ketball.” Working in pairs, students solved problems from previous lessons to prepare for their upcoming test. After checking their answers with the teacher, who confirmed whether they were correct or incorrect, students who got it right earned a chance to shoot a ball into the net from the 1-point, 2-point, or 3-point line. If their answer was incorrect, they had to revisit their work, fix the mistake, and return to verify their corrected solution before shooting.

If students made a basket, they got to choose a number from 1 to 100. At the end of the game, a random number generator selected the winning number, and that pair won a Tim Hortons gift certificate!

An Interview with a Mathalon Champion!

Have you ever wanted to see just how far your math skills can take you? That’s what a Knowledgehook Mathalon is all about! With about 100 questions to solve, students set personal goals and work through each challenge one by one. Along the way, they discover that math can be both exciting and rewarding, building confidence and problem-solving skills that last long after the competition ends.

The Mathalon is all about personal growth, perseverance, and the satisfaction of seeing your progress question by question. We sat down with the SCDSB’s first Mathalon champion: Audrey Wicklander, a Grade 5 student at Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School.

Many other SCDSB students have been inspired to take on Mathalons of their own. Across our schools, students are pushing themselves, setting personal goals, and discovering a new excitement for mathematics. Their efforts have been recognized at student celebration assemblies, with more students set to be honoured at upcoming recognition awards.

How to Beat Math Anxiety

Have you ever heard someone say “math is for boys” and “English is for girls”? Or that “you’re either born good at math or you’re not”? That couldn’t be more wrong! Math isn’t about who you are, it’s about how you think, explore, and practice. While it can feel challenging at times, math isn’t the scary subject it’s made out to be. In fact, struggles often mean you’re learning and growing. With the right mindset, encouragement, and a little perseverance, anyone can build confidence in math. So take a deep breath, ask questions, make mistakes, and celebrate your progress because math belongs to everyone.

Here are some practical, student-friendly strategies from our Mental Health Team to shake off the math blues and create some excitement for the subject:

Pumpkins + curious minds = powerful math learning!

This week, our French Immersion kindergarten students at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School explored a pumpkin and turned it into a lively math inquiry! After making predictions (“Combien de graines ?”), students scooped and counted loose pumpkin seeds aloud — “un, deux, trois…” — before grouping them by tens to find the total number inside. This hands-on investigation directly connects to the Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours frame in The Kindergarten Program, where children use concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity, and number relationships.

The students extended the pumpkin theme through a variety of engaging tabletop activities. These explorations help support our young learners count and match groups of objects.

Meanwhile, the inquiry mindset of predicting, observing, counting, and discussing aligns with the program’s emphasis on children adopting an inquiry stance: questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating.

Pius XII Batters Up!

When the World Series buzz swept through Ms. Filice’s Grade 6 classroom, students couldn’t stop talking baseball. So instead of just watching the excitement from the sidelines, the class brought the action to life with a math-powered tournament inspired by Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks’ called Batter’s Up.

To kick things off, students crafted their own place value cubes instead of using store-bought dice. Working in randomly selected teams, each group built a six-digit number using digit cards, placing each number carefully from the hundred-thousands place all the way down to the ones. Once numbers were complete and carefully read aloud, it was game time!

Just like in baseball, one team would “pitch” their cube across the playing space while a player from the opposing team “batted” it away with their hand. When the cube landed, the face-up place value determined which digit to score. For example, if ten-thousands was rolled and the team’s number had a 3 in that position, they earned 30,000 points for that round. Players recorded their points using expanded notation and kept adding them up across ten intense rounds.

Not only was the tournament packed with cheering, strategy, and friendly competition, but it put key math skills to work, including:

• Place value to the hundred-thousands,
• Addition using expanded notation,
• Mental math,
• Teamwork and communication.

After all teams rotated through batting and pitching, final scores were tallied and the bracket was complete. When the last “innings” wrapped, the Halloween Jays claimed the championship title!

“Math is important because, no matter what job you do, it involves math; even if you think it doesn’t. Every job in the world involves math, even playing baseball.” – Richard, a Grade 6 student at Pius XII CES.

Family Game Night at St. Charles Catholic Elementary!

Join us for our very first Family Game Night on Tuesday, November 25 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. in the St. Charles Catholic Elementary School gym! Students and their families are invited to explore math through fun, hands-on games and engaging activities designed to spark curiosity and friendly competition.

There will be math-themed prizes to be won throughout the evening, so bring your best problem-solving skills and get ready to play!

This event is exclusive to St. Charles Catholic Elementary School students and families. We can’t wait to see you there!

Math is Here to Stay

Math isn’t going anywhere, and that’s a good thing. The more we explore it, practice it, and play with it, the more familiar it becomes. So make friends with math now, and it will support you in school, in problem-solving, and in everyday life for years to come.

One great way to build confidence is by using tools like Knowledgehook.com, which helps students strengthen their math skills through interactive challenges and real-time feedback. It turns learning into something engaging, supportive, and fun, both inside and outside the classroom!

As Director of Education, I want to keep celebrating the incredible math learning happening across our schools. Share your stories, projects, and breakthroughs with us at info@sudburycatholicschools.ca to update us on your math journey. I can’t wait to hear from you, because I really do love math!

Morris Hucal

Director of Education