Math Team

Coached by David Millard

The Presumpscot Math Team has begun!  Every fall we start practicing for the upcoming meets. There are four regional meets held at the Expo and three Portland-only meets, held at various Portland elementary schools. Our first meet was a regional meet at the Expo on October 30th, from 2-4 p.m.  Our first Portland meet will be held at Reiche School on the morning of December 6.

The Math team is open to all 5th Graders at Presumpscot School. There is no try-out. We meet twice a week; once after school and once during recess. Each practice is an hour long. The Math Team requires a high level of commitment from its members. It is also expected that math team members will be cooperative, willing, have solid arithmetic skills, and enjoy a challenge.  Math meets are given in three rounds; an arithmetic section, a geometry section and a mixture of both for a final team round, where each team works together to solve problems. The first rounds are individual rounds in Portland meets, and no talking is allowed.

Our goals include increasing both mathematical flexibility and persistence in finding solutions. Students will also be learning some advanced math and problem solving strategies, along with an expanded math vocabulary. Parent volunteers are always welcome to participate as proctors. Attending a math meet is a unique experience.When was the last time you were in a room with hundreds of children, and no one was talking?

Here are some sample questions:
1) The perimeter of one square is twice that of another . If a side of the larger square is 6 cm long, what is the area of the smaller square?
2) If the ratio of two numbers is 4 to 5, then what will the numerator be in an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 105?