Tournament of Minds 2024 Invitation to Years 4-6 and 7-10

We are excited to announce that Pulteney will take part in the Tournament of Minds (TOM) again in 2024. We encourage students with a passion for creative problem-solving and divergent thinking to participate. TOM is a great opportunity for students to work together with like-minded peers from different year levels, challenge themselves, and develop their skills.

TOM consists of two parts: a short spontaneous problem, and a long-term challenge. In Term 2, students will train for the spontaneous problem, while in Term 3, selected teams will work on solving the long-term challenge. On Sunday 8 September, teams will present their solutions as a performance at the TOM State Finals.

Ms Michelle Cordon and Ms Sarah Roff will facilitate the teams, with Ms Cordon working with Primary Years 4-6 students, and Ms Roff working with Secondary Years 7-10 students. Attendance at every training session is mandatory unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Starting from Week 2 of Term 2, here are the training times:

– Junior School: Monday and Friday at Recess in 5C

– Middle and Senior Teams: Monday and Wednesday at Recess in Allen Wing

Ms Cordon and Ms Roff will work closely with students during training sessions in Term 2 before selecting the final Pulteney TOM teams. Selection will be based on students’ commitment, teamwork, enthusiasm and work ethic demonstrated in Term 2. The balance of skills within the team will also be considered.

At the end of Term 2, students will be informed if they have been selected to participate in person, and families will receive an email. Although we will try to accommodate everyone interested, TOM limits teams to seven members, so some students may not be invited to join the official teams this year.

Starting from Week 2 of Term 3, the long-term challenge will be released. There will be at least two after-school sessions and two recess sessions over six weeks in Term 3. Since TOM is a collaborative event, team members must attend as many sessions as possible.

The Tournament International Final (TIF) will be held in Sydney from 31 October to 3 November. If your child’s team is successful at the SA State Finals, there will be a cost for families for their child to attend the International Final in Sydney. In 2022, when we went to Canberra, the cost was approximately $1500 per student plus spending money.

Thank you for your interest in TOM. For more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our facilitators or visit the TOM website: https://tom.edu.au/.

Sue Mavropoulos
Tournament of Minds Coordinator and Facilitator
Gifted and Talented Coordinator R-12
Head of Teaching and Learning Junior School