MATHS
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MATHEMATICS - Pi DAY 2026
The International Day of Mathematics falls annually on the 14th of March, also known as Pi Day.
The 2026 theme for the IDM is Mathematics and Hope as - “Connecting hope and mathematics creates opportunities for deeper insight and knowledge. Mathematics gives us hope to understand reality and truth clearly, share common definitions, learn cooperation, use data responsibly, find win-win strategies, and more.”
Each year McKinnon marks the IDM with our annual Pi reciting competition. Students are challenged to recite as many decimal places of the irrational number pi (3.1415926535 ....) as they can to celebrate all that is beautiful, challenging, powerful, rational and irrational about mathematics. This year it was held at East Campus on Wednesday 18 March and will be held at McKinnon Rd on Friday 20 March. I look forward to cheering along all the participants and celebrating our year level champions.
A big thank you to all staff involved in running the event, students who competed, and friends who came and cheered on their peers. We look forward to seeing you all next year!
NEW MATHS STAFF
We are very pleased to welcome new staff to the mathematics key learning area who bring with them a fantastic wealth of knowledge, experience, and energy as well as their love of all things Maths!
Fotini Malakasiotis
My name is Fotini, but you can call me Tini for short (like tini tiny). I am a graduate teacher, finished my Master of Teaching mid last year, and working at Glen Eira College for a Fixed-Term position during Term 3. Outside of teaching, I play netball for the MCC, enjoy video games, and love discussing movies and shows.
My teaching philosophy is based on building relationships with my students, so that we can have open communication, where they feel that they can ask me any question without judgement. I also love to incorporate the interests of my students into my teaching. For example, the Year 8 geometry unit will have a hook based on the 3D coordinate system used in Minecraft.
I'm so happy to be at McKinnon and look forward to seeing how the year unfolds.
Alina Wang
I am a Maths and Commerce teacher with a specialisation in Economics. This year, I am teaching Year 7 Maths, General Mathematics and Commerce. I really enjoy working with numbers and problem-solving, and I believe it is important for students to apply knowledge in everyday life scenarios. Prior to McKinnon, I worked at various other schools in Melbourne, teaching diverse students. Outside of teaching, my interests include audio production and cooking. I look forward to being a part of the McKinnon Community!
Lily Vrettos
I’m excited to be joining the McKinnon School community and look forward to getting to know the wonderful staff and students. When I’m not at school, I love spending my spare time experimenting in the kitchen, getting my hands dirty in the garden, or curling up with a good mystery, crime, or fantasy novel.
Bun Ung
I’ve been teaching mathematics for over 15 years driven by the belief that everyone can get better at maths! I became a teacher because I want to pass on my passion for mathematics and I love explaining the logic behind how to solve maths problems. Every “aha!” moment a student has reminds me why I’m here: to make math meaningful, accessible, and even enjoyable.
Annie Vo
My name is Annie Vo, and I have been teaching for 6 years. My previous school was Timbarra P-9 College, so I have had the delight of teaching Years 7, 8 and 9 Math my whole career. Some random fun facts about me are that I used to be part of a dodgeball team cleverly named “The Dodge-fathers”, to which we won one final (in B league).
I also own a gorgeous greyhound, an ex-racing dog whose racing name was ‘Deltora Quest’, who like me, promptly retired after winning one out of 20 races. As a maths teacher, I am very passionate about all things numbers but am also very interested in Psychology and Dance, both areas that I taught briefly during my placements. I am very excited and grateful for my start at Mckinnon Secondary College and cannot wait to get to know the students and staff here.
MATHS HELP/CLUB
As the Key Learning Area Manager for Maths, I want all students to find Maths as fun, interesting and endlessly fascinating as I do. However, I also recognise that it can be very challenging, and you need perseverance to succeed. Sometimes students may need some extra time or assistance to grasp ideas and skills.
At school there are many ways a student can seek support, through their classroom teachers but also at our regular lunchtime Maths Help/Club sessions. These sessions have been very well attended so far this year across all year levels, and it is great to see students’ dedication and perseverance.
These run on every:
Monday in A15 at McKinnon Rd Campus for Year 7 students only.
Tuesday and Thursday in A17 at McKinnon Rd Campus.
Wednesday and Friday in V1.6 East Campus (room V2.3).
Everyone is welcome to bring their lunch and complete their homework, ask questions, both specific to their work or to extend their mathematical knowledge.
Emma Mullane
Key Learning Area Manager - Mathematics