09/03/2026
Next week marks a busy time in schools around Australia, with NAPLAN beginning on Wednesday. The week also includes one of our favourite dates, 14 March — the International Day of Mathematics (IDM). In this series of social media posts we’ll explore some NAPLAN-friendly activities alongside great resources to help you celebrate IDM with your students and school community.
This year’s IDM theme is Mathematics and Hope — a pairing that might not seem immediately obvious, but perhaps it should be. Here’s what the IDM team say about the theme:
‘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.’
From climate modelling to medical research, from infrastructure design to economic forecasting, mathematics underpins our capacity to respond thoughtfully to complex challenges and to build a better future.
Each year, the IDM team also creates a beautiful poster that celebrates and captures the theme. The accompanying images are taken from this year’s poster, which you can download here:
🔗 https://www.idm314.org/decorate
