Category: Archives

SMC Sixth Form participates in the Euroscola Event

SMC Sixth Form participates in the Euroscola Event Students attending St Martin's College Sixth Form recently participated in the Euroscola event in Strasbourg, France. They were joined by over five hundred students from twenty-three countries of the European Union. The highlight of the Programme is a whole day spent at the European Parliament. Students took on the role of an MEP for the day and experienced debating different issues regarding the European Union. They were also given the opportunity to pose questions to MEP Michael Cramer. The two students who presented Malta and St Martin's College were Mattea Giglio and Julienne Restall. They addressed the students gathered in the European Parliament. Their presentation gave a clear insight into various aspects of the Maltese Islands as well as an overview of what Malta has to offer visitors. Apart from the day they spent at the European Parliament, the group also visited the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, where they were hosted by Chief Justice Dr Vincent De Gaetano. Students were given a presentation about the Court and the types of cases that this Court deliberates on. The intensive programme was complemented by visits to places of interest in the city of Strasbourg. Throughout the visit, St Martin's College Sixth Form students were accompanied by three of their lecturers, Ms Isabelle Caruana-Dingli, Ms Eleanor Abela and Mr Paul Portelli.
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End Of Year Celebration

End Of Year Celebration St Martin's College Sixth Form recently organised its annual end-of-year celebration. Throughout the evening, the College marked the end of the students' two-year programme of studies, and awarded special prizes and certificates to a number of students. This year, the ceremony was particularly significant since the College is celebrating its 10th year anniversary. Luke Calleja, Santana Bellerby and Valeriya Lakhtikova delivered the speeches on behalf of the students. They highlighted the significance of the event and explained the importance of the choices they will now have to face. Throughout his speech, Mr Anthony Abela, Senior Leader Sixth Form, focused on the various dimensions of success. He also underlined the value of the tailored learning opportunity that the College offers its students and referred to the various events, competitions and trips abroad that the students engaged in throughout the course of their studies. Ms Bernie Mizzi, Director of Chiswick House School and St Martin's College, presented certificates to all the students in the presence of their families, friends and College staff. Eight students received awards and certificates in recognition of outstanding efforts and achievements in particular areas, such as, self-discipline, independence and initiative. In order to be considered for an award, students had to be nominated by members of the academic staff. These awards were presented by Prof Gloria Lauri-Lucente, Deputy Dean Faculty of Arts and Head of the Department of Italian at the University of Malta. The recipients of this year's awards were: Award for Academic Excellence: Laura Demicoli, Francesca De Nova, Nicholas Dalli. Cooperation and Collaboration: Philip Ellul Independence and Initiative: Maxine Pace Self-Discipline: Sean Wismayer Leadership Qualities & Good Judgement: Ivana Kenovski Resilience, Perseverance & Tenacity: Antonio Polidano Vella
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Cambridge Immerse Scholarship Winner

Cambridge Immerse Scholarship Winner St Martin's College Sixth Form is pleased to announce the winner of its Cambridge Immerse Scholarship. The Scholarship was awarded to first-year student Julienne Restall, who was chosen for her academic achievements in the College's annual exams, attendance throughout the year, her letter of motivation, performance during the interview and exemplary school ethos. Julienne will be travelling to Cambridge in August to follow a two-week course in English Literature. The course covers various topics such as Literary Criticism, Periodisation, Editing, Eloquence and Literary Biography. Besides structured lectures, the programme also includes a number of interesting activities such as a day trip to London, formal dining in Cambridge's famous medieval banquet halls, a croquet tournament as well as a quintessential afternoon punting down the River Cam. "I am very excited about this unique opportunity," said Julienne. "I am looking forward to the very interesting course content, as well as meeting many different students from different countries. The Scholarship means a lot to me and I will make the most of every single day's experience." Congratulations Julienne! We look forward to hearing all about Julienne's learning in Cambridge. Julienne's Story Last June the school I attend, St Martin's College Sixth Form, announced a scholarship for the Cambridge Immerse experience aimed at students sitting for their first year annual exams. I was thrilled to have won this, which entailed travelling to Cambridge in England for a two-week course in an area that complements the subjects we study at Advanced level. I chose the English Literature course. All we had to do was have an excellent attendance record, write a motivational letter, perform well in an interview and obtain high grades in our end of year exams. Sounds easy right? WRONG. It took so much effort throughout the whole school year to get out of bed some days, let alone maintain perfect attendance. However, after many 'doing-homework-past-midnight' nights and amass of revision, the school year was over before I knew it, the letter of motivation submitted, and my annual examinations were done and dusted. On the 6th of August 2017, I waved goodbye to my family and friends as I embarked on the greatest journey of my life. Not only would I be studying in one of the world's leading universities on scholarship, but I was doing so all on my own. Upon arrival at Cambridge, I could not help
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Celebrating a Year of Singapore Maths

Celebrating A Year Of Singapore Maths Link to Video: https://www.facebook.com/ChiswickHouseSchool/videos/911385359025205/ Last September, Chiswick House School was the first school in Malta to follow the worldwide revolution in the teaching and learning of Mathematics by adopting the Singapore Maths approach across all levels. Singapore has ranked first in international studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for the past twenty years. This world-renowned approach is based on the fundamental pillars put forward by research in Mathematics Education. It places problem solving at its heart and encourages the use of concrete experiences before the introduction of more abstract concepts. This approach links beautifully to Chiswick House School's 21st century skills that focus on Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity. It has been a challenging but very exciting first year with lots of positive outcomes already observed. We hold high expectations for all learners and they in turn have taken this challenge. The programme we are following is well-structured and scaffolded so that plenty of repetition is possible not only during the same year but also across levels. The daily hands-on tasks have allowed the learners to develop a deeper understanding of the concepts introduced. They have also supported learners in making better connections between the Mathematics learnt in the classroom and that applied to their daily lives. It is Mathematics rooted in our everyday context. It has been a pleasure to listen to the daily discussions undertaken by the learners in which they analytically evaluate a given problem, come up with different methods to solve this and defend their arguments with their peers, learning key negotiating skills. Problem solving, a crucial aspect of Mathematics, was previously unattractive to our learners. Now, through the Singapore approach most children cannot get enough of it! Many parents have commented that they have seen a great shift in the mindsets of their young ones with regard to the aspect of problem solving as they now also look forward to making up their own challenges. This approach has also boosted summative assessment results. Finally, we have witnessed an increased passion towards Mathematics and look forward to repeating this success over the coming years. St Martin's College introduces Singapore Maths in Level 6 this coming September. We are delighted that many schools in Malta have come to observe our practice and together we shall see this approach in many Maltese schools. Let us
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