Promenade Exhibition
Promenade Exhibition Yesterday was a big day for our Level 2 pupils. To conclude our Kreattiv Project, pupils performed in a promenade exhibition which took place all around the school. Well done to all pupils and staff for putting together such a spectacular exhibition! Watch the video below to get a taster of what went on… More info about the project… Kreattiv is a funding programme that engages educators and creative practitioners in dialogue and collaboration while encouraging students and educators towards further engagement within the creative sector. KREATTIV aims to bring creative practitioners into schools to work with teachers and students to inspire, learn and create in a collaborative and innovative way. Level 2 pupils have worked on this project throughout their second term. They had the unique experience of working with creative professionals who introduced them to different styles of music, instruments and dance. Their timeline began with the classical era and ended with modern hip hop music. The final phase of this project involved a walk-through exhibition allowing family members to get a taste of all the different skills pupils had the opportunity of experiencing. Throughout the term pupils participated in ballet workshops with Christina Aquilina and Jade Farrugia, Jazz dance workshops with Francesco Nicodeme and Hip hop dance with Valerie Burke. From the music section they learnt about opera with Francesca Aquilina, the cello with Gilmour Peplow, the keyboard with Tom Armitage, the trumpet and also electronic music with Jess Rymer and pop music with Lisa Bonello. During the exhibition each class performed a dance or a music section together with the professional artists. They started off by explaining what they had learnt in each section. An art exhibition was also set up with art pieces created by the pupils themselves. Level 5 pupils guided the different groups from one station to the other. Whilst moving from one performance to another, family members were entertained by a few Level 4 and 5 pupils playing different instruments.
Celebrating a Year of Singapore Maths at Chiswick House School
Celebrating a Year of Singapore Maths at Chiswick House School Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/ChiswickHouseSchool/videos/911385359025205/ In September 2016, 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
UK Course for CHS Level Leaders
UK Course for CHS Level Leaders Chiswick House School Level Leaders have just attended a course in the UK about Leadership. This gave them further skills which will allow them to lead quality teaching and learning within their level more effectively. The group also visited Sandringham Primary School, where they witnessed great practices which they shall implement at CHS in order to ensure that we keep giving learners the best learning opportunities possible.
Trip to Transylvania, Romania
Trip to Transylvania, Romania Five students attending St Martin's College Sixth Form, recently spent a fortnight in Transylvania carrying out biodiversity surveys and collecting data from forests, meadows and grasslands with the purpose of aiding the local communities. The expedition was a unique opportunity to practice active citizenship as part of a larger group of volunteers assisting highly professional scientists in their surveys. These annual expeditions are organised by Operation Wallacea (Opwall), an organisation that runs biological and conservation management research programmes in remote locations across the world. The students visited Messendorf and Viscri, two remote Saxon villages situated within the Tarnave Mare Natura 2000 region. They were accompanied by one of their Systems of Knowledge lecturers, Ms Rita Gatt.
Ice Breaking Activity
Ice Breaking Activity A group of over a hundred first-year students attending St Martin's College Sixth Form, recently participated in an 'Ice Breaking Day' which was organised to welcome the new cohort of students. The event consisted of team-building activities which were held at Mistra Bay, during which the students had the opportunity to get to know each other better before starting their formal lectures. Besides a number of activities which kept students engaged in their teams, the main task of the day was for each team to build a raft from barrels, wooden posts and rope. The students launched the rafts and tested their sea-worthiness. After an eventful morning, all the students enjoyed a tasty BBQ to round off the day's activities.
New Student Council
New Student Council A new student council has just been elected at St Martin's College Sixth Form. Congratulations to Luke Calleja, Jessica Chappell, Julia Mangion, Ben Grech and David Chetcuti Dimech. We are looking forward to another fruitful year full of activities. We are sure that the students' council will yet again give a positive contribution to student life and the College.
Extreme Weather Talk and Film
Extreme Weather Talk and Film First and second year Geography Advanced and Intermediate students, accompanied by their lecturer Ms Rebecca Cassar, attended the European premier of the National Geographic documentary Extreme Weather at the Eden Cinemas. The event began with a short talk by University lecturer Ritienne Gauci (second from the the right in attached photograph) from the Department of Geography. Here she spoke about the hazards of global warming and extreme weather events in the Maltese Islands. The talk highlighted a number of issues discussed during class and was received well by both students and lecturer.
Juvenes Translatores
Juvenes Translatores SMC students taking Maltese at Advanced level, participated in the EU translation contest 'Juvenes Translatores'. This translation contest gave the students an opportunity to test their Maltese and English language skills and to try their hand at translation which is such a precious tool in our bilingual situation in Malta and in the multilingual European Union. The students were guided by their Maltese teacher, Ms Jacqueline Zammit.