OCTOBER 2010
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 01
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE ONLINE WEEKLY GAZETTE CREATING AN INTERACTIVE COLLEGE COMMUNITY OF INFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT
In this Issue Gazette News Welcome to the first edition of the new ‘Edwardian Gazette’ Message from the Headmaster Dear Parents and Community Members Personality of the Week Professor Edward De Bono IB Page Sixth Form News SEC News Our School Development Plan Boarding at College: Now OPEN Notices Trivia Crossword SEC Past & Present History Parents’ Communication Note to Parents Teaching Staff 2010 SEC Kindergarten Welcome new SEC Students Weekly Calendar This week at St Edward’s College
College website link: St Edward’s College
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Gazette News WELCOME TO THE FIRST NEW EDITION OF THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE! Dear all
With this first issue we are officially launching the new online flip page version. With this distinctive finish and display, we are sure that the Gazette will reach a new level of popularity and interactivity with all the College community. Students and faculty members will eventually come to identify the Gazette as the location for noting and developing ideas. We are striving to create a communal bridge between: Students, Teachers, Parents, Old Edwardians, College Associates and Officials.
This issue includes various features which are sure to interest all age groups. Some features will be constant and others will vary each time where applicable. Constant features include the Headmaster’s Message, the IB Page and many others. In this issue we are introducing ‘SEC Past & Present’, a series of articles about the College based on research and information gathered from diverse locations and personalities. Each issue will relate an episode of the school’s history and current situation. These short stories will include past and present pictures, interviews with old Edwardians and personalities.
Every week, we shall tackle various arguments and ongoing in-house as well as international news. All sections of the School will have a space and I guarantee that this new Weekly Gazette will be jam-packed with activities, articles, news, trivia etc
All those who wish to advertise or have their work published on the Gazette, please contact me on marketing@stedwards.edu.mt
M L Fenech Marketing Executive
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Message from the Headmaster Dear Parents and Community Members 1 October 2010 The Weekly Gazette – Issue 1
I do hope you like our new Gazette!! Of course, this new format is a work in progress and will develop week by week into a superb, effective and attractive communication tool. If you are interested in advertising in the Gazette, please email Ms Maria Fenech marketing@stedwards.edu.mt
I trust that everyone had a very enjoyable and restful break. It was certainly terrific to see all our students back at College bringing with them such enthusiasm; three months is, indeed, a very, very long time! Of course, our IB students have been back for a number of weeks now as they have to fit in with the international academic calendar. In welcoming students back, I would particularly like to extend a warm greeting to all students new to the College. WELCOME.
This year is particularly exciting as the teaching staff embark on an extremely significant educational initiative within our School Development Plan. Of particular importance is an absolute commitment to emphasize higher level skills that are NOT demanded by MATSEC. Too often, the emphasis has been on regurgitation of knowledge. Yes, this skill will likely get a student through O’ levels but it certainly does not prepare them for the high level intellectual rigor of IB.
Simply, there is a massive gap between what is expected by the National Curriculum (at all levels) and what we, as a College expect. In a nutshell, of course, we want all our students to be able to pass the exams and we want all our students to be able to apply themselves using more complex cognitive skills. Students need to learn more about how they learn. Best wishes
Michael Chittenden Headmaster
Quote of the week "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Confucius
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Personality of the Week
Prof. Edward de Bono The College is very pleased that Professor Edward De Bono gave a special address to our IB students on Tuesday 24 November 2009 It was indeed an absolute privilege to welcome back Professor De Bono to his former College.
Ed ward de Bono was born in Malta in 1933. He attended St text, and place photo here. Edward's College,Delete Malta during World War II and then the University of Malta where he qualified in medicine. He continued as a Rhodes Scholar, to Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained an Ho nours Degree in Psychology and Physiolo gy and then a D.Phil in medicine.
Prof. Edward de Bono
“St. Edward‟s provided me with the necessary basis for my work in seeking to improve world thinking… Both „lateral thinking‟ and „parallel thinking‟ are now in use worldwide with millions of school children and top level executives. There are now seventy six books with translations into forty-one languages. St. Edward‟s provided the basis for all this.”
He also holds a PhD fro m Cambrid ge and an MD fro m the University of Malta. He has held appointments at the Universities of Oxford, Lo ndon, Cambrid ge and Harvard. Dr Ed ward de Bono is one of the very few people in history who can be said to have had a major impact on the way we think. In many ways he could be said to be the best kno wn thinker internati o nally.
Professor Edward de Bono - originator of the concept of Lateral Thinking
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE IB Page
Sixth Form News The College welcomes all our new IB students to our 6 th Form. We welcome back our Year 13 students. The photo below features most of our
International Baccalaureate
IB students (4 are absent). More Pictures
St Edward's College was authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) commencing September 2009. It is important to note that the language of instruction is English. Why IB? The IBDP is one of the most widely recognised pre-university qualifications available to date. It is accepted by most major universities (including Oxbridge, Sorbonne and Harvard) in over 121 countries as an entry qualification.
St Edward’s IB Sixth Form 2010
Due to its integrity and value, a
On Friday 10 September, the College welcomed its new contingent of First
number of universities in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and
Year 6th Formers. Our Year 12 students’ which includes 13 girls entered the
France also offer scholarships for recipients of the IB Diploma.
demands are incredibly different from what they had previously experience.
College with such spark and enthusiasm. They quickly found out that the IB
Mr. Thomas and I are very pleased with the commencement of the year. May the positives continue!
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE SEC News Our School Development Plan We are currently developing a College Plan which will determine our directions for the next 2 years. In this context the ethos of St Edward’s College is crucial to successful progress. In positive schools, there is a determined corporate spirit within the teaching staff where failure is not an option. There is a culture of self-belief and responsive attitudes to change; there is a feeling of pride in their own and their School’s achievements. There are positive attitudes towards students, the constant encouragement of them in all aspects of their College life and instilling in them the belief that they can achieve and all contribute to the raising of standards.
There are three main aspects:
The prime aim of any School Development Plan is to raise standards. We must commit ourselves to the notion that we are all learners. Staff must be open to new learning and, hence, change.
The following points cannot be over-emphasised:
1) Staff and students must embrace the Learner Profile wholeheartedly. 2) Staff and students must place more emphasis on learning to learn as opposed to the content driven nature of learning. 3) Learning opportunities must be differentiated to take into account different abilities within the same class. Our core business at St Edward’s College is learning both for students and staff. It is, therefore, logical and correct that our School Development Plan (SDP) should direct all its energies into the improvement of teaching and learning in order that all students’ attainment levels are raised and College’s Mission Statement is achieved.
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE SEC News Our School Development Plan The improvement of learning has its roots in the teaching staff’s competencies. Again, it is, therefore, logical and correct that significant energy be put into developing competencies and assessing that development against criteria which is closely linked to The Learner Profile.
Hence, each teacher’s competency criterion has been developed from this profile. Please click on the following link to view the Teaches’ Competencies. It is the task of the Management Team to assess teachers’ competency against each criterion. Teacher assessment is not only confined to management. As teachers, we can learn so much from the students we teach. Feedback from students about our teaching will be formalised using the Student Feedback Form which will be developed collaboratively by Staff.
It is all very well to have a finely written SDP but unless it is seen as a document in action, the product and process becomes cosmetic. In this context, then, there are 2 very important processes to be put into place:
Ongoing collaborative and critical action research
Self-evaluation through tracking and monitoring of targets and action plans
Ongoing, collaborative, critical action research concerns itself with identifying objectives, designing classroom research to achieve or develop these objectives and sharing the results. Critical analysis of achievements and further research are essential components.
The SDP will be completed very shortly. In fact, the teaching staff has already embarked on their objectives as these were developed last week. I very much look forward to presenting more details to you in the next few Gazettes.
The Annual SEPTA Fair -Sunday 17 October from 10:00am to 6pm. Please email Mr. Chris Naudi if you can help on the day. chris.naudi@mt.ey.com
T
E
HE NowDWARDIAN Boarding at College: OPEN
GAZETTE
Live the Experience: Group Bookings Are Most Welcome I am happy to advise you the College will be starting international and local boarding again in September 2010. This is an important development as the College was once ‘boarding only’.
We are offering a number of options for Maltese students from Year 7. These are:
Weekly boarding for the whole of the scholastic year (no weekends)
Term boarding (no weekends)
Casual boarding – any number of days/weeks according to individual circumstances.
Comments: It may be that a group of friends wish to have a boarding experience for a term. It may be that parents need to have their sons and daughters boarded for a few days. We have the flexibility to deal with different arrangements.
The boarding fees (not including tuition fees) are as follows:
Weekly boarding for the whole of the scholastic year (no weekends) = €8000 pa
Term boarding (no weekends) = €3000 – 1 term
Casual boarding – any number of days/weeks according to individual circumstances (no weekends) = €50 per night
Monthly boarding for exam preparation = €1000.
If you are interested in finding out more, please email me on: hm@stedwards.edu.mt
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Notices From the Library “Agenda Books for Schools" Offer The vouchers you received when purchasing your textbooks from Agenda, can be donated to College. Agenda kindly exchanges these for free Books for the School library. By doing this, your child will benefit significantly, as the College will have a greater variety of books. If you wish to participate (and I encourage you to do so), please give your son the vouchers in an envelope marked ‘Library’. Thank you!
Second Hand Book Sale Please collect those books that were not sold. Cheques from the sale of books are also available from the Headmaster’s Secretary. Thank you
Languages Department 2010-2011 Meeting for parents & students of Year 10 to discuss: Teaching methods, ‘O’ Level course and French exchange Friday 8 October at 3:30 in the College Hall
French Exchange. (14 girls and 12 boys participating) French students in Malta: Monday 21 to Monday 28 March 2011 Maltese students in France: Saturday 16 April to Saturday 23 April 2011 Thank you
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Trivia Crossword Puzzle
The puzzles are open to all students, staff and members of the College Please print and solve puzzle. Send to College together with your details or else scan the completed puzzle and email M L Fenech Marketing Executive St Edward’s College Cottonera marketing@stedwards.edu.mt
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE SEC Past & Present History St Edward’s Catholic School for Boys, later known as St Edward’s College, came into being thanks to the kind generosity of Baroness Strickland, Countess Della Catena, who offered the necessary financial backing to build a school given that an appropriate site was found. The College, built on British Public School ideals, offset the void left in the Maltese education system by the departure of the English Jesuits and the closure of their school, St Ignatius College in 1908.
The governor of Malta, Sir John Philip Ducane, managed to obtain the buildings of what was once the Cottonera Military Hospital, along with the parade ground adjoining to St. Clements’s bastions. The perimeter of the Western side of the site formed part of the impressive Cottonera lines, a fortified wall built by the Knights of St John. The extensive grounds between the bastion walls and the old hospital buildings would serve as ideal recreational areas and would also give the College enough space for expansion when needed.
Thus, with an ideal site secured and the necessary financial backing guaranteed, a small group of distinguished gentlemen gathered in Valletta on the 18 of January; 1929, to sign a Deed of Trust. The following October the College opened its gates to twenty nine foundation pupils! The numbers of pupils during the College’s first years would remain considerably low due to the relatively high fees which were necessary to keep the College running. The British Council’s timely financial backing made it possible for the College to lower fees for local pupils and, as a result, the population grew steadily. In the mid-thirties, an old ammunitions depot built by the Knights of St John was converted into the College’s magnificent chapel. Physics and Chemistry laboratories and additional dormitories were also developed at this time. By the late thirties it became apparent that the buildings could not be altered or modified further and the construction of a new wing was proposed. However, these plans had to be shelved since the College’s perilously close proximity to Malta’s main harbours necessitated a temporary relocation to the old seminary in Mdina for the duration of the Second World War.
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Parents’ Communication Communication Process Regarding Educational Concerns It is most important that you email or telephone the College before 9am if your child is absent from College. See below for details If the matter concerns a student’s education, parents are to contact the relevant teacher. If the matter cannot be resolved, please refer to the Head of Department or Section Head (Years 6-11) or Head of Junior School or Head of Kindergarten. The Headmaster or Deputy Headmaster will only become involved if the matter has not been resolved following this process. There will be some cases that will need to be brought to the Headmaster’s attention immediately and these normally will be serious in nature.
Teachers will communicate concerns through the diary or by telephone depending on the seriousness of the issue. It is, therefore, essential that the diary be checked every day. If a parent wishes to see a teacher, s/he can telephone the Headmaster’s Secretary who will pass this information to the Section Head concerned. Alternatively, the parent may wish to simply arrange a meeting through the diary. In this case, this teacher will make contact with the parent to arrange a suitable time. Your son’s Class/House Tutor is an important contact person. Please click on the link for the list. Class/House Tutor
For matters that do not pertain directly to education (e.g. College uniform, refectory issues etc.) parents are to contact the College by email using the following addresses found in the following link. Contact List
The Annual SEPTA Fair – Important Diary Date The Fair will be held on Sunday 17 October from 10:00am to 6pm Please email Mr. Chris Naudi (SEPTA Chairman) if you would like to help on the day chris.naudi@mt.ey.com Parents of Year 6 students can contact Mrs. Connie Sullivan on 79046461 or c.sullivan@fesullivan.com.
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Note to Parents Evacuation Procedures at College: Information for Parents and Visitors SIGNAL: A CONTINUOUS RINGING OF SIRENS (as opposed to the end of lesson bells) In the event of the necessity to evacuate one of the College’s sections namely Main Building, Middle School, Junior School, Kindergarten and Hall, the following procedures have to be observed. Please note that the same evacuation procedures exist for all the sections. When one section of the College evacuates; ALL sections will follow.
ACCESS TO ALARM POINTS (SWITCHES) Main Building: three switches situated in the Main Building, one on each floor next to the staircase. Middle & Senior School: two switches situated in the Middle School. One on each floor next to the staircase Junior School: two switches situated in the Junior School. One on each floor next to the staircase Kindergarten: one switch situated in the corridor next to the yard. Hall: one switch situated in the landing When one of those switches is pressed to ‘on’ position, siren/s of that particular building will go on. Once the siren/s of the building concerned is/are activated, staff/students of that building have to proceed to the relevant Assembly Point.
ASSEMBLY POINTS In the cases of the Kindergarten and Junior School, the assembly area is located on the turf lawn situated between the two schools clearly marked as ASSEMBLY POINT 1 and ASSEMBLY POINT 2 respectively.
The assembly area for Middle and Senior School is located in the football ground between the chapel and the kindergarten play-area (the area with a concrete surface), clearly marked as ASSEMBLY POINT 3 and ASSEMBLY POINT 4. In the case of Year 6 and Year 12 students/staff and visitors, these are to assemble in ASSEMBLY POINT 5 situated between the Chapel and the Kindergarten play-area (the area with a concrete surface).
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Teaching Staff 2010 .IB
Fortnightly Reports & Parent Consultations
For all IB students, the College has a fortnightly reporting system in place. Parents can expect their child to bring home a written report giving details of academic achievement and effort made at College and for homework.
Reports will go out on the following dates:
Friday
1 October
Year 12
Friday
8 October
Year 13
Friday
15 October
Year 12
Friday
22 October
Year 13
Monday 15 November
Year 12 Consultations (3.30 – 6.00pm)
Tuesday 16 November
Year 13 Consultations (3.30 – 6.00pm)
Friday 3 December
Year 12
Friday 10 December
Year 13
Neville Thomas Deputy Headmaster
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE SEC Kindergarten Welcome new SEC Students
THE EDWARDIAN GAZETTE Weekly Calendar
This Week at St Edward’s College Monday 4th October
Tuesday 5th
8:45
Mass for Yr 6 – Yr 8 in the Chapel
Wednesday 6th
11:00
SMT
Thursday 7th October
9:30 – 12:20
Yr 6 Students visit to the LOGOS: Book Ship
Friday 8th October
3:30
Yr 10 French Students Meeting in the Hall
Saturday 9th October
Sunday 10th October
Calendar Information Please follow this link for the Advent & Lent Calendar