At St Paul’s Missionary College (SPMC), or as commonly known as St Agatha’s College is a Catholic College run by the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP), feeling home away from home is one of our distinctive features through which we provide our holistic education.
To this end, we will work together that “Christ may be formed” in us (Gal. 4, 14); fortify our sense of community by giving continuous individual attention to each person in the school; seek to develop in each student a sense of responsibility whilst leading him to extend to the full his various abilities in order to help the student discover and draw out his full potential.
Junior School: School starts with assembly at 8:15am. Classes start at 8:30am and finish at 2:30pm.
Senior School: School starts at 7:30am with Assembly. Classes start at 8:15am and finish at 3:00pm.
Communications between all the College community operates through MySchool and Google Classroom (Workspace for Education Fundamentals). Parents/ guardians are contacted regularly by the College via emails. Through MySchool, parents/guardians have online access to their son’s student data, from attendance to grade reports, and may communicate with the school educators and administration from a fully integrated, unified platform.
Google Classroom allows our students to see their classwork / homework, complete assignments, view their correction and can also post messages to their teachers. Through this platform, educators at the College may deliver virtual classes to their students at home when necessary. The system is paperless and creates opportunities for our students to learn and practice responsible digital skills.
The College aims at helping each student to develop holistically therefore the school’s timetable allocates a double lesson session per week in both schools which is dedicated to Extracurricular sessions. During these sessions which are organized by the school’s teachers and LSE’s, the students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities which include, gardening, crafts, board games, sports, cooking, music and performing arts, robotics, film appreciation.
In the Junior School each year group has a minimum of two educational outings per term which are directly linked to their curriculum. In the Senior School organized educational outings are linked to the curriculum of specific subjects.
The College scholastic social calendar is always a busy one with two Parents’ Days, Christmas concerts, Achievement days, Carnival Parties, Library Week, the Coronation of Our Lady, Fun Games, Mission Week, Rector’s Day, Pet Awareness Week, Our Lady of Sorrows, Senior School Prize Day, End of Year Activity, Confirmation celebration, Annual Family Barbecue, Christmas Eve Mass, Sports Days, Holy communion celebration, Junior 6 Graduation and the Senior 5 Graduation.
The Junior School focuses on various disciplines. The core subjects are Mathematics, English and Maltese. The students are also offered the subjects of Religion, Social Studies and Science as part of their academic curriculum. The Junior School also has Art, PSCD, Music, Physical Education, IT and Library as part of its weekly timetable.
Junior 6 students also have Foreign Language Tasters. During these lessons the students are given an introduction to the new languages currently taught in the Senior School. All teachers are also continuously offered training to ensure the efficient use of technology during teaching and learning.
The Junior School offers complementary lessons free of charge to all those pupils who are struggling with literacy, numeracy or even grasping a particular topic.
During the first term of Junior 1, the complementary teacher, who is specialised in specific learning difficulties in literacy, gives in-class support to ensure that the children hold their pencil well, develop phonological awareness and are capable of writing the letters correctly.
Following a National Screening Assessment which is then done in January, the children are then referred for complementary sessions if they are struggling with blending, grasping the letter sounds, reading and/or writing. Lessons are given on a one-to-one basis or in small groups as necessary during school hours.
We also believe that the summer is the best time for children to catch up on any areas they are struggling with. For the past years we have offered a specialised service which is available only for the students attending our school who need extra support with literacy. This service has been of great success and has helped a lot of our students to progress drastically.
Three years ago the Junior School adopted a Maths Mastery approach to the teaching of Mathematics. This approach is child-centered and is founded on the belief that everyone can master and understand Mathematics. Mathematics lessons are hands-on and teachers make use of a lot of tangible and colourful resources to make learning more meaningful for the students. Students are given ample time to discover and understand mathematical concepts to ensure deep learning.
Since last year the Junior School has opted for a new Phonics programme to be followed by all Junior 1 and Junior 2 students. This programme offers the possibility of teaching Phonics and Literacy in small groups whilst moving at the students’ individual pace.
The College boasts of a legacy with the performing arts, an area in which it has always invested in.
In the Junior School, the students are all given the opportunity to participate in the Annual Christmas Concert. Juniors 1 and 2 prepare a Christmas themed play and songs whilst Juniors 3 – 6 all perform together in one play. The students are given time to rehearse all throughout their extracurricular sessions in October and November participating in acting, singing, making props and helping out backstage to experience all the different facets of theatre and drama.
In the Senior School the students are given the opportunity to audition and participate in a drama production which is then performed during the annual Prize Day.
A fully equipped Auditorium and designated Drama classroom continue to facilitate the College in this area.
Parents are important contributors to College life and they are involved in a great number of activities. Parents can participate in the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) which not only takes care of organizing educational, family formation and fundraising activities but also serves as a voice for parents to discuss various issues with the school’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
At the College, parents are also brought on board their son’s educational journey as they are invited to participate in a number of informative seminars and workshops which are organized specifically for different year groups with the aim of promoting teacher-parent collaboration for the benefit of the student’s learning.
If it weren’t for parents the College wouldn’t manage to keep up with its annual tradition of preparing ‘Qagħaq tal-Għasel’ and ‘Figolli’ in the College kitchen. Parent help is also greatly appreciated in preparing for events during the year such as the Christmas Concert in the Junior School.
The College truly believes in fostering the element of community and seeks to do this even in a pastoral way by creating an SPMC Community where parents and staff meet together every fortnight to celebrate Sunday Mass together.
At the College students are encouraged to actively participate in the School Students’ Council and Eko-Skola Committees, in both Junior and Senior Schools, to foster not only their leadership and communication skills but also to express their opinions and share their ideas whilst learning how to work in a team with a common goal for the good of the College and the community’s environment.
At the College, there are two classes per year group. There are a maximum of 24 students per class. In the Junior School one class are called Lions and the others are called Tigers to be able to distinguish between the two. Students in the Junior school and Senior School from Junior 1 – Senior 2 are not streamed according to their ability.
“Sports build good habits, confidence, and discipline. They make players into community leaders and teach them how to strive for a goal.”
At the College a lot of time is dedicated to sports and physical activity. In the Junior School students have two breaks every day of 30 minutes and 40 minutes whilst in the Senior School students have two breaks daily of 25 minutes and 60 minutes. Students also have two Physical Education lessons per week and they also participate in the Daily Mile project where they are encouraged to walk around the track for a mile every day with their classmates.
As regards sports facilities, the College is proud of an indoor gymnasium in the Junior School which can also be used for indoor games and also a turfed roof which is safe for children to play in. Apart from that both schools make use of the new synthetic turf pitch and the track on a daily basis. All the younger students are offered sports fundamentals where they are taught basic skills through fun games and activities. Older students are given the opportunity to explore basis skills through gymnastics. All students are encouraged to participate in team games to learn the importance of collaboration and team effort. Other sports which are played at the College are football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, hockey and handball.
The College organises separate transport for the Junior and Senior School and this is funded by the State. Transport is available to almost every locality in Malta. All the Junior and Senior School vans pick up/drop off the students safely from within the school grounds.
In both schools we enforce a healthy eating policy which was proposed and discussed with the Eko-Skola committees. In the Junior School students can only drink water and smoothies. Chocolates and other sugary foods are not allowed. In the Senior School canteen only food which is preparing in our kitchen is sold.
The school has always performed well in the national Benchmark Junior 6 examinations. As can be seen from the table below, which highlights the SPMC Median marks compared to the National Median marks the school has always obtained higher grades in all three core subjects.
English |
SPMC |
84 |
National |
72 |
Maltese |
SPMC |
74 |
National |
69 |
Maths |
SPMC |
85 |
National |
71 |
In Senior 1 and Senior 2 students are not streamed according to their ability. If students are found to be lagging behind in a particular subject the school offers the opportunity of having lessons for that subject in a smaller group called a Core Class to catch up with the curriculum.
In Senior 1 and Senior 2 students are offered the following list of subjects:
Religion |
History |
Maltese |
Geography |
English Language |
ICT C3 |
English Literature |
Art |
Fretwork |
Italian/German/French |
PSCD |
Physical Education |
Mathematics |
Media Education |
Science |
Drama |
Design and Technology |
Library |
Music |
|
The core subjects for Seniors 3 to 5 are the following:
Whilst the table below shows the combination of optional subjects offered at Senior 2 level:
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Group 3 |
Group 4 |
|
Physics I |
Biology |
Chemistry |
Physics II |
SCIENCE subjects |
Art |
Environmental Studies |
History |
Geography |
HUMANITIES subjects |
Computer Studies |
Graphical Communication |
VET Media Literacy |
Design and Technology |
|
French |
Drama |
Sports Education |
Accounts |
|
Italian |
|
|
|
|
Students are asked to choose one subject from each of the above columns. There are four lessons per week for these optional subjects and all of them will lead the student to the SEC exam (O’Level) or an equivalent exam at the end of Senior 5.
Apart from these subjects, the students also have the opportunity to choose another subject at the end of Senior 3 which is Computer Studies. This will be studied after school hours during Senior 4 and Senior 5.
All textbooks, school bags, uniform and sports items are to be bought directly from the College during the summer sale which is held in the beginning of September each year. There is also the chance to purchase stationery items from a stationery shop which also offers book covering services. All these can be ordered in the order list which is sent by the College at the end of a scholastic year in July.
The following are the Winter and Summer uniforms for the Junior School:
Winter Uniform |
|
Uniform |
PE Kit |
Maroon reversible Jacket |
School Winter PE Kit |
Light Grey Sweatshirt |
White socks |
White long-sleeved polo-shirt with school emblem |
White runners |
White polo-neck |
Football Shoes |
Dark grey combat trousers |
|
Dark grey socks |
|
Black semi-casual shoes |
|
Black belt |
|
Optional: Grey scarf, Grey beanie, Grey gloves |
|
Summer Uniform |
|
Uniform |
PE Kit |
School cap |
School Summer PE Kit |
White short-sleeved polo-shirt with school emblem |
White socks |
Dark grey Bermuda |
White runners |
Dark grey socks |
Football Shoes |
Black semi-casual shoes |
|
Black belt |
|
SPMC exclusively offers a one-stop online shop: https://spmc.circle.mt/
All textbooks, school bags, uniform and sports items are to be bought directly from the College during the summer sale which is held in the beginning of September each year. During the summer sale one can avail of the opportunity to purchase stationery items from our stationery shop which also offers book covering services.
In July, the College sends an online link where parents are able to place their order. Furthermore one can purchase additional items from our online shop, throughout the scholastic year.
There are no established College fees. Every family assists the College through a voluntary annual donation, currently at €200, which covers the capital expenditure and bank loans.
Furthermore, the College is sustained through other voluntary donations, fundraising activities (Canteen in-house produce; College events; etc.) and any profits from books, uniforms, stationery sales, as these seek to maintain the general upkeep and necessary execution of new projects around the College building.
Moreover, there are a number of professionals working with the students whose wages are not provided by the State, and thus paid by the College. Their roles are considered essential for the benefit of our students.
The College has a Student Support Team (SST) in place to help any students who are experiencing psychological, emotional or social problems. This team is made up of school and related professionals who meet on a monthly basis to discuss ways of meeting the students’ academic, instructional, behavioural and emotional needs in a holistic manner. The team is made up of the educational psychologist, social worker, guidance teacher, inclusive coordinator, spiritual director and the school counsellor. The school’s in-house educational psychologist offers an array of services.
The College gives a lot of importance to the spiritual development of all students. There are two spiritual directors present in both schools. Morning assemblies start with prayers and spiritual activities. Students also have weekly Mass or Bible Study session in the Junior School. Students also have the sacrament of confession every fortnight. In the Senior School students take part in Morning Liturgies every day, split into groups and having various activities with the help of teachers and spiritual directors. The Senior School students also perform Outreach programs and have annual live-ins for each year group when the scholastic year ends in June.
St Paul’s Missionary College
34, Emmanuele Vitale Street,
Rabat, RBT2020
Malta
An SPMC Open Day will be held on Wednesday 15th May 2024 at 9.30 am till 11.30am.
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