Dwardu's Scoops - Looking ahead

17.03.2023 Volume 2, Issue 9

St Edward’s College, Malta

Dwardu’s Scoops Onwards and Upwards towards the SDP

By Peter Moore

Do you sometimes walk past a building site and wonder why nothing seems to be happening? We can’t be expected to know what is happening behind the scenes unless somebody tells us so this seems like a good opportunity to update you on the progress we have made with the latest School Development Plan.

Some things have happened and already seem to be accepted as they way we do things, such as the arrangements for mid-year assessments and the curriculum developments and timetable modifications that have introduced in the Early Years and Junior School, all of which are intended to enrich the curriculum. In the Early Years, following parental comments, Maltese stories, songs and labelling are all intended to raise the profile of Maltese for our youngest pupils.

MATSEC (The Matriculation and Secondary Education Certificate Examinations

Inside this issue School Development Plan........... 1 SMOTM............................................. 2 Budding Conductor ...................... 3

Science Fair 2023 ........................ 4 Canteen fobs .................................. 9 Policy Updates ............................... 10 Sponsored Walk ............................ 11 Young Parliamentarians .............. 12

Special points of interest • The academic future of the school is being upgraded through the School Development Plan

• An Editorial that highlights the importance of keeping contact with our humanity.

• Musical talent to the fore through conducting an orchestra.

• Fun for a good cause: the Sponsored Walk 2023 • Learning to propose and debate—Young Parliamentarians

Board) has been revising its Learning Objectives Framework, which sets out what students should be able to do in each subject at each level. This has implications for assessment, particularly in the Senior years and has meant a great deal of on-going work for staff. Parents will receive information and be brought up to date during the course of the year.

Our most recent Sponsored Walk seems to have gone well and we are looking to buy outdoor exercise equipment with the funds raised.

We bought table tennis tables with funds from the last walk, one of which still has to go into the Junior play area. You’ll probably have noticed that gazebos have been erected in the grounds, which will be very useful for outdoor classroom activities and for shelter from the sun in the warmer weather.

The College, like all similar institutions, has a range of policies to guide sand inform our practice. Most recently we have reviewed and revised our Code of Conduct and our AntiBullying Policy, both of which you’ll find on the College Website. The Anti-Bullying Policy has

appendices, intended to give specific guidance and support to parents.

The Headmaster has a schedule of planned diary dates for meeting with the parents from each Section, some of which have already taken place. Similarly he is meeting with staff at agreed times, by Section, which gives everybody the opportunity to make suggestions, ask questions, get clarification, all of which will enhance two-way communication which will contribute to the smooth running of the College.

We still, of course, have areas that need to be developed including the strengthening of the provision for gifted and able students, further development of the range of extra-curricular activities on offer and the possible introduction of new subjects for Senior and IB students.

Work in all these areas remains on-going and we are very grateful for the hard work and dedication of staff as well as the support of parents that makes such progress possible.

Please contact the Headmaster if you have any questions or suggestions.

Onwards and upwards!

This month's Staff Member of the Month is Ms Trishia Bianco. This hard-working eager beaver is not only a joy to work with but is also scrupulously efficient and loyal. Never a grumpy moment, Ms Bianco tries to solve the problems which arise out of the daily grind, quickly and as painlessly as possible. And, her appointment comes with added value as, among all else, she is now expectin Little Bianco No 2!

Well done and Good Luck Ms Bianco!

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The soft side Stereotypically, boys are often brought up with ‘manly’ pursuits: tough mindset, competitive sports etc. There is often a danger that, lack of gender mix in a single gender school may exacerbate behaviour which may escalate to an unhealthy extreme. As always the Romans hit the nail on the head: In Medio Stat Virtus— or a bit of everything.

It is very important for the boys to be in touch with their vulnerabilities, with their softer side. The need to be taught to recognize when they need help and that it is OK to ask for help. They need to learn that in life, success is not

Ludwig Yue at the Tokyo Talent

measured through money but

The sweet sound of music

through how fulfilling your life is.

Ludwig Yue is a young Chinese music conductor currently living in Malta and studying at St Edward’s College. He has studied music conducting and composition skills from military orchestra officers in Germany, the United States, and Japan. He has performed and studied in China, Japan, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and other countries. His conducting style is light and bright. Because the direction of early learning was military music (such as march), his conducting was also as fast and rhythmic as a march. He also recorded and released Beethoven's seventh and ninth symphonies with a Japanese orchestra.

friends, being welcoming and

Commenting on a recent trip to Japan, Yue said “This trip to Japan to complete the master class was recommended by my Japanese teacher, Major General Takeda. Frankly speaking, this is my few rehearsals of super-large orchestras. The master combined three different orchestras into a super large orchestra with about 180 people. Similarly, our selection of repertoire this time is also very wonderful, including the very famous Hungarian dance music and Beethoven's classic Ninth Symphony. This rehearsal and performance, it has brought colorful memories to my music hobbies. "

nurtured to care for one another

Fulfilment is an aggregate of things including looking out for

accepting and loving yourself.

A little heartwarmer: On a recent trip abroad a student was having a bad day, as we all do. It was a moving experience to see his friends and fellow students rally round and urge him on. They could have ignored him—after all we all have bad days. That they did not shows that these young lads have been

to be kind to one another. To be Edwardians.

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Budding Sailors The school had a visit from the Royal Malta Yacht club Sailing school on Friday 3rd March Ellen Juhasz and Rachel Ferry came along to give a presentation about learning to sail. They brought along an Optimist dinghy where Ellen explained all the different parts and their function. Sailing will be one of the sports taking part in the GSSE (Games of the small states of Europe) and RMYC Sailing school have 6 sailors competing in these games. The students were also invited along to the Sailing Schools open afternoon on the 8th April where they will be able to meet other sailors and can have a taster sail.

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Magic in the air!

This week the year 4 students learnt about electricity during their science lesson. We first discussed form where electricity comes from and why electricity is needed. Having discussed this, the students viewed the wiring of a switch, and they all shared their thoughts on using copper and plastic. Having understood the essentials of electricity, the students brainstormed what a circuit consists of and had a go at building their own. It did not take them long to grasp how to attach the components to make a circuit work. We then discussed the crucial parts of a circuit and what makes a closed and an open circuit. Using the circuits they built, the students transformed their closed circuit to an open circuit and tried to test out which material would complete their circuit. The students quickly

Roberta Camilleri

recognised that metal objects conduct electricity while other materials stop the electricity from passing through, making them excellent insulators. Having had a go at Thomas Edison's work, the students then familiarised themselves with Nikola Tesla's Tesla coil. The students were amazed to see the lightbulb light up without being connected. It is true magic!

Shakeshorts “ Earlier this month, the year 7s and 8s got to watch a Shakeshorts production of Shakespeare's ‘Merchant of Venice’ play in the college hall. By blending Shakespeare's original script with modern language, this version of the play invites students to enjoy the story while subtly exploring some of the play's main themes - revenge, anti -semitism, mercy and justice. The boys truly enjoyed the abridged version of the play - and got to laugh a lot too! “ Ms Anabel Laus

“Despite being presented by only two actors, the artists managed to capture the most important themes and symbolism of Orwell’s work: the abuse of power and the prevailing theme of inequality among animals” “The students of year 10 and 11 had the opportunity to revise one of their set prose texts ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell as they were invited to watch an abridged version of the novella presented by Shakeshorts …A 45-minute portrayal of Stalin’s corruption of power depicted in a humorous way was a good recap for those who will soon sit for their O’levels, but also for those in year 10 who have started the text this year.

Despite being presented by only two actors, the artists managed to capture the most important themes and symbolism of Orwell’s work: the abuse of power and the prevailing theme of inequality among animals which, due to their lack of education, are gradually led to believe that ‘all animals are equal, but some are more equal than Ms Zaneta Szatkowska others”

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The Trojan Horse

By Luca Manicaro Yr 8Y

The Trojan Horse is a Greek Legend.It was a wooden horse said to have been used during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war.The horse was built by Eteipus, the Greeks pretended to desert the war, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena that would make Troy impregnable.The Trojan war lasted for 10 years, the end of the war came with a gift: The huge wooden horse waiting outside Troy.That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under the cover of darkness.The Greeks entered and destroyed the city, ending the war.

We worked on the project in a team of 2:

Myself and Matias Juan DeFlavia Materials: glue gun, cardboard, popsticle sticks, wooden sticks, wooden wheels, Jablo,string, syringe and plastic soldiers.

First we started by drawing the Trojan Horse on the cardboard and then we cut it along the outline. After we started the base by covering the jablo with wooden sticks and we put on the wheels. Later we cut the Horse in half so that we can make it in a 3D shape and we put a small cardboard box in the middle for soldiers to hide in.When the Trojan horse was all in shape we started covering it with small wooden sticks and popsticle sticks by using the glue gun.

We made the centre of the horse open with hydaulics which was made by two syringes connected with a narrow pipe and when you press one syringe the other one will open the door, and a small ladder falls out and you can see the soldiers inside waiting.

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Multiverse: Myth or Legend?

By Edward Sapienza Yr 8Y

In myths the characters are usually gods or supernatural heroes, with stories set back in time.

Since myths are said to have happened a long time ago, people instinctively believed that they were really true. A legend, however, is a traditional story about the past.

A multi-universe is a myth since there is still an element of doubt that this is possible. A multiuniverse also known as “many-worlds". It is a theoretical framework in physics and cosmology that suggests the existence of multiple parallel universes. These universes are thought to be separate from one another, with their own physical laws and properties, and they may contain different versions of ourselves and the world we live in.

The idea of multiple universes dates back far into the past, as early as Ancient Greece where they discovered the atom, but the term “multiverse” was coined by the American Philosopher and Psychologist William James, in 1895. The idea of a multiverse has been explored in various forms of media, including film. In the film Interstellar, a team of astronauts travel through a wormhole in search of a new habitable planet for humanity, and discover that the wormhole is a gateway to a network of parallel universes. The characters can visit different versions of Earth, each with its own unique properties and history. The film explores the concept of multiple realities and the impact that our choices can have on the world and those around us.

In physics and cosmology, the multiverse theory is still a topic of ongoing research and debate. There is currently no direct evidence for the existence of a multiverse, some believe that it is a natural consequence of theories such as inflationary cosmology and string theory. Stephen Hawkings said,

“we are not down to a single, unique universe, but our findings imply a significant reduction of the multiverse, to a much smaller range of possible universes.” (Cambridge, 2022) Others argue that the multiverse is a purely speculative idea that cannot be tested or proven. “A

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multiverse is something which is really not that strange if you think of it historically, from the point of view of science,” says Prof Ulf Danielsson , a theoretical physicist at Uppsala University, Sweden.

“Our horizons have continuously been expanding. At some time, we thought that Earth was the only planet and that this was the whole world. We now know there’s a Universe full of other planets. It’s also quite natural to speculate that there is another step and that our Universe is not the only one.” (Ulf in Lea, 2022)

The concept of a multiverse intrigues me, because it's incredible that there is a chance that there is another me, possibly doing something similar, yet surrounded by different people, with different outcomes. Luckily both Rys and I really like the topic and discussing it was fun. However, searching the internet wasn’t as easy as we thought, but we worked together on various occasions, researching, brainstorming, and organising our thoughts. We worked as a team. My final job was printing the presentation and preparing it to be displayed.

Bibliography: Cambridge, University of. “Constraining the Multiverse: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory about the Big Bang.” SciTechDaily, 9 Jan. 2022, https://scitechdaily.com/constraining-themultiverse-stephen-hawkings-final-theory-about-the-big-bang/#:~:text=%E2% 80%9CWe%20are%20not%20down%20to,possible%20universes%2C%E2% 80%9D%20said%20Hawking .Accessed 14 Feb. 2023.

Lea, Robert (2022) “Evil Doppelgängers, Alternate Timelines and Infinite Possibilities: The Physics of the Multiverse Explained.” BBC Science Focus Magazine, https:// www.sciencefocus.com/space/the-multiverse/ Mayer, Dana. (2022) “The Multiverse Theory Explained (with Examples) and Whether It’s Possible.” History-Computer, 27 June 2022, https://history-computer.com/multiversetheory/

A window for the soul There is never a day when it is not good to read and the lists for interesting books for the next month is out. Just follow this link and you will get lost in world which you will never experience unless through the leaves of a book.

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Science debunks the myth of the mustard

By Edward Stilon Yr 8X

I did this project with my friend Francesco Vella Clark.

The myth we chose was about mustard seeds.

The myth is that many people believe that mustard seeds are the smallest type of seed, but as it turns out, they are not. The source of the myth goes all the way back to the time of Jesus. In Matthew 13: 31 – 32, Jesus compares the massive kingdom of heaven to a tiny mustard seed, The Orchid seed which a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, Jesus tells his disciples that it will grow into the largest of all garden plants. I think that the reason Jesus chose the mustard seed in this parable is because the mustard tree is a native plant to the middle east, and his disciples could understand what he was talking about because they were from the Middle east. The reason why this makes such a difference is because back those days people did not have the internet, so the only way to know about seeds native to other countries was to go there.

After doing some research, I discovered that the smallest type of seed actually turns out to be the orchid seeds. Orchid seeds are mainly native to Asian countries such as the likes of China and Japan. To put The Mustard seed the size of both of these seeds into perspective, I found out that orchid seeds are only 0.5mm in diameter, compared to orchid seeds, mustard seeds are a whopping 2mm in diameter. Unfortunately, while I was working on my presentation, I did not say where the two types of seeds are from, which may have resulted in me receiving a lower mark.

Credits: The Bible: Matthew 13: 31-32 The Bible: Luke 13: 18-19 https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/orchid-seeds-natures-tiny-treasures

Fobbing Payment!

Key fobs for use in the canteen are currently being distributed to the students and staff at the college. This system optimizes digital use of money, making transaction in the canteen more hygienic. The fob works much like a mini-debit card and is useful also for parents to keep track of their children’s spending habits. So, besides the fabulous healthy menus which the canteen now offers, there is this step in favour of hygiene. Utterly fob-ulous!

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Important Policies Updated Two important college policies have been updated: The Code of Conduct and the Anti-bullying policy. These policies have been updated to reflect not only evolving societal norms but also expanding research. At St Edward’s College we aim to ensure that good behaviour is a quality inherent to our students’ characters. Good behaviour emanates from respect. It is the epitome of the quasicliché “beautiful inside and out’. Good behaviour is based on the good-will and rapport established between teachers and students and between peers. Through the formulation of these policies, the college strives to establish a way of life in which positive behaviour is a by-product of positive relationships based on mutual respect and an engendered desire to behave honorably, upholding the college motto of VIRTUS ET HONOR.

The salt of the earth— that, in essence is what grandparents are! And we celebrate their love by inviting them to the college to be part of this community which forma a big portion of the lives of their grandchildren. In spite of the dicey weather in the morning, the Early Years’ Grannies day turned out gloriously!

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Sponsored Walk 2023—highlights

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Learning to be of Service

By Adam Caruana, Nathan Lucas Attard, Daniel Custo’ | Yr. 9

Young Parliamentarians is a program where students between form 3 and form 5 learn how to debate. One hundred fifty-five students from 21 schools participated in the event.

We decided to join Young Parliamentarians because we thought that it would be a fun experience which would help us expand our field of knowledge.

We had a lot of fun at the event because there was a nice atmosphere between us and other schools. Even though we didn’t qualify for the finals, we still had a great time. We learnt many interesting facts about the topics that they gave us. We also learnt a lot of skills that you need to write a valid debate. When debating sometimes we had to be on the Affirmative Team and sometimes we were Against the motion.

The topics that we debated were the following:

Edukazzjoni (i) - Il-Kamra tirrakkomanda li l-istudenti kollha f’livell sekondarju ma jkollhomx suġġetti obbligatorji biex jipprogressaw għal-livell post sekondarju.

Agrikoltura - Il- kamra tipproponi li sas-sena 2043, ħamsin fil-mija (50%) tal-prodotti agrikoli li ssibhom fil-ħwienet jkunu prodotti lokali.

Ugwaljanza - Il-Kamra tipproponi li tiġi stabbilita kwota għal żgħażagħ ta’ bejn is-16 u l-25 sena li jiġu eletti kemm fil-kunsill lokali kif ukoll filparlament.

Klima- Il-kamra tipproponi li dawk il-kumpaniji li joffru trasport b’xejn lill-ħaddiema tagħhom ser jingħataw skont annwali ta’ għaxra fil-mija (10 % ) fuq il-kont tad-dawl u l-ilma.

Marittimu - Il-kamra tirrakomanda li jibdew joperaw ‘ferries’ li jilħqu numru ta’ rotot mal-kosta ta' Malta u Għawdex.

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We had an amazing time with our youth worker James Pizzuto. He taught us a lot of stuff such as Patos, Logos, Ethos and the hamburger model. The experience was nice and we had a good time debating with other students from other schools. We went up against different schools so that we could voice our opinions on certain topics and try to convince the jury that our opinion was correct.

We are already planning on taking part in the event next year and found the experience very enjoyable. We encourage more senior school boys to take part next year too!

Happy St Paddy’s Day - from us to you all!

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The darling buds The bleak, cold days of winter will soon end with the official Spring Equinox. Unofficially, though, the gardens are singing the joys of spring. Bees humming, butterflies flitting and the soft whispers of the leaves, gossiping as they re-awaken after a long winter hibernation. Oh, the tales they tell of dreams and hopes! And all this is sighed into the ears of our Joey, ever assiduous in the care of the gardens. Decades of tending the same grounds and a love passed on to all the students.

This is what nourishes the soul. This is what we teach here a t St Edward’s College and perhaps also, why the college is such a great team -builder.

St Edward’s College Founded in 1929, St Edward’s College is an all-boys college for both day and boarding students. At nursery and kindergarten as well as at post-secondary level, the college is co-educational.

Boarding is offered between the ages of 11 to 18. As a private educational college, St Edwards offers excellent teaching facilities, high teacher-pupil ratio, a very wide range of sports facilities and scrupulous personal attention to the students.

At St Edward’s College, students receive a well—rounded education ending up in the IB Diploma. Most of the students go on to study at world class universities.

Our top students are leaders in society ranging from Science and Business to traditional professions and the arts. Most Edwardians retain a love and appreciation of sports throughout their lives.

St Edward’s College Triq San Dwardu Birgu BRG9039 Malta Email: Communications@stedwards.edu.mt Editor: Sylvana Debono

Ms Margaret Bartolo with the Year 3Ys celebrating ‘windows’ (aka books) on the sun-kissed lawns