Year 8
This is a very important year ahead. During this year you will be informed about new option subjects available for you to choose as of Year 9 onwards.
Please treat these decisions with the utmost priority.
We advise you to choose subjects which you like and enjoy learning about. It is very important that YOU make your own choice. This should not be based on what your best friend is choosing or what people around you are forcing you to choose.
Parents need to support their children by opening a discussion about these choices. It is still too early to decide important life goals but such decisions may leave their mark on the path taken in the future.
Students are encouraged to explore all the different options and prevent any bias. We encourage you to make choices that fit your profile and outlook. You may hear things like ‘This subject is too hard’ or ‘That choice leads you nowhere’. These are statements that need to be given a context. What is difficult for some, may be the right choice for for others.
Over the next few months you will be asked to participate in meetings and events which aim to help you make the best decisions. In July, the iChoose event takes place and it is the perfect place where you can ask questions to qualified career advisors on the best choices. Further down, you can find an explanation of the My Journey and what this means to you in this process.
This year the Half-Yearly examinations will be replaced with continuous assessment, conducted throughout the year. The time previously spent carrying out the Half-Yearly examinations will be replaced with more time for teaching and learning. The annual examinations will be kept for all subjects which presently have an Annual examination, but the annual mark will combine the mark for Continuous Assessment and for the Annual examination.
During this year, a number of school-based activities are organized, so as to help you make an informed choice on subjects which you might have later on in Year 10. Visits to secondary schools are organized, so that you will be informed well about the different subject options. The range of subjects offered in Year 10 is vast, thus you need to carefully make your own choices. A number of activities will be organized throughout the year to help you to make the right choice. These include site visits to the laboratories and classes in secondary schools, talks for students and for parents, and visits by professionals to discuss with the students, as well as other activities. All students will be given the opportunity to learn about the vocational and the applied subjects, available as option subjects. Other areas including Chemistry and Biology, Accounting and Business Studies, Humanities (Geography, History, Social Studies and European Studies), Arts, Music, Home Economics, Physical Education, Design & Technology, Graphical Communications and Computer Studies. Students can also choose a second foreign language as one of their choices. The Teens Science Café activity in schools brings over local professionals who work in science-related areas in schools. The aim is for them to discuss opportunities and challenges in their work-related areas with the students.
My Journey: Achieving through Different Paths
As from the scholastic year 2019-2020, the My Journey: Achieving through Different Paths project will be introduced among students in Year 9 (Form 3). My Journey will give equal value to academic, vocational and applied learning programmes. This project will allow secondary school students to blend relevant and quality academic, applied and vocational subjects enabling them to reach their full potential. More information is available at myjourney.edu.mt.
Secondary schools will introduce new vocational and applied subjects. The vocational and applied subjects are: Hospitality, Health & Social Care, Information Technology, Engineering Technology, Agribusiness, Retail, Textiles and Fashion, Media Literacy Education, Hairdressing and Beauty. The vocational and applied subjects will be taught in secondary schools from Year 9 (Form 3) as option subjects. Students may choose one or two of these subjects either in their secondary school or in another school close-by.
All other academic option subjects may also be chosen in all secondary schools. These include: Accounting, Business Studies, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Social Studies, European Studies, Music, Art, Graphical Communications, Design & Technology, Home Economics, Physical Education, Computer Studies, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Arabic.
A short explainer video on every subject is available on the following links:
The assessment of all these subjects, including the vocational and applied subjects, will be conducted by MATSEC, and students will be able to achieve a grade ranging from MQF Level 1, to MQF level 3.
Being such an important year, you must remember that you can find all the support that will be necessary throughout this journey. You can communicate with a trusted teacher of your choice who will lead you to the guidance teachers. If you need further support, the guidance teacher can refer you to the educational psychosocial team of the college, which consists of different professionals such as the counsellor, career advisor, social worker or an educational psychologist.
We would also like to let you know that if you are facing any kind of difficulties in your life, even if they are not related to your studies, for example, bullying, relationships at home, identity formation or problems with friends, do not hesitate to seek help or advice from professionals that work in your school and who are there to help you. This can be done through your guidance teachers’ office who are always there for your assistance.
Help is also available during holidays and can be found through the office of your college principal.
The next scholastic year will commence on the 26th of September. The mid-term holidays will be between the 1st and the 5th November. Christmas holidays will start on the 24th of December and school will start again for the second term on the 7th January.
Half yearly exams will start on the 12th of February and end on the 26th February.
Carnival holidays will be on the 4th and 5th March whilst the Easter holidays will begin on the 17th April and last until the 25th of April.
Annual exams will take place between the 12th June and the 28th of June.
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