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NEWS English

26/06/2018

Another MUN experience - this time in Buenos Aires (June 2018)

A group of very committed students took part in a Model United Nations Conferences (MUN) this June

On Thursday 21 June a grop of seven students from years 10, 11 and 12 (Secondary) headed to Buenos Aires in order to participate in a new edition of the E-MUN Conference (oragnised by ESSARP, the English Speaking Scholastic Association of the River Plate). It was a two-day Conference where our school represented Bolivia. Our students demonstrated a very good command of the English language whilst interacting with other students from diverse Argentinean schools, debating about burning issues such as cyberwarfare, the rights of illegal immigrants, the situation in North Korea and Venezuela, xenophobia, radicalisation of the youth and renewable energies. Accompanying MUN teachers were very pleased by our students’ commitment, eloquence and openmindedness. To close the trip with an inspiring touch, on the last day the whole group experienced a blind theatre play.

IMAGE GALLERY

EREBB Global Classroom Project

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Form 3 Penpal Exchange

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Stella Maris MUN Club and DER helping to strengthen EREBB bonds

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Form 6 visits Los Tréboles

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Spread the news and not the virus:

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Form 6 kids have just finished their CPC English exam papers

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Debate in the east

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2nd year secondary students reflect: can you find a link between coronavirus and globalisation?

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Our curriculum

A BILINGUAL SCHOOL

Stella Maris College offers students from the age of 3 to 18 the opportunity of experiencing education in English. Thus, students learn both English and ‘in English’ (Literature, History, Geography, Science, Business Studies,etc.).

Our programmes (University of Cambridge Primary Checkpoint, IGCSE and International Baccalaureate Diploma) not only pave the way towards bilingual certification, but also allow us to make the most of the latest developments and research in the field of international education.

OUR CURRICULUM AND THE INCLUSION OF DIFFERENT ABILITIES:

We firmly believe that every child has the potential to learn one or more languages. In our experience, students’ learning difficulties in English and those in their first language are related, and it is possible to overcome them through more personalised teaching.

Within our demanding academic framework, Stella Maris remains committed to inclusion and we have taken specific steps towards it:

• One-to-one support of students with learning difficulties

• Optional international examinations; despite this, more than 80% of our students choose to sit them.

• We value effort and a positive attitude very highly both throughout the year as well as in final assessments.

Staff

Secondary School English Coordinator: rtessore@stellamaris.edu.uy

Secondary School English Secretary: Extension 1022
E-mail: fteysera@stellamaris.edu.uy

Primary School English Coordinator: mfigueras@stellamaris.edu.uy

Primary School English Secretary: Extension 1022
E-mail: fteysera@stellamaris.edu.uy

Early Years

Our students’ first contact with the English language is through stories, songs, poems, games and multimedia resources and through training in daily routines both in and outside the classroom. In order to develop communication skills in a second language, children must be offered a wide range of learning opportunities to experience a rich linguistic environment, to develop self-confidence and the competences required to grasp and express themselves in diverse situations.

We implement Jolly Phonics, a programme designed to favour the early acquisition of reading and writing skills through phonological awareness (association of sounds and letters).

Primary

In Primary school we follow Cambridge Primary, University of Cambridge international education programme for learners aged 5 to 11 years.

This programme is completed in the 6th year of Primary education (Year 6) with the following international examinations:

Cambridge Primary Checkpoint

* English as a First Language

* Science

* Mathematics.

Our students’ first contact with the English language is through stories, songs, poems, games and multimedia resources.

We also apply Jolly Phonics, a programme which favours the early acquisition of reading and writing skills.

As part of our English Language syllabus, each student will watch, listen to, speak, read and write the following range of texts:

FICTION:

• Stories

• Myths

• Legends

• Poems

• Scripts

NON-FICTION: • Letters

• E-mails

• Reports

• Speeches and talks

• Advertisements

• Instructions, manuals, etc..

The Science syllabus is inquiry-based and it includes the study of:

• Biology

• Physics

• Chemistry

We coordinate our Maths syllabus with the Maths syllabus in Spanish, aiming to familiarise the student with the language of Maths in English, as both syllabi share most of the contents.

To complement the University of Cambridge’s programme, we also offer Social Sciences in English:

• History

• Geography

And Performing Arts in English:

• Drama

• Singing

• Irish dance Spoken English Certificate

To complement the written assessments of CPC, in the 5th year of Primary school (Year 5) all students complete an internal oral assessment with a native English speaking examiner.

Weekly teaching hours

The weekly teaching hours in English comprise around 50% of the total teaching hours.

Learning Support

The English Department has a team of specialised teachers who provide in-class and out-of-class support to students with Special Educational Needs.

Secondary

Our curriculum is a continuation of the Primary school programme completed with Cambridge Primary Checkpoint. At the beginning of Secondary school, our students are already capable of communicating fluently in English. Thus, the challenge for the next stage is to take their competence in English to an advanced academic level. In Secondary school, knowledge becomes more specific and it is organised around different subjects with different teachers.

The six years of Secondary Education in English are structured in 3 stages of two years each, as follows:

1st and 2nd (Years 7 and 8)

In these first two years we lay a solid foundation in view of the coming international examinations (see 3rd and 4th years). The weekly teaching hours and the subjects are the same for both years.

Subjects	Weekly teaching hours
English Language	5
English Literature	2
History	2
Science	2
Geography	2

3rd and 4th (Years 9 and 10) – IGCSE Courses

Subjects	Weekly teaching hours
Subjects	3rd	4th
English as a First Language	4	4
English Literature	3	4
History	3	4
Business Studies	4	4

Supplementary subjects to obtain the ICE ( Cambridge International Certificate of Education)

Students who wish to obtain the ICE (a global certificate of education) will need to add the following subjects to the four curricular ones listed above:

Subjects	Weekly teaching hours
Physics or Biology or Chemistry	3
Mathematics	3
Spanish First Language	No extra lessons required

The first three subjects are taught once a week after school from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

* Teaching hours are 40 minutes long.

5^thand 6^th Year – Baccalaureate (Years 11 and 12)

At the end of the 4^th year, students must choose between the International Baccalaureate Diploma or the National Baccalaureate.

The International Baccalaureate programme for English is as follows:

(Applicable to both 5^th and 6^th Year)

Specialism	Subjects taught in english	Weekly teaching hours
Economics	English Language and Literature HL	6
	Economics SL	4
	History HL	7
Law	English Language and Literature HL	6
Law	History HL	7
Medicine Architecture Engineering Agronomy	English Language and Literature HL	6
Medicine Architecture Engineering Agronomy	Either:History SL Or:Business SL Or:Economics SL	4

HL: High level SL: Standard Level

National Baccalaureate follow the IB programme with individual course taught in English.

5th year (Year 10)

Specialism	Subjects taught in English	Weekly teaching hours
Humanities	English Language IB	3
Humanities	Literature IB	3
Biology	English Language IB	3
Biology	Literature IB	3
Science	English Language IB	3
Science	Literature IB	3
One elective	History IB	4
	Economics IB	4
	Biology IB	4

6^th year

Specialism	Subjects taught in english	Weekly teaching hours
Humanities Economics/ Humanities Law	Business English Certificate (BEC) Higher	4
Humanities Economics/ Humanities Law	Literature IB	3
Biological Sciences/ Agronomic Sciences	Business English Certificate (BEC) Higher	4
Biological Sciences/ Agronomic Sciences	Literature IB	3
Mathematics and Design/Physics - Mathematics	Business English Certificate (BEC) Higher	4
Mathematics and Design/Physics - Mathematics	Literature IB	3
Elective	History IB	4
	Biology IB
	Economics IB

IMPORTANT:

All the syllabi listed above have been approved by the national education authority for Secondary schools (Consejo de Educación Secundaria) and are curricular and official.

PERFORMING ARTS IN ENGLISH

Since 2005, ‘Makebelieve’ – a theatre company composed of students and members of staff – has performed plays written by English speaking authors, in both English and Spanish, to great acclaim.

OUR TEACHING STAFF:

Our teaching staff hold degrees both in Language Teaching as well as in the specific subjects that they teach.

Our staff take part in Continuous Professional Development courses and workshops led by foreign specialist lecturers and experts.

Documents

International examinations

PRIMARY CHECKPOINT

In october of the 6th year in Primary the students sit three exams in three different subjects ending the Cambridge Primary Programme.

• English First Language

• Science

• Mathematics

They receive a certificate of performance and a thorough report of their strengths and weaknesses. The examinations are marked in Cambridge and the reports are extremely valuable as they allow the College to continue to monitor, test and plan our student’s individual progress well into Secondary school.

I.G.C.S.E. - INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATES OF SECONDARY EDUCATION (Cambridge University, UK)

Administered by the University of Cambridge, these examinations have been developed for secondary schools. Their preparation courses take two years and lead to internationally recognised certificate of secondary education comparable to the British General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSE).

The IGCSE curriculum has been adopted by international schools worldwide and it lays a solid foundation for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and courses.

At the same time, these courses and examinations allow a smooth transition of students to and from local and international schools.

ICE- INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION

ICE is a group award for IGCSE that recognises students who pass 7 IGCSE examinations. Students who wish to obtain the award must sit a combination of IGCSE subjects, as follows:

Group I: Languages
Group II: Humanities and Social Sciences
Group III: Sciences
Group IV: Mathematics
Group V: Professional and Creative

The ICE can be issued in the following grades:

Distinction – When grade A or above is obtained in 5 subjects and C or above in 2.
Merit - Grade C or above in 5 subjects and F or above in 2.
Pass- Grade G or above in 7 subjects.