The Annual Report of the Board of Governors 2015-2016

2.5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION

In St. Mary’s, we recognise our responsibility to ensure that our young people are educated to become global citizens who are fully aware of the world within which they live and in which they will eventually work. It is important that the young people of today develop an understanding of a range of global issues so that they may be fully prepared for tomorrow’s world. We understand that the International Dimension is an increasingly important aspect of school education. Over a number of years, we have focused on enhancing this aspect of our provision. As an outward-looking school, we are always keen to develop partnerships, to work with and learn from others beyond the boundaries of our school. This is an attribute that we encourage in our students, not least in our efforts to incorporate the International Dimension throughout the school. So that our young people may develop as global citizens and acquire knowledge of global issues, we embrace the International Dimension in many aspects of our provision. In 2015-16, we continued to:

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  forge and sustain international school partnerships;
  
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  provide students with learning experiences beyond the parameters of the classroom through various international educational visits; and
  
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  brought the world into the classroom through curriculum initiatives and activities.
  

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

BRITISH COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD

We were very pleased to achieve reaccreditation of the prestigious British Council International School Award in September 2015. First awarded in May 2013, the International School Award is an accreditation scheme for curriculum-based international work in schools. The scheme provides recognition for teachers and their schools working to instill a global dimension into the learning experience of all children and young people. The International School Award supports schools to develop:

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  an international ethos embedded throughout the school;
  
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  a majority of pupils within the school impacted by and involved in international work;
  
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  collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools;
  
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  curriculum-based work across a range of subjects;
  
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  year round international activity; and
  
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  involvement of partner schools and the wider community in the UK.
  

GERMAN

In September 2015, the German Department was visited by 28 pupils and 2 members of the English Department at our German Partner School, Gymnasium Oesede. The group arrived on the evening of Sunday 20^th September and left on Saturday 26^th September. During the week German pupils attended classes with Year 11 and Year 12 pupils. The Home Economics Department kindly gave a cookery demonstration for our visitors, who also had the opportunity to learn Irish and to attend some Gaelic Football Coaching. They also attended an evening of Traditional Irish Music and Dance with members of the local community. The German teachers visited a number of classes and taught German to our Year 8 pupils. Year 10 pupils at St. Mary’s took part in a quiz with the German visitors as part of our celebrations for European Day of Languages.

SPANISH

In September 2015, we had a visit from our co-ordinating teacher from Spain, Ms Susana Torres.

e-Twinning

In November 2015, a Webinar was hosted in St. Mary’s by a British Council Ambassador on effective use of E-Twinning. This involved three colleagues from Collegio Aristos, Madrid and

Miss McAllister (International Co-ordinator), Miss MacOscar (Head of German), Mrs Mateo-Loughlin (Head of Spanish) from St. Mary’s.

2.6 INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL VISITS

Throughout 2015-16, students had opportunities to engage in a wide range of educational visits, both residential and non-residential. Educational visits involved students in off-site academic, sporting, cultural, creative and personal development activities which contributed to their learning and development beyond the classroom. Details of the educational visits organised by each subject department are available in the Department Achievements and Activities section of this report. The following section provides an overview of the residential educational visits that took place in 2015-16.

ST MARY’S SKI VISIT TO BIBERWIER, AUSTRIA (JANUARY 2016)

In January 2016, seventy Year 9 students set off on the annual Ski Trip to Biberwier in Austria.  Led by Mr McElholm, the students were accompanied by Mr Dunlop, Mrs Carr, Mr Conway, Miss Hagan, Mr Brady and our principal, Mrs Gillespie. The group spent seven nights in the very comfortable Mc Tirol hotel in Biberwier and despite a lack of snow in some areas, had a great week skiing on the Zugspitze glacier and in Ehrwald.   Whilst there, they were also able to shop in the village of Ehrwald, visit the picturesque local church and in the evenings could also avail of the hotel swimming pool, games room and disco. On the journey home the group visited Christmas markets in Garmisch and Zurich.

Directory: downloads
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