At the Gozo College everyone matters!

The Gozo College started to function in October 2005 after the launch of the Education Ministry's document "For All Children to Succeed" in June 2005. Ever since, the Gozo College, under the charismatic and generous leadership of Chev. Frank Gatt, has been a very positive experience both at school and community level. The Gozo College is a caring college where everyone matters!

Energy begets energy, enthusiasm begets enthusiasm. Sound, professional work and dedication are bound to pay off. The college co-ordinator, in very close collaboration with the Ministry, the Education Division, heads, assistant heads, SMTs, teachers, instructors, facilitators, the Association of School Councils, supply teachers, parents, and the whole Gozitan community, is injecting all these attributes into our educational system and the results are already manifest. Co-operation, collaboration, synergy, shared leadership, and sharing of best practices are the order of the day at the Gozo College.

At the Gozo College every child matters. Teachers are being encouraged and trained to use more autonomous learning methodologies. After school homework-cum-activities clubs are resuming in various schools of the Gozo College; multilingual activities are being organised for various categories of learners as part of a whole college project the aim of which is to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism from the first kinder years of schooling. A Down's Syndrome support group has been set up where children, facilitators, parents and the college co-ordinator meet regularly in different schools.

At the Gozo College every head, assistant head and member of SMT matters: the agenda for the regular council of heads meetings is a joint effort between each head and the college co-ordinator. They discuss topics for professional development and other initiatives, including the implementation of new approaches to syllabuses and the preparation of more learner-friendly forms of assessments.

A word of encouragement goes to the new heads and acting heads who are already proving their worth in the schools where they have been posted.

At the Gozo College every teacher-educator matters. The climate is a positive one where each opinion is taken into consideration. Again this year, common professional sessions will be organised for primary and post-primary teachers. This year the focus will be on streaming, setting and mixed ability.

Moreover, meetings with various groups of teachers are held regularly to discuss professional matters and action plans, share good practices and enhance quality teaching at classroom level. A good number of curricular, innovative activities will soon be announced.

At the Gozo College every parent matters. The Gozo College co-ordinator gives a customised, personalised service to every parent and guardian. His policy of open, no-need-for-appointment policy is reaping positive results and generating trust among parents. The co-ordinator also regularly welcomes parents before and well after office hours and addresses parents and listens to their views during meetings organised either by the school or the Gozo branch of the Association of School Councils (AKS), which has been re-established on a sounder footing and working together with all the other stake-holders.

After the launch of European Day for Schools and Parents at Ninu Cremona Complex in September, Gozitan parents will be invited to a seminar on streaming, setting and mixed ability in December. The seminar will be in line with the professional development sessions planned for the teaching staff and with the vision of inclusion and formative assessment, laid out in the National Minimum Curriculum and enthusiastically shared by the Gozo College.

Several other meetings for parents are being planned by the very active AKS Gozo branch. The Gozo College, namely, the Arts and Crafts Centre at Ghajnsielem, the Drama Centre at Nadur and the Music School at Sannat, which are attended by thousands of learners of all ages, also play a special part.

These schools also contribute to the after-school programmes envisaged by the Gozo College. The three centres are working in synergy on common activities that will be announced later. One such project will be announced very soon during Celebration Day at Sannat Primary School and Special Unit.

This is a very ambitious project involving the grouping of all Gozo College learners into learning planets.

At the Gozo College, no stone is left unturned to provide a holistic education of the highest quality. A word of praise to all those who are helping to make it happen!