St Colman’s provide warm welcome for Maltese colleagues

Two educators from De La Salle College Malta and four from St Benild's school, had the opportunity to engage with a fellow Lasallian school in Ireland when they visited St Colman’s National School in Macroom.

Doriana Parnis, Assistant Head, and Lorraine Pace, Support teacher, made the trip as part of the Erasmus + Professional Development in Ireland organised by the Literacy and Numeracy Department within the Secretariat for Catholic Education."

See below as Doriana reflects on the two-day event, on September 22nd and 23rd, that proved to be a very valuable experience.

Just prior to the commencement of the scholastic year 2023-2024, I was presented with an exceptional learning opportunity by the Secretariat for Catholic Education, under the leadership of Mr. Chris Bugeja, a dedicated educator with expertise in literacy.

This opportunity involved joining a cohort of Maltese educators hailing from various Church Schools across Malta, along with Ms. Claire Scerri, our Literacy Support Teacher. The purpose of this endeavour was to participate in a training programme centered around the recently adopted Read, Write, Inc. Literacy programme at De La Salle College, Junior School. 

The professional training took place at St. Colman's Boys National School in Macroom, Ireland. Our experience at St. Colman's National Boys School was characterised by a warm and hospitable reception from the school's staff members, particularly the Head of School Mr Martin Clancy.

The tutor, Ms. Owens, exhibited profound knowledge of the training materials and patiently addressed all inquiries posed by our group. She conducted the two training sessions with remarkable enthusiasm and ardour.

Ms. Owens was an engaging, well-informed, supportive, and exceptionally organised instructor who executed these training sessions masterfully. It was invigorating to engage in dialogues with fellow educators and explore diverse strategies aimed at accommodating students with varying abilities.

The training sessions were intellectually stimulating, brimming with valuable resources, and afforded us hands-on opportunities to experiment with an array of resources and strategies from the Ruth Miskin Read Write Inc. Programme. This was primarily accomplished through collaborative partner work, as we diligently followed the trainer's instructions, allowing ample time for questions and deliberation. 

Every facet of our experience was meticulously orchestrated, from our comfortable accommodations at the Kingsley Hotel in Macroom to the efficient transportation provided by our drivers between the hotel and the school, all the way to the warm and welcoming reception extended to us by the staff at St. Colman's Boys National School. 

In summation, this entire experience was exceedingly enriching, and I am genuinely appreciative of the tremendous learning opportunity it afforded me.