St. Monica School Gzira is a church school, run by the Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary. The school was first opened in Ponsomby Street, in 1937 but as time went by, a larger and more modern school was needed. In fact in just a few years the building rose from the first stone, laid on the 1st of June 1994, into a sprawling structure, officially opened on the 5th of December 2000. This church school presently holds 848 female students. In accordance with the foundress’s wishes it is a mixed ability school and there is no streaming. There are four classes for Pregrade, and three classes for each age group from Grade 1 to Grade 6, and three classes per Form from Form 1 to Form 5.
When Maria Teresa Spinelli founded the Congregation of the Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary, she stated specifically that the principal aim of the Congregation is the "direction and instruction of individuals". These "individuals", our students, she described as "precious treasures" redeemed by the Blood of Christ and entrusted by Our Lord to the teachers to "educate and lovingly instruct".
The value of each and every individual child is stressed in Teresa Spinelli’s exhortation to her teachers to "Love and respect them without distinction as the beloved daughters of God, destined to become Princesses and Queens in Heaven". Spinellian education is open to all, without distinction of class or ability. It is the holistic development of the individual as a Christian living within society. In the Constitutions of the Congregation we find the elements of Spinellian education that form the aims and ethos of our schools. Spiritual development is the foundation of the educational vision of Maria Teresa Spinelli. There are also references to moral, social, academic and cultural development as well as to vocational development and education for leisure. Teachers are encouraged to accept and allow for individual differences.
Our Foundress’s vision is in fact astonishingly fresh and modern.
The school was awarded the Green Flag 5 times as it was judged to be a green school by taking measures to safeguard the environment. The Eco Code demonstrates the school's commitment in taking steps towards environmentally sound actions.
This commitment includes:
We will repair, reduce, re-use and recycle things whenever possible.
We will buy products and materials that do not harm the environment when they are made or used.
We will teach others to limit their impact on wildlife within our school. We will make an effort to take care of the Maltese Garden and the plants in our classrooms.
We will follow the eco-code to create a better environment for our school.
We will turn off taps and make sure we don't have any leaks. We will teach others about how to save water.
We aim to lower energy consumption at our school, and teach others about how to save energy!
We will tell all school visitors, families and friends about how we are looking after our environment and hope they do the same at home and school!
We will try and increase the biodiversity in our school by taking care of our Maltese Garden. In this garden we have planted Maltese plants to increase the number of plants we have in our school and to encourage more birds and butterflies to visit our school.
A structured handbook detailing all school policies for primary and secondary students
DownloadA curriculum document for each year group is available to download in PDF format.
DownloadTime-table of all the extra-curricular activities is available for download here
DownloadThe Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of St Monica schools was created by the Maltese Province of the Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary as an unofficial association of parents and teachers who help and give counsel to the Head of School for the good of the schools in the Maltese Province. St Monica School Gzira has its own committee. The members are parents or guardians of children who attend the school and teachers of the same school. The committee aims at promoting the best education for our students. Members meet to discuss educational issues and forward their suggestions to the administration. They evaluate the school's teaching and learning practices offering feedback, and help in the creation of school policies. They help in the organisation of fundraising activities which contribute greatly towards the development of the school by providing funds for new resources and infrastructural development. A good number of activities are organised throughout the year both during school hours and during weekends or after school.
During important times of the Catholic Calendar such as Christmas, Easter, and St Martin’s feast, PTA members bake and prepare the traditional sweets to sell to students. Therefore, while providing funds for new projects for the school, the PTA also keeps Maltese and Catholic traditions. As a school we look at the holistic formation of our students as well as their families. The PTA contributes also to the spiritual formation of families. They organise spiritual activities such as Advent Celebration, Christmas Eve Mass, Lenten Talks and a seminar for families. The PTA also organises various activities aiming at cultural and leisure education for all the family throughout the years. Some of these activities are: St Monica's Got Talent, Cycling Event for families, Family Picnic and Family Fun Day. The ultimate aim of all the activities is to educate families for healthy leisure.
The aim of our Primary and Secondary Students' Councils is to educate our students for leadership and to give them a voice in the school community. Each council meets once a fortnight and the students discuss various issues and then the points discussed are presented to the head of school. Some issues are solved immediately others are discussed with the rest of the SMT in order to find the best solutions. The councils also plan various activities: educational, fundraising, fun and philantropic. With the funds raised, the school buys educational and sports equipment for the teaching and learning of students.
View Student Council Members