Physical training: resistance, flexibility, speed, strength and coordination.
Secondary School
Embracing the Future
At St. Martin’s, we encourage the overall development of the students and we stimulate the expression of their creative potential.
Our fundamental objective is to provide our adolescent students with the right motivation and a pleasant setting during a pleasurable learning experience that aims to achieve the highest level of academic performance in every area.
We aim to teach our students that the discipline of daily effort, the understanding of their responsibility within their social environment and a moral conduct are fundamental for the demands our future professionals will be required to meet. The tools required to address the challenges of university life are available to our students.
Academic Objectives
Our Secondary School programme, in Spanish and English, answers to the needs, interests and skills of the adolescent students, encouraging their intellectual and physical development and their creative potential.
In this stage, we seek to strengthen the basic skills acquired in every area of the Primary cycle, specifically promoting the development of effective study techniques and increasingly sophisticated cognitive processes, together with the capacity for analysis, interpretation and evaluation of information and with the development of empathy and critical thinking.
The teachers’ fundamental objective is to provide motivation to the students and thus achieve a learning experience that is both pleasant and challenging, aimed at academic excellence in every area. Simultaneously, they will pursue the development of self-discipline, independence, self-esteem and responsibility.
The Programme of Studies for both languages emphasises the interrelation between the different disciplines, thus putting forward a holistic vision of knowledge. This interdisciplinary perspective requires the student to consider achievements and problems in their widest sense, leaving aside fragmentation of knowledge.
At the end of the Higher Cycle, students receive the “Bachiller en Economía y Administración con certificación bilingüe en idioma inglés y competencias en idioma italiano” (Certificate of Higher Bilingual Education in Economics and Administration, with competencies in Italian).
Prof. Agustina Bel
Secondary Headmistress
Prof. Facundo Rodríguez Pérsico
Studies
Director
English at Secondary School
Just like in Kindergarten and Primary, English has a key role at Secondary school. Apart from studying the language proper, students take contents subjects in English. These lead towards the preparation of International Exams: Business Studies, Biology, History, Geography, ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Enterprise, Language, Literature, Enviromental Management and Global Perspectives. (Further details in the International Exams section).
Art at Secondary School
Students choose bewteen Music and Plasctic Art.
Music:
Our objectives include both production – by means of vocal and instrumental performance of popular songs – and appreciation of various style features, elements of musical discourse and special characteristics of the works students are exposed to.
Students study the origin of music and its role in ancient civilisations as well as the following movements: Baroque, Opera, Classicism, Romanticism, Postromanticism and the Avant-garde movement. There is also room for the study of music in films and for American and Argentine styles including tango and folklore.
Plastic arts
At Secondary school, we expand on the work done in Primary, developing the Concepts of dot, line, colour and other spatial indicators. Even though we continue seeing intuition as crucial, we do it from a more critical point of view, questioning every element of the composition.
We also carry out cross-curricular lessons with the Music Workshop where we study both musical and plastic productions of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Baroque and Romanticism. Unlike Primary, where the history of art is approached in a more biographycal manner, at Secondary we focus on the social contexts in which the studied works were produced.
Physical Education
The specific objetives at Secondary are a continuation of those developed in Primary, adjusting them to the evolutionary stage of adolescents.
Our lessons are carried out in the Sports Field and incluye the following disciplines: Rugby, Athletics, Football and Hockey
Virtual Campus
St. Martin’s has developed a virtual campus that allows us to capitalise on the contributions of Information Technology and Communication for optimising and enriching the teaching-learning process.
The use of the Virtual Campus is based on the following assumptions:
- We are all potential educators and learners in a genuinely collaborative environment.
- We learn as we create or express things so that others can see them
- We learn when we watch the activity of our peers
- As we understand other learning contexts, we can teach in a transformational and constructivist style
The learning environment must be flexible and adaptable if it is to respond effectively to the participants’ needs.
International Exams
The objective of these examinations is to make the students familiar with the various exam situations and to stimulate them to reach the high international standards. We prepare them for the following examinations:
ICE – International Certificate of Education.
IGCSE – International General Certificate of Secondary Education.
The IGCSE is an internationally acknowledged study plan as well as an examinations system, which was exclusively designed by UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) for the secondary level with the objective of promoting a high academic standard through a dynamic and practical approach to learning.
LINK
Advanced International Certificate of Education
AICE – Advanced International Certificate of Education
A / AS – Advanced / Advanced Subsidiary Levels
The AICE, (Advanced International Certificate of Education) Diploma offers a pre-university evaluation system intended for Senior 4 and Senior 5 students who wish to prepare to sit the subjects corresponding to A /AS levels. The AICE Diploma includes three great curriculum areas: Mathematics & Science, Language and Arts & Humanities.
LINK
Progetto Linguia Italiana Dante Alighieri
International Exam in italian language endorsed by Dante Alighieri.
Vocational Counselling
St. Martin’s offers vocational counselling to its students, starting halfway through Senior 4 and ending halfway through Senior 5.
This process provides a space for reflection, self-knowledge and for seeking the information that will help the students make a truly personal choice.
The point is to encourage the task of learning to make choices by promoting an independent and responsible attitude in each student.
Senior 5 students participate in the “Partners for a day” programme, organised by Junior Achievement. They also visit different higher studies centres, such as the UCA (Argentinean Catholic University, the UADE (Argentinean Business Studies University), the Austral University, the ITBA (Buenos Aires Institute of Technology) and the UBA (University of Buenos Aires), taking advantage of the various services these centres offer, such as talks, conferences and Open Days.
These outings give a glimpse of university life and academic level and help reduce the anxiety produced by the unknown.
Agreements with Universities
At St. Martin’s, we have two types of agreements with universities.
On the one hand, we have agreements related to the benefits obtained from achieving the passing grade of the University of Cambridge international exams. Those agreements involve the following universities:
On the other hand, our school graduates have direct admission, in accordance with their average marks, to UTDT, UB, UCA and UADE, as well as the possibility of obtaining scholarships.
Activities
At St. Martin’s Secondary School, we carry out a great range of activities that enrich the teaching-learning process.
Participation in School Olympics:
We take part in:
- OAF (Argentinean Physics Olympics), organized by the University of Córdoba
- OAB (Argentinean Biology Olympics), organised by the University of Río Cuarto
- OACJ (Junior Argentinean Science Olympics), organised by the University of Cuyo
- OMA (Argentinean Mathematics Olympics)
- Translation Olympics and Spelling Olympics, both organised by the University of Belgrano
- Panels with visiting professionals
- Partner for a Day Programme, organised by Junior Achievement
Community Spirit Day:
This day is devoted to working towards integration, the development of a spirit of solidarity and the joy of sharing various activities between students and teachers.
Interhouse General Knowledge Competition:
- Didactic Outings
- Senior Play
- Global Young Leaders Conference
St. Martin in the Fields yearly offers its secondary students the possibility of participating in the Global Young Leaders Conference and of representing our country and their school in this important international event, held in USA/Europe/China.
The general objectives of the programme are:
- To train students for their participation in the national and international scene in their role as future leaders
- To broaden their perspectives and develop their natural qualities for leadership through the analysis and discussion of globally relevant topics with outstanding diplomats and politicians of international renown
Transversal Projects:
Over the last few years we had various transversal projects in which every secondary student participated. Some of them were: Science Fairs, Shakespare Festival, Academic Decathlon, Sustainability Fair, Book Bash, Italian Fair and we are currently preparing the “That 60s and 70s Show”.
