Meet Archie Our Mascot

Archie, the AClass English  owl loves to have his photo taken by our English language students. He is especially fond of getting his picture snapped in front of local landmarks. Anyone can take Archie for a weekend photo shoot. Just drop by the office to find out more. 

Start 2014 with a BANG: Learn English in Malta with AClass Academy of English

After a relatively quiet Christmas period AClass has truly started this year with a BANG. We have been flooded with course requests and inquiries, so let's hope they translate into more lovely students joining us over the year.

There are lots of new developments in the pipeline with our new website which we hope to have up and running by mid-March. We are still deciding who to work with on the design and development front and it has been a surprisingly difficult task. Many local companies do not seem to have much knowledge when it comes to best practises for SEO. However after a lot of probing and researching, I think we have found someone we can work with :)


More on that later in another blog post.

January has been exceptionally mild and students have commented on what lovely weather we are having. I wonder if this will mean that learning English in Malta this summer is going to be hot , hot , hot! I hope not. Anything over 37 degrees is rather uncomfortable. Thank goodness all our classrooms have air-conditioning our students can learn in a nice cool classroom. For the time being I am leaving my coat in the car as I have hardly used it at all.


Watch out for Special offers on our website  for AClass students in February!


I will be going on Maternity leave soon so my next update will most likely be in July 2014. I will be leaving the school in the very capable hands of Julie Kiddier. She can be contacted on info@aclassenglish.com

Winding Down The Summer

The weather is cooling down somewhat and we have waved goodbye to lots of lovely people this summer. It always surprise us how many lovely people we meet here at school. Who can forget Lalla who brought us Sicilian pastries on her last day at school or Luciano and his group of Italian teens who were so well behaved?

Every week we look forward to welcoming new students through our doors so that they may fulfil their dreams of learning English. Students come here for a variety of reasons. Some want to learn English in Malta for their job or potential new job. These tend to take a General English Course or a Business English Course.  Others have fallen in love with a person who only speaks English. Some students dream of living in an English - speaking country or studying at a prestigious University where English is an entry requirement. These tend to take an Exam Preparation |Course.

All of our students agree that English is like a glue that connects us all. It gives people the freedom to work , live and travel anywhere in the world.

Where else to to come and learn this magnificent island than in the heart of the Mediterranean sea with a rich cultural and historical history with close ties to the British empire.

For more information on all our English courses in Malta here at AClass Academy please visit our website or send us an email.

Quick Recap

Well, I can't believe how quickly the months have passed. Christmas came and went and Nicole and I were saying it was going to be ages till we got to go to the beach again...FAST FORWARD six months and we are back to flip-flops and t-shirts. Where has the time gone?

January and February were busy with long-term students and organising accommodation deals to be able to offer the best to our students.

 March was training month .We also had teacher observations and teacher training sessions on using  White boards for English lessons, teaching Teens and also a session on teaching Young Learners. This to ensure all of our teaching staff are up to date on the latest methods and ideas in English Language teaching.

Interactive White Boards were installed at AClass between February and March.

April was the month when  AClass was given a facelift. We sprung into actions with new floors being  laid down, the classrooms were given a  fresh lick of paint and  new artwork hung on the walls.

During the refurbishing works

After!

After- new paint and new artwork

New artwork in the classrooms

New artwork in the table-tennis area

The president meeting some AClass students who are here learning English in Malta

AClass had a guest of honour in May, none other than the president of Malta himself. He was interested to hear about where our students came from and met many of them personally.

Junior group in June showing Liz their magazine. A project they worked on all week.

June has well and truly kicked off and we are looking at a number of student arrivals each week. New air-conditioners are being installed as well as new touch-screen computers for the internet cafe. As you can imagine these have been a hit with junior, teen and adult English language learners alike.

The new computers have been a hit!

So what are you waiting for ? Visit our English language School website for the latest special offers or contact us on info@aclassenglish.com 

Christmas Feast at AClass Academy of English

It’s the last week before the school closes for the holidays and what better way to

 draw a successful year to a close than by having a Christmas party full of good food

and Yule-time cheer.

All the remaining students thought this was a grand idea with many of them bringing something

home- baked with them. We had mulled wine and mince pies from   the UK, oranges and

panettone from Italy,  gingerbread cookies from Hungary, a sponge cake from Iran,  mini Salami’s

from Spain and of course, pastizzi from Malta.

After having our fill we sat down in the schools Internet Café and played a number of word games

which brought out the competitive streak in many of us.

Well -done to everyone for making the party a total success.

See you in 2013.

Christmas is around the corner

I can't believe how quickly December and  Christmas has come round again. I feel like it was only a few weeks ago that AClass Academy of English welcomed  groups of Teens and Juniors to learn  English with us in summer. I remember thinking summer was going to last forever.

It is only this week that Malta has seen any kind of wintry weather though we have had our fair share of wet days, the mercury has only just fallen to below 20!


The school is still quite busy for this time of year and we have such lovely students coming through our doors. I feel I have made friends for life. Classes are so small and personal that students who come in winter  time often come back time and time again as it really is the ideal time to focus on learning English.
 

We have several families here to improve their language skills together, a few Medical English students  and a number of students preparing for the IELTS exam next January.  There are also plenty  of  young and not so young adults taking General or Business English courses to brush up on their English and  improve their job prospects.

The tinsel is up but we have yet to decorate our AClass tree. Hopefully that will happen next week before our Christmas party on the 18th.

Christmas is a great time to be in Malta as the streets are full of lights and carols and although there is no snow the island somehow feels full of Yule time cheer.

AClass wishes you all a very Merry Christmas and we hope you book an English language course with us in 2013.

See you in Malta next year on one of our English Courses.Check out our Special Offers Page for Super Savings!

Spooky Offers on English Courses this November and December at ACLass

ClICK HERE FOR OUR SPOOKY SPECIAL OFFERS FROM THIS NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.

          LEARN ENGLISH IN MALTA WITH SMALL CLASSES AND GREAT PRICES.

AClass Summer 2012 : Learning English in Malta

 AClass Academy of English : Summer Fun 2012 in Malta 

 City and Guilds Exam preparation  Group- August 2012 

 Pre-Intermediate Group 

We love learning English with our teacher Vanessa!

Junior Elementary Class

Yummy Pizza- made by our students during their English Language Package

 Junior English Courses 

 Adult General English Course 

Don't forget to join our AClass Academy of English Facebook Group

It has been a fantastic summer here at AClass Academy of English. We have welcomed people from all over the world through our doors to learn English and made many new friends.

We have had students taking Cambridge First Certificate exams as well as others taking their IELTS exams as well as the City and Guilds IESOL exam. 

Some students have come here to combine a holiday with a language course. Others have had clear goals and were extremely driven. I am please to say we managed to satisfy all or at least nearly all their expectations. This is why after 4 years I can honestly say I love what I do!

If you are thinking of taking an English language course in Malta, why not contact us to find out why we have so many repeat students coming back year after year. You are not just a number to us. We cannot wait to help you improve your English in a small class with our expert teachers.

AClass - Quality English Courses That Don't Cost The Earth.

Visit: http://www.aclassenglish.com

The months are whizzing by and Malta is seeing more and more blue-bird skies as the mercury is rising. This spring, AClass Academy of English in Malta has been rather busy preparing for the summer period ahead.

Director of Studies at AClass, Liz Camilleri, says:

“After a very successful 2011, we have taken on board many of the suggestions and recommendations we received from our students and partner agents.

Consequently, AClass have  introduced a Business English course in the mornings in light of requests as  previously these lessons we only available in the afternoons.

Just before summer, we will be running an in-service refresher course for all the teachers to promote and exchange ideas. On-going monitoring and training are crucial to ensure teachers continue to progress and keep up to date with the latest developments. 

 We have invested heavily in our staff as we believe a school is only as good as the teachers it employs. No amount of technology can make up for a  teacher who is stagnant .”

All the teachers are  highly- qualified and besides holding the necessary qualifications to teach English they bring their life-experiences to the classroom. They come from a range of diverse working backgrounds with some having worked in mainstream schools while others are retired professionals.  There is also a journalist, a semi-qualified dentist and even a Reiki instructor in our team.  

“Our Business English teacher, besides holding a CELTA qualification, for example, is also an accountant with numerous years of banking experience under her belt.”

While the academic side of things are being taken care of, the Accommodation officers have also been busy interviewing new host families and securing accommodation close to the school. Demand for self-catering apartments with Wi-Fi from English language students is on the increase so this has been a priority this year. New hostels suitable for adults have also been added to the ever expending accommodation portfolio to offer as much choice as possible to prospective students.

Accommmodation Officer at AClass, Nicole Pullicino explains:

“Sourcing quality accommodation close to the school is an on-going project. We monitor all our families, especially during busy periods to ensure standards are kept high. I know we are on the right track when  our students come back the following year and  ask for the same families or apartment again.”

AClass Academy of English has seen steady and continual growth since it opened its doors to English language students in 2009. It offers General English classes as well as Business, Medical and Aviation English. Courses start from €115 euro per week. Visit http://www.aclassenglish.com

A Busy Year Teaching English to Hundreds of Students

Well the end of the year is drawing to a close and I can happily report that we have had an excellent year.

AClass Academy of English have more than doubled the number of English language student arrivals for 2011. This is partly due to all our hard work and the number of repeat students we had over summer as well as a large number of student groups coming to learn English between July and October.

November has been quieter but this has meant we have been able to spend more time with our students and listening to their suggestions and advice and updating our website.

The AClass English website now has a SPECIAL OFFERS Page where you can find our latest hot deals on English language courses. Besides this we are updating all our price lists to include a new Business English Course ( details to follow shortly). You will be pleased to know our course prices have remained unchanged for 3 years so this means better prices for you.

We are also adding more host families to our database to be able to offer even more option to our students.

ISLE OF MTV JUNE 2011

Depuis la 4e année consecutive, Isle of MTV sera à Malte le 30 juin 2011 ! Ce concert gratuit et filmé est organisé sur la Place Greniers Floriana et devrait attirer 50 000 personnes voir plus.

Cet événement servira aussi de clôture au populaire week-end de musique de Malte qui se déroulera du 24 au 30 juin 2011. Les autorités du tourisme de Malte ont donné leur accord. Isle of MTV Malta compte de nombreux partenaires et sponsors.

De nombreux artistes seront présents lors de cet événement comme Snoop dogg, David Guetta, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias, Maroon 5 et bien d’autres encore….

Isle of MTV est devenue l’une des plus grande scène de musique de l’été. C’est aussi la meilleure nuit des lives en Europe de tout l’été. De plus c’est l’opportunité de faire un séjour linguistique chez AClass Academy of English pour pouvoir côtoyer, rencontrer et parler anglais avec des personnes du monde entier et bien sur une destination parfaite pour les amoureux de musique et partager un moment avec ses nouveaux amis et apprécier d’avantage.

Malte est l’endroit idéal pour des vacances, on peut combiner la plage, les visites de l’île, les soirées car très réputée pour ses soirées et ses événements !!!!

Pour plus d’informations : www.isleofmtv.com

www.aclassenglish.com

Referendum in Malta 2011

Ever since the government declared that the question of whether or not divorce should be introduced in Malta would be put to a referendum vote, we have been bombarded with articles in support of either the "yes" or the "no" camps.

Eventually, many people, myself included, experienced campaign fatigue as they were fed up of the onslaught of billboards, leaflets, pamphlets and phone calls they received trying to convince them to go one way or the other. Last Saturday, young and old turned out to mark an x on their ballot paper and have their say.

Malta's people have voted and sent a clear message to the government and church. With a turnout of 72%, the Yes vote garnered a 53.2% majority win.

Slowly it seems Malta is moving towards more secular principles something I personally believe has been should have happened a long time ago.

I am proud to be Maltese and living on an island where the will of the people is respected by the government they elect to represent them.

I look forward to the introduction of laws protecting minorities groups and while respecting everyone's right to their own beliefs I hope that one day we can truly shake off our xenophobic fears and embrace everyone regardless of their differences.

March 2011

First of all AClass Academy of English would like to say that our thoughts and prayers go out to all those people around the globe from New Zealand to Japan and Libya and beyond who are experiencing great changes in their lives due to war, unrest or natural disasters.

This year has not started on the best foot however here, on the sunny island of Malta we are lucky to have had nothing but good weather and a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

AClass is slowly planning and gearing up for an eventful summer with a substantial increase expected in the number of Spanish BECAS MEC 2011 students coming to AClass to learn English for 3 weeks.

New Maps are being printed and a host of other goodies (which I will tell you about once they are finalised).

Our classes have been mainly long terms students wanting a General English course to improve their English to get better jobs or to gain entry into a good university in an English speaking country. We have also had a number of local companies using our services to provide tailor-made English courses for Business English and General English as well.

AClass Academy of English is continuously trying to improve the product we offer.

Here is a student testimonial from Matts, a Swedish pilot who came to Malta to study Aviation English:

" Yesterday I took the English Language Test for pilots and I did very well. When I was at your school last spring I was at target level 4 but I am now level 5 and not so far from level 6...I am so excited about the weeks I am on Malta because without your help it would not have gone so well...AClass Academy of English really does make a difference."

Why learn English in Malta?

Jingle Bells - Christmas Spirit

I can't believe it is that time of year once again. Nicole, Juanita and I decorated the school with lots of Christmas decorations and are feeling decidedly Christmassy now that we have our Christmas carols playing in the background and lights twinkling on the tree.

For some of our English students, this is their first experience of what Christmas is all about as they do not normally celebrate it. For those who do celebrate Christmas, this may be their first year away from home so it really is a special time of year.

Luckily, we have more than enough excitement to go around and the last day before we break up will focus on Christmas games, traditions and customs with a few traditional goodies such as mince pies and mulled wine thrown in for good measure.

2011 is expected to be even busier than 2010. Not only are English students coming to Malta to study and learn English with AClass expected to increase steadily but we have lots of exciting new plans in the pipeline as well. These include Online English lessons where you can learn English at home without leaving your house. These will be offered early next year.

English Teacher Resources: Buy this Macmillan Book !

Teaching Practice

Malta and Gozo Events this September 2010

Malta and Gozo by Day September 2010 Issue

Malte

Malte : l’île des confluences

Article from Visit Malta about the Maltese Language

The verbal morphology of Maltese-From Semitic to Romance

Language Travel and Educational Fairs

I have been rather busy promoting the school this month.

September is the time for agent fairs and it is a period when AClass Academy of English reconnects with old business contacts and meets new agents who may be interested in working with us.

Imagine, if you like, speed-dating for Language schools. Everyone has 20-30 minutes per meeting to explain a little bit about the school and what sets them apart from the competition. Then if you think you match up, you swap contact details and take things from there.

The best part of all this is definitely the scheduled social events such as the Language Star Awards which involve a glitzy ceremony of sorts to promote the movers and shakers in our industry.