The History

In 1950 the necessity for another house for the Augustinian Sisters, servants of Jesus and Mary was felt.  An opportunity offered itself and the sisters rented a house in Mannarino Road, B’Kara.  It was rented for ten years from Mr Joseph Debono, a pharmacist, for the sum of Stg 100 yearly.

On the 15^th November, 1950, the eve of the inauguration of the new house and school, the Archbishop’s delegate, Mons Prof. Carmelo Bonnici blessed the house and the sacred furniture of the Chapel.

The new school was inaugurated on the 16^th November, 1950 and placed under the patronage of St Monica, mother of St Augustine.  The chapel was dedicated to St Monica and thus St Monica Schools acquired their name.

On this day Mons. Prof. Carmelo Bonnici celebrated mass for the first time in the new chapel and, after mass, he celebrated the holy Benediction and placed the Holy Sacrament in the school’s chapel.  The altar of the Chapel with its flower vases and chandeliers was donated by the Mangion Brothers.

The number of children attending the school began to increase in number and so, on the 1^st November, 1951, the Augustinian sisters rented a house close to the kinder class to accommodate the ever-increasing new students.

On the 30^th May 1953, a party was held for all students of the school on the occasion of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  The students took part in an essay competition about this special occasion, in which all Maltese schools took part.  The student who won first prize was a St Monica student, Carmelina Borg.

On the 7^th January, 1955 the Augustinian sisters rented new premises, this time a garage in Psaila Street, B’Kara.  This was done in order to meet the increasing demand of parents who wished their children to attend St Monica School, B’Kara.

Meanwhile, a new building, consisting of a convent and a spacious school, was being constructed in another area of B’Kara – Fleur de Lys.  1961 was the final year before the commencement of the new Augustinian project – St Monica School, B’Kara.

The house in Mannarino Road was finally closed down on the 18^th March 1963.

The New School in Fleur de Lys

The new house – convent and school at Fleur de Lys in B’Kara began to function on the 8^th May, 1961.  In November 1962, the whole Community of sisters was transferred from Mannarino Road to the new convent at Fleur de Lys.

The original intention was for the present St Monica School at B’Kara to have primary and secondary classes together with a cloistered section as a convent for the nuns.  The aim was the transmission of a Spinellian education to the students.  There were both Primary and Secondary students but the former were much more numerous.  The same situation prevailed at Qormi, Mosta and Gzira.  At the time all the Primary schools catered for both girls and boys.  When the time came for the Primary students to be transferred to the secondary sector, the boys moved on to other schools while the girls continued their education up to Form V at the St Monica schools.

At first one class at each level was found to be enough, but, as Qormi, Mosta and Gzira transferred their students to B’Kara, the school premises became too small to accommodate the new student population.  The only solution was expansion.

The first Prize Day held at St Monica School, B’Kara was on the 14^th May, 1964.

Boarders have always been present in the school founded by Maria Teresa Spinelli in Italy.  In 1965 foreign boarders started being accepted at St Monica School, B’Kara.  Demand exceeded supply in the matter of boarders however because the boarder population was very restricted to avoid the possibility of over-crowded classrooms.  The boarders at St Monica School came from different countries in the African Continent, from Yugoslavia, Poland, Egypt, Greece, Libya and England.  The first foreign boarder was a Greek Orthodox girl born in 1956, called Stella Langadas.

During the 1970s the Grade 3 classes were all gathered at the B’Kara School. As a result, a new section was built which came to be known as the Primary Section.  The school premises were enlarged such that the school could have its Primary and Secondary sections, with 3 classes for each grade above Grade 3 and for each Form.

The number of pupils had, by this time, increased considerably to above eight hundred students in all, and still several parents continually express their wish to enroll their daughters in the school.