Dear parents, guardians, and students,

In this week's newsletter, please find our latest updates and important information, including:

A Message from the Principal
Upcoming Events
- International Family Day Breakfast
- Open Day for New Families
- Africa Week
- The Final Bio Market of the Year
- Honouring Our Roots: The Stories That Shape Our Children
- Universal Children’s Day | Pyjama Day
- PTSO (Parents, Teachers and Student Organization) Meeting
- Parents’ Coffee Morning
- Save The Date - End of Year Party
Practical Information
- School Traffic and Safety Guidelines
- Lost And Found Items – Collection Deadline
Best Practices
Act Together
- Recognising A Community Built on Solidarity and Service
- Cambridge Awards Recognition for Outstanding Teaching
- News from the Kitchen

Dear students, parents and staff

These past weeks offered several powerful reminders of what happens when learning, trust, and leadership are shared across our community.

Our Humanities Department led an inspiring staff training by inviting experienced Model United Nations students to train, our teachers, through a live MUN simulation. Teachers were assigned countries and engaged in a debate on the ownership of outer space, experiencing opening speeches, UN protocols, negotiation, and diplomacy first-hand.

I felt immense pride watching our students guide and support teachers with confidence, academic rigour, kindness, and care. It was equally wonderful to see how open our teachers were to being guided by students. Great leaders create other leaders, and great teachers create great teachers. A special thank you to our Humanities Department for making this possible. As I often say, we sometimes do things for students, more often with students, and ideally by students. This was a clear example of that in action, as was our recent Global Summit Conference, led and facilitated by our oldest Middle School students.

A second highlight was the Middle School assembly facilitated by the Parents Committee for Digital Well-being and Safety, together with our SER teacher and a High School student, exploring the impact of digital devices on teenage life. It was powerful to see students hearing directly from an older peer in such an open dialogue.

I am also proud to share that our commitment to volunteering has been recognised: we are now one of 13 schools in Cascais awarded the Galardão Escola Voluntária.

Also, our teacher Elizabeth (Liz) Nash, who leads our volunteering programme, has been nominated as one of the 10 finalists in Europe for the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards. Congratulations to Liz and the whole team for this outstanding work.

We have an amazing community, full of care, collaboration, and support, something that was strongly felt during last week’s staff celebration week.

TAK!

(; Rikke

25 JUN | Grade 8 | Graduation Lunch | Tent | 13:10–14:10

26 JUN | Save The Date - End of Year Party | 18:00

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY DAY BREAKFAST

Tomorrow we will celebrate International Day of Families with a special breakfast organised by parents. Parents may bring whatever they wish, especially if it is a delicacy from your country, as long as it follows our dietary rules and remembering that we are a nuts-free school.

OPEN DAY FOR NEW FAMILIES

We are delighted to invite new families to our Open Day on 22 May 2026, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Registration is required. If you know families who might be interested, please encourage them to contact the school — a few places are still available in some classes!

AFRICA WEEK

From 25th to 29th May, we will celebrate Africa Week with a programme full of culture and discovery. Music, cinema, talks, and a book fair will bring this special week to life, celebrating the diversity, creativity, and richness of African cultures across the whole school community.

THE FINAL BIO MARKET OF THE YEAR

Our final Bio Market of the year will take place on Friday, 29 May, from 16:15 to 18:00, at The Tent. Visitors can explore organic and sustainable products while supporting local vendors. To participate, a registration form is required; the link will be sent by email on 20 May. To receive it, email: biomarket@aprendizes.pt by 19 May.

HONOURING OUR ROOTS: THE STORIES THAT SHAPE OUR CHILDREN

On Monday, June 1st, from 8:45 to 10:00, parents are invited to join a reflective workshop led by psychologist Luisa Heitor.

The session explores how family stories, ancestry, values, and emotional legacies shape children’s identity, sense of belonging, and development, encouraging families to reflect on what is passed on beyond genetics and how to nurture stronger, more conscious roots.

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY

On 1st June, we will celebrate Universal Children’s Day in a very special way! We invite everyone to come to school wearing their pyjamas and support Operação Nariz Vermelho by purchasing a red nose. Together, we will spread joy, kindness, and lots of smiles!

PTSO MEETING

The next PTSO (Parents, Teachers and Students Organization) meeting will take place on June 2nd, 2025, at 4:00 PM in the Library. This session will be an opportunity to reflect, review progress, and establish continuous improvement strategies through to the end of the school year.

PARENTS’ COFFEE MORNING

On Friday, 12 June 2026, Aprendizes will host a Parents’ Coffee Morning from 8:45 to 9:30. This informal session gives parents and staff the opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss students’ development, while keeping up to date with school life and upcoming activities.

SCHOOL TRAFFIC AND SAFETY GUIDELINES

The safety of our students is our highest priority and a shared responsibility across the entire school community.

Therefore, we ask all families to:

• Carefully read and follow all school traffic and safety guidelines.
• Respect all road safety rules, traffic signs, and instructions from school staff and authorities.
• Use only the designated drop-off and pick-up areas.
• Avoid double parking, stopping in restricted areas, or blocking crossings, entrances, or emergency access points.
• Drive slowly and cautiously in all areas surrounding the school.
• Treat all staff members, volunteers, other parents and authorities with respect at all times.

Consider small adjustments that can make a significant difference, such as arriving a few minutes earlier or later than peak times or parking a short walking distance from the school. Consider using a bicycle, the bus, or carpooling for your journey to school.

LOST AND FOUND ITEMS – COLLECTION DEADLINE

We kindly ask parents to check the Lost and Found area, which is currently full of items left behind by students. Any belongings not collected by tomorrow, Friday 15th will be donated to a local charity next week. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep this area organised and ensuring that lost items are returned to their owners.

PRESCHOOL

CURIOUS MINDS AT WORK: A CLOSE LOOK AT FISH

Preschool students explored a fish through dissection, observed its scales under a microscope, and created drawings to record their findings. The activity began with questions about fish and reptile scales and developed into a hands-on investigation combining observation and documentation.

PRIMARY

EXPLORING MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF METALS

Students explored magnetism in a hands-on lab experiment, testing metals like iron and aluminium. They observed how different materials react to magnetic fields, linking theory to practice while developing scientific thinking, curiosity, and teamwork through practical investigation.

MIDDLE

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES SUMMIT

At the Global Perspectives Summit, Middle School students presented the outcomes of their projects to the school community. They shared the actions they implemented, the challenges they faced, and the impact of their initiatives. The event celebrated students’ creativity, collaboration, and commitment to finding solutions to real-world problems.

SECONDARY

EXPERIMENTAL DRAWING FUN

Secondary art students took part in a Mark-Making for Design workshop led by Jo Cowell from the University of the Arts London, exploring experimental drawing techniques to develop ideas and transform personal imagery into creative design concepts.

STUDENTS AT THE HELM: A MODEL UNITED NATIONS EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS

The recent Teachers Teach Teachers session led by the Humanities Department featured a student-led Model United Nations simulation with teachers acting as delegates. Students guided procedures, supported debate, and helped shape scenarios. The purpose was to experience how Model United Nations can create authentic, cross-curricular learning through simulation and role reversal.

RECOGNISING A COMMUNITY BUILT ON SOLIDARITY AND SERVICE

This weekend, Aprendizes received once more the Galardão Escola Voluntária by the Câmara Municipal de Cascais, recognising its strong commitment to volunteering and active citizenship. The distinction highlights the collective effort of students, staff, families and partners in developing initiatives that support the community and promote solidarity, responsibility and meaningful social impact.

CAMBRIDGE AWARDS RECOGNITION FOR OUTSTANDING TEACHING

Aprendizes would like to highlight and congratulate Elizabeth Nash, shortlisted from 12,000 nominations as one of ten teachers from Europe for the 2026 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards. Liz, in addition to being a teacher, leads the Foreign Languages Department, coordinates our volunteering programme, serves as the school’s contact with the various NGOs we work with, and is part of the Duke of Edinburgh programme, supporting and leading many behind-the-scenes projects so that all of us can shine. This remarkable achievement celebrates her outstanding dedication, impact, and excellence in teaching.

NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN

INTERNATIONAL KITCHEN DAYS

19 May - Sweden

28 May - Ukraine

04 Jun - Scotland

17 Jun - Israel

25 Jun - German

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