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
- Parents’ Coffee Morning
- Student-Led Conferences
- Open Day for New Families
- Literary Bridges School-University Session
- Staff Appreciation Week
Practical Information
- The Provas-Ensaio Moda (Trial Assessments)
- Reminder School Camp
- Lost and Found
Best Practices
Act Together
- Digital Well-Being and Safety Survey
- Regeneration Festival Highlights
- Student Action At Aprendizes
- News from the Library
- News from the Kitchen

Dear Students, Parents and Caretakers,

As we move into the coming months, we officially enter exam season. This week, our Grade 10, 11, and 12 students have begun their Cambridge examinations - an important milestone in their educational journey.

At Aprendizes, we take these assessments seriously. We do everything we can to set our students up for success, ensuring they feel prepared and confident. At present, these exams remain among the most widely recognised global and national measurements and are essential for access to further education. At the same time, our 4th and 6th students are doing the Portuguese Provas Modas, which are national assessments that form part of their academic pathway here in Portugal. We therefore ask all of you - families and our wider community - to support, encourage, and cheer on our students during this time.

At the same time, we know education is much more than what can be measured in an exam. Every day, our students develop key life skills like collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, leadership, empathy, and healthy living - through lessons and co- and extracurricular activities.

Let it be no secret - I dream of assessment systems that value these holistic skills more fully. Last year, my oldest daughter completed an oral maths exam in Denmark where she and her peers spent a full day solving a real-world challenge: organising a school party at an external venue. They analysed proposals, made financial decisions, designed and prototyped a cocktail and a cocktail glass, created a shopping list, and presented their conclusions to the examiners. This is the kind of assessment that reflects real-life learning.

Although education systems in general tend to evolve slowly, there is ongoing reflection on what constitutes meaningful assessment. As a school, we are gradually moving towards more continuous, formative, and diversified approaches to assessment — including projects, presentations, and ongoing learning processes — while still preparing students for mandatory examinations. This is a gradual process that takes time, but we are fully committed to it.

We wish all our students the very best of success in the weeks ahead!

Rikke

PARENTS’ COFFEE MORNING

On Friday, 17 April 2026, Aprendizes will host a Parents’ Coffee Morning from 8:45 to 9:45. This informal gathering offers a welcoming space for open conversation, idea sharing, and discussion about students’ progress, while strengthening communication and staying connected about upcoming school activities and events.

STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES

Primary Student-Led Conferences will take place in person at school on Tuesday, 21 April 2026. These 30-minute meetings place students at the centre of the conversation, as they lead a structured reflection on their learning journey, progress since the 3-Way Conferences, and next steps across Academic learning, Engagement, and Personal Development. Please arrive 15 minutes early for check-in.

Booking details and all key information was already shared by email.

OPEN DAY FOR NEW FAMILIES

We are delighted to invite new families to our Open Day on April 24th, 2026, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Come and meet our Head of School and Academic Director, visit the section of your choice and discover our educational vision in action.

Registration is required. If you know families who might be interested, encourage them to contact the school — a few spots are still available in some classes!

HOSTING GERMAN STUDENTS AT APRENDIZES (ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME)

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting 13 German students as part of an Erasmus+ Mobility Project, co-funded by the European Union. During their visit, our guests will join some grade 8 and 9 activities and will be hosted by Aprendizes families. At the same time, several of our students are currently in Denmark taking part in the same exchange programme.

We warmly invite the entire school community to attend the Erasmus Event on Friday, 24th April at 4 pm in the tent. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet the German group and celebrate the valuable experiences and opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ programme.

LITERARY BRIDGES: SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY SESSION

On April 24, 2026, a group of 9th-grade students and another group of 11th-grade students enrolled in Portuguese First Language will visit the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra to present research and literary analysis projects on African literatures, developed under the supervision of Professor Ana T. Rocha.

The session, entitled “Literary Bridges: Knowledge in Dialogue between Secondary School and University Students”, will take place at 10:00 a.m. in Room 3 (3rd floor) at FLUC . The presentations will be delivered within the context of an undergraduate class on African Literatures, fostering dialogue between different levels of education. This initiative provides an opportunity for knowledge sharing and for strengthening the connection between secondary and higher education, highlighting students’ work and encouraging critical engagement with literary texts.

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has also produced a promotional poster for the event, increasing its visibility within the academic community.

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

Staff Appreciation Week will take place from 4 to 8 May. We look forward to celebrating and recognising our team during this special week.

THE PROVAS-ENSAIO MODA (TRIAL ASSESSMENTS)

The provas-ensaio ModA (trial assessments) for Year 4 and Year 6 students are currently taking place. Organised by the Ministry of Education, these trials aim to familiarise students with the digital format and the assessment platform, while also supporting the school in its logistical and technical preparation for the ModA assessments. They include literacy-based tasks that draw on learning across different subject areas. These assessments do not count towards students’ grades and serve as a tool for monitoring and continuous improvement.

REMINDER – SCHOOL CAMP

Registrations for the School Camp are open until April 24. Enrollment must be completed via the form sent by email. The camp is for students from 1st to 8th grade and will take place at Campo Aventura de Óbidos:

1st–2nd grade: June 29–30
3rd–8th grade: June 29–July 1

Full details are available in the email sent 25th of March and reminder sent at 13th of April. Limited spots available.

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 Monday, 20 April will be donated to a local charity. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep this area organised and ensuring that lost items are returned to their owners.

preschool

DISCOVERING THE MAGIC OF CHROMATOGRAPHY

Curious about the color black, pre-school students carried out a chromatography experiment and discovered it contains several hidden colors. The experiment transformed curiosity into learning, helping develop observation skills and an early understanding of how science reveals the complexity behind everyday materials.

PRIMARY

A WHIMSICAL WORLD OF SHADOWS ON STAGE

Our Primary School students brought creativity to life through a collaborative shadow theatre project. From storytelling and music to scenography, each class played a vital role. Families joined us to celebrate this inspiring performance and the students’ incredible teamwork and creativity.

MIDDLE

TRANSFORMING ESSAYS INTO VISUAL NARRATIVES

After reading Animal Farm, 8th grade students wrote Literary Essays analyzing themes and characters. To conclude the term, they transformed their essays into Video Essays, combining analysis with visuals, music, and narration, strengthening critical thinking, digital skills, and expressive confidence.

SECONDARY

A WINDOW INTO THE WORLD OF WORK

Our Career Day connected students with parents working in fields such as sustainability, psychology, forensic science, medicine, global security, business, insurance, and video games. Through interactive sessions, students explored diverse career paths and gained valuable insight into skills, challenges, and opportunities.

REMINDER - DIGITAL WELL-BEING AND SAFETY SURVEY

Our Digital Well-being and Safety committee is conducting a survey with Middle and Secondary students during SER classes, guided by teacher Victor Felippe, to understand their digital habits. We would also appreciate your input. Please take a moment to complete the survey. Thank you for your support!

REGENERATION FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Looking back at all we accomplished during our 6th Annual Regeneration Festival, we celebrate the energy, creativity, and collaboration that defined the event. It stands as a testament to what’s possible when we work together toward regeneration and sustainability.

STUDENT ACTION AT APRENDIZES

Volunteering is one of the pillars of our school’s educational philosophy. Across all sections, from preschool to secondary, students, teachers, staff, parents and the wider community regularly engage in solidarity actions.

This year so far includes charity raffles for Associação São Francisco de Assis, Pyjama Day, post-Storm Kristin relief collections, paper donations to Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome, Duke of Edinburgh volunteering, the Biomarket Charity Edition, among others.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARENT LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS!

Shout-out to our amazing parent Library Volunteers: Allan Nascimento, Kerija Soares, Michaela Seber, Kelly Vicente, Marcela Branquinho, Marcia Penchel and Leonor Vieira. Thank you for helping keep the books flowing and supporting the library in so many ways. Your time and care have been essential!

NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN

COMBINE PROJECT UPDATE

As part of the third and final phase of the International COMBINE Project, a new food waste weighing campaign will take place in the school canteen from 20 to 24 April (Monday to Friday), with the presence of researchers Iva Pires and Sónia Nobre, and with the support of the kitchen team.

This final phase will follow the same procedures as the previous ones, allowing us to consistently assess the impact of the measures implemented.

We would like to thank the entire school community in advance for their collaboration throughout the week, which is essential to ensure the quality of the data collected and the success of this project. Together, we continue to take action to reduce food waste.

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