Dear Team,
In this week's newsletter, please find our latest updates and important information, including:
Senior Car Wash
Middle School Art Exhibition
Summer Pre-University Info Session
As You Like It | Middle School Play
Teacher Open Day
Career Day | We Need You!
Kitchen Access
Flexible Working Hours Policy
Hosting German Erasmus+ Students
Wait Until Later pledge
News from the Library
News from the Kitchen
About this space
This space is for colleagues, by colleagues — it’s not from the management, it’s from the team, for the team. It’s about valuing what we are together, recognizing the effort, care, and presence. If you’d like to thank a colleague, this is the place. It will be published in the next newsletter.
Shout out
"Thank you so much to everyone for your incredible dedication, enthusiasm, and teamwork during the Regenerate Festival! To help us learn and improve for future editions, please take a few minutes to share your feedback by filling out this form: Regenerate Festival 26 Feedback – Complete the Form. Your input is invaluable!" (From Eunice Maia)
"Big thanks to Joana Esperança, Margarida Nabais, Sofia Tavares, Vera Leite, Andreia Palhinhas, Susana Monteiro, Teresa Cruz, Joana Xardoné, and Érica Moura for warmly welcoming the group of schools from Gera Educação! (From TfD)
"Shoutout to Eunice Maia, Laura Morala, Vanessa Fevereiro, Maria Fernandes, Teresa Cruz, all the HoS, Joana Xardoné, Liz Nash, and the Support Team — and everyone behind the scenes — for making the Regeneration Festival an incredible success!"(From TfD)
"Thank you Liz Nash, Kate Tingley, the language teachers, and all the amazing people behind Book Week for bringing stories and creativity to life!"(From TfD)
"Huge congratulations to Ana Rocha for having her article published in a new book! It is fabulous to see our teachers modelling academic curiosity and sharing their knowledge with the wider academic world. Details of the book can be found here." (From Kate Tingley)
"Hello everyone! I don’t want to thank anyone individually, because I believe everyone always gives their best every day. Instead, I want to congratulate and thank our whole school community, who even when tired, continue to give their best with a smile!" (From Ana Marta Costa)
"A huge thank you to Sophie Dias for taking on four complicated experiments in one lesson with a smile, helping Year 12 Biologists enjoy Science fully. Your positivity and dedication make such a difference!" (From Silvana Cardoso)
"Thank you to the Arts team for all the hard work preparing for the upcoming Middle School Art Exhibition and Primary Arts Showcase. Your planning, coordination, and dedication behind the scenes allow us to celebrate the creativity and talent of our students!" (From Alexa Laryea)
"A special thank you to Chloe Jenden and Niki Botes for leading the organisation of our first ever school play. This exciting initiative gives our drama students a fantastic platform to showcase their talents and develop confidence, skills, and love for performance!" (From Alexa Laryea)
UPDATES
We congratulate Leonardo Montinho, who now takes on the role of Co-teacher, and welcome Ana Fernandes, who will replace him as Primary Assistant.
We also have a new addition to the team, Fernanda Barrese, who will join as a Preschool Assistant, replacing Carolina Carvalho.
RECRUITMENT
At Aprendizes, we believe that every member of our team is the best person to identify and recommend future colleagues.
We always have open positions available on both our LinkedIn page and the “Work With Us” section of our website, so please feel free to share them with anyone you believe might be a great fit.
For the next school year (26/27) we will need:
History and Geography for Middle School
History/Global Perspectives/Sociology for Middle School and Secondary
Head of English Department/English Language and Literature Teacher for Secondary
Digital Literacy for Middle School
13 MAR | Senior Car Wash | Parking | 09:00-10:40
13 MAR | DofE Expedition | 16:00-19:00
16 MAR | Exploradores | Field Trip | Vitamimos | 09:15-12:30
16 MAR | Middle | Art Exhibition Opening Ceremony | 16:00-17:00
16-20 MAR | Middle Art Exhibition | Main Building
16-17 MAR | For Students | LASA Tournament – Girls Basketball/Boys Football | Off-Campus
18 MAR | Grade 1A Field Trip | Biblioteca de Cascais | 08:30-16:30
18 MAR | Middle School House Meeting Assembly | Library | 11:30-12:30
19 MAR | Secondary students | Pre-University Summer Courses & Other Summer Opps | Library | 16:00-18:00
20 MAR | Investigadores | Field Trip | Palácio da Ajuda | 09:00-14:00
20 MAR | School community | Middle School Play | As You Like It | SMUP | 18:00
20 MAR | Grade 12 | Pizza (and crepes) Night | Tent | 16:00-18:00
23 MAR | Primary | Drama, Music & Art Presentation | Library | 11:00-15:30
23 MAR | STAFF | Subject Reports Deadline
23 MAR | STAFF | Action Research Programme
24 MAR | Open day for teachers | Library | 16:30-17:30
24 MAR | STAFF | PROMEHS – Training in Person | 17:30-20:00
25 MAR | Grade 1C | Field Trip | Biblioteca de Cascais | 08:30-16:30
26 MAR | Secondary | Career Day | Village 2 | 14:00-16:00
27 MAR | Preschool | Egg Hunting | Vegetable Garden | 08:45-11:45
27 MAR | STAFF | Reports are sent
27 MAR | School Community | End of 2nd Term
30 MAR–10 APR | School Community | Easter Holidays
13 APR | School Community | Start of 3rd Term
21 APR | Primary Students and Parents | Student-Led Conferences (Students, Teachers & Parents) | in-person in School
22 APR | DofE Award Ceremony | Library | 17:00
All parents
SENIOR CAR WASH
Tomorrow, 13 March, from 09:00 to 10:40, final-year students will host a Car Wash in the Parking area to raise funds for their graduation trip. Bring your car, support the seniors, and help them reach their goal. Reserve your slot here.
all community
MIDDLE SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION
We are delighted to invite you to our Middle School Art Exhibition featuring work by our 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, created throughout the school year.
Opens next Monday, 16 March, from 4 to 5 pm, with a special performance by the Middle School Choir. It will be open for one week only!
Secondary students and parents
SUMMER PRE-UNIVERSITY INFO SESSION
Join us on 19 March at 16:00 in the Library for an information session for secondary students and parents, in partnership with IEC.
Learn about short summer courses for ages 14–17, explore study areas linked to future careers, and discover ways to strengthen your university profile during the summer.
all community
AS YOU LIKE IT | MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAY
On Friday 20th March, students from Grades 5–7 will take to the stage with a modern reworking of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
There will be two performances at SMUP, Parede - Sociedade Musical União Paredense
14:30 – for all Middle School students
18:00 – for the wider school community, parents, family and friends
Tickets are free and available from the front desk until Wednesday 18th March.
New teachers
TEACHER OPEN DAY
We will be hosting a Teacher Open Day on 24 March, from 16:30 to 17:30. If you know someone who might be interested in teaching opportunities with us, please feel free to share this information with them.
Parents
CAREER DAY | WE NEED YOU!
Dear Parents, On 26 March, we will host our Career Day and warmly invite you to share your professional journey with our secondary students.
We will only need about 30 minutes to one hour of your time during the afternoon, and we hope you can inspire our students by sharing your experiences and stories and by being available to answer their questions.
Interested in taking part? Please send an email to claudiameireles@aprendizes.pt.
PRESCHOOL
A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC AND LEARNING
Our preschool students presented a special music performance for their parents, showcasing the songs and pieces they have been practising since last term.
PRIMARY
PRIMARY STUDENT COUNCIL: IDEAS AT WORK
The Primary Student Council has been actively representing classmates and contributing ideas to improve school life at Aprendizes.
Throughout the term, they made several suggestions and successfully implemented some of them, such as introducing two new soups to the menu, chosen by the students.
MIDDLE
LIVING MUSEUM KICKS OFF HUMANITIES WEEK
On the first day of Humanities Week, our 5th and 6th Grade students transformed the school entrance into a vibrant Living Museum. Bringing significant figures from world history to life, they shared their research through interactive presentations and conversations with visitors.
MIDDLE & SECONDARY
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES: CELEBRATING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Middle and Secondary students held in-person Student-Led Conferences with their parents and teachers.
By taking ownership of the discussion, students strengthened their confidence, communication skills, and sense of responsibility, reinforcing the partnership between school and home in supporting their continued growth.
REGENERATION FESTIVAL: LEARNING, CREATING, ACTING FOR A BETTER WORLD
For three inspiring days, the Regeneration Festival brought the Aprendizes community together to explore the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through creativity, action, and collaboration.
They discovered the power of circular systems, biodiversity protection, responsible water use, and zero-waste practices, while developing projects to improve their communities. Alongside these activities, solidarity campaigns encouraged giving and collective responsibility.
KITCHEN ACCESS
Entry to the kitchen through corridor door is strictly prohibited to anyone who is not part of the kitchen team. Thank you for respecting this rule and helping maintain safety and hygiene.
FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS POLICY
Many staff have requested clearer guidance on flexible working hours. Please refer to the Flexible Working Hours Policy for full details. This can also be found in the Staff Handbook.
HOSTING GERMAN ERASMUS+ STUDENTS
Dear Families, from 19–25 April, we will welcome German Grade 8 and 9 students through the Erasmus+ programme. We are looking for families willing to host one or two students for six nights, offering them a true cultural experience. If you are interested, please email erasmus@aprendizes.pt during next week.
WAIT UNTIL LATER PLEDGE
The Parents Digital Wellbeing Committee recently launched the Wait Until Later pledge, to give parents the confidence, sense of community to delay giving personal devices to their kids. Research shows that the earlier a child has their own phone, the higher the likelihood of mental health problems later on. Not to say anything about the risk of addition to games and social media, the distraction from notifications and more. Dr Silja Litvin came to the school to talk all about this on March 12.
The pledge calls parents to commit to not giving a phone to their kids until age 14, and ban social media until 16, and connects like-minded parents so they can support each other (day-to-day and in sleepovers, playdates, etc).
As of this writing, we have over 85 pledges – join us here.
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY
As George R. R. Martin said, reading allows us to live many lives. Inspired by this idea, the library is launching a project this month, with the help of Father Allan Nascimento, to encourage reading, featuring books selected for all year groups.
Visit the library and discover our suggestions. You can also use the Reader Support Service: tell us what you enjoy reading or what you are curious to explore, and we will recommend the ideal book for you. Contact: library@aprendizes.pt.
NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN
NEW STUDENT-CREATED SALAD
During the Regeneration Festival, students created and voted for a new salad to join our menu.
The winning choice is a delicious chickpea, roasted red pepper and feta salad — fresh, colourful and full of flavour which will already be available on next week’s menu.
