Dear Team,

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

Special Shout-out
Update on Staff, Recruitment and reminders
Practical Information
- Exceptional Authorisation for Children to Remain on School Premises
Upcoming Events
- Parents’ Coffee Morning
- Student-Led Conferences
- Open Day for New Families
- Literary Bridges School-University Session
- Staff Appreciation Week
Section Stories
Act Together
- Digital Well-Being and Safety Survey
- Regeneration Festival Highlights
- Student Action at Aprendizes
- 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

“A big shout out to Diogo Santos, a colleague and friend who volunteered to test all the stations of a Science Escape Room created for the Erasmus students from Germany. His help in testing the challenges, spotting small details, and confirming that everything worked smoothly was truly appreciated. Thank you also for the good humor, the laughs, and the always positive attitude — they made the testing process even better!” (from Sophie Dias)

Our sincere thanks to the Provas ModA team for their dedication and hard work. (from TfD)

A special thank you to Marcelo Rocha, who has been doing a great job — always eager, helpful, and with an excellent spirit. (from TfD)

UPDATES

We are delighted to share that Tatiana Colla will be our new Head of English Department next year.

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/Global Perspectives/Sociology for Middle School and Secondary
English Language and Literature Teacher for Secondary

EXCEPTIONAL AUTHORISATION FOR CHILDREN TO REMAIN ON SCHOOL PREMISES

Due to the General Strike tomorrow, 17 April, which will affect essential services, the school exceptionally authorises children of staff, aged 3 or over, to remain on its premises. Staff must complete and sign this document and submit it to the Finance/HR Department.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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