Dear Team,

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

A Message from the Principal
Special Shout-out
Update on Staff, Recruitment and reminders
Practical Information
Upcoming Events
- Secondary Art & Design Exhibition
- Aprendizes Got Talent
- End of Year Arraial
- Parent’s Meetings
Section Stories
Act Together
- Together for a plastic free July
- Student council achievements
- News from the Kitchen

As the school year draws to a close, nature reminds us that endings are never simply endings. They are pauses, harvests, moments of stillness before new beginnings emerge.

The trees have offered their shade, flowers have bloomed and faded, birds have raised their young and prepared them for flight. The rhythm of life moves in cycles, and schools are no different.

Over these past weeks, Aprendizes has been alive with celebrations of learning: exhibitions that invited us to think differently, theatre plays that allowed students to step into other worlds, music performances that filled our spaces with joy, and projects that reminded us that curiosity and creativity remain some of the most powerful forces in education. We have witnessed courage, collaboration, humour, perseverance, and countless moments of growth.

At the same time, we have been closing cycles. We celebrated our preschoolers as they prepare to take their next steps into primary school. We bid farewell to our 4th graders as they completed their first cycle. We marked the end of middle school for our 8th graders and celebrated our 12th graders as they stand ready to leave Aprendizes and enter the wider world.

These moments are always beautiful, but they are also tender.

As educators, we spend so much time alongside our students that each one quietly finds a place in our hearts. Whether they move on to another section of the school or leave Aprendizes altogether, it is important that we stop, breathe, and acknowledge what these years together have meant. The Danish philosopher Knud Løgstrup wrote that we hold a piece of another person's life in our hands. This has always resonated deeply with me, because it is true. For a while, families entrust us with something infinitely precious. We witness first friendships, frustrations, discoveries, breakthroughs, tears, laughter, and dreams. We do not shape these lives alone, but we are privileged to accompany them for a stretch of the journey, and that is a responsibility and a gift.

Tomorrow, I hope many of you will join us for Aprendizes Got Talent and that all of you will come together at our Arraial Summer Party. Because while some students are completing one chapter and preparing to begin another, all of us - students, families, and staff alike - have now reached the end of this year's shared cycle. And that deserves to be celebrated.

Thank you for walking this path with us. We wish you a summer filled with rest, adventure, long evenings, salty hair, books half-read, conversations unhurried, and the quiet joy of watching new beginnings slowly take root.

Rikke

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 special shout-out to Matteo Pisano for keeping his students engaged and learning right up until the very last day of the school year. From launching a project for the final week to organising a fun maths-related activity for his class today, his enthusiasm and commitment to learning have been evident throughout. (from Victoria)

A heartfelt thank you to Inés Fragoso, Victoria Rivadeneyra, Nicky Hallet-Campbell, and the entire Secondary team for their dedication and support in preparing our students for the Cambridge mock examinations and final exams. Your guidance and commitment have been invaluable throughout the process. (from TfD)

Congratulations and thank you to Verônica Barbieri, the support team, Heads of School, Head Teachers, teachers, students, and families for making our graduation ceremonies such memorable and meaningful celebrations for the whole school community. (from TfD)

Thank you to everyone involved in the Art and DT Exhibition for creating such a wonderful showcase of our students’ talent, creativity, and learning journeys. (from TfD)

A big thank you to Dimitri Athanasopoulos and the PE Department for organising and delivering an excellent Volleyball Tournament that brought energy, teamwork, and enthusiasm to our school community. (from TfD)

Thank you to all Primary teachers who have generously shared their best practices with the team throughout the year. Your collaboration and commitment to continuous improvement benefit us all. (from TfD)

Special thanks to Ricardo Limão for his availability, flexibility, and support in helping make the Art Exhibitions a success. (from TfD)

Thank you to Patrícia Almeida, Filipa Muchacho, Joana Geraldo, Liz Nash, and Joana Esperança for their dedication and hard work in ensuring the successful implementation of the PLNM language proficiency diagnostic assessments across the school. (from TfD)

Congratulations to Alexa Laryea and the Grade 7 Music students for their creativity, commitment, and outstanding work. Your performances and projects continue to surprise and inspire us through their quality, originality, and artistic expression. (from TfD)

A warm thank you to Rita Rovisco, Guilherme Bensassy, Maria Teixeira, and Carolina Alves for the wonderful end-of-term presentations in Primary, celebrating learning and achievement with our school community. (from TfD)

Thank you to everyone involved in the Preschool Sleepover, including teachers, staff, and the kitchen team, for creating such a special, memorable, and enjoyable experience for our youngest learners. (from TfD)

Congratulations to the Grade 9 Spanish students, together with Liz Nash and Tamyris dos Santos, for their fantastic performance of Don Quijote. Thank you for bringing this classic story to life with enthusiasm and creativity. (from TfD)

A special thank you to Tatiana Colla and the Grade 8 students for their wonderful performance of Romeo and Juliet. Your dedication, talent, and hard work made it a memorable production. (from TfD)

Thank you to Vanessa Fevereiro for the tremendous work involved in creating this year’s Yearbook and preserving so many special memories from the school year. (from TfD)

A sincere thank you to the support team for their tireless work behind the scenes, ensuring that all presentations, events, and celebrations over the past weeks ran smoothly and successfully. (from TfD)

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:

Arts teacher for Primary and Middle School
Primary Co-Teacher
Communication & Marketing Intern
Drama Teacher
Secondary Humanities Teacher

CLASS ORGANISATION UPDATE | GRADE 3

From the 2026/27 academic year, Grade 3 will be organised into two classes instead of three.

24 AUG | Back to school - Only for the new staff, TFD, HoD, Grade Level leaders and all non-teaching staff to be in school. Teaching staff – preparing online or in-house.

SECONDARY ART, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION

Our Secondary Art & Design and Design & Technology Exhibition is open until the 29th June. All parents are invited. Celebrating the creative and technical achievements of our Grade 9 to 12 students, the exhibition features a diverse range of artwork and Design & Technology projects across IGCSE, AS, and A Level, reflecting the skill, dedication, and growth of our students.

APRENDIZES' GOT TALENT SHOW: HOUSE EVENT

We are excited to remind you that the Aprendizes' Got Talent Show: House Event, taking place tomorrow, with Primary starting at 11:00 and Middle & Secondary at 14:30. You are all invited. This celebration of student talent goes beyond the stage, with all ticket, food, and drink sales going directly to four charities supported by our Houses: Helpo, CASA Cascais, Cozinha com Alma, and Cascais Refood.

Tickets can be purchased from our Grade 9 Business students outside the main building on various days at collection time. Come together as a community, support our students, and make a real difference.

END OF YEAR ARRAIAL

Join us for our End of Year Arraial, tomorrow, from 18:00 to 22:00. The school will provide traditional sardines and bifanas, with additional food and drinks available for purchase. Families are invited to contribute to our shared picnic by bringing food or drinks (please avoid sweets and soft drinks). Contributions should be delivered to Bárbara at Reception, preferably on the morning of the event.

Suggested contributions: Savoury items – Pre-School, Grade 3, Grade 6 and IGCSE; Drinks – Year 1, Grade 4, Grade 7 and A Levels; Sweets – Grade 2, Grade 5 and Grade 8. Please note that Pre-School and Primary students must be collected by 17:00.

SAVE THE DATE | PARENTS’ MEETINGS

As at the start of every school year, we invite parents to join our September meetings, where we will share the first key information for the year ahead. Families will receive further practical details before then.

1 SET | All Middle School & Secondary parents
4 SET | All Primary parents
10 SET | All Preschool parents

preschool

A SPECIAL FAREWELL TO PRESCHOOL

Our Preschool graduates celebrated the end of their early learning journey with a special dinner, a fun-filled party, and an unforgettable sleepover at school before taking their next exciting step into Primary School.

PRIMARY

CELEBRATING OUR GRADE 4 GRADUATES

Our 4th grade students celebrated their primary school graduation with family, teachers, and friends. Following the ceremony and a reception with appetizers, they enjoyed a special sleepover at school, creating unforgettable memories as they prepare for their next steps into middle school.

MIDDLE

LUNCH, CERTIFICATES AND CELEBRATION

Grade 8 students celebrated their graduation with a special lunch in the tent, followed by the presentation of certificates. The event brought together students and staff to celebrate the achievements and friendships they take with them into secondary.

SECONDARY

CLASS OF 2026: PROUDLY GRADUATED

The Aprendizes Class of 2026 celebrated their graduation in the company of family, friends, and teachers. Filled with pride, gratitude, and unforgettable memories, the evening marked the successful completion of their school journey and the start of new adventures.

TOGETHER FOR A PLASTIC FREE JULY

Plastic Free July began in Australia in 2011 as a grassroots initiative encouraging people to reduce their use of single-use plastics. What started as a local challenge has grown into a global movement involving millions of people in more than 190 countries, demonstrating the power of small individual actions to create meaningful collective change.

This July, we invite all members of our community to join us by choosing one or more simple actions to reduce disposable plastic consumption. The Plastic Free July - 31 Days of Ideas calendar is filled with practical ideas and achievable actions for everyday life.

Together, let's show how collective action can create lasting impact.

STUDENT COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENTS

Primary

Throughout the year, the Primary Student Council gave students a voice and helped drive several improvements: greater variety in soups and morning snacks, cooking workshops, strategies to make the cafeteria safer, better organisation of break times, new rotations on the sports fields, additional break time planned, occasional use of Middle School spaces, stronger control of chewing gum use, and reduced paper waste.

Middle

Throughout the year, Student Council members took part in initiatives that strengthened their sense of belonging to the Middle School. They organised the Halloween and Carnival celebrations, shared their favourite ways of learning with teachers, and helped choose next year's workshops. They identified challenges within the community, proposed solutions, and planned new activities to keep them ever more united.

Secondary

This year, the Secondary Student Council successfully prepared proposals for next year's student-led clubs and organized the December end-of-term party. Additionally, they secured approval for a Pizza Night fundraiser to support seniors beyond the biomarket. Finally, after researching teenage nutritional needs, the Council collaborated with the Head of Kitchen to introduce tailored morning snacks.

NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN

GET TO KNOW OUR MENU