Dear Team,
In this week's newsletter, please find our latest updates and important information, including:
Parking Information
Id Card
Staff Handbook Reminder
Coffee Morning with Parents
Book Launch: Navegando o Luto Infantil
Family Picnic and Try Out Day
University Information Sessions
Join Us at the Languages Bio Market
PTSO Meeting (Parents, Teachers and Students Organization)
News from the Kitchen
Welcome Back
There are moments when the world feels a little less colourful.
This week, we said goodbye to two extraordinary women who spent their lives making the world more beautiful in very different ways: Dolly Parton and Yayoi Kusama.
One gave us songs that carried stories of love, heartbreak, resilience and hope. The other turned dots, mirrors, pumpkins and infinity into worlds that invited us to see things differently. Both challenged expectations. Both refused to fit neatly into the boxes the world had made for them. And both, in their own ways, reminded us that creativity can be a force for change.
Kusama continued to paint until her final days, speaking of forever love and eternal soul, and expressing a wish that art might bring hope and strength for the future. Dolly brought joy, generosity and hope to generations through her music, her stories and the countless lives touched by her work.
Two very different artists. Two powerful women. Two reminders that we do not have to accept the world exactly as we find it.
We can add a little beauty.
A little courage.
A little magic.
And perhaps this is a good thought to carry with us as we begin a new school year.
This week, our Aprendizes team has been coming together — welcoming and onboarding our new teachers, reconnecting with one another, preparing classrooms, planning learning and getting ready to open our doors and welcome you all next week.
A new year is waiting for us.
A year of questions, discoveries and possibilities.
A year in which we hope our students will not only learn about the world, but feel brave enough to question it. To challenge assumptions. To create rather than simply consume. To build bridges rather than walls. To find beauty where others might not see it.
And above all, a year in which we hope to make space for hope, beauty and magic.
Because education is not only about preparing young people for the world as it is.
It is about giving them the courage, curiosity and imagination to help shape the world as it could be.
So, as we begin again, perhaps the question is:
What will we create together this year?
We cannot wait to find out.
Welcome back to Aprendizes.
Let’s make some magic.
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 heartfelt thank you to Teresa Cruz, Susana Alves and Cristina Rodriguez for keeping everything running behind the scenes this summer, from salaries and payments to the final stages of recruitment administration.
A very special thank you to Bárbara Portugal for her constant availability and support throughout this entire period.
A big thank you to Ricardo Limão and Joaquim Cercas for all their hard work preparing our new Village 2 and taking care of renovations across the school.
We are very grateful to Verônica Barbieri for all her work supporting our Admissions process throughout the summer.
A special thank you to Vanessa Fevereiro for working throughout the summer on our new branding, website and with the PR agency and helping prepare this important new chapter for Aprendizes.
Many thanks to Laura Cercas for all her work on our IT systems, making sure everything is ready for the start of the new school year.
We would like to thank Inês Fragoso and Victoria Rivadeneyra for carefully organising and managing our exam results over the summer.
A warm thank you to Eunice Maia for her invaluable support with recruitment and for helping us get our team ready for the year ahead.
A very special thank you to Claudia Meireles for working so closely with our Grade 12 students on their university applications, supporting them through such an important step in their journey.
A big shout out to Joana Cunha for creating the Middle School students’ planner and helping our students start the year organised and ready.
A heartfelt thank you to Maria Gomes, Bárbara Dória and Liz Nash for their dedication, creativity and hard work in creating the Middle Portuguese books.
And finally, our sincere thanks to everyone who worked throughout the summer, often behind the scenes, to make sure we are ready for another great school year. Your contribution makes a real difference.
UPDATES
WELCOME TO THE TEAM!
We are very happy to welcome our new colleagues to Aprendizes and start this new school year together. We receive you with great excitement, joy and anticipation for everything we will build and share as a team.
A very warm welcome to:
Lorena Hungria — Communication Assistant
Patrick O'Siochru — Middle School History Teacher
Carolina Castelo-Branco — Primary Teacher
Peter Morrell — Primary Drama and Music Teacher
Margarida Dias — Primary Co-teacher
José Arnaldo — Primary Co-teacher
Marina Haroutounian — Primary/Middle Art Teacher
Izabela Santos — Secondary Maths Teacher
Dario Vaccaro — Secondary Physics Teacher
Diana Vitis — Secondary Humanities Teacher
Zeynep Gulbey — Secondary English Teacher
To the whole Aprendizes team: let’s make sure our new colleagues feel welcomed, supported and at home from day one. Say hello, lend a hand, share what you know and help them discover what makes our community so special.
We are delighted to have you with us. Welcome to Aprendizes!
PARKING INFORMATION
As explained this week, we remind everyone that staff may use the parking area on a rotating basis.
You can check the schedule here, and it is always posted in the staff room.
Please note: Staff can only park in the right and middle lanes, while the left lane is always reserved for parents.
During the first two weeks, parking is exclusive to parents. - From September 1 to 11.
ID CARD
Please remember that the ID card is mandatory and must be used for check-in and check-out at the school entrance.
New staff members should receive their cards by Monday, 31 August. Anyone who has not yet had their photo taken should contact Communications (Vanessa Fevereiro) as a matter of urgency.
If the card is forgotten at any point during the year, a manual/written record must be completed with Bárbara Portugal at Reception.
STAFF HANDBOOK REMINDER
We remind all staff to read or re-read the Staff Handbook, where all the essential information to start the school year successfully is shared. It’s a great resource to get familiar with procedures, policies, and tips to make the year smooth and enjoyable.
Make sure you check it before the first day!
Pre-School
1 SEP | New Pre-School Students and Parents | 09:00–11:00 | Classroom & Amphitheatre
2 SEP | Start of Classes for Current Students
7 SEP | Start of Classes for New Students
10 SEP | Pre-School Parents’ Meeting | 16:30–17:30 | Classroom
Primary
1 SEP | New Primary Students and Parents | 09:00–11:00 | Library & Classroom
2 SEP | Start of Classes for All Students
8 SEP | Year 4 Parents’ Meeting | 16:00–18:00 | Library & Classroom
10 SEP | Year 3 Parents’ Meeting | 16:00–18:00 | Library & Classroom
15 SEP | Year 2 Parents’ Meeting | 16:00–18:00 | Library & Classroom
17 SEP | Year 1 Parents’ Meeting | 16:00–18:00 | Library & Classroom
23 SEP | Primary Student Council | TBC
Middle
1 SEP | New Middle Students and ALL Parents (new and current) | Meeting (Years 5–8) | 11:00–13:00 | Village 1
2 SEP | Start of Classes for All Students
3 SEP | School Textbook Collection | Year 8 09:30–10:20 Year 7 10:40–11:30 Year 6 11:30–12:20 Year 5 12:20–13:10 and 14:10–15:00 | Library
9 SEP | Assembly | Student Council Applications | 14:10–15:00 | Village 1
16 SEP | Assembly | Student Council Campaigning | 14:10–15:00 | Village 1
25–26 SEP | Duke of Edinburgh Hike – Bronze & Silver | TBC
30 SEP | Student Council Election | 14:10–15:00 | Village 1
Secondary
1 SEP | New Secondary Students and ALL Parents (new and current) | Meeting (Years 9–12) | 14:00–16:00 | Village 2
2 SEP | Start of Classes for All Students
9 SEP | Assembly | Student Council Applications | 12:20–13:10 | Village 2
16 SEP | Student Council (starts in the classroom and ends in the Amphitheatre) | 12:20–13:10 | Village 2
21 SEP | University Information Session for Secondary Students and Parents | 16:00–17:00 | Library
25–26 SEP | Duke of Edinburgh Hike – Bronze & Silver | TBC
28 SEP | Cambridge Retake Exams Begin
30 SEP | Student Council Election | 12:20–13:10 | Amphitheatre
Whole Community
11 SEP | Breakfast with Parents | 08:45–09:45 | Cafeteria
15 SEP | Book Launch – Navegando o Luto Infantil by Júlia Jalbut | 18:00–19:00 | Library
19 SEP | Whole Community Picnic & Extracurricular Activities Try-Out Day | 10:00–14:00
25 SEP | Languages BioMarket Day | 16:15–18:00 | Tent
29 SEP | PTSO Meeting (Parents, Teachers and Students Organization) | 16:00–17:00 | Library
Staff
28 AUG | House event Team Building | 14:00-16:00
28 AUG | Happy Hour | 17:00-18:00
08 SEP | Open Day Relocation Partners | 10:00
25 SEP | Deadline Subject Drops
28 SEP | Cambridge retakes begin
COFFEE MORNING WITH PARENTS
On Friday, 11 September, our school will host another Breakfast with Parents, from 8:45 to 9:45.
This moment promotes dialogue between families and the school, encouraging the sharing of ideas and the follow-up of upcoming school activities and events.
Community
BOOK LAUNCH: NAVEGANDO O LUTO INFANTIL
On September 15th, from 18:00 to 19:00, in the Library, we will welcome author Júlia Jalbut for the launch of Navegando o luto infantil. This special session for families and educators will explore, with sensitivity and evidence-based guidance, how adults can support children and teenagers through loss and help them navigate grief with greater confidence, understanding and care.
FAMILY PICNIC AND TRY OUT DAY
On 19 September, from 10:00 to 14:00, we will be holding our Family Picnic and Try Out Day.
Each family is welcome to bring something to eat and drink, as well as a picnic blanket. Food and drinks will also be available to purchase. We will also take this opportunity to present our food policy and invite parents to sample some of the dishes from our menu.
Secondary
UNIVERSITY INFORMATION SESSIONS
We invite Secondary students and parents to join our University Information Sessions. On September 21st at 16:00 in the library, there will be an in-person session.
Community
JOIN US AT THE LANGUAGES BIO MARKET
We invite the entire school community to the Languages edition of the Bio Market, on September 25th, from 16:45 to 18:00.
Let’s celebrate another special afternoon together!
Community
PTSO MEETING
The next PTSO (Parents, Teachers and Students Organization) meeting will take place on September 29th, 2026, at 16:00 in the Library. This meeting is only for the members already elected for this academic year.. This is a great opportunity to collaborate and strengthen our school community.
RESULTS TO BE PROUD OF
We are incredibly proud of our students’ results in the June 2026 Cambridge International examinations:
98.4% A-Level pass rate
100% AICE Diploma success — with 100% achieving Merit
More than 70% of our IGCSE students achieved at least one A or A*
85% of all IGCSE grades were A*–C
Behind every result is a story.
A student who worked hard.
A teacher who supported them.
A family who believed in them.
These results are an achievement worth celebrating — but they are also only the beginning.
For some of our students, the next two years will be about continuing to learn, question and discover who they want to become. For others, a new chapter is already beginning beyond Aprendizes.
And we cannot wait to see what they do with it.
Our young people are stepping into a world that needs their ideas, their curiosity and their courage. A world that needs people who can connect ideas and people, question what already exists and imagine something better.
Perhaps they will create technology that brings communities together, find new ways to fight climate change, protect our oceans and endangered species, tackle inequality or corruption, prevent loneliness — or help build a world where wars become less likely.
We don’t know yet what problems they will choose to solve.
And that is exactly what makes what comes next so exciting.
Keep asking questions. Keep imagining. Go change the world
NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN
INTERNATIONAL DAYS IN THE KITCHEN:
10 SEP | Spain
24 SEP | Brazil
15 OCT | Mexico
