Charity drives
Two charitable drives, organised by the International School of the Algarve in Porches, have recently reached very satisfactory conclusions.
All over the world, people were touched by the tragic Asian tsunami that took place on Boxing Day. The pupils at the International School of the Algarve were no exception. At the first assembly of term, a two-minute silence was held to show respect for the victims and their families. This was followed by a moving speech by Year 13 pupil, Tariq Belhadj, who had asked Headmaster John Butterworth if he could address the school community. Tariq appealed to the pupils to come up with ideas for raising funds to donate to the victims of the tsunami.
In the weeks that followed, a number of special events, organised by the pupils, were held. A non-uniform day, on which the pupils paid for the privilege of coming to school in clothes of their own choice, raised around 1,300 euros. There was also an It’s a Knockout-style sports event and fancy dress competition, both of which helped swell the coffers. More was raised simply from donations from parents and friends. All proceeds went to the Portuguese aid organisation, Associação Médica Internacional, and have already been put to good use. The final total raised was over 6,000 euros!
The school also received good news in February from a school in Timor, with which it has a twinning arrangement. The school there is very poorly equipped and, for some time, pupils, parents and staff at Porches have been sending boxes with clothing, school equipment and the like. A major drive was launched last year, in which a full-size shipping container was to be filled with books, toys, clothing and equipment, and sent to Timor.
The container was sent off in October, but silence followed. Then, some four months later, news came that not only had it arrived safely, but also that all its contents were in use in the Timor school! Letters and small gifts of Timorese embroidery began arriving here in Portugal from pupils and teachers there. A second container is now in the process of being filled.
The children, teachers and parents of the International School of the Algarve intend to keep up their efforts to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Infant Department open day
The school’s Infant Department will proudly be opening its classroom doors to the public on Wednesday, April 13 from 2.15pm. For parents with young children from three to seven years of age, this is an excellent opportunity to investigate an international education.
From 2.15pm onwards, visitors will be able to meet the teachers and find out more about the international curriculum. Parents and their children will be invited to see the classrooms and a selection of the wonderful work produced by the school’s current pupils. The children can also be observed in action, during a typical Physical Education lesson.
At 2.45pm, the visiting children will be encouraged to join the infant pupils in an imaginative interactive story session and, for those who can stay for a while after school, there will be a variety of investigative hands-on activities.
This is an ideal opportunity to see inside this long-established Infant Department at the International School of the Algarve and meet the staff. The school is situated on the EN125, between Porches and Lagoa.
For more details, telephone 282 342 547.
