THIS IS OUR SCHOOL Project Meeting - From the 11 th to the 13 rd of April – Taranto - Italy YOUNG PEOPLE, ACTIVE CITIZENS OF EUROPE COMENIUS PROJECT 1. 1

THE HISTORY OF OUR SCHOOL The School was founded in the beginning of the 1970s. It was located in a public place named Casa do Povo, where students were offered vocational courses in Mechanics, Agriculture and Feminine Formation, that provided them with equivalence to the current 9th form. After the implantation of the democracy in Portugal, in 1974, students started to attend the 7th, 8th and 9th forms. In 1977/78 the school classes took place in the present building, and the beginning of the school year changed from October to September. There were only three blocks (A, B and C), the others (D, E and F) hadn’t been built yet. The Agriculture Course changed to a vocational school 2 km away from Serpa, and the students went there on foot.

THE HISTORY OF OUR SCHOOL The school located in Casa de Povo closed and the new school building had Primary and Secondary Education simultaneously. The construction of three new blocks (D, E and F) occurred in the eighties. Nowadays, the Secondary School with 3rd cycle of Basic Education is the only entity of the council that assures the regular Secondary education. There are 24 classrooms, 4 laboratories, 2 Art rooms and 2 Computing rooms). We also have the Resources Centre and the Library, as well as a total of 85 computers. There are 12 rooms for the teachers to meet and work together. There are large spaces for leisure and a pavilion for the practice of sports. The meal service is assured internally by the canteen or the bar.

School Rooms and Facilities Canteen Canteen - where the students can have lunch, being also a space for socialising. The ticket is bought through the students’ magnetic card and the students have to buy it in advance. The canteen opens at 12:45 and closes at 2:00 pm. Stationery Stationery - where the students can buy some school material, load the magnetic card that identifies them as students of the school, buy their meals in advance, among other things. It opens at 9:00 o’clock in the morning, closing for lunch at 1pm. In the afternoon it‘s opened again until 5pm.

School Rooms and Facilities Library Library - the students have access to specialised books and to the Internet, there are four computers with access to the Internet. There are also two DVD readers where the students can watch some movies. The library service is available from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.

School Rooms and Facilities Resource Centre Resource Centre – The students can use the computers for work or for leisure. The Centre is divided in 3 zones: one where the computers without access to the Internet are; other one that is just for leisure, where the students can go wherever they want, having access to the Internet; and finally a third zone that is for doing work accessing computers with the Internet. There are 85 computers, being 21 without access to the Internet and 64 with access to the Internet. The Resource Centre is available from 9:00 am to 5:30pm with a break for lunch. Teachers can teach practical lessons there, but they should book the space in advance to avoid confusion and lack of computers available.

School Rooms and Facilities Sports Pavilion Sports Pavilion – This pavilion was inaugurated by the Secretary of State, Domingos Fernandes, in The pavilion is where the students have Physical Education classes. Inside the pavilion there are two rooms for the classes, a suitable space for games and a room for the practice of gymnastics. There are also two bathhouses, one for the girls and other for the boys. And each one has two cloakrooms. In the outside there is a sports field.

School Rooms and Facilities Classrooms Classrooms – where the students attend different classes. There are six blocks A, B, C, D, E, F. In block F we can find the room for TIC, Information and Communication Technologies and a large room for general meetings and representations.

School Rooms and Facilities Non-teaching staff room Non-teaching staff room – where the auxiliary personnel can rest whenever there is a break, and where they can have their meetings. Teachers’ rooms Teachers’ rooms – where the teachers can rest and work. There are 2 rooms, one for the non-smokers and other for the teachers who enjoy smoking. It’s also the place where the classroom keys and the different classes register books are. There are some placards with important information for the teachers, too.

EXTRA- CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - CLUBS Drama Club Drama Club – They learn some representation techniques and perform some interesting plays regarding different themes (comedy, for example). The club team also accomplishes some travels for enriching their knowledge about drama. The club has several students enrolled, belonging to different classes and grades. They have already been invited to perform in other schools and did it with success. Cinema Club Cinema Club – It is new at school, but already popular. Our school integrates a project in partnership with other foreign schools, mostly French, and they are learning some cinema techniques in order to make a short movie to be presented in Paris at the end of the school year. There has already been a first meeting among the partner schools to show the work done and it was a success. The project counts on the cooperation of two professionals and two teachers from our school, who have been instructing and supporting the students along the whole process.

Club of Journalism Club of Journalism – Three teachers and a few students are responsible for the edition of a school journal. The journal has some years of existence, but this year it was printed here at school for the first time and it has a larger number of pages, too. It spreads the news about what has been going on inside and outside school and it publishes some interesting works the students have accomplished in different areas. Photography Club Photography Club - Besides learning different techniques, the students enrolled in the club travel a lot to take photos of different subjects and places and are always present in school celebrations and festivities. Sports Clubs Sports Clubs – The school provides the practice of different sports for the students. The sports available are: Tennis, Table-Tennis, Footsal, BTT and swimming. The best students have participated in several competitions at national and international level. EXTRA- CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - CLUBS

THE EDUCATION PROVIDED - BASIC EDUCATION In relation to this education level, there are 7th, 8th and 9th form classes. This education is compulsory, giving access to all courses of secondary education. When students finish the 9th form, they have to decide which course they want to follow. Portuguese Language; Mathematics; Geography; Physics & Chemistry; English, French or Spanish; Physical Education; History; Art; Technological Education; Religious Education (optional) and ICT (only in 9th form). At this level of education they have to attend these subjects:

SECONDARY EDUCATION HUMANISTIC AND SCIENTIFIC COURSES These courses prepare the students to follow up their studies to a superior level. Formation Components SubjectsWeekly Blocks (90 min. per block) 10 th 11 th 12 th Specific  Mathematics  Physics & Chemistry  Biology and Geology Options:  Biology  Chemistry  Physics  Geology  Descriptive Geometry  Geometry  Project Área2 Students can take a degree in: Health Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary, Nursing, Engineering, Physics and Natural Sciences, Exact Sciences (...). Sciences and Technologies

SECONDARY EDUCATION HUMANISTIC AND SCIENTIFIC COURSES These courses prepare the students to follow up their studies to a superior level. Students can choose among: Law, Political Science, Education and Formation Science, Journalism (...). Human and Social Science Formation ComponentsSubjects Weekly Blocks (90 min. per block) 10 th 11 th 12 th Specific  History  Matemathics for Social Sciences  Geography Options:  Geography  Sociology  Phylosophy  Psychology Project Área2