Children are fantastic, tender and curious, and the most brilliant and imaginative thinkers. Even without knowing in which direction they will lead me, there is nothing I would rather do than follow them. Maria Montessori

MISSÃO

To educate children, in partnership with the family, and provide a safe and welcoming environment close to Nature. To encourage children, by giving them the freedom of choice, to be the “protagonists” of their own learning. To guide them on the path to becoming healthy and well-balanced adults, able to assert themselves in both their personal and professional lives.

VISÃO

To be recognised as an educational establishment of reference, offering a wide range of high quality services and to actively contribute to the children’s development of flexible thinking, autonomy, creativity and capacity for communication and reflection, always with an open spirit of tolerance and joy.

VALORES

Individuality / Freedom / Responsibility / Respect / Trust / Quality / Dedication / Safety / Innovation / Familiarity.

That which we believe can be seen in our concept of education…

“Don’t do things for me. Teach me to do them myself.”

This is one of Maria Montessori’s maxims recurring throughout her work with young children. Since 1988 the mission of Eurythmia has been to help develop the global personality of the children it welcomes into its family atmosphere.

Aware of the problems of the world today, we feel we should complement traditional teaching methods with a more holistic vision of other alternative philosophies of education, such as Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia.

For us the most important thing is that the child feels safe, loved and respected. This is the only way for the child to have increased self-esteem and accept the educational discipline necessary for life in a community.

We believe that each child is gifted with a unique natural creativity. Our role as teachers is to encourage and help the children to discover and explore their own imagination and then to work with them according to the inner world of each one.
This is the method of teaching which has made Eurythmia special and which enhances the intellectual, moral and spiritual growth of each child.

The importance of space

In our school we try to create a space where children can grow and learn in a safe and harmonious atmosphere during their first years of education.

The spaces have been carefully thought out and arranged in order to create a safe, stimulating environment in which the children perceive the world around them through their senses.

In the Eurythmia classroom everything is organised in a logical and meaningful way. The teaching materials are carefully selected in order to stimulate creativity and aesthetic sensibility.

The different colours, textures and concepts, as well as the incorporation of real-life material, present the children with a variety of sensorial experiences and unique opportunities for discovery. We have created a space where the child feels both curious and happy and willing to learn about the world around him or her.

The importance of responsibility, independence and autonomy

Although on the one hand we advocate freedom, at the same time we emphasize responsibility and independence.

We encourage the children to be independent and autonomous in everything they do, so that they will develop self-confidence.
This autonomy is achieved through moments of discovery, creativity and freedom of choice. From an early age, children are encouraged to learn to do things on their own.

As each child is a unique human being, all teaching activities undertaken respect the child’s own rhythm of learning and distinct personality.

We allow them to suggest and choose activities which appeal to them, taking advantage of their ideas, interests and natural curiosity as a starting point for developing the relevant skills and capacities for their level of learning.

Once an activity has finished, the children are taught from an early age to clean and tidy away the items they have been using, leaving the space and materials ready to be used by the next child. We teach the children to treat one another with respect, politeness and gentleness, thereby promoting a spirit of mutual help.

We believe in a system of vertical education, where, in an organised manner, we promote the interaction of children from different classrooms. There are many advantages to this, which would not be available if each group were kept isolated while working on individual projects.

Age heterogeneity and interchange between the different age groups encourages self-esteem in the older children and stimulates development in the younger children.

Our school functions ‘as one’ and team work, both on the part of the children and the teachers, is always in evidence. The role of our teachers is simply to be a guide and mentor on the path to inner discovery.

The importance of respect

Respect, good manners and the ability to share should form the basis of the social education of any child.
Our work is to help the child to accept others whilst respecting both their personality and personal space, thereby promoting social interaction.

It is for this reason that we encourage respect and affection towards themselves, their friends, other people and the environment in which they live.

The importance of English

For more than twenty years Eurythmia has been known for its quality and success in preparing children to continue their education in the renowned international schools of Oporto.

For many children, their first contact with English is in our school. Therefore we maintain a bi-lingual teaching staff, who can assess and work within the linguistic capabilities of each child.

We pledge to continue this education, not only in order to prepare children who will move on to the international schools, but above all because of the importance of learning a second language in early childhood. This learning enhances intellectual development, creating from an early age a capacity for speaking other languages with ease in the future.

There will always be a Portuguese teacher present in each classroom. In addition the school employs native language English teachers with Nursery school training (TESL) who work alongside the classroom teachers to develop daily activities in English, in accordance with the learning capacities of each child.

Our philosophy is to introduce English language gradually, in a natural, gentle and progressive manner.

In a similar manner to learning their mother tongue, the children begin by hearing the same English words repeated, often associated with pictures, and then proceed to repeat the words themselves, often through rhymes and songs. In this way, the children gradually become familiar with the basic vocabulary.

The importance of working together with parents/family-an open school

In our college, we believe that the work done with the children should be complemented by the “work” of the parents at home, with a view to the better development of the children and a more effective intervention with each one of them.

As such we have always sought to create an “open school” concept in which parents are invited to participate at various times in their children’s school life.

We thus encourage the participation of families in the educational process of children and in their life story. As such, from the first moment that the educators establish a good relationship with the parents of each child in the sense of a constant exchange of information about them, so that the work of the school can be completed with the work at home and vice -versa.

The importance of being a second family

The great advantage of Eurythmia, apart from what has been mentioned previously is that it is much more than just a school.
It is a second home where we give a special attention and care to each child, and where your son / daughter will gain knowledge, education and strength that will be present for their life outside.

Our greatest ambition is to develop happy children who love to discover and understand the world around them; independent children who can ask adults to teach them how to do things on their own; autonomous children, capable of starting and following through with tasks.

To this end, our educational objectives are:

• To develop the capacity for communication and reflection;
• To create moments which allow the children to develop their creativity and imagination;
• To stimulate the capacities of every child in order to find different answers for the same problem;
• To provide new experiences and challenges so that children become aware of their limits and talents as individuals, and at the same time conform as a member of a group;
• To support and promote their needs to express reality through make-believe, drama, music and movement;
• To allow children to choose the themes on which they want to work;
• To observe children and their interests in order to create better learning opportunities;
• To develop vertical learning where children from different classrooms and of different ages interact regularly;
• To establish discipline through positive reinforcement;
• To motivate the participation of the whole family in the child’s education and life, establishing effective collaborative relationships within the community;
• To promote a healthy and balanced diet./li>