WELCOME TO THE PROJECT MEETING
IN SANTO TIRSO, portugal
(february 2010)
Please, watch this video:
ABOUT SANTO TIRSO
Located 30km north-east of Porto, in the heart of the picturesque Minho countryside dotted with sloping vines and wooded hilltops, Santo Tirso is the hub of a large textile industry that covers much of this part of northern Portugal.
What to see:The town is main feature is the São Bento monastery building which was originally founded by Benedictine monks in the 8th century. It was later rebuilt and subsequently modified in the 17th century. The pairs of columns in the 14th century Gothic cloister are notable for their richly carved capitals. The building also houses the Abade Pedrosa Museum with its vast collection of local archaeological artefacts including ancient stone axes, bronze armlets and ceramics
Nearby: Perching above the Vizela valley at Roriz (13km east of Santo Tirso) stands the impressive Romanesque church of São Pedro, which although dated 1228 is thought to have been built on the site of an 8th century church. 5km further east lies the hilltop site of an Iron Age citadel known locally as the Citânia de Sanfins de Ferreira. Built around the 6th century BC, the site includes some 100 huts surrounded by the remains of a triple ring of defensive walls.
ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
The school lies in a rural industrial context with good road access to nearby cities. This area used T have big textile industries but nowadays this area has a high rate of unemployment due to the Fct that these industries have shut down. Escola Secundária de Tomaz Pelayo is a state school situated in the north of Portugal. It is a High School where most students start their education at the age of 13 and finish at the age of 18. It offers a wide variety of courses including: general; vocational courses as well as adult education. Adult education has become a priority in the last two years and about 400 students are involved in it. Adults are mostly workers or temporarily unemployed who have decided to improve their educational skills in order to improve their life and employability skills.
The school uses an interdisciplinary team of support personnel, headed by the school’s psychologist to plan and monitor curriculum and provide extra instructional support to targeted students with special needs or at risk of exclusion.
Its aims are not only to broaden students’ horizons in educational terms, mainly mother tongue, English, ICT, but also to develop autonomy, responsibility, creativity and human values such as: democracy, tolerance, friendship and understanding of other cultures and beliefs. In order to promote social inclusion the school offers a wide range of educational opportunities as well as trained staff (teachers,sychologists and career advisers) that organises and monitors the educational process.
PROJECT MEETING PROGRAMME:
Educational side:
There will be some meetings of teachers, of students, some lessons with the participation of students and teachers from the other schools, etc.
Social side:
Meeting people, visiting Santo Tirso and Oporto.
