Welcome to Ribatejo Region!!!!

Welcome to Ribatejo... Santarém...Almeirim!!!!

The Ribatejo, the areas bordering the River Tejo, has been a producer of wine for 2000 years but it is only in recent years that it has come to the attention of a wider audience across Europe.

Santarém is the capital of the Ribatejo region of Portugal. It has had an important role in Portugal's early history but is today more famous for its festivals and bullfighting.
Santarém sits up high on a plateau looking over the Ribatejo agricultural plains and River Tejo, river valley commanding some fabulous views over the region.

Attractions include several churches, monasteries and convents, a museum and the viewpoint of Portas do Sol. Today this whitewashed, terracotta tiled city houses a large student population which means there's a choice of good value cafes and restaurants, many around the Rua Cepelo e Ivens and Rua Dr Jaime Figueiredo behind the market. Santarem is a good base from which to explore the Ribatejo wine region.

Welcome to Almeirim!!!!

Almeirim is a small town near Santarém, where you will be welcomed!!!

Almeirim is a Portuguese small town in Santarém District. Almeirim has 11 600 inhabitants. Since 2002 it is part of the sub region of Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, till then it was part of Ribatejo Region.
It is the main town in this council with 221, 80 km² and 22 766 inhabitants in 2006, it is divided in 4 parishes. Other towns around Almeirim council are Alpiarça on the North, Chamusca on the East and Northeast, Couruche and Salvaterra de Magos on the South, Cartaxo on the West and Santarém on the Northwest.

Almeirim was once a popular place to rest for the Kings and Queens of Portugal, due to its fields for hunting, which extend into the neighbouring areas of Santarém and Lisbon, and due to its proximity to the river Tejo. In those times, the river provided easy access from Lisbon, and Almeirim was frequently visited by the Kings of the Second Dynasty.

Comenius Project Meeting - Almeirim, Portugal May 2nd to 9th

Welcome to Portugal!!!

Portugal officially the Portuguese Republic is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in south-western Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are also part of Portugal.

The land within the borders of today's Portuguese Republic has been continuously settled since prehistoric times. Some of the earliest civilizations include Lusitanian and Celtic societies. Incorporation into the Roman Republic dominions took place in the 2nd century BC. The region was ruled and colonized by Germanic people, such as the Suebi and the Visigoths, from the 5th to the 8th century. From this era, some vestiges of the Alans were also found. The Muslim Moors arrived in the early 8th century and conquered the Christian Germanic kingdoms, eventually occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula. In the early 1100s, during the Christian Reconquista, Portugal appeared as a kingdom independent of its neighbour, the Kingdom of León and Galicia. In a little over a century, in 1249, Portugal would establish almost its entire modern-day borders by conquering territory from the Moors.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, with a global empire that included possessions in Africa, Asia, and South America, Portugal was one of the world's major economic, political, and cultural powers. In the 17th century, the Portuguese Restoration War between Portugal and Spain ended the sixty year period of the Iberian Union (1580–1640). The 1755 Lisbon earthquake and, in the 19th century, armed conflicts with French and Spanish invading forces and the loss of its largest territorial possession abroad, Brazil, disrupted political stability and potential economic growth. After the Portuguese Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution coup d'état in 1974, the ruling regime was deposed in Lisbon and the country handed over its last overseas provinces in Africa. Portugal's last overseas territory, Macau, was handed over to China in 1999.

Portugal is a developed country and has a high Human Development Index. It is the 7th most peaceful and the 13th most globalized country in the world, and has the world's 19th highest quality of life, although having the lowest GDP per capita of Western European countries. It is a member of the European Union since1986.

*Portuguese Language*

Portuguese (Português) is a Romance language, spread worldwide in the 15th and 16th centuries as Portugal created the first and the longest lived modern-world colonial and commercial empire (1415–1975). As a result, Portuguese is now the official language of several independent countries and regions: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe. With more than 200 million native speakers, Portuguese is one of the few languages spoken in such widely-distributed parts of the world.

Portuguese, ranked fifth among world languages in number of native speakers, third most spoken language in Europe and because of Brazil, with 184 million inhabitants, constitutes about 51% of South America's population, Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in South America.
The Portuguese language is gaining popularity in Africa, Asia, and South America as a second language for studying.
Portuguese is, with Spanish, the fastest growing western language and following estimates by UNESCO it is the language with the higher potentiality of growth as an international communication language in Africa and South America. The Portuguese speaking African countries are expected to have a combined population of 83 million by 2050.

Project Meeting - Tartu, Estonia November 2008

Merry Christmas

Project Meeting - Tartu, Estonia

Project Meeting

November 15 to November 22, 2008

From November 15th to 22nd 2008, the six partner countries (Austria, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Portugal and Turkey) of the Comenius project Different Bridges from School to Professions, attended the third meeting in Tähtvere County, in the Ilmatsalu Basic School.

The main aim of this Project Meeting was to prepare all the activities for the second year of the partnership bearing in mind thestudents’ exchange that is going to take place in Portugal in May 2009.


We have planned our students and teachers activities for the final meeting of the project in Portugal:

• Partners selected the items that students are going to work on for the chosen jobs
• Partners set up the structures for the students’ presentations and the following workshops
• Partners worked out examples to help students
• Partners discussed how to present the students work

On Sunday the Estonian partner offered an excursion to the city of Tartu. The guide informed us about the history of Estonia and Tartu. We visited Tartu University the most important intellectual centre in Estonia, the KGB and the Toy Museums.

The partners were welcomed officially by Ilmatsalu Basic School on Monday morning. The students performed traditional Estonian songs, dances and music.

The teachers met the school staff, attended some lessons, were shown the school building and the classrooms and got an overview of the school. Afterwards we enjoyed a good meal in the school canteen. In the afternoon we were invited to a meeting with Esta Tamm, the County Governor, Eda Tagamets, the main specialist of foreign relations and Rein Kokk, Tähtvere Municipal Mayor at Tartu County Government, Anneli Võsaste, Manager of Educational and Culture department. The Comenius coordinator of the host school introduced our project Different Bridges from School to Professions. Then Eda Tagamets gave us basic information about Tartu County and the Education System in Estonia.

Hard project work on Tuesday morning was followed by a visit to the Green Class and the teacher gave us a typical outdoor lesson. We also took part in practical work together with students of the host school.

On Wednesday we were acquainted with different ways of learning a profession and how students are being prepared for work life in Tartu Vocational Education Centre.

After project work on Thursday morning, partners met with the local press Tartu Postimees and Tähtvere municipal press and gave an interview about the project in general and the Teachers’ Meeting in Estonia. In the evening a farewell dinner with the Ilmatsalu Basic School Headmaster Aare Treial, Head teacher Maie Sokk, the school teachers and the Comenius partners took place in Kantri Hotel.

We visited Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia on Friday. Getting to know the Estonian’s capital was the final highlight of our stay.

All the partners would like to thank you, the Estonians, for your warm welcome, generous hospitality and the perfect organization.

After this meeting we have all tools and ideas to work with our students and to be well prepared for the final meeting in Portugal from May 2nd to 9th 2009.

We are looking forward to work together again and to welcome you to Portugal!!!!!

Best wishes,

The Comenius Team

Our Comenius Assistant Teachers

Goodbye and Welcome to our Assistant Teachers!!!!!

Under Life Long Learning, supported by EU our Comenius Partnership hosted two Comenius Assistants. During the first year the host school was in Germany which received an Assistant Teacher from Norway. In the second year the host school is in Portugal and the Assistant teacher is from England.

It was really a pleasure to work with the Assistant Teacher from Norway and all the partners and students would like to thank her for her contribution to our European Knowledge.

All the best for you, we will miss you!!!!!



And to our new Assistant Teacher, students and teachers from the partnership would like to welcome her. We are sure we would learn about her country and culture and it is a pleasure to have one more country among ours.

Welcome and enjoy your stay!!!!!



The Comenius Team