AEC teachers received in Matosinhos

Welcoming ceremony attended by 110 teachers

110 teachers of the Curricular Enrichment Activities (AEC's) of Matosinhos were received today at the Salão Nobre da Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos.

The reception to the teachers was attended by the mayor, Luísa Salgueiro, who made a point of addressing some words of welcome to teachers.

"I always make a point of being here at the beginning of the school year to be with you and together celebrate the beginning of another period of hard work, serious and complex, but also very challenging", said the mayor. Education is not only important in the speech. It is, in fact, the heart of our activity here in Matosinhos. We focus a lot on the education of our children to ensure the future of our municipality", continued Luísa Salgueiro. "Hence this permanent attitude of restlessness and non-conformism that characterizes our activity in this area of education, always in search of innovative projects in order to provide our children with the best tools to face the future. And your role in all this is capital. Thank you for joining our project," he concluded.

During the ceremony, the fundamental role of teachers in the implementation of the local curriculum for curriculum enrichment activities was addressed. These activities are being developed in the format of workshops with the aim of achieving a paradigm shift in the teaching-learning of these activities.

It should be recalled that Matosinhos was chosen as a pilot municipality for the implementation of full-time schooling and ECA's precisely 17 years ago, in a project that, in the meantime, has been extended to the entire national territory and is already a reference with national and international recognition.

The AEC areas on offer for this school year will be: Physical Education & Local Sports Modalities, Music Workshops, Arts, Theatre & Cinema, Science and Computing and Chess.

The Surf & Bodyboard, Roller Skating and Roller Hockey, Swimming and Adapted Swimming projects will continue as normal.

Considering the transition to the new digital age, the Matosinhos City Hall will continue to invest in the area of creative computing/programming AEC, innovating in the implementation of these practices. It is intended that students foster computational and scientific thinking and stimulate creativity through programming and robotics. We highlight, among others, actions such as robotics and musical computing, 3D, virtual reality & cinema, digital illustration, drones, scratch language, which will appear integrated and articulated in the activities carried out within the AEC workshops.

In all, 119 workshops and almost 600 didactic activities are planned for 2022/2023, which will cover more than 6,700 pre-school and 1st cycle children. Preschool children will be offered 2 AEC of 1h30 per week and 1st cycle children 5 hours per week.

It was also mentioned the role of the Adapted ECA Workshops created in all areas that have been adjusted to the characteristics of all students with special health needs who attend the schools of the County in order to promote inclusive educational practices and also therapeutic nature, allowing the development of personal and social skills such as communication, interaction, socialization, self-esteem or autonomy.