Registration Open, New Portuguese Teacher
Registration for the Portuguese School of Bermuda after-school programme is now open, with the school set to welcome new Portuguese language teacher Lidia Silva.
A spokesperson said, “The Portuguese Cultural Association of Bermuda [PCA] wishes to remind the public that registration for the Portuguese School of Bermuda [School] for the upcoming year is open and can be made online at PortugueseBDA.com. Please note that there are still spots available.
“The School is run as an after-school programme, holding classes for primary-school aged students across 6 grade levels. The Portuguese School delivers its classes in accordance with the Quadro de Referência para o Ensino Português no Estrangeiro, which is the official framework for teaching Portuguese as a foreign language, sponsored by the Instituto Camões – the Government of Portugal institution which promotes the Portuguese language and culture worldwide.
“Payment of a minimum donation of $500 is required for the year. However, in recognition of these difficult times, the PCA is pleased to allow parents to spread the cost of tuition by way of equal installments of $125 between October 2021 and May 2022.
“Classes are expected to start on Tuesday, 19 October. Considering the current situation relating to Covid-19, the school year will start via zoom for October. However, we plan to return to in-person classes as soon as it is safe to do so and for the rest of the school year. Our location is the ground floor of the Vasco da Gama building at 51 Reid Street, Hamilton.
“The PCA is also pleased to announce that it has obtained a work permit for a Portuguese language teacher to relocate to Bermuda. Our teacher is Ms Lidia Silva, and she is expected to fly to Bermuda next week. She previously taught Portuguese online via Zoom for 2020/21, and we are pleased that she will be joining us on-island.
“Ms Silva originally received her bachelor’s degree in Romance Language and Literature, specializing in Portuguese and French, from the University of Madeira. She then received her diploma in primary school education from the University of the Azores. She has experience teaching in her native Madeira, mainland Portugal and London, England.”
Chairman of the PCA, Richard Ambrosio, stated: “We are very pleased to have Ms Silva joining us in person. She was teaching via Zoom from her home in London over the last 12 months. She was very well-received despite delivering instruction during these challenging times.”
Mr Ambrosio also noted that the arrival of Ms Silva will cap a challenging time for the School and sung the praises of its previous teacher, Ms Veronica Franco.
“In March 2020, the Portuguese School had to suspend its operations through to the end of the school year, putting us in a very tough financial position. Most of our fundraising for 2020 and 2021 had to be cancelled, depriving the PCA of critical revenue. Chief among these have been the Ag Show, the Kappa Classic, the Santo Cristo Festival, bake sales, fundraising dinners and football tournaments,” he said.
“2020 was also the last year of our previous teacher, Ms Veronica Franco. She provided a yeoman’s service by teaching for an extra year beyond her original intention. After dedicating almost a decade to teaching Portuguese in Bermuda, I thank her for all of her hard work and unwavering dedication to the students of the School. Ms Franco’s shoes will be very hard to fill, but we expect that Ms Silva will be a worthy successor.”
A spokesperson added, “In addition to school-aged pupils, the PCA is working actively to launch a permanent adult-language programme, building on the success of the recent summer that saw 62 students learning Portuguese via Zoom. Once Ms Silva relocates to Bermuda and the Portuguese School is up and running, registration will open soon thereafter for adults.
“Finally, please note that as a registered charity [#385], we critically depend on the generous support of members of the public to keep our programme active. If you are interested in donating, you may do so at any time via our BNTB Bank Account: number, 20006060707516100; name ‘Portuguese School of Bermuda’. Every little bit helps!
“If you have any questions about the School, our upcoming adult programme or making a contribution, feel free to get in touch with us at any time via info@portugueseBDA.com.“
