School day-to-day life and organization
How many students are in each group?
Cycle I2 – approximately 15 students per group
Cycles I3 – approximately 18 students per group
Cycles F1 – approximately 20 students per group
Cycles F2 and F3 – approximately 24 students per group
Cycles M1 and M2 – approximately 30 students per group
What is the students’ daily routine like?
The routine at Lumiar is diverse. Every day, students experience different project proposals, workshops, World Readings, moments of individual and collective study, moments of reading, breaks, free time, and playing. There are also moments of tutoring, when the tutors invite the students to reflect on events, evaluate their time management, and the progress of the tasks carried out in the projects.
Are homework assignments sent?
The sending of homework assignments does not occur daily, but contextually and according to the development of the projects and of each student. There is, therefore, the possibility of some activities being sent home, but there is not a pre-established frequency. Besides this, the students have moments for individual study (study period) during the routine, when they can do these activities at school.
What is the adaptation like for students coming from other schools?
At the beginning of the year, before the start of school activities, families and students attend an individual meeting with the group tutor so that they can get to know each other and talk about talents, passions, challenges, well-developed skills, and those with which the student still needs more support – essential information for the educator to help them go through the adaptation process as smoothly as possible. Throughout the routine, there is also the possibility for the student to receive individual support and/or participate in support groups, which will provide help in certain areas that need attention.
In the case of Early Childhood Education, the adaptation is done carefully, with the staff always observing the child and understanding the process in a personalized way. The dialog and partnership with the families are important to help the student feel increasingly safe and for us to understand the contexts and needs of all involved, so that, little by little, this child can be in the school environment without the need for a guardian to be present.
As Lumiar has multigrade groups, there is always a great movement of new students coming from other cycles. Therefore, everyone is very used to the process of arrival and departure of colleagues, and there is a legitimate desire to welcome and integrate new members, with the tutor always attentive to any challenges that may arise.
Is there recuperation at Lumiar? Can a student repeat the year?
At the end of each trimester, we hold a class council with all the group educators – tutors, assistants, teachers – and the management team – professionals from the educational guidance, directors, and coordinators – to discuss the development of each student in all areas.
If educators believe that a certain student needs to review some specific skills or content, he or she is offered the possibility of doing an individual project or activity in a personalized way, according to his or her needs. Each year and each multigrade cycle has corresponding learning expectations, that is, skills that are expected to be developed over these years. If, at the end of a period, a student has not been able to satisfactorily develop certain skills, even with the opportunities for recovery, and the class council understands that this will lead to difficulties in following the next year, this student is retained.
When students leave Lumiar, what grade do they go to?
Even though they attend a multi-grade cycle at Lumiar, students remain formally enrolled in the grades/years equivalent to their age. Therefore, if they leave Lumiar, they will be enrolled in the corresponding grade at another institution.
What happens to students who need to leave Lumiar and go to a traditional school? Do they adapt?
The way we work at Lumiar favors the development of autonomy and responsibility. This contributes to the fact that, if students change schools and come across some content that other classmates have already seen and they haven’t, or vice-versa, they can have the discernment and skills developed enough to understand what they already know and what they need to study/learn, having a smooth adaptation to other models. As we follow these transitions, we have data that they excel in issues related to participation, questioning, and reflection, as well as demonstrate that they can connect different content and knowledge areas, making evident their interest and passion for learning. This makes it much easier for them to deal with any challenges that may arise.
Does Lumiar Pinheiros have a canteen or does it provide snacks for students?
Food at Lumiar is outsourced. The meals are selected by a team of nutritionists and served at the school, without the need for the student to bring food from home. We offer a snack in the morning, lunch and fruit in the afternoon, with the possibility of an additional snack if the student stays at school for extracurricular activities.
Does Lumiar Pinheiros adopt any kind of uniform or specific clothing?
Not at present. We believe in clothing as a valuable form of expression and in the importance of respecting the individuality and tastes of each one. However, many students have already requested that the school adopt an optional uniform. Some groups at Lumiar Pinheiros are even participating in a campaign to create these pieces.
After School
Does Lumiar Pinheiros offer extracurricular activities?
Yes, Lumiar Pinheiros offers extracurricular activities during the afterschool period.
Every quarter, we review the students’ interests to offer proposals that make sense to them.
Technology
Can students use and carry cell phones at school?
There are no restrictions on bringing a cell phone to school. Tutors and students make arrangements for its use within the group at specific times of the day, ensuring appropriate and healthy use for each age group.
Bilingualism
Does Lumiar Pinheiros accept students who are not fluent in English? How do they keep up?
Yes, everyone is welcome! In the projects, students are grouped according to their English communication skills. Therefore, the groups have students at the most varied levels, and each one receives challenges appropriate to their knowledge of the language.
We do not consider English as something that students need to learn for ten years from now, when they will have a job interview, for example. We see the English language as something for now, something that will allow students to understand the music and movies they like, to communicate with people from other countries, and to expand their cultural repertoire within the projects they are working on. Thus, the language is seen as a bridge, a lingua franca.
How is the English and Portuguese division in practice?
Much of the routine happens in English, because we believe that exposure to and stimulation of communication in this language increases the opportunities to develop communication skills.
The projects can be conducted in either Portuguese or English, depending on their context. If students show interest in learning more about capoeira or in better understanding the Brazilian electoral process, for example, it makes sense for the project to be conducted in Portuguese, as it relates to the history of our country. However, if the interest is in rugby, a sport that originated in England, or even international geopolitics, it makes sense that the project is conducted in English, since many research materials will be found in that language, and there is the opportunity to develop reading and speaking skills in context.
Within the English projects, the students are grouped according to their language skills and have different goals, so they can build on their current skills. The main objective is for everyone to understand that learning this language multiplies their ability to understand the world, since it increases their cultural baggage, their entertainment skills, their sources of research and information, and serves as a bridge to communicate with people from other countries.
Kindergarten groups use English more intensively – approximately 70% of their routine happens in this language. In the Elementary and High School cycles, English takes up about 50% of the routine.
Are all the people at Lumiar Pinheiros fluent in English?
All tutors and assistants are.
Does the school have any English certification?
We have a partner school which applies Cambridge certification tests (Cambridge University Assessment) on an optional basis.
Is Lumiar Pinheiros an IB (International Baccalaureate) school?
No.
What support does the school offer for students who are interested in studying abroad in the future?
We are always focused on the interest of each student, trying to understand their particular pedagogical needs, so that they can fulfill their personal plans and goals in the future. In this case, it is the tutor’s role to build, together with the student, the path for him/her to reach his/her study abroad goal, following his/her planning and pointing out the necessary tools for this.
The individualized look helps the student to understand his or her difficulties and facilities in the language and, thus, reach fluency more easily. The teaching can be customized with a greater load of English, for example, for students who wish to practice more of the language – it is possible to do this in their individual projects, during the school term.
Communication
How does communication take place between families and Lumiar Pinheiros?
The daily school communication happens through an application, in which families, educators, management, administrative staff and other school agents have their profiles and can exchange messages. For urgent issues, contact is made by phone. It is also always possible to schedule meetings with educators and the management team.
Relationships and diversity
Who has closer contact with the students?
The tutor is the educator responsible for closely following the daily development of each student, understanding what skills still need to be worked on, what their interests, ambitions, talents, and particular goals are. There are also assistants and interns, who give support to the tutors and support to the students.
What is done when there is a conflict at school?
It is not consistent with our methodology to apply punishment, nor is it the role of any member of the school community to stifle conflicts. It is up to the adults to use a sensitive look to understand the needs of each relationship and each moment, assuming a mediation posture that allows the sides involved in the conflict/disagreement to achieve a mature and courageous reflection on the conditions that generated the crisis, the recovery of the unfolding of the facts and the necessary assumption not of “guilt” over what happened, but of shared responsibility for the necessary steps to reestablish good coexistence.
How does the school care for the students’ emotions?
The development of social and emotional skills permeates the Lumiar curriculum in all groups. Our competence matrix offers the possibility of working on different skills related to this axis, such as resilience, metacognition, self-confidence, and self-management, in a transdisciplinary way. These skills are mobilized throughout the year in different projects, and the Mosaic platform gives us the opportunity to map, monitor, and evaluate each one of them, providing a view of each student’s development. The tutor, the main person responsible for the group, follows the students throughout their routine, creating bonds and ensuring a healthy emotional development from Kindergarten to High School.
The school day-to-day is permeated by relationships with several people in different spaces at all times, since our students move all over the school. Thus, we promote an environment conducive to the development of empathy, cooperation, and self-regulation. Moreover, in their activities, students are encouraged to develop active listening, to express themselves, to identify and understand their emotions, and to respect others, which contributes to a favorable environment for learning. There is also the possibility of support from the guidance counselor when necessary (including the bridge with eventual support professionals outside the school).
How does the school teach students about values and sense of community?
At Lumiar, in addition to incorporating elements of participative management in learning, by means of the construction of projects that meet their interests and needs, the students participate in group meetings and school assemblies so that, collectively, they deliberate on the school rules and agreements. Participatory management, one of our pillars, encourages children and young people to understand their role and that of other people in a community, thus enabling the development of important skills for life in society.
How is diversity promoted at school?
Promoting and valuing diversity is a pillar of Lumiar. Each student is seen in his/her individuality and respected within his/her particularities, therefore the coexistence with people from different origins, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and disabilities is of fundamental importance to us. The work with teachers also enhances the promotion of diversity, because we often have the opportunity to receive in our community new people, with diverse skills, personalities, and worldviews, increasing the students’ repertoire.
How does Lumiar Pinheiros deal with inclusion?
Our methodology is based on a personalized look at each student, understanding that everyone has talents and challenges. Therefore, people with disabilities and students with learning difficulties are also welcomed in their needs. Before enrolling in Lumiar, the child or youngster and his or her family participate in a conversation with the school’s educational guidance office to make it possible to understand the context. This professional closely follows each student with disabilities and/or learning difficulties and draws up the IEP – Individualized Educational Plan, to be developed together with tutors and teachers. In this way, we consider what adaptations can be made to enable the full development of this student.