‘Tis the Season of Giving

One of our purposes here at IPS Cascais is to create Responsible Citizens, pupils who demonstrate respect, empathy, and compassion for others. We aim to foster an understanding of why values of community are important and thus provide opportunities for our pupils to support their community in school, at home, and in the wider world.

With the festive season upon us, many of us are in good spirits and excited about spending the holidays with family and friends. For some, however, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year and we believe it is important to help if we can.

For a few years now, IPS Cascais has supported a local charity initiative known as the “Care-to-Share” Shoebox project. The concept is simple yet impactful. Fill a shoebox with essential items, gifts, or treats; which are then distributed to people facing hardship, such as children, the homeless, or families in our community. To ensure these care packages are safely delivered, we work closely with the local fire brigade who collect the presents at the end of term.

We are incredibly proud of how our IPS Cascais community has participated in this initiative and last December we managed to donate an incredible 198 shoeboxes; they almost had to come back with another firetruck. Such enthusiasm behind this success is driven by our parent body and one of our parents, Michael, deserves a special mention for his involvement and coordination.

Our parents and PTA help us as a school to demonstrate great character and have consistently supported charities throughout the years and not just around Christmas time. Throughout the academic year, various fundraising activities are organised and dedicated charities are supported by the school. Currently, IPS Cascais is supporting Mãe de Nazaré Soup Kitchen in Lisbon; we are raising awareness for endangered animals through our partnership with the WWF; the school is also now working alongside community-kitchen Cozinha com Alma in order to find new ways of how our pupils can get involved.

Learning about charity through hands-on involvement helps children develop a lifelong habit of giving back. Early exposure to helping others nurtures a mindset that values kindness and social responsibility. As they grow, they’re more likely to continue supporting causes they care about, creating a world that they feel proud to live in.