On the 23rd of June 2002, our new space in Monte Judeu was officially inaugurated by the Mayor of Lagos, Mr. Júlio Barroso. We planted a beautiful tree in our playground, which is still there.
doctor Júlio Barroso planting a plane tree.
The founding rock
Before the official inauguration, on the 1st of June 2002, the founding members of the Association gathered at the kindergarten for a celebration:
We are gathered here to inaugurate this school, a material manifestation of an ideal, based on the knowledge of the human person as a whole and in its connection with the cosmos. It is as an image of a tree with deep roots in the past, producing an abundance of new and exotic fruits for the future. Let us wish for innovation, creativity, deep and conscious communication, based on flexibility, compassion and sensibility. Let them be the pillars, to make it possible to receive the rays of spirituality, which we wish to understand, transform and give in the difficult times that we cross. To contribute to the right evolution. May the light never leave us!
Said and done. The candles were lightened, the guests arrived, and the circle was created. We called on the forces of nature while reading the Stone of the Foundation. One was buried at the entrance of the school, inside. That gesture closed the ceremony of inauguration, and initiated a new working step. We will hold each other hands, so that the collective strength stays and operates in our project, now and forever.
It was very beautiful, very deep, said Manuela Caneco, founding member.
We felt that we were starting a new time in our work with the children.
The kindergarten teacher Priscilla joined the school team and to this day, with her magic, she continues to transform the kindergarten in a paradise for the children. After all the effort and work, Eva went on a sabbatical year (2003/2004) and was replaced by the Waldorf teacher Virgínia Silva. More and more families were interested in Waldorf education. The need for teaching support was urgent. The teacher Eva Rocha joined the rest of the team with great enthusiasm.
In 2005 we built an extra room – what is today Sala Alecrim. It was a huge challenge for the board. The kindergarten teacher Magna Costa started with a 20 children class at the new classroom. Enthusiasm was big.
Kindergarten teacher Ana at the Children of the Sun celebration.
Later, in 2007, when Eva left her functions as teacher and embraced the pedagogical coordination, the teacher Filipa Brito replaced her and continued her work in the classroom with the group of children. Through the years, other teachers and helpers followed: Ina, Ana Managua, António Guedes, Luciana Gonçalves, Marta Florêncio, Ana Batista. Their love and dedication to the children and their families have been present until today.
We want to say a word of thanks to the work of many years of our dearest cook Régine, and to the anthroposophic doctors Maarten Reeder and Mauro Menuzzi – this last one is still following our children at present.
The commitment and the motivation of the teachers and helpers have gradually risen. They have developed their study of the Waldorf education and they have applied it daily in their practice with the children.
There is a deep personal work of self-development and continuous training with a sole purpose: to center their attention on the healthy and harmonious development of the child.
We remember here the Iberian Meeting, organized by our team in 2009, which took place at our premises in Monte Judeu – no doubt a special moment on the biography of the Kindergarten.
We don’t hesitate in saying that the joint work of the association boards and the education boards will always be essential in sustaining future challenges.
We feel that we belong to the Waldorf world movement, always following the meaning of the thought of R. Steiner: “to receive the child with Devotion, to educate her with Love, and to let her follow her path of Freedom”.
So, when Eva retired, in 2010, she had a huge feeling of gratitude, a sentiment which lasts until today. “The energy of the initial seed has grown, become more solid and expanded to other initiatives. It is crucial that the doors remain open to all those who wish to understand and experience the Waldorf teaching, be it teachers, parents or young volunteers from abroad. They are all welcome”, confided Eva as a way of ending the conversation.
Acknowledgment
A big thank you to all the children who have attended our Kindergarten over these 25 years.
Where did you come from and what is your destiny in this life, here on Earth? We welcome each child as a whole creature, as a miracle, with enormous life forces to develop. They are our Masters who teach us so much!
We feel that our Kindergarten is a nest full of love, trust and freedom. To work in this place is to grow every day with joy and respect.