REFERENCE OF EDUCATION THAT HUMANIZES, ILLUMINATES AND CREATES HAPPY FUTURES
Colégio
Bonança
The Colégio de Nossa Senhora da Bonança is located in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. It is a project that intends to constitute a ready, complete and valid answer for the families we serve
A PROJECT THAT WANTS TO CONSTITUTE
A prompt, complete and valid answer for the families we serve
MISSION
It is our mission to promote excelling learning, joyful, innovative and Christian inspired education.
VISION
We aim to be an educational benchmark of a humanitarian and enlightening education which contributes to the present and future happiness for our students.
VALUES
The values and living experiences fostered in our school are, amongst others:
professionalism, hospitality, creativity, mutual help, solidarity, interiority, joyfulness,
respect, mutual respect and empathy, integrity, proximity, loyalty, friendship, cooperation
and responsibility.
A school of projects, a school with a project
Student centred
100%
Assertive
100%
Individuality
100%
Diverse
100%
Innovative
100%
Welcoming to interactions with the surrounding institutions
100%
Results focused
100%
CONTACT US
LIKE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
We provide excellent learning, taking into account the individuality of each one.
At the College, our students are invited to participate in our educational proposal in an interventional way.
Management Bodies
Administration Office
The Administration Office represents and defines the Institution’s most important guidelines, exercising its planning action and strategic action towards achieving the educational goals set by CONFHIC (Franciscan Hospitable Sisters of the Immaculate Conception). The Administrative Director is Sister Cidália Araújo, representative of CONFHIC.
Headmaster
The Headmaster holds responsibility of all the school’s academic activity and is supported by five advisors.
The Leadership group organises the school, in all its dynamic areas, directing it towards the students’ success, according to the ideology of a Franciscan Hospitable Sisters’ school, whose lives are lived ccording to the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis.
As a catholic school, our mission is based in humanistic-evangelical values, having Dr. Luís Ricardo G. Caetano as the Headmaster, Sister Cidália Araújo as the Administrative Director and five advisers: Duarte Nuno, Head of the 2 nd Cycle of Basic Studies, Marisa Oliveira, Head of the 3 rd Cycle of Basic Studies, Joana Nunes, Head of Secondary Cycle, Luísa Gonçalves, board office assistant and Sister Lurdes Matias, Head of the non-teaching staff.
The Head of Preschool sector is Alda Pereira and the Head of Nursery is Catarina Martinho.
The Head of Primary School sector is Anabela Nunes.
BONANÇA COLLEGE
Facilities / Resources
The school is located in Mafamude, Vila Nova de Gaia, Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro Street, 1366, close to the City Hospital, the Courthouse and the City Hall.
Since the 1930s, the school has been increasing and reformulating its physical areas in order to better respond to the constant changes and educational challenges, as well as to convey the human-evangelical and cultural values of its Educational Project.
The central building (small palace) exhibits a unique architectural beauty, being one of the most meaningful landmarks of the existing heritage in the city. Along this building, there are others: one with teaching classrooms, the Chapel, the Nursery and the boarding school rooms. The school now sees its area increased by 3,000m 2 , on Teixeira Lopes Street, where a new block for Preschool students, a playing field and a school bar are. In the same part of the building, it is being built an area for outdoor activities and school sports. Considering all the buildings, 10,000m 2 are dedicated to teaching.man rights are topics of great importance.
New installations
Since the 1930s, the College has been increasing and reformulating its physical spaces, in order to better respond to the educational challenges of each era and to convey the human-evangelical and cultural values of its Educational Project.
The central building (palace) displays a unique architectural beauty, being one of the most significant marks of the existing heritage in the city. In the extension of this building appears the buildings dedicated to teaching, the Chapel, the Internship block and the Nursery. The College now sees its area increased, by about 3,000 square meters, on Rua Teixeira Lopes, where a new block was built for pre-school students, a playground and a bar. In the same area, the much-desired outdoor playing field was also created, for the practice of various regulatory modalities. The total area of implantation allocated to teaching practice is now around 10,000 square meters.
Colégio de Nossa Senhora da Bonança
History
Our history begins in the 19th century, in 1894, with the foundation of the Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Vila Nova de Gaia, operating in the extinct Corpus Christi Convent , under the hands of the Franciscan Sisters Hospitaleiras Portuguesas.
Nossa Senhora da Bonança Nursery School
1923
Change of facilities to Rua do Castelo, nº 1, in Vila Nova de Gaia, with the name Colégio Creche de Nossa Senhora da Bonança.
1927
On October 8th – the College unfolds, leaving a small group of semi-boarding students to the Palacete da Bandeira, at R. General Torres, nº 27 to 31 belonging to the Barros family who later (1949) sold it for a symbolic price to the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters. It should be noted that this family was, from the beginning, alongside the project to assist needy girls carried out by these nuns in the Candal area where Colégio Creche was located. This new house was intended, in part, to defray the expenses of that institution.
The students start to obtain equivalences of their courses at the official education level
1930
Document from 1930 mentions that the former Palacete da Bandeira works with “the Curso dos Liceus and you learn Primary Instruction, painting, piano, applied art, embroidery, bobbins, etc.”.
1938
In the academic year 1938/39 – the students start to obtain equivalences of their courses at the official education level, going to take exams at the Liceu Carolina Michaëlis, in Porto. At this time, the existence of boarding, semi-boarding and external students already appears in the books.
The College widens its perimeter
1945
The College expands its perimeter, acquiring properties in the vicinity by buying it from “José Creissac and his wife”. The objective is to expand the facilities and provide space for more than two hundred boarding, semi-boarding and external students.
1949
The Palacete da Bandeira becomes the property of the Congregation of the Portuguese Hospitaller Franciscan Sisters; License nº 986 is granted for Primary and Secondary Education (1st, 2nd and 3rd Cycles). Its pedagogical director was Sister Ester Ogando de Araújo.
The first Statutes of the Association of Former Students are approved and its Board is elected
1953
On December 1st – at the General Assembly, the first Statutes of the Association of Former Students are approved and its Board is elected.
1954
This date includes the first records of soup being distributed to the poor. The maximum number of this distribution is reached in 1959 – 14220 soups…
1958
Under the direction of Sr. Maria Luísa, the College is maintained with great frequency, around 400 students, both internal and external: just over a hundred in primary school, over three hundred in secondary school;
1968/69
Seraphic girls settle in a house close to Colégio da Bonança, also belonging to CONFHIC, to prepare for the novitiate. Newly professed who voluntarily want to enter the Congregation prepare there for their perpetual profession;
Colégio da Bonança knew how to respond to the challenges. School becomes more attractive
1973
Mother Superior is named Sr. Maria Emília Monteiro who will face, with the support of lay teachers and parents of students, the tumultuous times for private education that followed the 25th of April 1974. Colégio da Bonança knew how to respond to the challenges. The School becomes more attractive… More care in scientific and disciplinary rigor. In line with “the winds of the Second Vatican Council”, a new pastoral vigor revitalized the Catholic Christian formation of the pupils and the entire educational community through the creation and support of youth groups (JEC, JUC, Oasis, Jufra) and, at the same time, , more dynamism in celebrations, meetings, days of reflection, renewed liturgy, etc.;
1979/81 Moves
towards active pedagogies, application of communicative and functional methods in the domain of foreign languages, more care and demand in the recruitment of teachers. Professional training begins in the private teaching establishment itself;
The students start to obtain equivalences of their courses at the official education level
1992
The 90’s forced the adaptation of the mission of educating to the human needs and thus the College was prepared for the demands of the new technologies;
1994
Having as Mother Superior Sr. Elisa Cortês, the College is open to co-education, adapting the building to this circumstance; As we are challenged, we are responding to the challenges: creation of a computer park, acquisition of computers for recreational activities, interactive whiteboards, multimedia room, updating of laboratories, game rooms, modernization and computerization of the library…;
The College prepares itself for the demands of new technologies
1992
The 90’s forced the adaptation of the mission of educating to the human needs and thus the College was prepared for the demands of the new technologies;
1994
Having as Mother Superior Sr. Elisa Cortês, the College is open to co-education, adapting the building to this circumstance; As we are challenged, we are responding to the challenges: creation of a computer park, acquisition of computers for recreational activities, interactive whiteboards, multimedia room, updating of laboratories, game rooms, modernization and computerization of the library…;
Celebration of the 75th anniversary of the CNSB
2002 – Celebration of the 75th anniversary of the CNSB. With the presence of all the top personalities of Vila Nova de Gaia and representatives of educational establishments in the area, we did not look to efforts to make that day the celebration of the diamond wedding anniversary a milestone in the history of this institution. It was a moment of great joy, in which the entire educational community gathered energies and, in a Eucharistic celebration, in the morning and in a cultural afternoon, we projected very high the charism of this College;
2005 – A new era for CNSB. Newly appointed Headmaster, Sister Lúcia Fernandes, a former student at CNSB, appeals to a strong commitment of all educational community and in particular of the students to make CNSB a “a successful school”. This was her daily motto. There was a concern to be different, to care, and also to show some sympathy and solidarity to some local charities. Bearing this in mind, we promoted moments of unity in the Bonança Family. It is worth noting, for example, how old activities started happening again. “Festival de Famílias” was one of those and it brought together the good will and talents of parents, children and teachers.
2007 – The Project CriAR-TE was born, with the goal of “Making the change/Being the force of change”, based on the principle of “Inspiring oneself, energising oneself and make a change with the best in oneself”. This project led to the creation of several teams, with a small number of students, so that they were able to stimulate their skills and overcome difficulties.
2008 – CNSB participated in the AEEP Forum, exhibiting, in one of the pavilions in Alfândega do Porto, the best that this Educational Community did. “Hope is not a dream, but a way of transforming dreams into reality”.
2008 – Dr. Marco Aurélio Silva, became the first secular Headmaster of CNSB. The need to open horizons brought new challenges, keeping alive the spirit of change started earlier by Sister Lúcia Fernandes. On an experimental basis, the teachers’ evaluation process started and great relevance was given to the project CriAR-TE of which Mr. Silva had been a mentor. He also encouraged the teaching and learning of teachers and invested in teaching professionalization. Continuous assessment, rigor and demand were daily imperatives. There was an effort to implement the use of technological material in the classroom and to adapt teaching to each student considering that all students are different with their own needs, handicaps and potential. The School Project was implemented with professionalism, training, cohesion, interaction between management, teachers, students, parents and non-teaching staff. At the end of each year, there was a Formative Exhibition of work developed by the students, called “Open Days”. This was meant to promote creativity and took into account the programmes and the specificity of each subject.
2009 – It was created a week dedicated to the Portuguese Language, entitled FantasLíngua. It was an annual initiative (interrupted only due to the SarsCov 2 epidemic crisis) which invited to the school high representatives of our Native Language: writers and poets, people who worked in the cinema industry, artists, political leaders and religious icons to speak and discuss relevant issues with students from all levels of education, from Preschool to year 12. It also aimed to promote more reading habits.
2011 – The newly appointed Headmaster, Dr. António Madureira, continued the work left by the previous administration, on the basis that education is a never-ending project and goals are continually being rethought as educating is a never ending job.
2014 – The change in the administration at CNSB (Sister Cidália Araújo, Administrative Director and Dr. Luís Caetano, Headmaster) brings boldness, innovation, greater dynamism, creativity, but also rigour. To this end, the school imposes on itself the exercise of continuously overcoming challenges through dialogue, work, proximity and pedagogical-didactic updating, so that students may find their way to be truly happy based on the ideals, values and convictions of our school. At the same time, there was an investment in a greater opening of the school to the environment, to new technologies, to the interaction with local and national institutions/universities as well as the establishment of partnerships with international companies allowing several groups of students to engage in Summer Courses aboard, especially in England. Annual tours were carried out throughout Europe for different teaching cycles, and educational tours across Europe took students to different cultures and ways of living.
2015 – It began the renovation of some school oldest areas (spaces), a Nursery School (4-12 months and 1-3-year-olds) which did not exist previously, and the renovation and expansion of the entire Kindergarten building, as well as the facilities of the female boarding school which was in great demand.
2015 – Renovations also started on Casa de Nazaré, on Rua Teixeira Lopes, which belongs to CONFHIC and, in that same year, the Sisters who lived in different areas of the school (original palace and boarding school) moved to this building, which became their official residence.
2016 – The school saw a significant increase in the number of students, thanks to the effort of updating and pedagogical dynamism, increased by the Headmaster – Dr. Luís Caetano and teachers. The effort and excellent work of the school community led to very good results in the national exams, making CNSB the school of choice for many families. The offer and enrolment in the AEC (extra-curricular activities) also increased exponentially, which forced the requalification of new spaces, particularly in the palace and on the ground floor of the boarding school.
2016 – With the expansion of Preschool cycle, CNSB doubled its educational offer in this sector and saw the need to also expand the Nursery that had started its activity the previous year, and was now able to increase its capacity. Having this sector reached its maximum optimization so quickly, CNSB marked the beginning of this school year with a sculpture of the Guardian Angel, on the wall of this building, entrusting all children and those who care for them, the Divine protection and the guardianship of the Holy Angel.
2017 – This year started the celebration of the 90 years of CNSB under the agglutinating theme of the biennium “90 years drawing the future”, continuing on the path of building an increasingly happy reality.
To mark this date and with the approach of 175 years of life and work of Sister Maria Clara, the main courtyard of the school was restored and, on 4th October the sculpture of Mãe Clara, by João Filipe Sá, was unveiled. Members of the educational and local community were invited to the celebration along with former students, elements of the City Council and the Provincial Government of CONFHIC. It was also attended by Bishop Manuel Mendes dos Santos, who blessed the sculpture of Mãe Clara. Next to the sculpture, students from different cycles, planted pansies – Mãe Clara’s favourite flower. The moments of celebration lasted throughout the school year, with numerous initiatives that integrated the entire educational community with students as the main protagonists.
2017 – On the fourteenth day of March, month number 3 (3.14), the Guinness World Record was obtained with the biggest Human Pi (π), which joined the great majority of the members of the Bonança family.
2018 – With the motto, Vigilantes na noite sob o olhar providente de Deus, the Congregation of the Franciscan Hospitable Sisters of the Immaculate Conception inaugurated a Jubilee Year – 2017 – June 15th – 2018 – that celebrates the 175th anniversary of the birth of its Foundress. To mark this unique date, CNSB invited and brought to the school the great-granddaughter of Mãe Clara, accompanied by her daughter, Dr. Ana Sílvia Albuquerque de Oliveira N.A. Magalhães, who gave a lecture on the Pedagogy and Ideas of the Franciscan Hospitable School, followed by a fraternal social gathering. It was a memorable moment for everyone!
2018 – Closing the biennium of the celebrations of the 90th anniversary of CNSB and of the celebrations of the 175 years of the Foundress’ life and work, the chapel and cloister of the school were restored and, at the end of May, a beautiful sculpture of S. Francisco de Assis (St Francis of Assisi), by João Filipe Sá, was unveiled and blessed by the local priest. The celebration of Mãe Clara’s 175th birthday culminated with a Pilgrimage to Fátima, carried out by CONFHIC and with the awarding ceremony of prizes of the contest of pansies, offered to Mãe Clara.
Modernization of physical spaces and the growth of the structural area of the CNSB
2020 – Educating is a challenge: it is writing and designing the future. For that, we forced ourselves to think, to build, to present ideas, to develop products and to solve problems. And problems challenged us. Due to SarsCov 2, we were asked to set up in only 2 days the necessary technological infrastructure, to provide home schooling to our students in the remaining two weeks of the second term. The experience helped us to grow, to seek knowledge through new ways, other paths… to achieve, besides knowledge, the search for happiness, as we had always done.
2022 – In the last 7 years, the Arts Academy was created, structuring extra-curricular activities, in different fields: Sports, Foreign Languages. We have also managed to provide opportunities to our students to acquire and live the necessary values that, we believe, will lead students to success and happiness. We have promoted self-regulating mechanisms… We have competed in various national competitions having won or placed in good places, in different “Olimpíadas”, “Ciência na Escola” projects, “A empresa” project by the company Junior Achievemnet Portugal, SuperTmatik Championship… and many others are examples of the different competitions we have enrolled our students in. We are an Intercultural School and we are part of the Network of Schools for Intercultural Education (REEI). We have also received the distinction of an Eco-School, Escola Azul, Escola Solidária… We have organised field trips and cultural trips abroad…
Academic results are among the best of all Portuguese schools and, at the moment, CNSB is the best school in Vila Nova de Gaia.
2021/2022 – Despite many obstacles, CNSB did not stop in time. It is also necessary to grow physically and enrich school facilities. With the renaming and arrival of the former Administrative Director, who had previously been in charge of the construction of the Nursery and Kindergarten buildings, an old dream was about to come true: the modernisation of some of the school’s old facilities and the construction of new ones enlarging the size of the school significantly. In spite of some momentary discomfort and the need to find alternative facilities so that classes are disturbed as little as possible, the renovations started at a good pace so that the new facilities are ready as soon as possible. This way students will be able to have classes in a more welcoming and modern environment, something that both students and parents have longing for some time and are entitled to. The future is promising. Let us be able to take it and build it for the benefit of all students.
“Somos Bonança”. (“We are Bonança”).
