Colégio Sion Vila Maria, São Paulo, Brazil

An integral education based on ethical Christian principles, tied with the needs of the world today

For almost 80 years, the school has worked towards providing an integral education for students, based on ethical Christian principles, tied with the needs of the world today.

To achieve this mission, Colégio Sion Vila Maria has the following objectives:

• To create and enact programmes that contribute to the development of the student’s capacity to dialogue with knowledge, with their heart, with their conscience, with the other, with the Jewish people, with marginalised peoples, with the global community and with Creation;
• To build knowledge, awakening a passion for knowledge, based on experience and reflection;
• To educate for citizenship, for a sense of welcome and respect for diversity, for fraternity and for a culture of dialogue and peace;
• To encourage the discovery and experience of values that lead to a fraternal relationship with oneself, with others, with nature and with God.

The Sion ethos in the school

All the principles, values and actions that characterize Sion schools lead their teachers to be present in daily school life in guiding children and young people towards peaceful and welcoming relationships, respecting the other in his or her beliefs. Here they should feel good and happy in their search for knowledge, making friends, welcoming in order to be welcomed.

These values, thoughts and attitudes that the school upholds are experienced through an educational process that prepares students for the future, focusing on: what to learn and why to learn it, how to teach, how to promote collaborative learning networks and how to evaluate learning. They must come to see themselves in their historical and cultural context. They must communicate, participate, and be: creative, capable of critical analysis, open to new things, collaborative, resilient and productive. They must be able to act with discernment and responsibility, apply knowledge to solve problems, be autonomous in making decisions and finding solutions, and live with and learn from differences and diversity.

Social actions

The school’s concern for social issues and the development of the students’ humanity has led to a focus on solidarity and fraternity from Kindergarten onwards, encouraging them to be sensitive towards others, developing their sense of justice and equality and raising their awareness of the dignity and rights of all human beings.

As part of this, social actions are carried out for a range of purposes and groups. The school is continually involved in solidarity campaigns to collect food, clothes, personal hygiene and cleaning products, toys and school supplies. These are donated to organisations that help families and children in need, homes for the elderly, nurseries and shelters, among others.

The students also visit these places in order to volunteer their time, socialise with others and exchange experiences through musical performances, play workshops and other activities.

“Sion welcomes us, supports us, makes us confident and gives us hope.”
Ana Carolina, 16 years old

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