Let's go!

We are looking forward to a new year. Are you ready to start? Here are a few practical details to help you have a smooth start to the year.

In This Section

First Day of School

All Classes for All Grades Begin Soon!

If you are a returning family, your child will likely know which area of the school to go to. Teachers and staff will also be available to help students find their classrooms.

If you are a new family, you'll receive this information during our New Family Orientation, held two days before school begins. If you're unable to attend, please let us know—we'll make sure you have everything you need for the first day.

No need to worry—plenty of CAISL staff will be on hand to assist!

Health Guidelines

Reasons to keep a child at home

Your child should be kept home if:

The student has had a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or above;
The student is unwell in the morning, complaining of a strong headache, bellyache, sore throat, or persistent cough;
The student has taken paracetamol, ibuprofen, or any other medication to reduce a fever within the past 24 hours;
The student has a highly contagious condition, such as meningitis, tuberculosis, measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), chickenpox, hepatitis, scarlet fever, strep throat, hand-foot-mouth disease, shingles, norovirus infection, adenovirus infection, mononucleosis, impetigo, scabies, ringworm, ascariasis, pinworms, lice or live nits, among others. Please inform the CAISL nurses.
The student has had diarrhea (repeated abnormally loose stools) or vomits in the past 12 hours;
The student has a highly communicable condition such as chicken pox, scarlet fever, strep throat, measles, lice/live nits, among others;
The student has symptoms of pink eye (conjunctivitis) that have not been medically evaluated. Students may return to school after 24 hours of treatment, if symptoms are improving;
The student has a skin rash and wasn’t already seen by a doctor;
The student has open, uncovered sores or infected wounds that could lead to contact with fluids by other students or staff;
It has been recommended by a doctor.

If Your Child Cannot Come to School

Student Absences and Transportation Notification

If your child will not be coming to campus due to illness or any other reason, please notify us as soon as possible by sending an email to elementaryoffice@caislisbon.org (children in Early Childhood through Grade 5), or secondaryoffice@caislisbon.org (children in Grades 6 through 12).

Please include the following information:

Your child’s full name and grade
A brief explanation for the absence (if due to illness, please include specific symptoms)

If your child takes the school bus and you have access to the transportation app, please update their absence in the app as early as possible.

If you do not have access to the app, please call 966 371 130 as soon as possible and before your child’s usual pick-up time to let us know that transportation will not be needed.

For non-urgent transportation matters, please contact the Accounts Office at 219 239 851 or email accounts@caislisbon.org.

Phone Use at CAISL

CAISL is a ´phone-free’ campus at all times. Please support our efforts to develop healthy habits with our students by refraining from using your phone in student areas. Exceptions allow for parents to film student performances while respecting student privacy rights. If a student needs to call home on their own mobile phone, they may go to the office to make the call. Other situations in which a student may use their phone include payment at the snack bar or with teacher permission for educational purposes.

Arrival & Pick-Up

Morning Arrival

Getting over 700 students onto campus in a safe and orderly manner is a big challenge and requires the cooperation of our community.

The instructions below refer to students coming/leaving in private vehicles or school buses.

Parents may drive onto campus:

Entering through the front gate so that the child(ren) exits the car on campus at the entrance to the school building closest to their classrooms. There will be CAISL staff helping children (especially up to Grade 2) exit the car and getting to where they need to go.
Entering through the back gate and having child(ren) leave the car at the Secondary Driving Bay.

Parents may also park the car safely outside the campus (please do not double park as this is not safe for anyone) and walk your child(ren) to school.

Map of the campus showing the different entrances

Afternoon Pick-up

Grades EC3 through 2nd

Once the CAISL school buses have loaded—and then only with the authorization of school personnel (around 3:50pm), you may come onto campus (driving or walking) and go to the outside door of your child’s classroom. The teacher will see you and will release your child to you.

Grades 3 through 5

When CAISL staff permit, parents may walk in or drive and park in front of the school and come to the area between the Elementary Building and the Reception. Staff there will let your child’s teacher know you have arrived, and he/she will come down to meet you.

Grades 6 through 12

Parents may drive onto campus via the back gate and collect their children from the Driving Bay or the parking lot. Please be aware that there are often many vehicles waiting to drive onto campus, creating congestion and a traffic hazard in Linhó. To help alleviate this issue, please do not arrive early to "beat the traffic," as this is a major contributor to the problem. Ideally, pick-up should be as efficient as possible, with students ready to be collected when parents arrive.

All secondary students (Grades 6–12) must be in one of the designated after-school supervised locations or activities by 4:00 PM. Students who are not participating in an approved after-school activity must be picked up and off campus no later than 4:00 PM.

Approved after-school options include teacher office hours, athletics practices, supervised clubs and activities, silent study or reading in the library, private tutoring or lessons, spectating a school sporting event, or waiting for a sibling in the supervised designated location (snack bar). Students in grades 11 and 12 may remain after 4:00 PM in the high school atrium or senior lounge to study. Attendance will be taken in all of the approved after school locations and activities. Students needing to use a mobile phone to contact a parent may do so only with permission in the secondary office area.

Outside of these approved locations and activities, there is no supervision available for secondary students after 4:00 PM. We appreciate your support in helping us ensure the safety of all students by making appropriate after-school arrangements.

Please refer to the Middle School and High School Student Handbooks for more detailed information regarding secondary student expectations after school.

Car labels

We have a process to support identification of cars entering and exiting campus during morning and afternoon rush periods. Those parents driving on campus regularly will be issued small identification sleeves which adhere to the inside windshield. This will help guards and the teachers on duty to identify those who regularly drop off children on campus.

Those without the sleeves may opt for a regular ID card to be presented upon entry. We will begin issuing these sleeves during the first days of school. To facilitate this process, you may request one in advance by clicking here.

Lunch/Snack Bar

SCHOOL LUNCH

Lunch will be served in the main cafeteria for Grades 1-12.

Early Childhood and Kindergarten students have a school provided lunch included in the tuition. Lunch is taken to their classrooms.

See the lunch menu here.

HOME LUNCH

Students may bring lunch from home if they wish. CAISL will provide a limited number of microwaves for student use with adult help for those who need assistance. Early Childhood and Kindergarten students have a school provided lunch, included in the tuition.

Be aware that CAISL will not provide cup/plates/utensils for students coming with home lunch. They will need to bring these items with them and take them home for washing. For environmental reasons, please do not bring single use plastic plates or cutlery.

SNACKS & SNACK BAR

CAISL provides a daily snack for all students in Early Childhood through 5th Grade.

Students in 6th through 12th may bring a daily snack.

The Snack Bar will be available to students in Grades 6-12 during lunch time. Students in Grades 11 and 12 may also use the snack bar during their study hall period.

After-school Activities

AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

After school activities will begin on the week of Monday, 14th September. Full information about activities and sign-up will be sent out separately, during the first week of classes.

AFTER-HOURS CHILD CARE

After Hours childcare will continue to be available for students in Early Childhood through 5th grade who cannot be collected at the end of the school day. After-hours care has a cost as described in the tuition and fees document and requires advance sign-up.

Secondary Supply Lists

DON'T FORGET!

Reusable water bottles are essential!
Please remember to label your child’s bottle with their name so it can always find its way back to them.

Middle School (Gr.6-8) Students should bring the supplies below:

A supply list for grades 6-8 features various school supplies like pencils, pens, and binders, with a white background.

Elementary Supply Lists

DON'T FORGET!

Reusable water bottles are essential!
Please remember to label your child’s bottle with their name so it can always find its way back to them.

EC3 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for three-year-olds is presented with illustrations of items like a red hat and yellow boots in the foreground, against a white background with text.

EC4 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for EC4 students is presented with illustrations of items like a red hat and yellow boots in the foreground, and a table of supplies with descriptions and illustrations in the background.

Kindergarten Supply List 2026-2027

A kindergarten supply list is presented with items like flushable wipes and a red hat in the foreground, against a white background with text.

Grade 1 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for first graders is presented with items like pencils and crayons in the foreground, and a white background with text.

Grade 2 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for second graders is presented with items and illustrations in the foreground, against a white background.

Grade 3 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for third graders is presented with items like pencils and notebooks in the foreground and a title at the top.

Grade 4 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for 4th graders is presented with illustrations of school supplies in the foreground and a title and explanatory text in the background.

Grade 5 Supply List 2026-2027

A supply list for 5th graders is presented with illustrations of school supplies in the foreground and a white background.

Show Your CAISL Spirit!

CAISL offers a selection of items for sale to help boost school spirit. Visit our online store here. Items will be given to the students once the school year starts.

Wearable items are available in sizes ranging from toddler (age 3) to adult XXL, so parents and other family members can proudly show their CAISL pride while cheering on our teams.

We also carry school supply items that families may find harder to locate elsewhere—all available through the store.

Please note: No CAISL-branded items are mandatory.

Submitted all documents already?

Health Form

Health Form Submission

All new students—and current students entering Grades 1, 4, 7, and 10—are required to submit the CAISL Health Form.

This form must be completed by the child’s doctor and filled out by the parents in either English or Portuguese. The form should then be sent to nurse@caislisbon.org or brought to school before classes start.

Please submit the completed Health Form before the start of the school year.

Download the form here.

First page of the PDF file: CAISL_HEALTH_FORM_version_3

The admissions team may have mentioned other necessary documents. Please submit all necessary information before the beginning of the school year.

Starting School 2026-2027

Let's go!

Health Form