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Every week we celebrate SMCDSB staff members who have been recognized by a parent, student or colleague.
This week we are celebrating Catherine Hanson, a
teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Barrie. Catherine was nominated by a colleague who said:
“Cathy is a wonderful teacher whose love for teaching and inspiring her students is exceptional. She has been a teacher at St. Mary's School for her entire career and her dedication to ensuring our student's success in learning from an early age is appreciated by teachers, parents, and students alike. My two sons experienced Cathy as a teacher in grade one and I was always amazed at how they thrived under her tutelage and experience. Her classroom was always a place of warmth, bustling activity, and learning. Cathy has a great sense of humor and a calm patience that our staff and students all benefit from. She enjoys working with others and many staff members seek out her guidance and advice both personal and professional. Cathy is a hardworking and organized teacher. She shares her professional knowledge with future educators from teacher's colleges every year. Cathy is a joy to have in our school and I am lucky to call her my colleague and friend.”
This week we are also celebrating Tonia Fortini, an educational assistant at Holy Trinity Catholic High School. Tonia was nominated by a colleague who said:
“Mrs. Fortini works hard every day to ensure that she has created relevant and inclusive learning activities for the students she is working with. She helps new educational assistants, teachers, and staff with ideas on how to engage and include students in the learning activities. Students who are not a part of Holy Trinity's amazing special ed classroom come on breaks in between classes and on lunch to say hi to her and the students in room 150. By being the amazing and thoughtful person she is, she has helped the students in the special ed room build friendships with all the students of Holy Trinity.
Tonia is someone who always comes to work in a good mood and with great ideas! Tonia creates learning activities that are entertaining, and educational, and match each student's learning level. Tonia works hard to help students in the special needs room build relationships with all students in Holy Trinity. Tonia is supportive of her co-workers, she always helps us with ideas for activities, crafts, projects, and anything else we may need. She has dedicated a large part of her life to this school and the special needs classroom and the HT family is thankful for her!”
We would like to thank Catherine and Tonia for their commitment to Catholic education at our board.