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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 John Michalenko, Teresa Slade and Joyanne Van Laarhoven, Jane Swalwell and Alexa Panacci, and a big group of EA's from Our Lady of Grace Catholic School.
John Michalenko is a teacher at Our Lady of the
Bay Catholic Secondary School. John was nominated by colleagues, who said:
“John's role was to provide Brightspace help for educators during Summer School. He has gone above and beyond with his assistance for myself and my husband. We were relatively new to Brightspace and John walked us through not only the basics but he has helped us become confident and proficient in Brightspace. John always shows patience when explaining and allows us to ask many questions. If John doesn't know the answer right away to a question, he takes the time to learn and teaches us during our next meeting or sends us a video outlining the steps involved. John is a model of Catholic education and we have been blessed to cross paths with John during Summer School.”
Teresa Slade is an occasional teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic High School and Joyanne Van Laarhoven is a teacher at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School.
Teresa and Joyanne were nominated by a parent, who said:
“I wanted to share my thanks to two teachers and recognize their positive contributions to my daughter’s learning.
Ms. Slade provided excellent communication and support for her students throughout the last quad-mester. She was patient, kind and positive. Ms. Slade did not give up on her students and was obviously invested in doing what she could to ensure that her students were successful. Thank you Ms. Slade for your unwavering support.
Ms. VanLaarhoven has been an amazing source of support and information throughout the entire school year. Ms. Van consistently provides empathy, support and help in working through challenging situations. We are so grateful to have Ms. Van as a teacher at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School and look forward to the opportunity to thank her in person in September.”
Jane Swalwell and Alexa Panacci are Educational
Assistants at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School.
Jane and Alexa were nominated by a colleague, who said:
“Jane Swalwell and Alexa Panacci are part of the Educational Assistant team at Our Lady of Grace. These ladies have gone above and beyond with some of our most vulnerable students in a very uncertain and challenging time. They have made the learning engaging, interactive, and personalized to each student's needs. They have spent endless hours planning, communicating, and learning new ways to support the students and staff they work with. OLG is truly lucky and blessed to have these exceptional ladies! Thank you for being such incredible ladies!”
This week we are also celebrating the team of Educational Assistants at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School. The E.As were nominated by a colleague, who said:
“We would like to acknowledge the amazing educational assistants at Our Lady of Grace! Julie LaPierre, Jani Borton, Dom Bingham, Mary-Jane Montegomery, Erin Speyer, Laura Daniel, Melinda Campbell, Barry Collins, Shannon Dickson, Ashley Beaupre, Jen Saunders, Tanya Kern, Stephanie Ingram, Jane Swalwell, Carlie Nolan, Bridget Savoie, Nikki Dyal, Amanda Wison,Jessica Cober, James Kim, and Dawn Jenner, they have gone above and beyond during the covid-19 pandemic.
Without this incredible team, our most vulnerable students would not have the ability to engage and interact on the level they are. Our educational assistants have not only worked 2:1 to support students academically and emotionally, but have also adapted to the virtual world and have stepped out of their comfort zones to meet the needs of their students. They are passionate about their jobs and this was shown more than ever through the virtual meets and planning they have done. Our Lady of Grace is blessed to have each and everyone of you! Your hardwork, dedication, laughter, and versatility is greatly appreciated more than you’ll ever know. We appreciate everything you do and are for our students.”
We would like to thank John, Teresa, Joyanne, Jane, and all of the EA's from Our Lady of Grace Catholic School for their commitment to Catholic education at our board.