Darwin School Announcement: Revised Staffing update, DPA Year End Event, Culture Day
Darwin Parent Association Year End Event + Culture Day 2.0
We are hoping to see as many families as possible join us on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, for the year end Darwin Parent Association Year End Event from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. This year, we are combining forces with the DPA event, to share some incredible work that students have prepared for Culture Day 2.0, and we are inviting families to attend a presentation as part of the evening. The presentations are 15 minutes, and we are going to run them all at the same time from 7:00pm – 7:15pm. It would be fantastic if we could have an audience made up of our Darwin School families. This is an incredible opportunity to learn a little more about the countries and cultures that many members of our school community are directly connected to. Please see schedule and room numbers below.
Bangladesh Room #17 {Mr. Vince} 7:00pm
Canada {Indigenous Culture} Room #8 {Ms. Wotton} 7:00pm
China Room #2 {Ms. Beaudry} 7:00pm
Great Britain (England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales) Room #19 {Ms. Harrison} 7:00pm
Hong Kong Room #15 {Ms. Chmilowsky} 7:00pm
Israel Room #7 {Ms. Lawrence} 7:00pm
Pakistan Room #13 {Ms. Yun} 7:00pm
Peru Room #18 {Ms. Bachinski} 7:00pm
Syria Room #12 {Ms. Neuendorff} 7:00pm
Ukraine K-6 Music Room {Ms. Roscoe} 7:00pm
Vietnam Room #6 {Ms. Pellerin} 7:00pm
The DPA is need of some additional parent volunteers for their Year End Event on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.
If you can help support this event, please follow the link, and select your time slot. The slots are not huge time commitments.
All members of the DPA appreciate your support during this event.
Ms. Erin Enns, the new Principal of Darwin School, will be joining us on Tuesday evening after an event at her school ends.
If you see Ms. Kellough and I walking around with someone that looks unfamiliar to you, please come see us so we can introduce you to Erin as she is hoping to connect with as many families as possible at this DPA event.
Staffing Update: Farewell & Welcome
It is that time of year when we must say farewell to students and staff as the school year comes closer to an end. It is also a time of the year in which we welcome new students and staff to the Darwin School community.
Let us begin by saying farewell…
Ms. Jessica Neuendorff has been teaching Grade 7&8 this year on a term contract. We want to thank Jessica for her hard work and dedication to Darwin School and wish her all the best in her new position at Frontenac School in September.
Ms. Samantha Windsor has been teaching in the afternoon in our Grade 1&2 classroom for this last term. We would like to thank Ms. Windsor for joining our team and co-teaching alongside Ms. Wotton. We wish you all the best next year.
Ms. Alana Roscoe has worked at Darwin School for the past six years as our K-6 music specialist with some Grade 7&8 courses mixed in. We would like to thank Alana for everything she has done over the years to support the early years music programming at Darwin School. We would like to wish Alana the best of luck in her new role as a full-time high school band and musical theatre teacher at Glenlawn Collegiate.
Ms. Caitlin Munro has accepted a job in Student Services at Shamrock School for the 2024-2025 school year. We would like to wish Caitlin the best of luck in her new position.
Ms. Eileen Findlay has served the Louis Riel School Division as an Educational Assistant for the past 23 years and will be retiring on Friday, June 28, 2024. We wish her all the best in her retirement and are confident we will see her back at Darwin School helping in the role of a substitute educational assistant.
Ms. Jennifer Kennedy has spent the last 19 years teaching at Darwin School and will be retiring on Friday, June 28, 2024. Ms. Kennedy has held several roles at Darwin School over the years and is most well known for being the kindergarten teacher to so many students that have passed through our school. We wish her all the best in her retirement and are hoping that she will show up at Darwin School to see what full day kindergarten is all about in the 2024-2025 school year.
Ms. Nancy George-Ariano has taught Human Ecology at Darwin School for the past 23 years with one year of Grade 3&4 thrown into the mix due to the global pandemic! Nancy will also be retiring on Friday, June 28, 2024. We wish her all the best in her retirement and are hoping that she will show up at Darwin School to help fill those open positions in Human Ecology as a substitute teacher.
Ms. Annalee Lawrence moved to Darwin School from Island Lakes Community School eight years ago to take on a Grade 3&4 teaching position after spending most of her career as a music specialist. Annalee will retire on Friday, June 28, 2024. We wish her all the best in her retirement and are hoping that she will join Eileen, Jennifer and Nancy at Darwin School on days when we need experienced staff filling in for those away from work.
Please join me in welcoming new staff to Darwin School …
Mr. John Grafton will be joining our Educational Assistant team. John has been an Educational Assistant in LRSD since 2006 and is coming to us from Windsor Park Collegiate.
Ms. Madeleine Wichert will be joining our middle years team in a term Grade 5&6 position for the 2024-2025 school year. Ms. Wichert worked with Ms. Bethany Beaudry at the Beaver Creek Academy from 2022-2023.
Ms. Jessica Stafford will be joining our early years team in Grade 3&4. Jessica is coming to us from Archwood School.
Ms. Holly Hjartarson will be joining our Student Services team in a .50 term position. Holly is coming to us from the Winnipeg School Division where she had taught Grade 1&2 at Wellington School.
Mr. Sean Kolla will be joining our Student Services team in a .50 perm position. Sean will also be working a .50 perm position in Student Services at Highbury School. Sean is joining us from College Beliveau.
Mr. Jerry Ossachuk will be joining the Darwin School teaching staff team as a K-6 music specialist. Mr. Ossachuk will also work with our Grade 7&8 classes. Mr. Ossachuk also will work at Minnetonka School teaching music for students in grades 3-8. Mr. Ossachuk is joining us from Ecole Robert H. Smith in the Winnipeg School Division.
Ms. Jasmine Schumack will be joining the Darwin School teaching staff team in Human Ecology. Jasmine is joining us from Gimli High School in the Evergreen School Division.
Ms. Erin Enns will be the new Principal of Darwin School. Erin is currently Principal of Keewatin Prairie Community School in the Winnipeg School Division.
We look forward to welcoming John, Madeleine, Jessica, Holly, Sean, Jerry, Jasmine and Erin, to Darwin School in September!
Darwin School Staff Team 2024-2025
Kindergarten Ms. Bethany Beaudry
Grade 1&2 Ms. Erin Madden
Grade 1&2 Ms. Danielle Wotton
Grade 3&4 Ms. Jessica Stafford
Grade 3&4 Ms. Cindy Pellerin
Grade 5&6 Ms. Nissa Chmilowsky
Grade 5&6 Ms. Christine Yun
Grade 5&6 Ms. Madeleine Wichert
Grade 7&8 Ms. Anne Bachinski
Grade 7&8 Ms. Sarah Harrison
Grade 7&8 Ms. Tia Friesen
Grade 7&8 Mr. Ken Vince
Grade 7&8 Ms. Meaghan Robinson
K-8 Physical Education Mr. Scott Church / Ms. Meghan Robinson
K-6 Music Mr. Jerry Ossachuk
Grade 7&8 Band & Guitar Ms. Kathy Lalonde
Grade 7&8 Band & Guitar Mr. Shane Barron
Human Ecology / Industrial Arts Ms. Jasmine Schumack
Ms. Monique Lysak
Mr. Gino Masi
Vice Principal / Student Services Ms. Laura Kellough
Student Services Ms. Kerri Bush
Student Services Ms. Holly Hjartarson
Student Services Mr. Sean Kolla
Teacher Librarian Mr. Brad Fallis
Library Technician Ms. Megan Acquisto
Educational Assistants Ms. Sumaira Akmal / Ms. Rae Anderson / Ms. Tracy Board / Ms. Afifa Farooq
Ms. Karen Lebleu / Ms. Emelye O’Brien / Ms. Chelsea Sumka / Ms. Suzanne Tipples
Ms. Suzanne Thompson / Mr. John Grafton
If you have any questions, concerns or need clarification on anything included, please let us know.
Nicholas Kelly & Laura Kellough
Nicholas Kelly
Principal
(204) 257-2904 (Darwin School)
(204) 792-4813 (Cell Phone)
Laura Kellough
Vice Principal
(204) 257-2904 (Darwin School)
(204) 955-4034 (Cell Phone)
