Teaching Staff Announcements for 2024/2025
Parents and friends of Star of the Sea School,
A healthy school community is one that is vibrant, growing, and adaptable. We have many changes coming to our teaching staff next year. We are saying good-bye to some familiar (and much loved) faces while welcoming new teachers into our community. Below is a grade-by-grade breakdown of all the changes. If this seems TLDR (too long, didn’t read) you can scroll down to the end of this article for a summary.
Thank you for your continued support of Star of the Sea School.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jason Borkowski
Principal
Kindergarten
Mrs. Loraine Rivera is leaving us to return home to Calgary. Mrs. Rivera is also expecting her first child, so we wish her all the best in a continued healthy pregnancy and baby.
We are blessed to have found two very energetic, faith-filled, and experienced teachers to join Mrs. Cristiano and Ms. Kerr on our Kindergarten team:
Ms. Angelica Agregado joins us from St. Augustine’s School in Vancouver, where she most recently taught Gr. 3. She has taught all primary grades since 2016 and is excited to be involved in every aspect of our vibrant and growing school community.
Mrs. Mary-Anne Rachman joins us from her most recent position as a K-4 classroom teacher at Richmond Jewish Day School. She brings with her almost 40 years of teaching experience. Mrs. Rachman is a parishioner at Star of the Sea Parish and a proud parent of two sons who graduated from our school.
Grade One
Mrs. Sharon Pollock will bring her many years of experience at Star of the Sea to a new Grade! Mrs. Pollock is excited to take on a new role in Grade One and will work with Mrs. Thomson to continue to foster a nurturing and caring environment for our Grade One students.
Grade Two
There are no teaching changes in Grade Two next year. Mrs. Lauren Maxwell and Mrs. Maria Allen will continue to work together in this formative sacramental year.
Grade Three
Mrs. Angela Bouvier will be making a big change, moving into Grade Three to join Mrs. Campagne. She brings with her many years of experience and understanding of early learning. To make room for our new Kindergarten class, Mrs. Bouvier’s classroom will be the soon-to-be renovated and former YMCA Daycare Room.
Grade Four
There are no changes to the Grade Four teachers next year as Mrs. Monaghan and Mr. Mak will continue to work together.
Grade Five
We welcome two new (but familiar) teachers in Grade Five next year:
Mr. John Luyten, who worked at our school last year as a temporary classroom teacher and Education Assistant, returns to us after completing his university studies this year. Mr. Luyten is looking forward to being back and reconnecting with students and staff at Star of the Sea.
Mrs. Nicole Hillard joins us from St. Bernadette’s School where she has been teaching Grade Four and worked since 2008. She is a Star of the Sea Parishioner and school parent. She is looking forward to giving back to her own parish community by working at our school.
Grade Six
We wish to congratulate Mrs. Alyssa Kunz, our Grade Six teacher for just one year, as she and her husband are expecting their first child. Mrs. Kunz will be on maternity leave for the coming school year.
Returning to a full time position in Grade Six is Mrs. Eliza McDonald. After a year working 50% as our ADST Teacher, Mrs. McDonald is excited to return to Grade Six where she has already had many successful (and laughter-filled) years with Mrs. Raychelyn Beliveau.
Grade Seven
Mrs. Sheila Della Siega and Mrs. Sandra Waithe are retiring. We thank them both for their many years of high quality teaching. They are both excellent teachers who will be sorely missed. We wish them all the best in their retirement.
Joining Miss Joan Koh in Grade Seven next year is Mr. Dennis Pasta. Mr. Pasta is ready to take on a new challenge after many years of teaching Grade Five.
Specialty Teachers
Ms. Dorita Gaspar (PE), Mr. Stephen Band (Music), and Dr. Milan Milosevic (Band) will continue in their positions next year.
Mrs. Maria Laflamme is retiring. Madame Laflamme has worked at Star of the Sea for many, many years and will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best in her retirement.
Taking over our French department is Mr. Aaron Malong. Mr. Malong is a brand new teacher just finishing up his practicum at UBC. We are excited to welcome his enthusiastic and energetic teaching style.
Mrs. Katrina Figueroa, who joined us this year as our Learning Support Teacher, is going on maternity leave as she and her husband welcome their third child. We congratulate her and her family on the new addition and wish them all the best.
Mrs. Sara Wynne, who has worked at our school for many years, most recently in Grade Five, will be taking on a new role as a Learning Support Teacher next year. She will join Mrs. MacGillivray who continues in her role as Learning Support Teacher.
