Every week we celebrate SMCDSB staff members who have been recognized by a parent, student, or colleague.

This week, we are celebrating Annamaria Pallotta, Renata Szczurek, Pat Keenan, Jon Cholak, Mauro Natale and Stas Dmitriev.

Annamaria was a teacher in the virtual school. She was nominated by a parent who said:

“From the first day of virtual school, Ms. Pallotta has made my daughter feel a part of a true classroom community. Everyday, Ms. Pallotta goes above and beyond in her commitment to make her second grade virtual classroom as enriching and engaging as any in-person class I have ever seen. We are so grateful for her amazing programming, consistent feedback, and the relationships she builds with her students. She is an incredible, patient, committed, and caring educator. Our daughter is now in love with school and learning, and we owe this to Ms. Pallotta!”

Renata is a teacher at St. Bernadette Catholic School. She was nominated by a parent who said:

“Ms. Szczurek is the most kind, caring educator. She was our son's Kindergarten teacher and he's been blessed to have her as his Grade 5 teacher this year at St. Bernadette. She nurtures her students and shares her love of learning with her class through fun and engaging activities. She has pivoted during this difficult year to keep students safe while still learning. Ms. Szczurek recently helped facilitate over 180 Valentine's Day cards being created by students at her school to be delivered to The Waterford Retirement Residence in Barrie. She truly cares!”

Pat, Stas, Mauro, and Jon are custodians at St. Paul’s Catholic School. They were nominated by colleagues who said:

“Pat, Stas, Mauro and Jon are our dynamic quartet who consistently go above and beyond to help ensure the safety and cleanliness of our school. Their efforts to keep our school clean does not go unnoticed. At any time we need something, one of the custodial staff is quick to respond and tends to our requests (eg., furniture for a new student arrival ). It is evident that the custodial staff takes great pride in our school and we are so blessed to have such a friendly and hard-working team. Thank you for always going beyond measure to keep our school looking beautiful!”

“The custodial staff at St. Paul's goes above and beyond to keep St. Paul's clean and running smoothly. During these unprecedented times, we have faith that our school is both clean and as safe as possible for us to learn in. When we need anything, we know that our fantastic custodial staff will be there with a smile! We are so happy to have such an exceptional custodial team as part of our St. Paul's family.”

We would like to thank this great group for their commitment to Catholic education at our board.