Wednesday, March 23, 2011
At the regular public board meeting on March 22, the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Public Schools recognized Stacey Gordey from Queen Elizabeth School as the district's representative for the Edwin Parr Award for first-year teachers. The board also paid tribute to five other first-year teachers who were nominated by their schools.
Stacey teaches Math, English and Social 10-4, Social 10-1 and 10-2, and Social 20-1. She believes that emotional engagement is crucial for retention and uses various instructional strategies, tools and differentiated projects to engage students - like 'You be the Teacher' activities.
With her students, she also uses a variety of formative and summative assessments - from rank and justify reviews and exit slips, to letter writing and exams. Stacey works hard to develop student achievement by doing frequent testing of small concepts and uses direct feedback to students, including good news phone calls and emails to parents to share student successes.
She also volunteers for various school activities and roles - from supervising Muslim prayers each Friday, to volunteering as the ATA representative, or helping out with leadership. Principal Don Blackwell says, "Stacey is patient and treats all students with dignity and respect."
"It is impossible to overstate the positive impact innovative and dedicated teachers can have on the lives of their students," says Board Chair Dave Colburn. ""They benefit directly from a teacher's commitment to help them be successful and achieve to the best of their ability."
Each year, the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) honours six outstanding first-year teachers to represent five zones throughout the province. These new teachers demonstrate excellence in utilizing a variety of instructional strategies to accommodate different student learning styles.
For further information, contact:
Jane Sterling, Supervisor
Communications
(780) 429-8290
Edmonton Public Schools is helping to shape the future in every one of our classrooms. We’re focused on ensuring each student learns to their full potential and develops the ability, passion and imagination to pursue their dreams and contribute to their community.
Edmonton Public Schools
Centre for Education
1 Kingsway NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 4G9