Dear École Tuscany School Staff and Families,
I cannot begin to express how humbled and grateful I am to be joining the École Tuscany School learning community. Through the conversations I have had with Patrick and Laura, I know that the staff are deeply committed to the academic excellence and well being of the students at École Tuscany School and I am excited to be part of the wonderful work already being done. I look forward to meeting you, having conversations about the students, and learning about the incredible things happening in the school, classrooms and community.
After completing my degrees in English Literature and Elementary Education at the University of Calgary, I began my career with the Calgary Board of Education in August, 1995 at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Junior High School. I learned so much in this first teaching experience about finding ways to meet the varied needs of all students while honouring their individual gifts and talents. From there, I moved to H.D. Cartwright School where I held various teaching positions and finished as a Learning Leader. During this time, I completed my Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Administration. My next position was as an Area Learning Leader in the Area 1 Office supporting the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. This was a fabulous opportunity for me to get a broader system perspective as well as an understanding of all the supports and services available to schools to support their learners. For the next 5 years, I held Assistant Principal positions at Arbour Lake School, Simon Fraser School and finished with the fantastic opportunity to open a new school, William D. Pratt School.
My most recent position has been as Principal of F.E. Osborne School; my home for the last 5 years. As some of you already know, F.E. Osborne is a dual track program consisting of a community program and an early French Immersion program. In this role I have been committed to creating a strong sense of community where each learner or staff member has a sense of belonging regardless of program. I have continued to prioritize professional learning on developing robust and engaging learning tasks, coupled with strong assessment practices so that teachers develop a clear understanding of each learner, and their next steps. In the French Immersion program we have also focused on improving students’ oral language skills through the use of the Neuro-Linguisitic Approach.
Although leaving F.E. Osborne School is difficult, I am truly excited about this amazing opportunity to learn alongside the students, families and staff of École Tuscany School. I hope that my experiences and leadership will add to what is already a very successful school community. My first official day at École Tuscany School will be Monday, November 6. I look forward to meeting you in the coming months and truly coming to know what makes each of your children special.
Sincerely,
Lesley Scullion