After serving our community as an EA, an After School Club supervisor, and as a Guitar Accompanist for our School Masses, Niamh will be moving into the dual role of Music/Kindergarten Teacher next year. She is very excited to return to the Kindergarten classroom as that was her favorite class to teach back home in Ireland. She also looks forward to sharing her love of music with the school in a different capacity. Niamh is an accomplished musician in her own right, playing many instruments including concertina, tin whistle, and guitar. Thank you for continuing to share your gifts with us, Miss O’Gorman!
When the student becomes the teacher; the circle is complete.
Having been a St. Jude student herself once upon a time gives Mrs. Stanley the ability to relate to students on a personal level and is a unique perspective she brings. Of course, when it comes to early childhood education and development, Mrs. Stanley has a wealth of experience in her own right. Not only did she graduate with a dual degree from UBC (a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in English), she has the pleasure of raising four young children of her own; the two oldest being current St. Jude students themselves. Dedicated and passionate, Mrs. Stanley has been teaching at St Jude for 12 wonderful years now and who knows… maybe one day she’ll have the privilege of inspiring students to be teachers at St. Jude themselves.
Ms. Glinsbockel was born and raised in Burnaby, where she attended a Catholic Elementary and High School. Ms. Glinsbockel has recently completed her Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Culture, and Bachelor of Education. She is now excited to work and teach at St. Jude School. Ms. Glinsbockel loves reading, writing, being outdoors, and painting/drawing. Also, she is passionate about animals, traveling, social and emotional learning, and her relationship with God and the school community.
Miss Handy is excited to be in her fifth year of teaching at St. Jude School. She comes all the way from Sarnia, Ontario but has been enjoying Vancouver and all that it has to offer. She graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont where she also played NCAA Division 1 Basketball. While attending University, Miss Handy interned as a student-teacher in a Kindergarten class. Since being at St. Jude school, Miss Handy has taught both grade 1 and grade 2. She loves teaching Grade 2 because of the spiritual growth she gets to witness in her students. She also loves music, writing, coaching and being outdoors, especially the beach or hiking! She is also very passionate about animals, mental health, equitable education and her love of God.
Mrs. Carolyn Abela is our Gr. 3 teacher at St. Jude School.
Mrs. Abela is a graduate of Simon Fraser University having earned a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Mrs. Abela is deeply committed to God and the Catholic Faith. As a Catholic educator she strives to develop strong Christian leaders, responsible citizens and life-long learners. Before coming to St. Jude Mrs. Abela taught Grade 2 for four and a half years at St. Mary’s in Chilliwack. She also spent two years teaching abroad in the United Kingdom. She loves spending time outdoors hiking, biking, snowshoeing and swimming. She enjoys swing dancing and Zumba classes.
Mrs. Sonia DiFonzo graduated from UBC with a Masters Degree in Education as well as a diploma in Language and Literacy Education. She has taught overseas in Glasgow, Scotland where she earned her postgraduate degree in Education at the University of Strathclyde. She is originally from Ontario where she earned her undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Sociology and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Mrs. DiFonzo has taught in schools near Ottawa and has taught a variety of grade levels at both Catholic and public schools. She has been teaching with the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese for the past 20 years. Mrs. DiFonzo is passionate about teaching students the Catholic faith and is very excited about teaching grade 4 at St. Jude’s. She enjoys practicing her faith, taking long walks, cooking, reading, traveling and spending time with her family.
Mrs. Angela Chao graduated from UBC with a BA in English Literature before moving to Japan for two years where she taught English in four different junior high schools. Living in Japan was an amazing cultural experience and taught her many valuable life lessons such as patience and understanding.
After returning from Japan, she returned to UBC to obtain her Bachelors of Education. In 2001, she began teaching at St. Jude in Gr. 7 (2001 – 2005) and then Gr. 6 (2005 – 2008).
After staying home to raise her three children, she returned to St. Jude in 2014 to teach part-time in the Gr. 5 class and then in Kindergarten. Angela has not only been a classroom teacher for many years, but she has also been a specialist teacher, teaching French for Kindergarten to Gr. 7 (2015 – 2019). As a lover of languages, the next languages Angela would like to learn are Filipino and Italian.
This is her first year in Learning Resource after holding many different roles at our school.
Ms. Corea, a seasoned educator with over 22 years of teaching experience, is dedicated to fostering a love for learning within a Christ-centered environment. From a young age, her desire to serve others led her to pursue a career in teaching. Ms. Corea specializes in Language Arts, Science, and Art Education, with a particular passion for integrating the arts into her lessons, making them both stimulating and exciting. Throughout her career, she has actively collaborated with dedicated colleagues to contribute to the vibrant learning community at St. Jude, making it a nurturing space for students to thrive and grow.
Mr. Mow is currently in his 6th year of teaching Gr. 7 at St. Jude School, after spending 9 years as the Gr. 4 teacher and another 1 1/2 years as the Gr. 6 teacher, with Christian Education and Math being his favorite subjects to teach; as well, he enjoys being a part of the school’s extra-curricular activities, especially in sports. In addition to a Bachelor of Education degree, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology. Prior to becoming a teacher, Mr. Mow was pursuing a career in law enforcement, having had previous volunteering experiences with one-to-one mentoring troubled youths and tutoring inside the youth prison. Mr. Mow enjoys sports – he is a die hard Canucks fan, and he hopes his team will finally win the Stanley Cup very soon. He is particularly proud of his stellar collection of Canucks’ jerseys. Lastly, he enjoys eating sushi and reading books.
Mr. Campanile (Mr. C) has been teaching for 19 years. He taught grade 5 for 1 year at St. Patrick’s Elementary, 4 years at St. James and St. Ann’s Elementary as a PE teacher and he is in his 14th year at St. Jude School teaching Physical Education. Mr. C studied at SFU and received his BA with a major in History and a minor in Theatre Technology. He is married and has a son.
Mrs. Monique Nguyen is entering her first year as secretary at our school. She is an active parishioner at St. Jude Parish and comes to St. Jude School with years of experience in sales. She is happy to be part of our Catholic school community and we are excited to have her join our office administration team. During the summer months, you might just see Mrs. Nguyen on her paddleboard exploring the open waters or going on camping adventures with her family.
Ms. Smillie is ecstatic to be entering her first year as Principal at St. Jude School. She is the oldest of a large Catholic family and has attended Catholic schools all her life. She grew up in Helena, Montana and prior to teaching at St. Jude School, Ms. Smillie has taught in schools all over! She has elementary experience from schools in Utah, Montana, and downtown Vancouver. She also looks back fondly on her time spent teaching English in a school in China. Ms. Smillie is extremely passionate about the Arts and enjoys helping out with drama and choir when she can. When she isn’t at school, catch this teacher on the ice–where she curls in a local curling league!
At St. Jude School we work hard to support our students with special needs. Our talented group of Educational Assistants are dedicated individuals who work alongside teachers to deliver the educational programs to students. Our Educational Assistants have a range of experience and expertise that they are able to utilize in ensuring student success.