Mr. Chris van der Pauw graduated from SFU with a B.Ed. and a B.A. with an English Major and Humanities Minor. His teaching career started at Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School and through his 6 years he taught English 8 to 12 and Christian Ed 8 to 12. In 2012, he received his Masters Degree in Administration and Leadership from Gonzaga University and he took a teaching position of Grade 6 at St. James and St. Ann’s Elementary in Abbotsford. In 2015 he became Vice Principal at St. James and St. Ann’s Elementary. In 2017 he was appointed Acting Principal of St. James and St. Ann’s Elementary. Currently, he is in his sixth year as Principal at St. Jude School. In addition to being Principal at St. Jude School, Mr. van der Pauw also serves as a BC Ministry of Education and Child Care Independent School Inspector and he is Chair of the CISVA Administrators Association.
Mr. van der Pauw is passionate about student engagement and learning. He believes that providing students with educational experiences outside the classroom is as important as providing children with a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy, and Christian Education. Over the years, he has been involved in coaching basketball, running a chess club, organizing ski and snowshoeing trips, kayaking trips for students, sponsoring a robotics club, and Outdoor Education overnight trips for Gr. 7 classes.
Mr. van der Pauw enjoys coming to work and collaborating with others on how best to deliver enriching educational experiences to children.
Mrs. Sue Ann Wong has worked in our CISVA system for over 20 years in the Intermediate and Primary classrooms as well as in the Resource Centre. She has been at St. Jude School for 15 years as one of our Kindergarten teachers. Mrs. Wong received her Bachelor of Education degree from UBC. She loves traveling, reading, skiing and playing volleyball.
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.
She is excited to return back to the Gr. 5 classroom full-time and to share her passion for reading with her students.
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.
Miss Smillie is so happy to be entering her seventh year 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 graduated high school with honors from Andrew School. She then went on to receive her B.A. from Carroll College where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Prior to teaching at St. Jude School, Miss Smillie has taught in schools all over! She has elementary experience from schools in Utah, Montana, and downtown Vancouver. She looks back fondly on her time spent teaching English in a school in China. Miss Smillie is extremely passionate about the Arts and enjoys co-leading the Patriots Drama Club. When she isn’t at school, catch this teacher on the ice–where she curls in a local curling league!
Ms. Megan Ryan comes to St. Jude School having taught music in Ireland and England. She is excited to join our St. Jude School community and she will here 3 days a week teaching music and leading our choirs. We are pleased and happy to have Ms. Ryan join our school community.
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.
Miss Ailish Daly is our After School Club facilitator. Miss Daly comes to us from Ireland and she has a passion for art and music. She has experience working with youth through Art Therapy and she works in our school offering ELL support during the school day. We are very grateful to have Miss Daly with us.