Tamara Schincariol constantly goes ‘above and beyond’ for her students and for her fellow educators.
The English teacher from St Stephen’s Catholic College in Mareeba who is known by her colleagues as Tammy, has been nominated by her line manager, Simon Vaughan, for this year’s QCT Excellent Leadership in Teaching and Learning Award. With her passion for English as her driving force, Tammy has been instrumental in implementing the Australian Curriculum across the college. In her role as Literacy Coordinator, Tammy leads departments by offering to supply professional development in literacy which supports the implementation of a school-wide literacy plan that she and her team developed. |
She has spoken on numerous occasions at staff meetings, presenting ideas and strategies for improving NAPLAN results across the whole curriculum.
Tammy dedicates her personal time to planning, preparing for and attending extracurricular programs such as the Lions Youth of the Year, Rostrum Voice of Youth, Plain English Speaking Award and the Mt Sheridan Spelling Bee with her students. Because of this, students under Tammy’s guidance have developed a range of skills that extend well beyond the classroom walls. Her commitment to being a lifelong learner is admirable. Tammy is currently undergoing professional development to implement the new Queensland QCE system next year. She has attended numerous conferences and courses relating to literature and preparing students for external exam writing. Tammy is now in the process of developing a college-wide approach for all departments to assist students in preparing for external exams and the new ATAR system. In working closely with her team to develop units, Tammy builds on teacher capacity surrounding the new syllabus documents for English, Essential English and Literature. A professional development course targeted at equipping staff members’ use of literacy skills has also been created by Tammy to improve their understanding and grasp of literacy. This year, the Year 10 students under Tammy’s guidance created digital book trailers for the novel Graffiti Moon and received direct feedback from the author of the novel, Cath Crowley. Students who engage in this type of innovative learning give great feedback and find it easier to learn when the content is relevant to their own interests. “Tammy demonstrates an exceptionally high standard at all times in relation to leadership of her team, engagement of students through implementation of innovative practices and the positive relationships she builds with students, staff and parents,” says College principal, Ida Pinese. Congratulations Tamara on your QCT Excellent Leadership in Teaching and Learning Award nomination. |