For this week’s Teacher Tuesday we will be heading over to our Midtown Elementary Campus for a glimpse into the wonderful world of our Primary 2 Willow Class. The Willow Class is home to an upbeat, high energy and joyful team of dedicated educators: Ms. Amy Carter and Ms. Jenny Stevely. This is the second year that this dynamic duo has worked together.
Our Willow Class head teacher is the always sweet and cheerful Ms. Amy Carter. Ms. Carter has a degree in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario, a diploma in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising from the International Academy of Design and Technology of Toronto and an AMI Primary Diploma from The Association Montessori International School of British Columbia. This is her second year as the head teacher in Willow Class. What she loves most about working our school is the Clover philosophy of nurturing the whole child – both inside and out. Ms. Carter is passionate about working in education because she loves connecting and working with children and she loves to make all of her students laugh. Teaching brings great joy and purpose to Ms. Carter’s life.
When she isn’t in her classroom with her beloved students, Ms. Carter loves to go on hikes with her family – her husband, daughter and her new family pet! Ms. Carter is a proud new dog mama to a basset hound named Ladybird, who is affectionally nicknamed Birdie. She also loves to practice yoga, meditate, and play guitar in her spare time. A few interesting facts about Ms. Carter are that her favourite colour is pink, her favourite dessert is homemade pie of any kind, and her favourite television shows are Big Little Lies and The Crown. Ms. Carter grew up visiting her family cottage and even now her ideal vacation spot is heading up north to Georgian Bay. During her childhood summers spent at the cottage, she used to love fishing with her family. Once when she was five years old, she caught an eight pound pike!
Ms. Carter’s other half is the delightful and darling Ms. Jenny Stevely. Ms. Stevely has been with The Clover School for three years. During her first year, she was a supply teacher who had the opportunity to work in a wide range of classes from Toddler all the way to Upper Elementary. She found her home in the Willow Class as the classroom assistant. Ms. Stevely thrives in the close-knit environment of our school. She loves all the support that is provided to both staff and students. To quote Ms. Stevely herself “I love the Clover School because of the warmth I feel as I enter into the building. We really are the school with heart.” Ms. Stevely is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario’s Huron University College with a double major in Psychology and English. She also has a Bachelor of Education from the University of the West of Scotland. Her love of working with children is what inspired her to a career in education. She wants to make a difference in the lives of her students and teach them to be kind and considerate to others.
In her free time, Ms. Stevely loves to spend time with her fiancé, Phil, and their cat, Chester, who is a rescue. She is also very close to her mom. Travelling is one of Ms. Stevely’s biggest passions. She and her fiancé love to explore new places – they have travelled to over ten countries together. Most recently, due to the ongoing pandemic, they haven’t been able to plan an international adventure, but have used it as an opportunity to staycation and explore locally throughout Ontario. When it is safe to do so, they are hoping their next big trip will be to Portugal and Morocco (as that is where they were planning to go for their honeymoon). Some of her other favourite pastimes include playing the piano, skiing, and visiting thrift shops. Ms. Stevely has a serious sweet tooth – some of her favourite foods include chocolate cake, ice creams, macaroons, and raspberry chocolate truffles. Her favourite colour is yellow and she loves to relax after a long day by watching Coronation Street. Her favourite movie is The Holiday, which we are certain she will be watching again soon to get into the festive spirit. A fun fact about Ms. Stevely is that she once taught English as a Second Language in a tiny town in South Korea for a year. She was one of only two foreigners in the entire town, but it was one of the best and most rewarding experiences she has had to date.
There is always something new and exciting happening in the Willow classroom. The students are always hard at work and can often be found practicing their cursive writing, tracing sounds, using the Sandpaper Letters, and painting using watercolours. There are big imaginations in the Willow Class and they channel this creativity into writing stories that they can share with their teachers and friends. The Willow Class students are also HUGE bookworms. They absolutely love to read and Ms. Carter and Ms. Stevely continue to be impressed each day with their reading skills!
The upcoming holiday season is something that the students in Willow Class are very much looking forward to! They are excited to learn about the different celebrations from the various cultures and religions that make up our extended Clover family. They are looking forward to going on nature walks throughout the community, especially as our neighbourhood has recently become a snowy wonderland. Festive tunes will be playing and there will be decorations hanging in the classroom! The Willow students are eager to begin work on their special seasonal craft that they will get bring home at the end of term and they can’t wait for their class holiday party!
Check back next week as we explore another one of our Midtown Elementary Campus classes, the amazing Primary 2 Pine Class!
