Closing off the 2024-2025 School Year

It was wonderful to see so many of you at last week’s Celebration Day. Thank you for joining the Greenwood community in this recognition of the 2024-2025 school year. From two theatre productions to two Friday Afternoon Lights to our Hockey afternoon to challenging Outdoor Education Trips and so much more, the 2024-2025 school year has been an exceptional display of school spirit, community and student-centred activity. 

This week, Greenwood staff are engaged in professional development that will support a strong beginning to the 2025-2026 school year, participating in workshops focused on First Aid training, athletics coaching certifications and academic priorities such as personalized learning, active reading strategies and assessment. 

This summer, we are looking forward to the continued development of the Greenspace. The shoring and abatement has been completed and now the turf, landscaping and structures can be developed. The anticipated completion date is mid-fall. We are very much looking forward to the opening of this new space! Visit our website for more information and to learn more about how you can support the space.

As we begin looking forward to September, I would like to introduce you to some new members of the Greenwood community.

Katie Evans joined Greenwood in March 2025 as the Director, Community Engagement & Giving. She joined us from Canadian Cancer Society and has a passion for building community. Katie is a creative, innovative thinker who loves rock climbing. Since her arrival at Greenwood, she’s been working with the Roundtable Parent/Guardian Association. She also oversees fundraising at Greenwood. 

Nicole White and Sara Jouppi will join Greenwood’s well-being team. Nicole comes to us from Havergal, where she held the role of Social Worker for 3 years. Prior to Havergal, Nicole worked as a Therapist at Youthdale Treatment Centres. She has a background in youth, family and individual therapy and has led targeted sessions for teens to support their growth and development on topics such as conflict management and mental health. Sara spent much of the 2024-2025 school year on placement at St. Michael’s College School and is looking forward to working with Greenwood students next year. She has a background in counselling teens and coaching hockey. Shai Kohen, one of Greenwood’s social workers, has moved on from Greenwood, and Laura Mincer is on parental leave after welcoming a new baby to her family.

Joshua Pitman comes to us from Appleby College where he taught media arts and film and was the Assistant Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Prior to Appleby, Joshua taught for many years in British Columbia and Australia. He has experience facilitating Outdoor Education trips at previous schools and is looking forward to joining the Greenwood community. 

Nadia Fodil joins us from John Ross Robertson Public School (TDSB) with 8 years experience teaching French, French Immersion, and Mathematics. She has chaperoned school trips to camps in Northern Ontario and has a keen interest in the arts. 

Aashmeen Kaur is a mathematics, physics, chemistry and science teacher who is joining Greenwood with several years of experience teaching overseas, in the United States and in the Toronto area. Aashmeen enjoys playing and coaching basketball.

Alyssa Houle comes to Greenwood with experience teaching English, humanities, biology and science. Alyssa enjoys using vertical white boards to create a “thinking classroom” and is looking forward to connecting with students through athletics, school life and in the classroom. 

Joining Greenwood as Apprentice Teachers are Alexander Walters, Lexie Reiken and Toby Lawrence. Toby graduated from Greenwood in 2018 and we are looking forward to having his energy and enthusiasm back at Greenwood!

We say farewell to a few Greenwood staff members who are moving on to other professional and personal opportunities. Michael Schmidt is taking on a role in the Innovation Lab at UCC. Amy Edkins and Paris Finn are moving out of Toronto. Selma Hammad is departing Greenwood to pursue a Masters degree. Emily Di Nunzio, Fraser McGee, and Shannon Tran will be moving to other independent schools in Toronto, and Mary Karambatos, an Apprentice Teacher this year, will be starting her career as a Teacher at Crestwood in September. We are proud of the support and development Greenwood provides to teachers early in their careers, enabling them to find opportunities to grow their careers. 

We are grateful to have had Robin Fowler’s guidance in Advancement & Community Engagement (ACE) this year. With her background in consulting, Robin is leaving Greenwood having put a well-established ACE program and team in place, including establishing roles dedicated to alumni engagement, giving and parent/guardian engagement, and building out processes to support the overall management of the ACE program. Greenwood was built on philanthropy and the ACE Team looks forward to continuing to build on this foundation in the years to come. 

Leah Bandler is taking a year away to pursue her passion in outdoor and experiential education and Emma Seaborn is on a self-funded leave for the 2025-2026 school year. We wish them both a wonderful year and look forward to their return in September 2026. 

There is much to look forward to in the 2025-2026 school year. It is a privilege to work with this inclusive and innovative team of leaders in community-minded and personalized learning experiences. We are already planning for and looking forward to the fall when the halls will be again full of laughter and voices. Be sure to brush up on your golf this summer and sign up for the September 18 Greenwood Community Golf Tournament. We will see you there!

Until then, I hope all Greenwood students, staff and families have a wonderful and safe summer.