Letter from Mme Lavoie

Please see the following letter from Mme Lavoie:

November 24, 2015
Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians of the Tennyson community,
I am writing to you today with some news. After eight wonderful years, my time at Tennyson has come to an end, as I have been transferred to Trafalgar Elementary School effective January 1, 2016.
Vancouver school principals are usually transferred after approximately five years in a school, so I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been able to stay for eight years. Unlike many of my colleagues, I have had the good fortune of being able to experience and watch our students evolve from Kindergarteners, not knowing what the teacher was saying, to confident bilingual graduates. For this, I am grateful. I have also had the wonderful opportunity to work with an extremely professional and dedicated staff, who always put our students’ needs first.
Thank you parents for all your support over the years. It has been a true pleasure working with all members of the PAC to ensure that we are providing our students with the best possible learning experiences in an inclusive and respectful learning environment. I am so proud of all of our endeavours that we have worked collaboratively on - - from the school mural to our Fish on the Fence.
I leave Tennyson with the most memorable and cherished experiences and feel truly lucky to have had this opportunity as my first principalship. I will miss you all and your wonderful chlldren and take with me many heartfelt memories such as implementing our Eye of the Tiger dance at assemblies to the unveiling of our three Rs.
At Monday night’s Board meeting, trustees approved the appointment of Mme Claudette Alain as Tennyson’s new Principal. Mme Alain has a wealth of experience in French Immersion as a classroom teacher at various grade levels, as Vice-Principal at L’Ecole Bilingue and presently as Vice-Principal at Douglas Annex. Mme Alain is excited to begin her first Principalship with you. She will be attending the PAC meeting on December 10th and will be visiting the students and staff on December 1st. Please help me in welcoming Mme Alain to Tennyson.
For those of you who are concerned about the viability of mid-year changes, please know that January is the ideal time for a principal to come into a school. It gives the new administrator time to observe and learn, all the while building important relationships. Mme Lorieau will be here to support Mme Alain’s transition. I began my tenure at Tennyson in January and truly appreciated knowing that all was in place.
Tennyson will always be near and dear to me. As one of our Grade seven graduates said in their farewell speech last year, once a tiger, always a tiger.
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Sincerely, Jacquie Lavoie