Portuguese Program Alumna Recognized by Learning Partnership

Congratulations to Manuela Sequeira (UofT's Portuguese Program alumna), principal at St. Clare Catholic School. She is among the school administrators being recognized by the Learning Partnership as one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals.

“This year’s group of Canada’s Outstanding Principals includes 40 dedicated and distinguished leaders from across Canada and I am truly humbled to be among them, and look forward to upcoming networking and learning opportunities,” says Ms. Sequeira. “Leading student achievement in the 21st Century in Toronto’s ever-changing, diverse multicultural city is both invigorating and challenging, but often it is in that challenge that creative thinking, proactive and systematic change can happen. I applaud The Learning Partnership for their initiative in celebrating and building educational leadership capacity across Canada.”

  

The honourees will participate in a week-long executive leadership training program at the prestigious Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

  

Manuela Sequeira has been with the board since 1991. She became a vice-principal in 2001, and has served as principal since 2003 at St. Monica, St. Mary of the Angels and now at St. Clare. She also served for a time as acting special education coordinator.

  

She was nominated in 2008 by staff for the Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence-Excellence in Leadership (2008), was involved in Ministry and System-Wide Committees to improve student achievement and well-being and co-authored, with Nancy Steinhauer, an article for LSA-Real Stories: “We Are Not Good Until We Are All Good:  Closing the Learning Gap at All Levels, outlining a structure of developing instructional leadership in all principals. During her term as principal at St. Mary of the Angels, the school was recognized by the Fraser Institute with the Garfield Weston Award for improvement in Academics.