The Trailblazer | Sierra Canyon School Monthly Resources and News for Parents

Thank You, Mrs. Gillinger | Virginia Janovsky Retires
Judie Malkin Announces Retirement | Susan Mitchell Begins Retirement

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Thank You, Mrs. Gillinger

For the past thirty years, Ann Gillinger has served as Sierra Canyon’s Lower School Director, as well as Head of our EK through 8th grade School until 2004. Throughout her career at Sierra Canyon, Mrs. Gillinger has guided and inspired faculty, staff, students, and parents with her creative energy, knowledge, and passion for educational excellence. In 1991, Ann accepted Sierra Canyon’s National Blue Ribbon Distinguished School Award at a White House reception, along with co-founders, Mr. Horwitz and Mr. Wang. This honor was a validation of her outstanding accomplishments and leadership at Sierra Canyon.

Mrs. Gillinger created the four rotating themes that are celebrated each school year and are designed to bring the entire school community together. So much of the foundation of the Sierra Canyon experience is a result of Mrs. Gillinger's creativity and educational expertise. Enter any classroom at Sierra Canyon and there is evidence of Ann's impact. Small group academic centers where students are challenged at their skill level and the variety of hands-on problem solving activities continue to bring life and energy to the learning environment. This reality continues to be a testament to Mrs. Gillinger's legacy.

Ann's granddaughter, Paris ’17, will keep Ann connected with the Sierra Canyon community for many years. The foundation for "The Sierra Canyon Way" is in part a vision of Ann Gillinger and will continue to live on in the hearts of those at Sierra Canyon.

Thank you, Ann, for all of your contributions. They are too numerous to even count. You will be missed by all and we wish you the very best.

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Señora Virginia Janovsky Retires

By Ann Gillinger

For eighteen years Señora Virginia Janovsky has brought smiles and eager enjoyment of the Spanish language to Sierra Canyon elementary students. As we say goodbye to this beloved Sierra Canyon faculty member, we remember with a smile many of the delightful traits that made Señora such a favorite with students, her niños:

• Perico the parrot
• Songs for every day, season, and holiday imaginable, sung with gusto and great humor
• Dances to accompany the songs and to reinforce learning, but mostly for the delight of learning through movement
• Praise and encouragement at every turn
• Spanish Assemblies full of the vibrancy of her Costa Rican homeland
• Fairs with Senora as gypsy fortune teller
• Props of all kinds to help students remember and practice the Spanish language
• Improvisations acted out to reinforce dialogue and students’ learning

Students delighted in adding Koosh balls that Señora used for practicing Spanish verbs to their classroom collection. Kooshie, wooshie, fooshie, mooshie, wooshie - bola caliente! Syllables with all sorts of sounds rhymed and the students remembered the vocabulary and the joy of learning with Senora.

Penguino was there to squeeze and to talk about the ocean. Señor Amerio told colorful stories about the world using Spanish words. A family of play mice arrived all dressed up to learn names of clothing. Then, along came a family of bears to tell the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, along with many other bear adventures!

Whether dancing the Macarena, or singing a children’s rhyme, Señora always led the children in a joyful expression of the Spanish language and culture. Please join us in thanking this wonderful educator for her many years of service and love to the children of Sierra Canyon School.

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Judie Malkin Announces Retirement

By Ann Gillinger

After twenty-four distinguished years of service, Judie Malkin has announced her intention to retire from Sierra Canyon School at the end of this year. Rarely does one institution have the continuous benefit of such a talented and devoted educator.

From her first position in 1983 as teacher of KA, Judie has embodied the best of instructional pedagogy, while always making the teaching/learning process a joyous one. Those early years included Helen Goldberg in KB, with Cathy Waldron as assistant teacher.

Within three years, Judie was asked to create the Early Kindergarten (EK) program. Under her direction, this highly sought after program grew to three classrooms comprised of eager learners. Jean McClure taught with Judie, and Taraka Kaul, Rochelle Miller, Megan Gorney, Suzanne Bauman-Winter, and Karen Wang-Sobel have all benefited from working in the outstanding EK program Judie fashioned.

About this time, Judie returned to school at night to get her Administrative Credential. In preparation for these increased responsibilities, she sought out the challenge of teaching several grade levels. She was the teacher in 2B with Louise Cooper-Lovelace, and then the teacher in 4B with Dave Greenwald before taking on the Elementary School Director position in 1996. During her tenure in fourth grade, both Jan Schlossberg and Adam Horwitz worked as her assistant teachers. When the school enlarged to three classes at the fourth grade level, Susan Washton joined Dave and Judie, making one powerful coalition of teachers!

As Elementary School Director, Judie served the elementary families and teachers with love and enthusiasm working with Assistant Directors Gina Puljiz and Tim Gerrity before returning to the classroom in 2B for these last two years. Judie also served as the WASC Committee Chair for the School’s second accreditation.

Personally and professionally, each of us has been enriched by our association with Judie. When I first saw her teaching, I immediately sensed the magic Judie was so effortlessly able to create with her students. As she established herself as a leader within the Sierra Canyon community, Judie always focused on the students as the reason and satisfaction for all of her work. During the years when we served together on the Management Team of the EK -8th grade program, Judie’s contributions always came back to what is best for the children.

Please join us in honoring this fine educator – one whose infectious laughter has lightened many a WASC meeting, and whose life style as a life-long learner makes her a role model for the entire Sierra Canyon community.

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Susan Mitchell Begins Retirement

After twenty-five years at Sierra Canyon and teaching hundreds of students, Mrs. Susan Mitchell will be retiring in June. Mrs. Mitchell received her B.A. degree from Western Michigan University. She and her husband, Steve, whom she met in sixth grade, moved to Fresno, California in 1978. After their two daughters Natalie and Leslie were born, the Mitchells moved to Valencia, and Susan found her way to Sierra Canyon.

During her years at Sierra Canyon, Mrs. Mitchell was a member of our Foreign Language Department, teaching Spanish in both Lower and Middle School. She was also a 3rd and 5th grade teacher.

Mrs. Mitchell’s retirement plans sound exciting and rewarding! She and her husband, Steve, are finishing their new home on a 25-acre ranch in Coarsegold, California. Their daughter, Natalie, is a 9th grade English and Social Studies teacher, and their other daughter, Leslie, is a professional chef. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell hope to spend many hours with their four grandchildren, Mitchell (age 6), Micah (age 3), Harper (age 2), and Will (4 months). Their travel plans include a trip to Italy in September, tours of wine country, and visits to family in Michigan.

We wish you the best, Susan!