Council of the Federation Literacy Award

Congratulations to our long-standing staff member Mrs. Mary-Anne Rachman who was recently nominated for the Council of the Federation Literacy Award.

Morah Mary-Anne Rachman was born in South Africa and immigrated to Canada 21 years ago. An Orton-Gillingham Literacy specialist, she has been teaching and supporting RJDS students for 15 years.

Presented annually in each province and territory, the Council of Federation Literacy Award celebrates outstanding achievement, innovative practice, and excellence in literacy. The award is administered by the Public Libraries Branch, Ministry of Municipal Affairs of British Columbia. Nominations are assessed according to demonstrated excellence and innovative practices in literacy, responsiveness to community needs, and relevance of their work.

Morah Mary-Anne’s extraordinary commitment to students and our entire school community makes her an exceptional candidate for this nomination. She has undoubtedly had a positive impact in the lives of RJDS students by helping them develop their literacy skills and using innovative teaching practices in her classroom. Moreover, her ability to connect and build a positive and strong rapport with students and parents and foster learning through individualized support is truly commendable.

As a trained Orton-Gillingham specialist, Morah Mary-Anne leverages a multisensory approach to teaching and learning; she not only uses this technique to teach reading to her students but to provide multi-sensory experiences for many students in a variety of subject areas (e.g. STEM, Careers, Art) to improve their overall literacy. For example, when teaching students to read, she integrates kinesthetic and tactile learning strategies with visual and auditory concepts. Her student-centered approach ensures children are active, contributing participants in their learning and that their individual strengths and passions are honoured.

Below is a testimony from one of our RJDS parents about Morah Mary-Anne’s impact:
“We are a new family in BC, Canada, emigrated from Israel.

Among our considerations that made us come to Canada was granting our kids with a high-quality and high-level education. We appointed RJDS because it is a small, intimate school where every child gets his own personal attention.

On the very first day at RJDS, the first teacher who welcomed us at the door was Morah Mary-Anne. She introduced herself as school’s English teacher. She was full of enthusiasm and desire to meet our child and get right to business.

That day, our child knew zero words in English. She also bearing a genetic disorder, has a difficulty to focus her vision and requires impairments for reading as well as some adjustments in the classroom. For us, Mary-Anne was my baby’s guardian angel (and still is)! Mary-Anne worked with my child between 3-4 hours a day, one-on-one sessions, teaching her English from basics. She also worked closely with Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) to support our child and to train the team regarding her personal needs and in the classroom.

Within a year, our child understood, spoke, read, and wrote English mostly independently. Thanks to Morah Mary-Anne. There is no doubt that Morah Mary-Anne is an extraordinary, remarkable teacher that deserves to be recognized at every level.”
Congratulations Morah Mary-Anne on your nomination for the Council of the Federation Literacy Award! You are an exceptional educator and the staff and students are lucky to have you as a part of the RJDS Family!