Staff

Caitlin Wynne — Manager

Caitlin has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for the past ten years. She firmly believes building meaningful connections through positive communication is essential to the growth and development of happy, healthy children. Caitlin is passionate about supporting the children she works with, the JK Educators, and her community. When she is not at work she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter at different neighbourhood parks.

Claire Eide — Early Childhood Educator / ITE – Upstairs Team Lead

Claire has been working as an Early Childhood Educator for the last ten years. She has worked with many children aged one to five and their families. Claire believes strongly that children learn and grow through play and she is passionate about helping children develop positive self-esteem. Claire loves the way young children think and enjoys how they view the world.

Sean Solberg — Early Childhood Educator Assistant

Sean has been working with children and families in one form or another for over fifteen years. He has supported and worked with infants all the way up to teenagers. Sean enjoys doing art, music, movement and anything creative with children. Sean has won awards for his dedication and community service for children and their families. Sean enjoys spending time with his two children.

Norma Garcia — Early Childhood Educator Assistant

Norma is originally from Monterrey, Mexico. She started as a special education assistant at the JK and now is one of our full time team members. Norma teaches the children Spanish lessons every Wednesday. Norma enjoys playing and being outdoors with the children. She lives in James Bay with her husband and son.

Cindy Potts — Early Childhood Educator – Downstairs Team Lead

Cindy has been working with the JK children for the last four years since finishing her practicum in the summer of 2014. She has always had a passion for working with children , helping them to learn and grow. In her free time she enjoys being outside, walking the beach, hiking and camping with her family.

Kindergarten
Katie McNeil

Hello! I am thrilled to be teaching kindergarten this year at Christ Church Cathedral School. I have been a teacher for  twenty years. For the past twelve years I was teaching in an international school in Dubai. My husband and I moved to Victoria last summer to be closer to our three adult children. Being nature enthusiasts we are loving living here on Vancouver Island. Kindergarten has always been my favourite grade to teach. It is a special year in a child’s life, as they make the transition from home to school for the first time. I believe the kindergarten program should nurture and develop children’s social and emotional development and instil a love of learning

Grade 1 Teacher 
Micaela Winter

After teaching at a Montessori school in Prince George and having a variety of teaching positions at CCCS; including Primary French and Faith teacher, I am thrilled to have settled into teaching Grade 1. I enjoy being active and being outside. As a teacher I believe that it is my responsibility to infuse outdoor and indoor teaching methods so that students will be able to make connections to the natural world around them. In addition, I believe that the more opportunities students have to experience the natural world in a positive setting, the more they will learn to respect nature and foster environmental awareness.

Grade 2
Michelle Kennedy

Profile coming soon.

Grade 3 Teacher
Sarah Fryer

I am really thrilled to join the Christ Church Cathedral School community to teach Grade 3! I worked for many years as an opera and concert soloist (mezzo-soprano), overlapping my singing for the past ten years with various supporting roles at 3 different Independent schools, one in England, and two here in Victoria. I attended an Anglican cathedral school from age 10-18 and was also associated with the Winchester Cathedral community in the UK for many years, before moving to Canada in 2001 with my husband and two children. I hold a degree in Theology from Exeter University and a B.Ed from UVic. I look forward to sharing my love of books, music, and nature with my students.

Grade 4
Heather Branscombe

Since joining the community of Christ Church Cathderal School in 2011, Heather Branscombe has enjoyed teaching many grades including primary French.  Currently the grade 4 teacher, Heather incorporates a hands on approach to learning in a classroom that is both engaging and supportive.  As facilitator of the Green Team (a middle school club), Heather is able to share her love of the environment with the school community.

Grade 4 (Wednesdays)
Paige McCallum

I recently graduated from the University of Victoria with my Bachelor of Education, and I am very excited to be teaching grade 4 this year! I have always had a passion for working with children, and knew at a young age that I wanted to become a teacher. During my time at the University of Victoria I was able to get involved tutoring elementary students, as well as organizing workshops for my peers that focused on inquiry education. I am very excited for an awesome year at CCCS!

Grade 5
Tobi Blue & Kristin Meissner

Tobi Blue: Working with kids is my favourite thing to do!  I love watching our students participate in their own growth and development; learning through inquiry and experience is very exciting to me.  I have had the pleasure of working at Cathedral School for almost 20 years and it has been an extremely rewarding experience.  I had the privilege of teaching grade 1 for 18 years and currently I teach grade 5, yet I often have the opportunity of working in many classes with our talented and experienced team of teachers.  Over the last 12 years I have worked tirelessly as the Assistant Head of the school as well.  It is a very busy job working essentially two different jobs in one, however, I love the activity, the challenge and the ability to work with every student and family in our community.  Over the years that I have worked at our school, I have witnessed and been a part of many changes in our school, but one main theme remains constant: our students are our number one focus and our community feels like an extension of family. That is why I love our school so much!

Kristin Meissner: “13 years and counting! I count myself to be very blessed to work at such a gem of a school — the staff, students and parent community are the heart of what makes CCCS so special. One of my highlights every year is the much anticipated bike trip. I look forward to keeping this tradition rolling in grade 5!”

Grade 6 Homeroom (Science 6 & 8 / Math 6,7,8)
Lara Salchert

Lara Salchert is a compassionate teacher, professional engineer, and retired Canadian Naval Officer. She brings practical experience, engaging real-world examples and learning opportunities to the classroom. Since joining the team in 2015, Lara has enjoyed teaching middle school math and science. She is really looking forward to another great year at CCCS.

Grade 7 Homeroom (Science 7, Language Arts 6 & 7)
Lowell Orr

Lowell has taught in London and Northern Vancouver Island. He is excited to be the Grade 7 homeroom teacher.

Grade 8
Marylee McKeown

After a very rewarding 12 year teaching career in Vancouver working with middle school and intermediate aged students in the classroom, as well as teaching French as a Second Language and Physical Education, I joined the CCCS team to instruct a grade 2/3 class.

Since 2001, I have taught grades 5, 6, and 7 and am currently working with the grade 8s. My philosophy of education is a simple one; I believe that all children can and do learn if they feel connected to their learning community, especially their teachers. My job is to make meaningful connections with all students, help them to get organized, and most importantly, encourage the students to be the best they can be!

CCCS is a small school that provides a nurturing environment for all students; the staff knows the students and the students know the staff. I am proud to be a member of this learning community.

Art Teacher
Sandi Henrich 

After several years of teaching art at our Junior Kindergarten and a couple of years of teaching Primary and Intermediate art here at the Main Campus, Sandi Henrich has now taken on the role of art teacher for all grades K – 8 and brings her passion for the arts to our students. You’ll find galleries of student artwork on her blog “Art Class”: http://sandihenrich.weebly.com/

French Teacher 
Roberta MacDonald

Learning Support Teacher (grades 6 – 8), Technology (grades 4 – 8), Health & Career Education (grades 6 – 8)
Kirsten Salmon

Music Specialists
Kathy Stacey & Ryan Oliver

Kathy has been the primary music specialist at CCCS since 2008 and also the Choir Director for the Primary choirs. In addition to her music degree, Kathy studied cello and piano at the Royal College of Music in London, England.

Kathy has always been passionate about teaching music to children, owning her own full-service children’s music school in Nanaimo for fifteen years. There she was the assistant principal cellist in the Vancouver Island Symphony orchestra for nine years and the Education Consultant for the Symphony for 5 years, compiling the educational materials for the Children’s Education Concert Series.

Ryan Oliver is a Juno-nominated saxophonist and educator who has performed and taught around the world. He has appeared as a clinician and adjudicator for numerous music festivals including the West Coast Jazz Festival and the BC Music Educators Association. Ryan is delighted to be a faculty member at CCCS and to have the opportunity to encourage his students to have fun making music.

Educational Assistants
Vicki Bashista, Valerie Crosbie,  Karen Meyer, Patricio Molina Espinoza, Cody Fitzsimmons, Leone Leighton & Solenne Morrison.

Our Educational Assistants are essential to the success of our programs. They work throughout the school and playground to ensure that all students can reach their full potential.

Learning Support Teacher & Special Education Coordinator
Jennefer Byrne

I am truly excited to be part of the team at Christ Church Cathedral School. I bring a passion for lifelong learning and a dedication to working as part of our school team; contributing meaningfully to the positive development of children. After a successful and enjoyable career in the public system on Vancouver Island, I bring 27 years of experience as a special education resource teacher, learning support teacher, classroom teacher (Kindergarten to grade 8), and school leader (Vice-Principal and Elementary Principal) to support, teach and learn alongside all the students, staff and families at CCCS. When I am not teaching, I enjoy gardening, hiking, reading, travelling, cooking and just hanging around with my family and friends . . . oh and of course my dog!

Physical Education Specialist/ Learning Support
James Rhodes

James has lived in Victoria his whole life and attended Oak Bay High School. He then went on to the University of Victoria, where he graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Education degree. James played for UVic’s varsity soccer team for five years, which ended with the team winning a national championship. He has a passion for sports and physical activity, which is evident through his years of playing and coaching soccer, basketball, track and field, and baseball. When James isn’t involved with playing or coaching sports he can be found walking the beaches and many trails with his wife Mikaila and dog Giggs. He is also an advocate of outdoor activities, and takes every opportunity to go camping, skiing, and fishing.

Learning Support
Brett Macdonald

After graduating from UVic, I moved overseas and taught in Scotland and then Germany for 11 years. When I returned to Canada I was lucky enough to join the Christ Church Cathedral School community. I am excited to be back for my second year as a Learning Support teacher with the K-5 students. Besides travelling, my other passion is improvised theatre, both performing and teaching. So this year I am also looking forward to offering Improv in the Middle School exploratory program.

Religious Education / Faith Development
Ms Kate Newman

Kate Newman has been teaching faith and arts to children for 18 years. She is the principal developer for the Anglican Church of Canada’s Sunday School curriculum, Compendium of the Church Mice.  Kate was baptized and confirmed at Christ Church Cathedral. She has a Masters of Education and a  Masters of Theological Studies. She is also a mother of a student at CCCS.

Co-ordinator of the Out of School Care Program, called Lux Mundi, which means Light of the World – Todd Fitzsimmons

Todd has worked at Cathedral School since 1994.

He runs the Out-of-School Care Program, which keeps him busy all the year round. He loves sports and keeping active and enjoys teaching children about how sports and fitness are important in all our lives. Working with children keeps him young at heart as he has been doing it for 19 years.

“My biggest joy is watching the students at Cathedral School grow up and accomplish new things. If you can’t find me at School, I’m usually playing some kind of sports or limping around.”

Assistants – Cody Fitzsimmons, Patricio Espinoza, Vicki Bashista and other school staff as needed