Educational Services Director Sandra Furfaro retires after 45 years of service

After 45 years of services in the field of public education, Sandra Furfaro has retired. For the past 15 years she served as  Director of Educational Services, also assuming responsibility for Technology Services the past six years.

Mackay Centre/Philip E. Layton Elementary School Principal Anna Sanalitro has been appointed as Ms. Furfaro’s successor. Technology Services has become its own Division, with Assistant Director Bob Thomas promoted to director.

Ms. Furfaro spent her first 21 years in education as a teacher,  moving on to become a vice-principal at Rosemount High School, a  principal at École Primaire Tetraultville, Principal at Leonardo Da Vinci Academy in RDP, Assistant Director of Educational Services and then Director.

Ms. Furfaro will remain with the EMSB on a part-time basis as chef d’equipe for the home schooling team.

“I have so many fond memories of my years in education,” said Ms. Furfaro. “I am glad to be staying on in a limited capacity on a dossier I have very much enjoyed.”

Ms. Furfaro is proud to have run a department which played a key role in the EMSB obtaining the highest success rate among public school boards in Quebec. Under her leadership the department oversaw the implementation of many new pedagogical initiatives, significant improvements in the areas of literacy education,   STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics), robotics, French immersion, physical literacy and most recently the sexuality education dossier.

“The greatest pleasure for me has been seeing the smiling faces of our students, especially when they have accomplished something,” she said. “Our goal in education is to prepare our students for society and jobs out there, some of which we cannot even fathom.”

Ms. Furfaro now plans to spend more time with her husband Dominic, who retired as a school principal 12 years ago, their children and grandchildren.