Danica Thomsen-Harnick (she/her)
OCT, BA (Hons.) & BEd (Primary/Junior/Intermediate/Senior)

Permanent Teacher, Ottawa Catholic School Board, August 2021-Present

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• Taught Grade 8 Language

• Student Success Team teacher with a focus on reading remediation using Lexia

 

Holy Trinity Catholic High School 2022-2023

• Taught HRE1O, HRE2O, CGC1D, HZB3M, HZT4U, HRF3O

• Planned and led a field trip for CGC1D to examine physical processes on the land in the local community

• High School Cross-Country Team Coach

• Associate Teacher for a Year 1 University of Ottawa Teacher Candidate

• Completed Deep Learning Certification through a ReconciliACTION Collaborative Inquiry in HZT4U

• Facilitated professional development session for #ocsbOutdoors2023 on Geocaching for K-12

• Member of the Reconciliation committee, curating resources for teachers to use on days of significance such as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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St. Josephine Virtual High School 2021-2022

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• Taught PAF1O, PAF3O/4O, MAT1L/2L

• High School Cross-Country Team Coach

• Facilitated a successful Social Entrepreneurs Program project with PAF3O/4O, distributing over 70 Mental Health First Aid Kits to all OCSB Intermediate and High Schools

• Project lead for Learning and Innovation Fund for Teachers (LIFT) for the Physical Education Department, achieving certification as Adaptive and Inclusive Trainers and designing units focused on adapting personal movement patterns for self (PAF1O/2O) and others (PAF3O/4O)

• Member of Pastoral and Social committees

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Summer Reading Intervention Teacher July 2021, 2022

Ottawa Catholic School Board

• Administered Lexia reading intervention program to Junior grade students

• Used best practices guided by the Science of Reading to support student learning

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Long-Term Occasional Teacher, Nov 2019-June 2021

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Ottawa Catholic School Board, Ottawa Christian School

• OCSB Virtual Academy, Grade 3, Aug 2020-Jun 2021

  • Provided leadership in establishing collaboration with other teachers to create and share learning materials adapted for online learning

  • Administered Levelled Literacy Intervention program

• Ottawa Christian School, Grades 3-8 Bible, Language, and Health,  Jan-Feb 2020

• OCDSB John Young Elementary School, Grade 3, Nov-Dec 2019

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Daily Occasional Teacher, Sep 2019-Mar 2020

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Ottawa Catholic School Board, Ottawa Christian School

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• Guide students from kindergarten to grade twelve through planned activities supplied by the permanent teacher

• Maintain a positive, welcoming learning environment for all students by developing positive relationships with students, and using effective classroom management and while applying appropriate teaching strategies in classrooms with wide varieties in learners’ abilities

• Tend to students’ academic, physical, emotional, and social needs

• Collaborate with support staff to ensure continuity of program implementation

• Review school policies, emergency procedures, student IEPs, behaviour plans, and safety plans, and act accordingly

• Determine and follow through with appropriate consequences for inappropriate student behaviour

• Perform supervision duty

• Inform regular teacher in detail about the events of the day

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Grade 5-8 and Resource Teacher, Aug 2016-Jul 2019

Community Christian School Metcalfe

 

• Taught in multi-grade classrooms:

  • Grades 5/6 Language Arts and Math

  • Grade 7/8 Literature (2018-2019)

  • Grade 7/8 Physical Education (2018-2019)

  • Grade 5/6 Social Studies, Science, Bible, and Physical Education (2017-2019) 

  • Grades 6/7/8 Bible (2016-2017)

  • Grade 7/8 Bible (2017-2018)

  • Grade 3 Reading, Bible, and Environmental Studies (2016-2017)

• Worked as a resource teacher in a one-to-one setting, particularly in reading remediation

  • Administered the Barton Reading and Spelling System to exceptional learners

  • Co-designed and established new learning support centre

  • Developed Individualized Education plans and wrote term reports on student activities and progress in Resource

  • Administered testing for incoming students to determine their educational strengths and needs

  • Administered testing for incoming students to determine their educational strengths and needs

  • Assisted classroom teachers in implementing IEPs and differentiating instruction

• Implemented Responsive Classroom model

• Used Google Chromebooks and iPads to enhance lessons, student research, and assessments

• Differentiated lessons and assessments to meet a variety of learning needs for multiple exceptional learners

• Facilitated and ran the Student Vote program to coincide with the provincial election (2018)

• Supervised intramurals (2016-2018)

• Led chapels 

• Co-directed drama for Christmas musical (2016-2017)

 

Grades Three to Six Teacher, Oct 2015- Jun 2016

Timothy Christian School, Owen Sound

 

• Taught in multi-grade classrooms:

  • Grades Three and Four Mathematics

  • Grades Five and Six Language Arts

  • Grades Four, Five, and Six Bible, Physical and Health Education, Social Studies, Science, Art, and French.

• Used Project-Based Learning with students to investigate and find solutions to real-world problems

• Used Google Chromebooks and iPads to enhance lessons, student research, and assessments

• Differentiated lessons and assessments to meet a variety of learning needs for multiple exceptional learners

• Successfully integrated a new student into the classroom community

• Led a month-long student club and two All-School Devotion sessions

 

Grade Six Student-Teacher, Feb-Apr 2015

St. Joachim Catholic School, Ancaster

• Developed and taught unit and lesson plans in accordance with curriculum expectations for science, mathematics, language, social studies, and physical education

• Performed fair and accurate student learning assessment activities and provided descriptive feedback

• Maintained a positive and safe classroom learning community

 

Grade One Student-Teacher, Nov-Dec 2014

Ryerson Public School, Burlington

• Developed and taught lesson plans in accordance with curriculum expectations for science, mathematics, language, and physical education

• Maintained a positive and safe classroom learning community

 

President, Apr 2013-Apr 2015

Redeemer University College Student Senate

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• Professionally represented the Redeemer University College Student Senate at various functions and committees, both at the University and in the Hamilton Post-Secondary Education community

• Provided leadership for the Student Senate, ensuring all Senators were prepared to perform their duties through training on work and meeting procedures, and through supervision of duties

• Administered performance reviews of Senator work

• Revised and developed new policies to increase team efficiency, including an environmental stewardship policy, reducing paper use by 1500 sheets per year

 

Supie, June to August 2014 

City of Hamilton

                                                          

• Planned and implemented drop-in active recreational programming for up to 25 children per day aged four to 12 at a local park

• Maintained a safe park space for play through daily walk-throughs and clean up of park

 

Martial Arts Instructor, July 2007 to August 2010

Therien Martial Arts and Fitness

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• Second-degree black belt in Can-Ryu Jiu-jitsu

• Taught jiu-jitsu classes from one to 50 children or one to 15 adults, using motivational and disciplinary strategies as appropriate to keep students on-task

• Assessed student progress through performance tests

• Maintained positive relationships with students and parents

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