TFS - Canada's International School

1 4 T F S F O U N D AT I O N BELOVED EDUCATOR MAKES HER MARK Mme Mirna Hafez may have le her post as the Principal of La p'tite école to pursue new adventures in Switzerland, but her impact will be felt for years to come. While her warm and caring presence will be missed by students, parents and staff, both the initiatives she started and the impact made possible through the fund created in her honour will continue to benefit the TFS communi for generations. 1 4 T F S F O U N D AT I O N On June 17, 2022 over 1,000 members of our community came together to bid adieu to Mme Hafez at La Guinguette, the end-of-year celebration for La p'tite école. La Guinguette, which Mme Hafez helped start in 2016, is traditionally an intimate community event that brings our La p'tite école families together for an evening of outdoor games, food and wine. Last year's festivities were bigger than ever – families of older children who may have missed the chance to experience the event in person over the past few years were also invited – and there was a more formal component to the evening with a ceremony to say goodbye to Mme Hafez and to celebrate her many contributions to our school. During the ceremony we announced the naming of the Jardin d'éveil Hafez, and heard speeches from Norman Gaudet, Head of School, and Sander Grieve, Chair of the TFS Foundation Board. Students from the first cohort of Jardin d'éveil, who are now in Level II, were present to unveil the new name of the branch for our youngest students. "As parents, we put our trust and faith in the educators who spend their days guiding the growth and development of our children. For 26 years, families have put that trust and faith in Mme Hafez. And it's fair to say that she has taken up permanent residency in the hearts of all assembled here today. The outpouring of support we received makes this abundantly clear," Sander said at the event, referring to the amazing response we received to a tribute launched in her honour. Our community contributed over $1M to the Mirna Farah Hafez Tribute with gifts ranging from $20 to $250K, making Mme Hafez an honorary member of our highest level recognition society, which celebrates donors of $1M or more. Major gifts included an incredibly generous lead gift of $250,000 from TFS Foundation Board member Simon Chong and his wife Adriana Gonzalez-Chong, and a remarkable matching gift from Dr. Rita Kilislian and Andy Curnew. There was widespread participation from parents, past Mirna Farah Hafez Tribute Fund to foster creativi and innovation for future generations

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