With a teaching career spanning across 25 years, Monique Lloyd has proven to be a highly valued and integral member of St Mary's and the wider Upper Hunter community.
Her efforts were recently recognised, receiving the prestigious Emmaus Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“I feel very humbled by the whole experience,” Ms Lloyd said. “I feel that this recognition is not just for me but the whole school community, working together to support each other, where every member of the team is valued and appreciated.”
St Mary's principal Kim Wilson said Mrs Lloyd comes to school every day with the purpose of making a difference. She ensures that children feel supported and cared for and constantly differentiates work so that every child is able to achieve and succeed.
“Monique sees the uniqueness of every child and quietly encourages them to live out the Gospel values by following her example,” Ms Wilson said. “She holds the Mary MacKillop quote, ‘never see a need without doing something about it’, close to her heart and her teaching practices.”
Over the past two years, St Mary’s has been on a journey to become a Positive Education school where children’s social and emotional wellbeing is paramount. It has implemented explicit teaching of social and emotional lessons and initiated many schoolwide activities that focus on the importance of wellbeing.
As a member of the Positive Education Implementation team, Ms Lloyd has led the way with many of these classroom and schoolwide initiatives. She is also instrumental in supporting the wellbeing of staff members through her kindness, understanding and compassion, as noted in her citation.
“What is rewarding is building relationships and making connections with so many students and their families,” Ms Lloyd said.
Humbled by the recognition, she said she “feels grateful to have the leadership of Kim Wilson, our school principal, who goes above and beyond in her dedication to her role”.
Congratulations Monique Lloyd.
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