Burlington Christian Academy Faculty and Staff
Administration
Shannon Matter
Principal
Shannon has her Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Diana St. John
Office Administrator
Diana has been part of our Burlington Christian Academy family since 2018. She is excited to be working as the Office Administrator and enjoys leading our students who assist with office duty and snack shop.
Lyn MacLeod
Accounting
Lyn MacLeod – Accounting Lyn joined Burlington Christian Academy in 2019 as Accounting Manager. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Calgary and earned her Certified General Accountant designation in 1994.
Homeroom Teachers
Avril Helfer
Junior Kindergarten
Avril comes from a social work background and has a masters degree in social work from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. She then completed her Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Foundation Phase) from the University of South Africa.
Jen Bye
Senior Kindergarten
Jen joined the Burlington Christian Academy family in 2007. She received a B.A. and B.Ed from Redeemer University College and has the following additional qualifications: Kindergarten Specialist, Special Education Specialist, and Reading Part 1.
Brie Chapman
Grade 1
Brie is excited to be teaching Grade 1 this year! She has been part of our Burlington Christian Academy family since 2012 and received both her BA Honours and Bachelor of Education from Nipissing Univerisity/Schulich School of Education in North Bay, Ontario.
Julian Aldous
Grade 2
Julian graduated from Trinity Theological College, in Bristol, UK way back in the 90’s and then took the equivalent of a teaching degree at another university in Bristol.
Candice Quesada
Grade 3
Candice has been teaching at Burlington Christian Academy for 18 years. She taught grade 2 for many years and now teaches grade 3.
Michelle Collier
Grade 4
Michelle joined the Burlington Christian Academy teaching team in 2010 and is excited to continue her role this year as the Grade 4 homeroom teacher.
Ileah Rosella
Grade 5
Ileah holds an honours degree in Musical Theatre Performance from Sheridan College as well as a Bachelor of Education from York University.
Emily Lazzaro
Grade 6
Homeroom Emily is excited to be returning to Burlington Christian Academy as the grade 6 homeroom, Bible and Language Arts, and grade 8 Language Arts teacher this year!
Dan Cope
Grade 7
In addition to being the Grade 7 teacher, Dan also heads up the EdVenture program here at Burlington Christian Academy. He has his honours BA from McMaster University, and his B. Ed. from the University of Western Ontario.
JD Collier
Grade 8
JD graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. and completed his B. Ed. at the University of Toronto. In addition to the grade 8 homeroom teacher, he is also the ALPA coordinator and manages the school IT department. His passion for sports and young athlete development leads him to coach a variety of sports throughout the year.
Specialty Teachers
John Lewis Morvan
I am thrilled and beyond grateful to join the Burlington Christian Academy team as the new JK-8 French teacher. I have 6 years of experience teaching French to students in grades 3-12.
Teresa Hawton
Grade 4 to 8 Mathematics
Mathematics Teresa has a B.A.(Honours) and a B.Ed. from Nipissing University in North Bay. She has her Jr/Intermediate Qualifications with a Math teachable.
Hillary Jamieson
School of the Arts
Hillary is a music teacher and educator with experience in teaching church music and a passion for encouraging and enabling her students to develop a love for music.
Jude Kudera
Music, Computers and Media
“Mr. K” started teaching at Burlington Christian Academy in September 2019. This year Mr. Kudera will be teaching music, science, and computers.
Natalie Spencer-Katzmann
Music, Jr. Curtain Call and Resource
Natalie is Franco-Ontarienne (French Canadian) and a graduate of the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music.
Sam Price
Director of Special Education
Samantha started teaching at Burlington Christian Academy in 2001. As the Director of Special Education, and an Educational Therapist, Samantha’s role is to equip her students with the ability to advocate for their success in the classroom.
Mrs. Monique Wilsenach
Grade 7
Paraeducators
Jennifer Grigsby
Mrs. C.' has been a part of the Burlington Christian Academy community since 2009 and joined the staff team in 2017. Mrs. C. is very excited to return for her 7th year here at Burlington Christian Academy as an Educational Assistant in the Primary Division.
Cristina Ivosev
Cristina (Magdalena) joined Burlington Christian Academy in 2021. She has earned a degree in Psychology and Special Education, from her home country and has an experience of more than 20 years working with neurodivergent persons.
Rebecca Mathieu
Truly blessed to join the Burlington Christian Academy community this year (2025-2026). Have an Administrative Studies Diploma and Legal Office Assistant Certificate from HBI college.
Samantha Purdy
Samantha joined Burlington Christian Academy as an Educational Assistant in 2023. She has a college diploma from Niagara College in Educational Assistant- Special Needs Support as well as finishing courses on Applied Behaviour Analysis.
Jubilee Rowe
English as a Second Language, Aftercare Leader
Jubilee is excited to join Burlington Christian Academy this year in teaching English as Second Language, leading Aftercare, and as an Educational Assistant.
Micah Limmer
Micah is happy to be joining the Burlington Christian Academy community this year as an Educational Assistant. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in French, with a minor in Math.
What Our Parents Are Saying
The teachers and staff make all the difference. The teachers see their job as a calling and not just a job. Many will go over and beyond. The Christian worldview is prevalent throughout learning and it is encouraging to see the level of faith and commitment among staff and teachers.
BCA teachers and staff are among the most dedicated and caring individuals I have known. Parents often face each year with trepidation that their child will have a new teacher. Well, at BCA they truly defy all odds in that ALL the teachers are fantastic and each year is as great as the last. Every teacher is so well suited for the particular age group that they teach.
My kids are so excited to come to school every day, the teachers are loving and caring and compassionate and love the Lord. The passion the teachers have to teach is genuine.
BCA’s teachers are some of the most passionate I have ever had the pleasure of partnering with. Their love for the kids at BCA is so great, that even when I interact with those that don’t teach my children, they know something special about each of them, and are always very positive in their comments. Bottom line is that BCA teachers genuinely care about the students in their charge...and it shows.
