Primary Staff
Gill Tyrer
Head of Primary
Hello and welcome! My name is Gill Tyrer and I am the new Primary Head at ICS, having taken over from Sue Hill at the end of the summer and I am already enjoying the challenges this new post brings. For the previous three years I taught Year 5 here at ICS and led and managed the Key Stage 2 team. Before coming to Jordan, I was the Head Teacher of a large Primary school in England where I taught in British Primary schools for 20 years. I have been very pleased to see many familiar families this term and am looking forward to meeting our new families over the next few weeks. In my spare time I enjoy exploring this wonderful country, spending my time walking my two energetic dogs and diving. This year I am determined to persevere with learning some more Arabic.
Anna Burgess
Reception
I am Anna Burgess and I have been the Reception Teacher here at the ICS for the last four years, before that I was the Year 4 teacher. I qualified as a Teacher in 1999 in Liverpool, in the UK. I taught in the UK for 3 years then moved to China for 2 years before I came to the ICS. This is now my 5th year in Jordan where I have made many friends and I still love it as much as i did on the day I arrived! I enjoy swimming, working out in the gym, walking,dancing, reading, drinking coffee ( with soya milk !) and shopping ! I am looking forward to our move to the new school and being involved in the organisation of the new Nursery unit!
Judith Hamadeh
SEN Teacher
Hi my name is Judith Hamadeh and I work with a fantastic and hard working group of children who have Special Educational Needs within the primary school. I came to Jordan in September 1995 to work at the ICS (I was Judith Everson then), only a two year contract and yet I am still here! I met my husband Nabil here in Jordan and now have two boys, Hasan and Zaid, who also joined the ICS this September. As a family we enjoy the outdoor life and spend our time caring for a wide variety of animals. I am a keen horse rider and very much enjoy passing on my love of all animals to children whenever the opportunity arises.
Sophie Shkoukani
Year 1
Hi I'm Sophie! I was born in the UK and moved to Jordan eight years ago. Whilst studying for my degree I worked as a teaching assistant in a private school then moved to the ICS after hearing so many positive comments. It was here that I realised that I wanted teaching to be my chosen career so I returned to the UK to study at the University of Hull. I am currently the Year 1 teacher and am having great fun. I enjoy meeting new people and I'm a shopaholic!
Catherine Valencia
Year 1
Hi, my name is Catherine and I originally come from Chester, UK. I have been teaching in Foundation stage/KS1 for 11 years, with the last 5 years spent teaching overseas in Colombia, the UAE and now Jordan. I am looking forward to an interesting year in Jordan and have been very impressed by the warm welcome I have received in Amman.
I can speak Spanish fluently, although my Arabic still needs a lot of work!!!!
Saima Asif
Year 2
Hello! I currently teach year 2 and am enjoying every moment of it. My undergraduate studies were in science, and completed my PGCE from the University of Sunderland in the U.K. I have two boys, one in year 9 and the other in year 5. This is our fourth year in Amman. We have lived in many countries over the last 15 years, the last being a 2 year stint in Dubai.
Brenda Bedigan Booth
Year 2
My name is Brenda Bedigan-Booth and I am thrilled to be returning to ICS and to be teaching in Year 2. I am originally from the much loved city of Newcastle, in the north of England. I have taught for many years both in the UK and overseas, most often working in the area of Foundation and Key Stage 1, however with a specific expertise in special needs. I spent significant periods of my own childhood travelling around Europe and the Gulf on an oil tanker with my family and father who was a Master Mariner in the British Merchant Navy. It was probably this unusual upbringing which sparked my enthusiasm and passion for international education. I have taught in the UK, Singapore, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Switzerland whilst also working for several years, during school holidays, for a shipping company organising children’s entertainment aboard cruise liners. My interests are diverse and include discovering and using alternative health therapies, ice skating, skiing, knitting, reading thriller stories, aerobics, weight training and cycling.
Estelle Burder
Year 3
My name is Estelle Burder and I am from Ireland. I will be teaching now for my fourth year, in Year 3 here at the ICS. This year I will also be leading and managing the Year 3 and 4 team. I have been living and working abroad now for some time and my career had taken me to Spain, Thailand and China where I have also worked as a Primary Teacher in International Schools. In my spare time I enjoying relaxing with my family and spending time with my daughter.
Elizabeth Wales
Year 3
I am very pleased to be part of the ICS primary team. On arriving in Jordan to take up my post I was given the warmest of welcomes and the support has continued. I have been a UK qualified teacher since the early 1970’s and still love working with children. As for my spare time, well I am usually busy but I do try to find time for painting. I am looking forward to contributing towards the school’s future.
Michelle Gibson
Year 4
Hi, I am Michelle Gibson and I am from Melbourne in Australia. I have completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of teaching degree.
I am teaching the fabulous year 4 class this year.
When I am not teaching, I enjoy travelling, music, art and look forward to discovering the many wonderful sites of Jordan.
Carolyn Eccleston
Year 4
My name is Carolyn Eccleston. I have moved to Jordan having just finished three years in Kuwait.
I qualified from Lancaster University in 2003 and initially taught in Preston before deciding to work overseas.
I really enjoy travelling and being in Jordan provides me with the opportunity to continue exploring the east. I enjoy playing basketball and skiing and last year I represented the Kuwait netball team! I am excited about all the new opportunities we will have at the new ICS site.
Roz McIlwaine
Year 5
Hello, my name is Roz McIlwaine; my family and I come from Ireland. We have lived in Jordan for more than 10 years and have three children at ICS. We really enjoy the country, its wonderful people and especially the weather! As a family we have been involved with the ICS community for 7 years. I have a PCGE from Sunderland University in England. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed my first year teaching at ICS and am looking forward to another great year with Year 5!
Michael Wilson
Year 5
Hello, my name is Michael Wilson. I am the Deputy Head of the Primary School. I am married to Karen and have a daughter called Grace who is 3. I worked in schools in the UK for ten years before moving to Cyprus and then onto Jordan. Whilst working in the UK I attended many courses to develop myself professionally including Deputy Head training. I am currently class based and work in Year 5. I am looking forward to my new role and the new challenges it brings.
Camille Dunn
Year 6
Hello! I'm Camille Dunn and I'm from Ontario, Canada. This is my fourth year teaching Year 6 here at the ICS, having previously taught Reception/Year 1 in the UK, Year 6 in Ethiopia and Year 4 in Colombia. I’m extremely content in Amman because ICS is a great school and I love the fact that the students are so eager to learn. I also love the fact that they’ve all got such great personalities and sense of humours so it makes teaching both enjoyable and fun!
My favourite thing to do, aside from teaching of course, is to travel. My goal in life is to visit every country in the world and I feel I’m doing pretty well so far, having already been to 91 (only a little more than 100 more to go… woohoo!) and I hope to continue to increase this number throughout the school year and beyond. I also love music (I’m hoping to start taking guitar lessons this year), drama and to play a wide variety of sports, which I hope to continue to do a lot of during this school year!
Kevin Booth
Year 6
My name is Kevin Booth, and I’m delighted to be teaching a year 6 class at ICS. My wife Brenda teaches in year 2. I am originally from the beautiful City of Bath, in England, and during my career I have taught pupils of all ages from Reception to Year 9 students, mainly in the UK, but more recently in Qatar and Switzerland. This is my first time in Jordan, but I already feel very much at home – the Mediterranean type climate is just wonderful, very similar to that of our adopted country of residence, Mallorca, but without the humidity. The hospitality of the Jordanian people is well known throughout the world, and I have now had the opportunity to experience this at first hand; everyone I have met has been very helpful or kind, and it is evident that a smile or shared joke will easily overcome any initial language difficulties. I am a keen amateur photographer and ornithologist, and I also enjoy participating in a variety of activities, including tennis, badminton, soccer, fishing, golf, snorkelling and sailing.
Julie Nasser
EAL Teacher
Hello! My name is Julie Nasser. I started teaching in 1983 and joined the ICS in 1993. I have taught Nursery through to adults, including work with children who have a Special Educational Need, (SEN.) For the past ten years, I have taught English as an Additional Language, (EAL) and Literacy support. In my spare time, I like reading, writing poetry, gardening and stamp collecting. My two daughters joined the ICS in the Nursery. Yasmin is now in Year 11; whilst Maryam is now in Year 7!
Rawan Qumsieh
Nursery Teacher
Hi, I'm Rawan! I was born in Palestine, raised in the U.S. and moved to Jordan 5 years ago. This is my first year working at the ICS and I'm enjoying every moment. I'm teaching a fantastic group of Nursery children and working with a great team of Teacher Assistants. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, music, good food and spending time with friends and family.