Mr. Mario Boccia
Mr. Boccia was born in Italy. His family of five emigrated to Canada in 1967. His parents imparted strong moral values and the idea that work will always get you further ahead in life.
He earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English, with a double minor in History and Italian, from the University of Toronto.
It was at this time that he decided to pursue a career in Education. He obtained his Bachelor of Education from Brock University and a Master of Education from York University.
He joined the Metropolitan Separate School Board, which later became the Toronto Catholic District School Board in 1984. As a teacher he always looked for challenges and achieved success with each specific one.
He worked with the Ministry of Education creating exemplars in Mathematics and Visual Arts departments. He began his administrative career in 2002 with an appointment as a Vice Principal, a position he held for two years before promotion to Principal.
As Principal, Mr. Boccia served three communities, two in Canada and one in Taiwan, spanning almost two decades. He believes in a team approach and aspires to be a servant leader, putting others before himself.
He is married and is the father of three: Piero, Gabriella and Stefano.
Mr. Boccia is humbled to be a member of the As-Sadiq family and is looking forward to all the challenges ahead. He is an ardent student of Islam and seeks new insights with his personal spirituality. He is looking forward to working in our community and together achieving the next level for As-Sadiq Islamic School.
Sr. Asma Panju (Montessori)
Sr. Asma Panju comes from a family that has long had roots in education. She was born in Pakistan and immigrated to Canada in 1994. After completing her Montessori training in 1995, she started her career as a teacher at Central Montessori School in North York.
In 2003, Sr. Asma joined the As-Sadiq family and worked alongside Marhum Aunali Moledina to establish and develop the school’s Montessori program. Starting with two classrooms and 35 students, she has worked tirelessly to improve and expand this program to nine classrooms with almost 200 students.
In 2014, she spearheaded the initiative to establish a Ministry of Education regulated Child Care program, another milestone for the school and our community. Following the introduction of the Childcare, Sr. Asma officially moved into an administrative role as Daycare and Montessori Supervisor. In 2018, she took on the position of one of the Vice Principals at As-Sadiq which allows her to better serve her students and further develop the program she loves.
Sr. Asma is also the lead Event Coordinator at the school working closely with the Board of Trustees, staff, community, as well as external organizations to ensure our students are given the most fulfilling opportunities to participate in religious and secular programs/events to enrich their educational experience.
As one of the longest-standing members of the As-Sadiq staff, Sr. Asma believes As-Sadiq to be a shining beacon for the entire Shia community. She has channeled her passion directly into helping the school achieve the many successes it has over the years and looks forward to continuing to serve the youth of this community.
Ms. Lee Burnie (Elementary and High School)
Ms. Burnie joins our As-Sadiq Islamic School with an impeccable career in the Catholic school board. She has been in teaching for over 30 years, many of which she served in the capacity of vice principal and principal.
She brings a wealth of experience in training teachers in leadership, which are an asset for our staff. Her morals and values are consistent with the great leaders who have served As-Sadiq so proudly in the past. She has a deep passion for education and the success of all learners.
