Lower Elementary Biographies

Transcription

1 Lower Elementary Biographies Kerry Diaz- Team Lead Kerry Diaz began her career in education 16 years ago, when she earned her degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has taught 1st, 2nd or 3rd grades in both private and public school settings. Military life has brought her family to the area, but as her husband retires from service this year she is please to call Oceanside home. She's currently pursuing an AMS Montessori certification from the Montessori Center for Teacher Education in San Diego. She has studied other alternative education models by participating in Expeditionary Learning and Outward Bound training and the Children's Literacy Initiative. She enjoys hiking, swimming and going to the beach with her husband and two children. Kathleen Decker Kathleen has taught in Montessori schools in both the private and public sectors for the past 5 years. She taught in San Diego schools for six years before gratefully discovering the enrichment of the Montessori Method. She has an A. A. in psychology, a B. A. in liberal studies and is currently working on her Masters. She received her teaching credential from SDSU, then her CLEAR from UCSD. She has a love for learning, collecting certifications in all sorts of interests from reading specializations to scuba diving. As a native Californian growing up in Huntington Beach the ocean has been her playground. She is an adventure traveler. She has lived in Australia, Brazil and Guatemala. She is a blue water sailor, sailing a 32ft. sailboat from L.A. to Australia with her husband and then the Caribbean with her kids, too. She is excited to share this love of learning and passion for life as an adventure with her students. Vanessa Mueller Vanessa graduated from Cal State San Marcos University June 2011 with the bachelors degree in liberal studies. She continued on to get her teaching credential and was a substitute teacher in Poway Unified School District for two years. This past summer Vanessa just completed her Montessori lower elementary training and is excited to start her very first classroom. Kate Sullivan Kate is looking forward to her second year with the Bella Mente family! This will be her second year teaching Lower Elementary in Room 103. Kate received her Bachelor s Degree in Elementary Education, as well as her CA teaching credential through California State University San Marcos. She is currently working on her Master s degree at San Diego State, where she is studying Curriculum Development through the lens of Critical Literacy and Social Justice. Her studies and research focus on how we can ensure that ALL learners are supported and represented in the classroom and the school, whether it is through language development,

2 celebrating diversity, or providing a variety of opportunities for the many learning styles in the classroom. Kate is drawn to the Montessori philosophy for many reasons, but she loves the importance placed on Peace Education most of all. Kate is a San Diego transplant who moved out from Massachusetts eight years ago. She currently lives in Escondido with her adorable pug, Mr. Pugsly, but she loves spending time in Leucadia. In her free time she enjoys reading, sewing, knitting, dancing, yoga, and hiking. While she loves teaching, she also loves learning. This year she hopes to do some international travel to broaden her horizons. Kelly Sanders Rich Lugli Rich became part of the Montessori community in 2008 when he began his teaching career in Hartford, CT. He holds an undergraduate degree in education from Keene State College and an AMI Elementary credential from the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee. Since then, Rich has taught in both Lower and Upper Elementary environments and has obtained his Master of Education degree from the University of Hartford. He has also worked with the Montessori Training Center of New England as an AMI course assistant. Rich is very much invested in the success of public Montessori and is grateful for the opportunity to join the BMMA faculty. LeeAnna Epp Lee Anna Epp is a Lower Elementary teacher and the will be her third year teaching at Bella Mente Montessori Academy. She received her AMS Montessori teaching credential from Montessori Center for Teacher Education in San Diego, California. She has her California State teaching credential from California State University Fullerton and her B.A. from the University of San Diego. Amanda Lee Having spent six years in San Francisco, it was time for her to experience the sun and swimmable ocean again. After graduating from San Francisco State University in 2011, with a BA in Liberal Studies and her California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, she moved to San Diego not only for the sun, but in hopes of finding a teaching job. Montessori found Amanda and she believes strongly in integrating its methods using a creative approach in all academic areas. She loves to share her hobbies of cooking, dancing, gardening, and body-surfing with her students. She is ecstatic to be a Lower Elementary teacher at Bella Mente and looks forward to many fulfilling years to come.

3 Lauren Sebastian Lauren Sebastian graduated from San Diego State University in 2003 with a bachelor s degree in Political Science. She lived in San Francisco, and worked as an intervention specialist in Oakland Unified school district, for several years before pursuing her credential and master s degree in Elementary Education in Lauren worked as a resource teacher at All Souls Catholic School in South San Francisco before moving back to her hometown of San Diego. Lauren is married with two little boys, ages 6 and 4 and live in Oceanside, Ca. Her hobbies include reading, running, and spending time at the beach with her family. Lauren worked as a teacher s aid at Bella Mente last year and is looking forward to returning as a lower elementary teacher for the 2015/2016 school year. Teacher Assistants: Ms. Kayoko (With Ms. Amanda) Kayoko was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating Mejiro College in Tokyo with Japanese literature degree, she moved to Australia for a year to study English as a second language. She came to the U.S. in 2003 to marry to her husband. She has been a member of BMMA since its first year as a noon duty and a TA. She loves traveling and spending time with her husband, daughter and two dachshund. Ms. Bianca (With Ms. Lauren) Bianca originally relocated from Chicago to Southern CA for a nanny position. After having a child of her own, she decided to pursue formal education and chase after her childhood dream of becoming an early childhood educator. Bianca started with Bella Mente last year and worked with Ms. Aurora's class as a teachers assistant. This gave her the opportunity to really experience the Montessori environment and teaching techniques. Bianca enjoys spending time with her 5 year old son Gavin, coffee, hiking with her boxer Gracie, photography, spending time with family and friends and relaxing at the beach. Bianca is currently working to finish her degree and move forward in achieving a Montessori assistant certificate. Ms. Manisha (With Ms. Kate) Manisha Little has been a TA at Bella Mente for the past year. She is a Torrey Pines graduate with over 10 years experience in childcare and education. Her passion in education and the love for learning is her focus. She comes to us with a BA in Human Sciences from San Diego University for Integrative Studies where she focused on Integrative Modalities such as Expressive Arts and Developmental Psychology. She interned at the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital and worked at Casa De Amparo. After having children, her career path has evolved from therapeutic settings to the wonderful environment of Montessori education. Her passion and belief in the Montessori philosophy guides her daily. She received an AMS scholarship and obtained primary Montessori training from Monarch Bay Montessori

4 in Dana Point. As well as teaching in the classroom she also is an ABA trained interventionist/tutor providing in-home services for children. At the end of the day her greatest personal accomplishment has been her family and beautiful daughters Sophie and Harmony. Manisha is also a proud Bella Mente parent and truly values her accomplishments of having two daughters and providing an education that is based on her personal values as well as professional. Her value of innovative education that promotes life knowledge, extensive curriculum, and the love of learning is why Bella Mente has been a special place for her and her family from the very beginning. Ms. Janie (With Ms. Kerry) Janie Rebernik was an elementary school teacher for 14 years in Texas before moving to Oceanside with her husband, where she has lived since. Before teaching, she got her education at the University of Texas at Arlington and North Texas State University, earning a BA in Education and a M.Ed. She has two sons, a junior in high school and a freshman in college, whom she homeschooled until ninth grade. In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her family. She began working as a TA at Bella Mente last year, and she is very excited to be working with Miss Kerry in Lower Elementary this year. Ms. Khristian (With Ms. Kathleen) Khristian Clark is a Lower Elementary Teacher's Aide. She is originally from the Philippines. She has 11 years of experience working with children. She worked as a 6th grade teacher in Thailand for four years. In 2008, she moved to the States and has since worked in various schools. She has a degree in Mass Communication, Major in Journalism, as well as certificates in Early Childhood Education, Medical Administrative Assistant, and Dialysis Technician. She loves working with children because she believes that the education they get from school is a vital foundation for the kind of individuals they will become someday Ms. Kent and Ms. Lisa (With Ms. Kelly) Ms. Jennifer (With Ms. Vanessa) Jennifer Smith moved from Indiana to California last June to be with her husband who is in the Marines. They live together on Camp Pendleton with their two year old Saint Bernard/Australian Shepard mix. Jennifer graduated from Indiana University in 2013 with a Bachelor s Degree in Fine Arts and Humanities and is currently attending National University to obtain her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Before she moved to California, Jennifer worked at Walmart as the Department Manager of Toys and at a clothing store called Maurices. Jennifer s hobbies include scrapbooking, sewing, painting, drawing, and reading. Jennifer s dream has always been to be a teacher so she was really excited to become a teacher s assistant at Bella Mente. This will be her second year at Bella and she can t wait to for the upcoming year to grow and gain even more experience in the classroom.

5 Ms. Andrea (With Mr. Rich) Ms. Lisa (With Ms. Kelly) This is Lisa s second year of teaching at Bella Mente Charter School. She is a graduate of Cal Poly University and attained her teaching credential from National University. She has over twenty years of teaching experience in both private and public schools. She began her teaching career in Lake Elsinore but later married and moved to Oklahoma. Here she took a long break from teaching to raise her family and a few horses. When her kids were older, she returned to work and taught Kindergarten at a private school in Claremore, Oklahoma. She eventually returned to California and resumed teaching. She is married and has two grown children and five step children. In her spare time she likes to travel, garden, ride her horse and spend time at the beach. Ms. Melissa (with Ms. LeeAnna) Melissa Reilly will be starting her third year at Bella Mente. She went to Palomar College, where she studied Sign Language. Her interests are in nutrition, recently graduating from a year long course from Intergrative Nutrition. She is a certified Health Coach. Her hobbies include swimming, reading and Pilates. She is married and has a ten year old son who attends Bella Mente. She enjoys working with children and watching them grow academically and socially.