Meet The Little School of Keystone Staff

Meet The Little School of Keystone Staff

Dena Hoenig Valdez Head of Preschool Hello! Welcome to The Little School of Keystone! My name is Dena and I joined the Keystone staff in April of 2012. I am thrilled to have started Keystone s first preschool program! I have my Masters in Education and my Elementary Teaching Certification with a specialization in Early Childhood from Southwest Texas University, now referred to as Texas State University. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Family Studies with a Minor in Psychology from The University of Arizona. I am a native of San Antonio and graduate of Robert E. Lee High School. I have always loved children! My Early Childhood experience has included being a camp counselor, teacher and Early Childhood Director. After finishing graduate school, I was hired as the Director of Heintz Preschool of Congregation Agudas Achim. I started their early childhood program and was there for 14 years before leaving in 2012 to start The Little School of Keystone. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Christian. We have two wonderful children. Sari is 6 and graduated from The Little School of Keystone. She will be attending Kindergarten this year. Gavin is 8 and entering Third Grade. All of us are so excited to be part of the Keystone family! I would describe myself as a hugger and a kisser. Each day I look forward to greeting the children when they walk in our preschool doors. As the Head of Preschool, I look forward to working with each of you and making your child s early childhood education a very positive and memorable experience here at The Little School of Keystone.

Glenda Akers Office and Classroom Assistant I will be joining Little Keystone s staff for a third year as an assistant to the teachers. For the last 7 years, I have been the supervisor for Keystone School s aftercare program. I have enjoyed my time with Keystone School so much that I wanted to extend my work hours and become a devoted full time staff member. I have nurtured and cared for children for 35 years. I have taught children from infancy to 12 years in a child care setting. I have also been a Director for 3 preschools. I have a Bachelor of Science in Child Development from California State University Fullerton and a certificate in Administration from Santa Ana College California. I have six children, nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. I am a native of California. When my husband passed away nine years ago, I moved to Texas to be close to my daughters. I am so excited to be a part of Little Keystone and to be a part of your child s life here at The Little School.

Isabel Rodriguez-Henry Terrific Turtles Teacher and Afterschool Spanish Enrichment Teacher Welcome to the Little School of Keystone! My name is Isabel Henry and I am excited to be teaching in the Terrific Turtles classroom. I was born in Havana, Cuba and came to the United States when I was two years old. I have resided in San Antonio since 1973. I hold a bachelor s degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Special Education. I am certified to teach Pre- K through 6 th grade. Teaching Pre-K brings me the most joy because I enjoy creating a safe, nurturing classroom environment, along with fun hands-on learning. I completed a three-year program with the University of Houston for reading readiness for pre-kindergarten aged children. I am also bilingual certified. Along with teaching the Terrific Turtles, I am the afterschool Spanish enrichment teacher for the Little School of Keystone. My passion for the Spanish language and culture allow me to teach its importance and relevance with your children! In my spare time, I enjoy spending my time with my children Douglas and Luis Andrés, going to the beach, baking, and walking. I see teaching as a reciprocal relationship: As I teach, I also learn from my students. I will work with your children to become active learners, and most importantly, to never lose their love for learning.

Erin and her brother Erin and her husband Erin Ochoa Terrific Turtles Teacher Hi there! My name is Erin Ochoa and I am very excited to be your child s teacher at The Little School of Keystone. I was born in the San Francisco area of Hayward, California and grew up in Dublin, California for the first five years of my life. I moved to San Antonio, TX just in time to begin my school year in Kindergarten. My Kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Nye and she was the ideal teacher for me. She was full of comfort, nurture, and humor. It was then that I realized I always wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to bring that type of passion into a classroom with my own students. I graduated from Texas State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. I am certified to teach Early Childhood 4 th grade and English as a Second Language. During my time at Texas State, I was president for the Texas State Teachers Association and an Opinions Writer for the University Star (university newspaper). After graduating from Texas State, I was a substitute for Northside ISD for half a year before beginning a teaching position for Primrose. I taught Pre- Kindergarten, Preschool, and Kindergarten while at Primrose. In my last three years at Primrose, I was the Administrative Assistant and Mentor Teacher. While in college I met my future husband, Jason. He was taking summer classes in San Antonio when I met him. Jason is from San Antonio and graduated from Texas Tech University. We got married in June 2010. We enjoy traveling to exotic locations, doing home improvements, and cheering at Texas Tech/Texas State football games. We also have our baby, a shih-tzu named Ollie who I love to talk about to my students. I also enjoy doing crafts, being creative, baking, writing, watching movies, being with friends, family, and reading. I am very happy to be a part of your child s life and helping them grow academically and emotionally. My philosophy is that a classroom should be a home away from home where a child feels safe and can move freely by learning at their own pace. I look forward to meeting you and your child! This will be a fantastic new year!

Alle Neesham Busy Bug Teacher My name is Alle Neesham and I am so excited to be your child s teacher this year! I am a San Antonio native and graduated from the International School of the Americas. I received my bachelor s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas, Denton, and am certified to teach Early Childhood through 6 th grade and ESL students. I come from a long line of teachers and always knew that I would be a part of my family s legacy. During my high school s internship program, I was fortunate enough to intern in my mom s kindergarten classroom. From that wonderful experience I knew that teaching young children was my passion and where I belonged. Although my time spent in North Texas over the past 6 years was rewarding, I am very happy to be back in my hometown and teaching at The Little School of Keystone. When I am not in the classroom, I love to draw, paint, read, play tennis, and spend time with my family and friends. I also love to travel and explore new and exciting places every chance I get. I absolutely love a nurturing, yet challenging school environment and hope to pass my passion for learning on to your child!

Viviane van Poppel Busy Bug Teacher and Soccer Enrichment Teacher Hi! I am Viviane van Poppel. I was born in Belgium, Europe and moved to San Antonio when I was 11 years old. I became an American Citizen last year but I am recognized as holding a dual citizenship in the Netherlands, so I am still Dutch as well. I grew up speaking French and Dutch. I still speak both as much as I can. It was my 2 nd grade teacher in Belgium that inspired me to become a teacher. I also always knew that I wanted to be a mother and have children of my own. I have 2 great boys. Chase is 12 and Vance is 9. I am certified to teach and graduated from UTSA with an Early Childhood Education degree. My most recent venture in teaching has been working for the past 7 years as a Pre-K teacher (3 s, 4 s & 5 s). I feel a great sense of joy when I see a child grow socially, emotionally, and academically. This is why I really enjoy teaching. One thing that can always bring a smile to my face is when a student comes up to me with a great sense of accomplishment from doing his or her work and that I know, as a teacher, that I helped that student feel that confidence. I have also enjoyed coaching a number of team sports over the years (mostly soccer) and it has been exciting to help build a love of sports in these younger children and watch them grow. I am so excited to be a part of The Little School of Keystone and I can t wait to meet everyone!

Janet and her brother Janet, her husband and two children Janet Whitworth Welcome to the Little School of Keystone! I am excited to say that I am one of the Pre-K 4 teachers! I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences, and I have been with The Little School of Keystone since they opened their doors! While in college I met my husband, Josh. We married in 2011 and in 2013 we welcomed our son, Liam into the world. In March we were blessed with our daughter Olivia! I love teaching and I am looking forward to getting to know each of you this coming year!

Angela Brysch Garcia Rainforest Monkey Room Teacher I am a San Antonio native. My family of 3 dogs, 3 children and patient husband enjoy an active lifestyle in northwest San Antonio. I have a Bachelors of Art in Psychology with continued studies in child development, CDA in early childhood studies and teaching certification EC-6. As early childhood education is my passion I continue to develop my craft by attending professional seminars and researching teaching methods and their strategies to further reach every learner. I feel privileged to call The Little School of Keystone my school home. It is exciting to work with this team of excellent teachers. Educating young children inspires me and I am incredibly impressed with the compassionate strategies The Little School of Keystone applies to inspire their students and teaching teams. My favorite things? The expressions on a child s face when that light bulb shines because of new learning and the pride of mastering a milestone. Banana chips are high of my list also. I believe there is more to learn during the process of learning than the result. I continue to seek methods to challenge children to higher thinking thus appreciating their individuality and creating lifetime learners. I look forward again working within the dedication, encouragement, and heart that is The Little School of Keystone.

- Michelle with her husband and Snowflake Michelle Gann Rainforest Frog Room Teacher Hello there! My name is Michelle Gann and I am excited to be your child s teacher at the Little School of Keystone! I was born in Kennesaw, GA and lived there for about 6 months before my father was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. All my life I have moved around experiencing different cultures from Alaska to the southern coast of the U.S. In all of these adventures I attended 8 different schools. This experience is what sparked my interest of being a teacher. All of my teachers welcomed me into their classrooms with open arms; even if this was in the middle of the school year and treated me as if I was there from the first day of school. Finally, after all of our moves I settled back into my home state of Georgia where I graduated from high school and attended college. I graduated from Berry College in Rome, GA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education with an ESL endorsement. While I was attending Berry College, I worked as an assistant teacher at the Berry College Child Development Center working with 3-5 year olds. After graduating from Berry College, I accepted the Private Kindergarten teaching position at Primrose School of Huebner Village, where I worked for four years. I met my husband when I was 8 years old in my Nana s Sunday school class. You could say it was love at first sight! We married in August of 2012 in Castroville, TX. Even though Georgia is our forever home, we have enjoyed Texas and the adventures it has brought us thus far. We enjoy traveling, taking cruises, visiting our home state, playing co-ed soccer, and enjoying the outdoors together. We also have our dog daughter, a Maltipoo named Snowflake who we adopted in October of 2013. I also enjoy being crafty, cooking new foods, and hanging out with friends and family. I am very excited to be a part of the Little School of Keystone and getting to know the families new and old! This year will be fantastic!

Lizzie Perez-Wences Rainforest Frog Room Teacher Hi! I am so excited to be fulfilling my dreams at The Little School of Keystone. I will be a part of your child s life in the classroom by nurturing them and teaching them during the school day. I was born and raised in Mexico City. I am fluently bilingual and bicultural. I am proud to call UTSA my Alma Mater and very happy to be living in San Antonio. I have two little dogs that I love very much. They make my life fun and interesting. I enjoy reading, practicing yoga and golf every opportunity the weather allows. I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to work with your children during this school year. I hope to get to know each and every one of you.

, Age 4 Beth Ruiz Yoga Teacher Aloha! My name is Ms. Beth and I m the yoga teacher at the Little School of Keystone. Your children make my day with their creativity, giggles, and constant wonder about life. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by amazing kids, families, and teachers. Thank you! My family is from California, and I married my best buddy Victor, a San Antonio Native. We have a loving daughter named Chloie, who will be 6 this year. Our other family members include an Australian Shepherd Border Collie dog, 3 kitties, and some chickens. Growing up, my parents were teachers overseas, so I ve lived in many places all over the world. Thus, I have a passion for travel, teaching, and learning about cultures. I became a teacher 15 years ago, and have been doing yoga since I was in college. I ve taught in California, Taiwan, and of course, here in Texas. My other passions in life are my family, animals, the ocean, and just being in the moment. If I m not teaching yoga, you ll find me planning my next family vacation, camping out in nature, or making a mess in the kitchen with my daughter. We love to cook and enjoy the process just as much as the product.

Creative Imagery Movement Motor Development Acrobatics Physical Fitness & Agility Ballet & Tap Floor Jennifer Reid Dance Teacher My name is Jennifer Reid, my students call me Ms. Jennifer. Since 2004 I have had the joy of being a Kinderdance Franchisee and a Certified Early Childhood Movement Specialist. I am a Texas Native and San Antonio has been my home since 1978! I have been married 23 years to a wonderful man and we have three beautiful children. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, antiquing and exploring the Hill Country. Throughout my childhood I enjoyed dance and consider myself very blessed to have the best "job" in the whole wide world! My staff and I are excited about being a part of your child s learning experience at The Little School of Keystone. KDAC is committed to positively impacting our children and families by instilling self-confidence and self-esteem while fostering a love of movement and dance in an inclusive, noncompetitive environment. We place special emphasis on celebrating milestones and accomplishments of each child through the use of our uniquely designed curriculum and teaching method. We look forward to getting to know your children more throughout the coming school year!

Jackie Shepherd Music Enrichment Teacher Greetings! My name is Jackie Shepherd and I am thrilled to be joining the staff of The Little School of Keystone. I just concluded a 32 year career in public school education. Retirement allows me to pursue my passions, which include making music with young children! This is truly a dream job for me. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Austin College, a Master of Arts in Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Boston University. (Can you tell I love school?) My doctoral research focused on early childhood music education and music education policy. In addition to my academic degrees, I am certified in Orff-Schukwerk and Dalcroze Eurhythmics music methods. I was born and raised in San Antonio. My husband Scott and I, along with our four terriers and four birds, live in the house my parents moved into three days before I was born. I am the proud mother of two adult sons and a precious 3 year-old granddaughter. In addition to making music with the children of the Little School of Keystone, I lead Music Together classes for The Children s Chorus of San Antonio and teach Les Mills BodyPump and Pound fitness classes in several San Antonio gyms. In our Keystone music classes, we will engage in all types of music, experiencing them through active participation. My philosophy of music education for young children is influenced by the Dalcroze philosophy that active music making, called Eurhythmics, develops musicianship through singing, improvising, and purposeful and creative movement. Active learners develop a thorough, long-term understanding of the material and concepts they are studying, allowing music to become a natural part of their self-expression. We will have many opportunities to sing, dance, play instruments and explore the sounds of music from all across the globe. I look forward to sharing these experiences with your children!

Jackie Litofsky Spanish Enrichment Teacher Hola! My name is Jackie and I am so excited to be the Spanish Teacher. I was born and raised in Mexico City. I have a degree in Communications. I moved to San Antonio in 1996 when I got married to my wonderful husband, Martin. We have two fantastic boys Alec, 18 and Jordan, 15. I worked for Dena as a Spanish teacher for 7 years at her former school and now I am thrilled to be part of The Little School of Keystone. I really love when I see the kids learn and absorb another language. As the year goes by it is really impressive to see how much the children learn. You are more than welcome to come and be part of my class or to ask me any questions. Looking forward to meeting everyone! Adios! Te veo pronto!

Stephanie Kane Student Teacher and Aftercare Teacher Hello there! My name is Stephanie Kane and I am very excited for this upcoming school year! I know we will have lots of fun while learning and exploring. I have just completed my Bachelor s degree in Education from Texas A&M San Antonio and look forward to continuing my Master s degree. This fall I will be finishing my certification with these wonderful teachers! I am going on my fourth year working at Keystone and I love the environment, staff and students. Thank you for sharing your wonderful kiddos with all of us! Rachel Calderon Aftercare Teacher Hi! My name is Rachel Calderon. I will be one of your child s afterschool care teachers. I have worked at Keystone School for 3 years. I started with the custodial staff and then joined The Little School of Keystone s aftercare team. I love working with children and I am thrilled to be part of The Little School of Keystone s aftercare program. I have two grown children of my own, one son and one daughter. I also have two wonderful grandchildren. I love the outdoors! I really enjoy bike riding and camping. I look forward to sharing some outdoor fun with your child!

Diana Rabelo Aftercare Teacher Hello! I am Diana Rabelo. I joined The Little School of Keystone staff in 2013. I was working in the afterschool care program at Big Keystone and transferred over to The Little School. I love children! I am currently going to UTSA to pursue a degree in the Interdisciplinary Studies for Early Childhood Education as a Bilingual Generalist. I am passionate about what I do and I love my job. Every day I look forward to playing, creating and having a fun afternoon with the children. Then Joseph Hawbecker Aftercare Teacher Hello! My name is Joseph Hawbecker and I am delighted to be one of the afterschool care teachers. I am currently a senior at Central Catholic High School. I am interested in pursuing a career in education and I feel this will be a great opportunity. I am excited for the school year and ready to have a year full of learning and discovery.