Edward ("Ed") Walters
Head of School B.S. - Biology & Psychology, InterAmerican University
Master of Education - Science, Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA) Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Ed has been a highly regarded educator for over 30 years. He began his career as a science teacher and department head and quickly was recruited to add school finance and management to his responsibilities. During his career, he has held the positions of Business Manager, Director of Strategic Planning, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Operations, and Head of School. He and his family spent 30 years in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, where Ed rose to be a senior faculty member in the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Head of the Science Department at Sewickley Academy, a pre-K-12 school of nearly 800 students. Ed was born in Puerto Rico and is a fluent Spanish speaker. He also is an avid supporter of children's sports programs and was named Coach of the Year six times for his leadership in student soccer and basketball teams. Ed shares his love of science by guiding our students though a wide variety of hands-on science experiments. Erin Mahollitz Lead Teacher - Second Grade B.A. magna cum laude - Art History, Whitman College
Master in Teaching - Seattle University Teaching Credential - Washington Erin is joining us at Alta Vista after spending the last two years in Estonia teaching third grade in the International School. Erin’s goal as a teacher is to empower
children with the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to better themselves
and the world around them.
She has a variety of classroom
experience, including in schools in Washington and Wisconsin. Erin thrives on the power of integrating
technology with teaching and is both an active Tweeter and blogger. Erin focuses on children’s natural senses of wonder and community to nurture her students as learners – sharing,
discussing, and celebrating their thinking in the spirit of “together we know
more.” Jessica (''Gessi") Romero Wiese Lead Teacher - First GradeB.A. - Elementary Education & English Literature, Master in Curriculum Development - New School University International TEFL Certificate (Barcelona, Spain) Teaching Credential - New York Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Gessi has dedicated herself to young learners in San Francisco, Boston, New York, and Barcelona, Spain in both public and private schools. A founding faculty member at Alta Vista School, she has been teaching for ten years, including Kindergarten, First Grade and Montessori classrooms. Her professional interests include bilingual education and child psychology. Gessi is focused on fostering an independent and nurturing learning environment for each of her students. Cara Brunello Lead Teacher - Kindergarten B.A. cum laude - Political Science (major) & Spanish (minor),
Master in Creative Writing - New College of California Study Abroad - Universidad de Salamanca, Spain Apprentice - Friends' School Teacher Preparation Program Teaching Credential - Colorado Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Cara
joined Alta Vista School as a founding faculty member after returning
from teaching positions in Argentina, South Korea, and Colorado where
she taught first grade at the Friends' School in Boulder. Cara is
dedicated to incorporating literacy into all areas of study and has
previously worked as a creative writing instructor in SFUSD enrichment
programs. Cara greatly enjoys developing rich curriculum centered around
science, and creating a fun and stimulating academic environment for
students. This
summer, Cara attended the August Reading Institute at Columbia
University's Teachers College in New York City, as well as traveled to
Costa Rica - the study of which she is integrating into an Ecosystems & Adaptations Unit taught in Kindergarten at Alta
Vista School. Outside
of the classroom, Cara loves cooking, dancing, watching films, reading,
and most of all traveling - she has visited more than 25 countries! Lili Rocha Lead Teacher - Kindergarten B.A. - Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Spanish,
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential - Bay Area Teacher
Teaching Credential - California Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Lili Rocha is joining the Alta Vista team after spending the last three years at San Francisco Friends School, where she was both an assistant kindergarten and assistant third grade teacher, and the lead first grade teacher during the 2010- 2011 academic year. She also has worked as the After-School Site Coordinator at Junipero Serra Elementary School, where she was responsible for over 100 children in a K-5 program. Lili is a respected flexible curriculum innovator, who eagerly incorporates social and emotional learning into her everyday classroom routines and lessons. When Lili is not developing innovative classroom material, she is as an avid sports participant and often can be found playing soccer on a team named Zia in the Golden Gate Women's Soccer League. Taira McKinney Lead Teacher - Jr Kindergarten B.A. - Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Elementary Education,
A.A. - Child Development, Santa Rosa Junior College Certificate - Gesell Developmental Observation
Taira's adventurous spirit comes from growing up on a farm with four sisters. She has over 4 1/2 years experience in various preschool and kindergarten environments, including as a founding faculty member at Alta Vista School. She has been active in City of Dreams as a mentor to children in San Francisco. Taira loves creating imaginative, participatory lessons for our students and planning outings that expose them to diverse learning opportunities in our vibrant city! Casey Cushing
Bookends Lead/Alta Vista Adventures/Community Leader
B.A. - Interdisciplinary Studies: Writing & Literature &
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with BCLAD emphasis
Teaching Credential - California Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Casey brings a love of nature and the arts to her teaching. Casey also shares an array of exciting experiences and interests with our Alta Vista community: she is a poet and children's book author and former manager of an organic farm, permaculture designer, and wilderness guide. She is also passionate about movement arts and is trained in yoga and Afro-Brazilian dance. Prior to joining Alta Vista as a founding faculty member, Casey was an ecology/garden/arts educator as part of A Living Library at Gordon J. Lau Elementary and Denman Middle School. Casey's focus is on enriching our project-based curriculum and Bookends program with a diversity of fun and stimulating activities. Katie Lynn Anderson Assistant Teacher - 1st and 2nd Grades B.A. - Anthropology, Writing & Economics, Washington
Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Katie Lynn is truly an adventurer of the world. While an undergraduate, she co-founded and directed Camp Kumquat, a free-of-charge urban farm camp to connect St. Louis youth with the source of their food - the earth! She has led wilderness trips for pre-teens, spent a summer working with organic coffee farmers in Honduras, and traveled to southern India to spend a semester studying integral sustainability at a global eco-village. Katie Lynn's most recent adventure was in Kenai, Alaska, where she worked as a researcher as part of a conservation study centered on sockeye salmon sustainability and the monitoring of healthy streams and lake ecosystems in the area. As part of the project, Katie Lynn counted 43,000 sockeye salmon as they migrated from sea to lake. Weaving together her passion for youth education, environmental conservation and social justice, Katie Lynn shares her love for exploration at Alta Vista and cultivates an awareness and dedication to co-creating a more livable planet. Sophie Koshland B.S. - Biochemisty , Haverford College Masters in Education - University of Pennsylvania Sophie Koshland has joined Alta Vista as a volunteer aide in our First Grade classroom. Sophie comes to us from Pennsylvania, where she completed her graduate studies in education at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of her graduate school program, Sophie designed and taught a unit where students used their knowledge of physics to conduct experiments with working mousetrap race cars. We are thrilled to have Sophie and her creative teaching ideas as part of our growing community. Jacqueline ("Jacque") Kramer Assistant Teacher - Kindergarten B.A. - Theater & English, Bennington College (Vermont) Study Abroad - Barcelona, Spain for Spanish & Religious
Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) A San Francisco native, Jacque is thrilled to be joining the Kindergarten community at Alta Vista. She began working with children at Camp Tawonga in Yosemite, where she realized that children have a powerful energy and capability to be teachers themselves. Her desire to facilitate children’s learning processes inspired her to teach, starting in the 3rd grade classroom at a bi-lingual school in the Mission where she developed her skills planning and tailoring curriculum to help children capitalize on their strengths as learners. Since then, Jacque has gone on to work for Tree Frog Treks, an innovative after-school and summer program in San Francisco that specializes in science and animal education. Jacque is a dedicated learner of Early Childhood Development and Psychology. Her love of language, performance, art and literature is apparent in her teaching! Sara Winkleblack Assistant Teacher - Kindergarten B.A. - Fine Arts & Elementary Education, UC Santa Cruz Multiple Subject Teaching Credential - Victoria University
Sara brings creativity and a lifelong love of learning to her teaching. She spent 4 years in New Zealand, teaching middle school and working as a teacher aid in Montessori, mainstream and special education classrooms.
Sara most recently dedicated herself to students with special needs throughout San Francisco. He r teaching encompasses a love of nature and ecology and emphasizes the importance of community. Sara's artistic flair also is evident in her teaching and classroom environment. She is trained in ocean lifeguarding, wilderness skills and various forms of dance, all of which she has taught to children. She is excited to be joining the Alta Vista family this year! Ash Weatherford Bookends Guide B.A. - Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University Ash ignites a new spark in our Alta Vista community. With his guitar and innate musical talent, Ash brings song and new explorations to Dorothy ("Dot") Manning Art Director B.A. - English, Stanford University Master of Fine Arts - Painting & Drawing, California College of the Arts Fulbright Scholar - Mexico Additional Language - Spanish (fluent) Dot is an accomplished artist and art instructor for children, as well as a founding faculty member at Alta Vista. Previously Dot was on staff at the Museum of Children's Art and also taught art in elementary classrooms to English- and Spanish-speaking children. She is currently writing and illustrating a children's book for publication. We are thrilled to share her artwork with you on this website and throughout our school. Stephanie Holmes Drama Stephanie comes to us through our valued alliance with the Young Performers Theater. Stephanie hails from a theatrical background and literally grew up in theater. Her parents were professional actors in England and founded a theater company in Massachusetts when Stephanie was 3 years old. At the age of 23, she took the helm and founded a children’s acting school, The Acting Workshop, also in Massachusetts, where she discovered her love of teaching theater to students of all ages, experience, and backgrounds. Stephanie has contributed in many roles over her past 7 years at Young Performers Theater, including through instructing, directing, set and costume design, and acting herself. Stephanie harnesses the creative and dramatic talents of our Alta Vista students with fun activities and performances that are student-driven. Heather Marlowe Music Heather is a multi-talented music educator and performer. She was previously the Director of Education for the Marin Arts Council, as well as a 1st Grade co-teacher at the Brandeis Hillel Day School. She holds a B.A. in History from the University of California at Los Angeles and has trained in violin with Steve Gardner and Irene Sazar, and in voice with Raz Kennedy. She is the Lead Fiddler with "Thee Landlords", a local bluegrass/Americana band, and the lead vocalist in "Marlowe", a local pop band. Her approach to music education reflects Alta Vista's teaching philosophy as a whole -- imparting fundamental skills and core concepts through exploration that is inquiry-based and which integrates cooperative learning, multiculturalism, and adventures out in our community. |
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Visit Alta VistaFall Admission Tours Wed, Sept. 21 - 4 pm Wed, Oct. 5 - 10 am Wed, Nov. 30 - 10 am
Parents Open House Wed, Oct. 26 - 6:30 pm Family Open House Sat, Jan. 7 - 2-4 pm NOTE ADJUSTED TIME Individual Tours
By appointment
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