Nursery - Grade 8 Faculty

Early Childhood Program

Kim Bick-Maurischat, Nursery School Teacher

 Kim was born in San Francisco, California. She received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion from San Francisco University and her master’s in social science from San Jose State University. Kim was led to Waldorf education while pregnant with her first daughter and has been following her children's wisdom ever since. She has been a doula and an apprentice midwife for more than eight years.

 

Carole Kowalski, Rose Kindergarten Teacher

Carole was born and raised in Delaware, where at a young age she “taught school” to neighborhood children. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Delaware. She continued teaching kindergarten in both public and private schools to culturally diverse populations in Delaware, Texas and California, where she earned teaching credentials. She also administered childcare services for three years and was a board member of the Houston Association for the Education of Young Children. Carole received her Waldorf teaching certification from Rudolf Steiner College in 1990, specializing in kindergarten. She has been the Rose Kindergarten teacher at Waldorf School of the Peninsula since 1990.

Barbara Shields, Morning Glory Kindergarten Teacher

Barbara has been a Waldorf kindergarten teacher for more than 20 years. She has a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education. She loves the world of early childhood and how it lives and manifests in a Waldorf school. While working at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City, Barbara had the opportunity to work in many positions, including administration. It gave her an appreciation of the need for mutual support between the various spheres of a school in order for it to succeed. 

Hans Walser, Sunflower Kindergarten Teacher/Board Member

Hans was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania into a household of Waldorf teachers. His mother is a kindergarten teacher, his sister is a music teacher, and his stepfather is a high school math teacher. He attended the Kimberton Waldorf School from nursery to 12th grade. Hans’ interest in early childhood education began when he did his high school senior project on children’s play. After attending Warren Wilson College and working as a kindergarten assistant at Kona Pacific School in Hawai'i, Hans came to California to take kindergarten training at Rudolf Steiner College. He brings his energy, idealism and experience as a nursery/kindergarten assistant to our school.

Grades 1- 5

Ramona Budrys, Grade 1 Teacher

Originally from Connecticut, Ramona Budrys moved to the Bay Area in 1988, completed her law degree at Santa Clara University, and worked as a prosecutor for several years. Her daughters led her to Waldorf education, and she completed her Waldorf teacher training at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California. Finding the classroom infinitely more interesting than the courtroom, she has been teaching since 2004. Ramona hopes the children entrusted to her at WSP find her love of learning infectious.

Patricia Senteno, Grade 2 Teacher

Born in New York, Patricia spent her early childhood years in Japan, grew up in Sacramento, and graduated in International business from the University of Pacific in Stockton. She has taught in a variety of capacities, including substitute teaching for the Waldorf school and in the public sector, teaching handwork to adults, and leading outdoor adventure trips for children ages 7 - 16. As a WSP parent for 10 years, Pat has supported the school in a variety of capacities, from teaching handwork and assisting in kindergarten and first grade, to working in the business office. She has spent several years in an anthroposophical study group and will be completing her teacher training at Rudolf Steiner College this summer. We are looking forward to sharing her journey with the children and families of next year’s first grade class.

Allysun Sokolowski, Grade 3 Teacher

Allysun Sokolowski strives to find beauty in every day, loves to share a laugh, and holds her friends, young or old, close to her heart. Embarking on her journey as a Waldorf teacher at WSP has been her dream come true! Allysun started her work here in service of the graduating class of 2021, holding awe and wonder as her guides. She is the mother of one sweet, crazy girl and the wife of one amazingly loving man. Her life is wonderfully full: singing, playing the piano, telling stories, painting, sewing. Her commitment to anthroposophy is strong; she loves to eat delicious food and enjoys photography. The best way to know Allysun is by visiting the First Grade classroom and having a look around! She loves to talk about curriculum and welcomes all questions. Come and see the drawings on the chalkboard, the watercolor paintings hanging on the wall, or open a Main Lesson book to check out the form drawings and see what sparks your imagination!

Monica Laurent, Grade 4 Teacher

Monica was born and raised in Milan, Italy where she graduated from the Catholic University of Milan with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration. She moved to the United States in 1992 and lived in Seattle, Chicago and Portland. She earned a Master’s degree in multicultural communication from DePaul University. She relocated to Los Altos in 1999, where she lives with her husband and three children. Monica graduated from the Rudolf Steiner College Teacher Training Program in 2005 and from the Gradalis training in Trans-disciplinary Therapeutic Education in 2006. Monica is also trained in the Lindamood-Bell language and math program, attended the introductory training at the HANDLE Institute and a two-week Child Study workshop with Christof Wiechert. Monica worked as an intern with Bonnie River for two years and became the co-director of the Educational Support Department before taking a first grade class in 2008. Monica taught Dante’s Inferno in the High School for two years and she is currently the Pedagogical Council Chair. Her son and two daughters are students in our school

Cathy Waheed, Grade 5 Teacher

Cathy was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the eldest of six children. Her family lived in Boston for two years while her father served as a Navy doctor. They moved to Stockton, California in the late sixties where Cathy began first grade. She attended the public grade school, St. Mary’s High School, University of San Diego and University of the Pacific. She has a B.S. in Computer Engineering from UOP. She met her future husband, Muneer Waheed, at University of the Pacific. Moving to the Bay Area, Cathy began working at the networking software company, The Wollongong Group. She took an early retirement when her daughter Laila arrived.  Michael sealed the deal. The Waheeds arrived at WSP in 1998 when Laila started Kindergarden. Cathy joined the handwork group, and three years later, she was working in development for the school. She started the Waldorf teacher training and began substitute teaching at WSP. Laila is part of the high school’s pioneering class of and Michael is in the Middle School. Cathy enjoys family, cooking, travel, running, skiing, sailing, gardening and reading.

AFTERCARE Program

Jennifer De Renzi, Aftercare Director

Jennifer has been working with children of all ages in various capacities since 1997. She was a Teaching Assistant for San Mateo County in special education elementary and high school classrooms, and a Therapeutic Behavior Specialist for mental health services in San Francisco. In both of these roles she worked 1:1 with at-risk children who had learning disabilities, psychological disorders and emotional disturbances due to trauma. Her passions for human and spiritual development led her to the lectures of Rudolf Steiner in 2002. Finally, someone who spoke her language! She graduated from Rudolf Steiner College in 2007 with a focus on the grades training. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Holistic Health. Her interests include backpacking, baseball, environmental education, running, swing dancing and yoga.

Middle School

Mireille Horton, Grade 6 Teacher

Mireille has more than 16 years of experience working as a teacher and with children. She was the head teacher and owner of a Waldorf-inspired home-based preschool in Soquel. She is a graduate of the Waldorf Teacher Training program from Rudolf Steiner College and Waldorf School Driebergen, The Netherlands.

 

 

Lisa Walser, Grade 7 Teacher

As a child Lisa was a student at the Sacramento Waldorf School for Grades 1 - 3, and this is why she returned to Waldorf, as an adult, to teach. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Polytechnical State University, San Luis Obispo, and she received her multiple subjects teaching credential from Humboldt State University. She is a graduate of Rudolf Steiner College. Lisa has taught in Waldorf-inspired charter schools and was a co-founder of the Coastal Grove Charter School. Her ongoing professional development interests now consist of courses in Child Study and Remedial Education, Speech, Reading Reflex, Kodaly Music and Drama. Community building is her passion, with an emphasis on Compassionate Communication. Lisa was Faculty Co-chair for the 2007/2008 school year

Amie Wong, Grade 8 Teacher

Amie was born in Hong Kong. When she was ten years old her family moved to California. She graduated from Cal Poly State University with a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. She worked in a research laboratory for several years but decided to retire after her first son was born. This was when she discovered Waldorf education. Amie completed her Waldorf Teacher Training in 1996 and went on to form a Waldorf-inspired preschool in San Francisco. She acted as teacher/director for the preschool for four years. In the 2000-2001 school year she worked as a First Grade teacher at a public school in San Francisco. She joined our school as the First Grade teacher in 2001 and her class graduated from eighth grade in 2009.

Sandy Schneider, Grade 8 Teacher

Sandy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During her childhood she moved several times, living in Florida, South Carolina and Missouri. Her undergraduate studies were in computer science, which led her to spend the next 18 years as a professional in the information technology field. In 1993, Sandy decided to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and re-entered college to work toward a teaching degree in elementary education. Later, while searching for a school environment for her younger son, she discovered Waldorf education. She immediately developed a strong connection to the Waldorf philosophy and realized she wanted to be a Waldorf teacher. Sandy and her family moved from Denver, Colorado to Sacramento, California so that she could attend Rudolf Steiner College. In May 1999, Sandy graduated with a degree in Waldorf education. Sandy graduated the first class she took from First through Eighth Grade in June 2007. 

Subjects

Lisa Babinet, Ph. D, Middle School Math Support and High School Math Teacher

Lisa teaches math practice periods in grades 6, 7 and 8, as well as math at the high school. Lisa received a PhD in science education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has three Master’s degrees including one in secondary math education. She has taught mathematics in middle school and high school for many years. Lisa’s most recent experience has been as a math teacher, director of educational programs, and dean of students in the middle school at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough. Her son and her daughter are students in our school.

Michaela Bergmann, Eurythmy Teacher

Michaela completed a five-year training course to become a stage eurythmist and eurythmy teacher for all ages, including adults, from the Eurythmeum Stuttgart. She also has a diploma from Micheshof Hepsisau, Institute for Therapeutic Pedagogy and has studied acting and drama. Michaela has been a eurythmy teacher for 10 years, and she recently taught kindergarten to sixth grade eurythmy at the Westside Waldorf School in Santa Monica. While at Westside Waldorf, she also taught handwork for all grades. Michaela is experienced in working with children with special needs using therapeutic eurythmy techniques. Michaela joined our school in 2003.

Somtida A Salim, M.S. – handwork teacher

A teaches handwork in the lower grades. She received a Fulbright scholarship and earned a Master’s degree in public communications from Syracuse University, New York. Before motherhood, A had a career in international marketing management at a few Fortune 500 companies. Her daughters brought her to Waldorf education. She taught at a homeschool group and spent many years volunteering in the Waldorf handwork classrooms before becoming a handwork teacher. She is a certified Waldorf handwork teacher from Rudolf Steiner College.

Anastasia Zaikine Sinclair, Gardening Teacher

Anastasia Zaikine Sinclair was born and raised in Sonoma County, CA. She attended Summerfield Waldorf school for 10 years, graduating from the high school in 1995. Anastasia received her BA from Warren Wilson College, majoring in Integrative Studies: Environmental Design and minoring in Philosophy. At Warren Wilson, Anastasia found her passion for gardening working on the crew for the 5 acre college campus organic garden. She also worked with campus wellness and grants and designed and built a meditation garden. After graduation, Anastasia helped start an Organic CSA farm in Hawaii. The farm provided fresh produce for about 30 families at the developing Waldorf School, Na Kameli, where Anastasia also worked for several years. Anastasia designed and built a cabin on raw land for her parents in Mendocino county, including installing water, septic and off-grid power. She enjoys cooking, canning, raising farm animals, and outdoor activities such as hiking, camping and mountain biking. She joins WSP from three years teaching at the outdoor education program at the YMCA Point Bonita in the Golden Gate National Park in Sausalito, CA. Anastasia is currently finishing up her Master's degree in Waldorf teacher training at Rudolf Steiner College with a focus on the Grades. Her teaching philosophy centers around making earth stewardship and science fun, inspiring, engaging and authentic.

Janet Dunwoody, Movement Teacher

Janet was born in Dublin, Ireland. She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with an honors degree in history and a black belt in karate. After graduating, she took secretarial and credit control training and worked in the hotel industry. She obtained an Irish national fitness-training certificate and worked as a personal trainer, instructor and gym supervisor in Dublin. In 1993 she and her family moved to Calgary, Canada where she first worked as a day-home provider and then obtained YMCA and Canadian national fitness-training certificates. Janet worked at the YMCA as an instructor and then became the supervisor of the member services department. In 2000 her family relocated to California and her children transferred from the Calgary Waldorf School to the Waldorf School of the Peninsula. Janet is a graduate of the Rudolf Steiner College Teacher Training Program and Spatial Dynamics training. In 2006 she joined other Spatial Dynamic graduates in the Hands in Peace Conference, an international friendship festival, held in Beijing, China. Janet has three children. Her son and oldest daughter graduated from our school, and her youngest daughter is currently enrolled..

Tracy Kastania Fleming, Spanish Teacher

Tracy Fleming, “Senora Castana”, was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, until middle school, when her family relocated to Mendocino County, California. She went to U.C. Santa Cruz and graduated with Honors with a B.A. in Language Studies and a Bilingual Multicultural Teaching Credential. She lived in Barcelona, Spain, for a couple of years before moving to Granada, in southern Spain, where she lived for a number of years. She then lived in Campinas, Brazil for several years, before returning to Mendocino and Humboldt Counties to start her family. Tracy has always been a teacher. She taught in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, San Francisco, Spain, Brazil, and on the North Coast of California. Her most recent school was in Arcata, California. Soon after her daughter was born, she discovered Waldorf Education and knew this was the culmination of her teaching career. She graduated from Rudolf Steiner College as a Grades Teacher and has taught Spanish exclusively for the last several years. Tracy loves to swim in the ocean and rivers, and is infused daily with awe at the beauty of the world. She is delighted that she and her daughter have become part of this wonderful school.

Mark-Daniel Schmid, Ph.D, Middle School and High School Music Teacher

Mark-Daniel received his Ph. D in music history from Northwestern University, his Masters of Arts from West Chester University, and a diploma in piano performance from the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, Germany. Prior to coming to the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, he was an associate professor in music history and piano at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, where he taught for nine years. He is the editor of the Richard Strauss Companion published by Praeger Publishing Group and was also a contributor to the International Dictionary of Black Musicians, published in 2001. He is an accomplished pianist and has accompanied recitals in Germany and Switzerland and throughout the United States. Having taught piano to young children for many years, Dr. Schmid looks back fondly on his days as a student at the Waldorf School "Uhlandshone," the very first Waldorf school, in Stuttgart, Germany, and feels that the wonderful experiences he had there destined him to become a teacher. "I can always tell when a young adult has attended a Waldorf School," he says. "They have a certain glow about them, a deep curiosity about the world and its citizens, an open mind to new approaches, and a knowledge beyond the physical world."

Pamela York, Educational Support Teacher

Pamela has been a substitute teacher for our school since 1999. She has taught kindergarten through grade 8 and special subjects. She graduated from the Waldorf Teacher Training Program in 2005. Pamela has completed her apprenticeship to become a Certified Handle Practitioner and was an intern with Bonnie River in our Educational Support Department. Her previous professional experience includes project management and designing, developing and delivering customer education for database software companies. She has degrees in business administration and computer science. Her son is a student at our school.