1578 S. El Camino Real,
Encinitas, CA 92024

t: 760.635.3747
f: 760.635.1037







 

Teachers

Early-Childhood Teachers & Assistants
Grades Teachers & Assistants
Specialty Subject Teachers
Administration




Parent-Child Teachers


 

 Jodi Abelow

Jodi was born and raised in Nebraska in an active, athletic family. She earned her BS in Environmental Planning at the University of Vermont before making a move to the West Coast. She taught Environmental Education to children in the Santa Cruz mountains for five years, during which she discovered Waldorf education. Jodi began her teacher training at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training in Marin, CA, while also working in the aftercare program and substitute-teaching at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Los Altos. Halfway through the training, an opportunity arose to continue studying abroad in Australia. Jodi spent the year learning, working and traveling to Australian Waldorf schools before returning to California and relocating to San Diego in the summer of 2006. She worked as an assistant and substitute teacher at the Waldorf School of San Diego before joining Sanderling's faculty in 2007. Jodi enjoys traveling, swimming, cycling and running, and is often training for and racing in triathlons with her husband, Adam. She is the mother of a toddler son, Matthias, and an infant daughter, Rhyley.

Patricia Rubano

Patricia Rubano considers herself a human-being-in-training and enjoys the company of others along that path. She was born and raised in Louisville, KY.  At age 21, while studying early childhood education, she heard about Waldorf education and Anthroposophy. It was love at first sight and being a true child of the 70’s, she chose Waldorf education as her means of changing the world. When love and life brought Patricia to San Diego for the first time, she became part of the founding group of the San Diego Waldorf School. Then life took her to New York, where she taught Kindergarten and Nursery at Green Meadow Waldorf School for 12 years. She studied Biographical Counseling in England and did the Spatial Dynamics In-Service Training along the way. Upon returning to San Diego – this time to North County – she found a young initiative called Sanderling close by. For the past 12 years or so she has been busy working at and with Sanderling Waldorf School. She also continues to mentor and evaluate Early Childhood teachers in various schools. Patricia has worked with A Child’s Garden of Thyme and WISC; taught the Introduction to Waldorf Early Childhood Education summer course, and co-directed the Biography and Social Art training, both at Sunbridge Institute in NY. She is a proud wife, mother of two and grandmother of three – not to mention daughter and friend and all those other good things...

Hanna Pellegrino
        Hanna, assistant in all the Parent-Child classes, was born and raised in Germany. She came to the United States in 1997. Hanna's educational background includes a B.S. in Global Business Management and Certificates in Homeopathy and the Bach Flower Essences. She is currently participating in the Waldorf teacher-training program at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC).  Hanna lives in Encinitas with her husband and two children. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, skiing, working in the garden, reading, crafting and being at the beach.




Nursery/Kindergarten Teacher - Rose Class



Maxine Garcia

Maxine, who became the Rose Nursery/Kindergarten class teacher in 2008, was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego, and brings her detailed, precise artistic eye to each of the many projects she works on with the children throughout the school year. After many years of volunteering in her own two children's Waldorf schools, Maxine became a classroom specialty teacher in 2002, teaching origami in Grades 1-3 at both the Journey School (a public Waldorf charter) and at Sanderling Waldorf. She served as a Grades Assistant at SWS from 2006-2008, and began her Waldorf-teacher training in 2007.

Nursery/Kindergarten Assistant - Rose Class



Kacey Moe-Vu

Kacey, assistant in the Rose Nursery/Kindergarten, was born and raised in Southern California, and then spent 18 years in Texas.  In 2008, Kacey and her family moved back to California to be closer to family, the ocean and the beautiful weather.  After taking some time to settle into living in San Diego, Kacey decided to enroll in the Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC).  She’ll complete the WISC program in December 2012. In the meantime, Kacey enjoys spending her free time with her husband and two children.  She also likes to play soccer, swim, run, garden, sew, and read.

Nursery/Kindergarten Teacher - Marigold Class



Lori Hannigan

     Ms. Lori is an experienced Waldorf early-childhood teacher who joined the Sanderling Waldorf faculty from Hawaii, where she previously worked at the Haleakala Waldorf School and ran her own Waldorf preschool, Plumeria Playgarden. She studied at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, CA, and holds a master's degree in Art Therapy from the University of Illinois.

Nursery/Kindergarten Assistant - Marigold Class



Priscilla Dulin
     Priscilla, assistant in the Marigold Nursery/Kindergarten, was raised in San Diego where her childhood days were filled with reading, creating, and exploring the natural surroundings. After earning a BA in Literature and Writing Studies, she worked for Poway Unified School District. She is currently in the teacher training program at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California, and has worked for the Waldorf-inspired LifeWays center A Child’s Garden of Thyme. She lives in Poway with her husband and daughter. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and creating all types of handwork, especially knitting and doll-making.



Nursery/Kindergarten Teacher - Sweet Pea Class 



Megumi Caverly

Megumi, Sanderling Waldorf School's Sweet Pea Nursery/Kindergarten teacher, was born and grew up in Fukushima, Japan. She came to the United States in 1995 to study Anthroposophy and Waldorf education, graduating from Rudolf Steiner College in 1999. Since then, she has taught in both Japan and the U.S. Megumi is the mother of an elementary-aged son, and loves young children, singing and making things. She also describes herself as a bookworm - in both English and Japanese.

Nursery/Kindergarten Assistant - Sweet Pea Class & Aftercare Director

 

Charlotte Erickson


Charlotte is the assistant in the Sweet Pea Nursery/Kindergarten, as well as the Aftercare teacher. She grew up in Encinitas, where she spent her childhood days playing in the mud and at the Swami's tidepools. Charlotte first learned of Waldorf education when she worked as a babysitter for several families who sent their children to Waldorf schools. This experience sparked a great passion for education, which brought her to Emerson College, where she completed a yearlong Orientation Program in anthroposophic studies. She later went on to earn her B.A. in Education from Naropa University. Charlotte worked at a Waldorf-inspired preschool in Boulder, CO before coming to Sanderling Waldorf. She loves to create, which she expresses through improvisational dance; singing; storytelling; felting; cooking and painting. Charlotte is an avid gardener, ocean swimmer, and shakuhachi flute player.

Nursery/Kindergarten Faculty Assistant and Aftercare Assistant

 

Tonya Jones


     Tonya is originally from Colorado, but has lived in San Diego for more than 25 years. She holds a BA in Liberal Studies and a Multi-Subject teaching credential from CSU-San Marcos. Tonya was an elementary-school teacher for five years  in the Vista and Encinitas school districts. She learned about Waldorf education through a friend, and is very excited to be a part of the SWS staff. Tonya loves outdoor activities including tennis, running, skiing and paddling, but also likes to sew and create. She lives in North County with her husband and three dogs.

Grades Aftercare Teacher & Substitute Class Teacher

 

Leyla Makris


     Leyla has been an educator in many capacities for the past 10 years. She has a master’s degree in Elementary Education and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She began her teaching career as an assistant in a Montessori classroom and then taught first, third and fifth grades in a private school in Manhattan Beach, California.  Leyla has traveled to Spain to teach English, and to Nicaragua to do volunteer work with students and teachers. She also is a Hatha yoga instructor, and teaches Prenatal Yoga and Yoga to Children. She was drawn to Waldorf education because of the value it places on the individual soul of each child. Her enthusiasm for Waldorf deepens as she is exposed to the many layers of the education. Leyla’s two children are the lights of her life. She and her husband have chosen to raise their children in conscious community. They share a nine-acre property with four other families where they garden, build, work, create and play together. Leyla believes that life is a gift, which is the essence of everything she does.




Grade 1 Teacher


 
Shivani Burrows-Goodwill
       

     Shivani, a native of Great Britain, brings a wealth of experience and excitement to her position as the 2011-12 First Grade class teacher. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Teaching and Learning from the University of California, San Diego, and is a Master Waldorf teacher who spent the past 13 years working at the Harriet Tubman Village School, a charter school in San Diego. Shivani is fluent in Spanish and has a Bilingual Multiple Subject California Teaching Credential. She has worked as an instructor at the Waldorf Institute of Southern California in areas including teacher preparation and Grade 1-8 curriculum design. Shivani assisted in the development of the National Writing Project, and was the runner-up for San Diego Unified School District Teacher of the Year in 2009-10.
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Grade 2 Teacher


 

Jason Gebeau

     Mr. Gebeau joined Sanderling Waldorf School as the First Grade teacher for the 2010-11 school year, in which he also served as the Grades Music teacher. He moved to Encinitas from Northern California, where he lived while finishing his Waldorf teacher training at Rudolf Steiner College. Mr. Gebeau loves music, and has taught singing and performance for the past six years in various Waldorf charter schools in Sebastopol, Sonoma and Flagstaff, AZ. He studied voice and music education at Northern Arizona University and pursued a career as an actor in New York City after graduating. Mr. Gebeau is one of five children, all boys (sorry, Mom!); and grew up in Bridgeport, CT, where he experienced a great childhood full of love and support. He looks forward to growing with the class and the Sanderling Waldorf community.

Grade 3-4 Teacher



Melanie El-Ghoroury

Melanie was born and raised in Freiburg, Germany. She is the mother of three boys: Tristan, and twins Dylan & Dennis. She met her husband, Chuck, during a year abroad in Julian, California. Melanie went to a teacher's college for four years in Germany, and completed her Waldorf teacher training in San Diego in 2005. Her educational background also includes Polarity Therapy training; studies in astrology; and wilderness survival training with Tom Brown, Jr. As a teenager, she was a competitive track-and-field athlete specializing in heptathlons, and sports was one of her university majors in Germany. Melanie loves sports and the outdoors. She previously worked as a substitute teacher at Sanderling Waldorf before joining the full-time faculty. She is fluent in German, French and English.

Grade 5-6 Teacher



Lori Duckstad

Lori grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, where she learned to knit, crochet and sew, and developed a love of working with her hands. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy and a Master's Degree in Counseling and Human Development. She worked in a variety of social-service, school and hospital settings for 11 years, and discovered Waldorf education when looking for a preschool for her eldest daughter. Lori has her Waldorf Teacher Certificate and more than 10 years of experience as a Waldorf teacher, working as a Class Teacher, Handwork teacher, Music teacher and Classroom Assistant. She is the mother of Kelsey, a college student, and Sarah, a junior-high student. Lori loves to read, travel and do handwork in her spare time.

Eurythmy Teacher




Amy Schick


     Amy completed her training in Eurythmy and Pedagogical Eurythmy at the Eurythmy School in Spring Valley, New York and Emerson College in East Sussex, England. She has been teaching Eurythmy since 1992 to students in Nursery/Kindergarten through Grade 8. Amy has taught in the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara, the San Diego Waldorf School and the Journey School, and has been teaching at Sanderling Waldorf School since 1998.


Spanish Teacher 

 

Señora Vanessa Anderson

     Señora Vanessa -- also the Facilities Manager at Sanderling Waldorf School -- has worked in various capacities at the school for more than five years. Spanish has been a part of her whole life, given her Latin American heritage. She received a B.A. in Spanish and Communication from Arizona State University, and is continuing her studies in Waldorf education and pedagogy. She has a working background in elementary education. Señora Vanessa and her husband moved to San Diego in 2005 from Willcox, AZ, where they both were raised.

German Teacher 

 

Frau Annette Andranian

     Frau Andranian lives in Cardiff with her husband Joe and their three children, as well as a dog and five chickens. A native of Berlin, Germany, Annette has lived in Encinitas for ten years. She moved here after graduating from the Free University in Berlin, where she majored in Elementary Education and teaching English as a Foreign Language. Annette taught first grade at La Costa Meadows Elementary School before leaving teaching to start a family. In her free time, Annette loves to walk and play at the beach, explore with her children and meet her friends over a cup of tea. Annette is thrilled to be teaching at SWS, especially since the Waldorf environment reminds her greatly of her own school experience as a child. She is excited to share her native language and culture with the the Sanderling children.


Handwork & Games Teacher 

 

Thea Mason

    Thea Mason was born in an Indiana suburb of Chicago to two educators. Along with her three sisters, she attended the only K-6 Montessori school in the region.  While she admired the philosophy of Maria Montessori,  she became interested in the history of and philosophies of Rudolf Steiner, incorporating them into her parenting style and eventually enrolling her son at SWS. Growing up, Thea was happiest while exercising her body - through every discipline from dance and sports, to needlework and macrame.  Now as an adult, she is grateful to have found two career paths perfectly suited to her life's pursuits. She has been teaching yoga, both in private and public settings, for almost 10 years, and she is thrilled to be Sanderling Waldorf's Handwork and Games Teacher. Thea and her partner Brian have three sons: Drake, Ocean, and Roanen.


Gardening Teacher 

 

Chuck El-Ghoroury

     Chuck first began working with children in 1986 as a camp counselor at Camp Stevens in Julian, CA. He spent the following summers on staff for the summer camp programs, and in 1993 he made a three-year commitment as an intern camp director. Chuck met his wife, Melanie, at Camp Stevens. After completing his internship, Chuck moved with Melanie to her homeland of Germany, where they lived for three years. During that time, he worked on a biodynamic farm and learned all about Waldorf education, anthroposophy and biodynamic agriculture. Chuck, Melanie and their three sons later returned to Julian to pioneer Volcan View Farm. In the summer of 2009, Chuck participated in Waldorf Games/Movement training. He is happy to serve as the Gardening teacher.

Strings Teacher (Violin, Viola, Cello) 

 

Cynthia Nunag

     Cynthia, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began playing the violin at age 5. She graduated in 1997 with a BA in Music Performance and History. In 2002, she moved to France where she learned the skills of improvisation through Gypsy Jazz music, and performed and toured with her jazz group in Paris and in Southern France. In 2006, she settled in Oceanside and has recently completed her Masters in Educational Leadership at Argosy University. She is currently independently teaching both French and Music. Cynthia has performed with orchestras including the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Napa Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony and the Madison Symphony and Chamber Orchestra. She has studied violin and viola with teachers such as Darcie Drexler, Vartan Manoogian, Sally Chisholm, and in workshops with Mimi Zweig and Roland and Almita Vamos. She currently plays chamber music in San Diego and performs regularly with the Gypsy Groove Jazz group. She is a proud and happy mother of two daughters, Lydie and Morgan.

Woodworking Teacher (Grades 3-6) 

 

Tom Kray

     Tom has been an active member of the Waldorf teaching community for more than 20 years.  He worked at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School for 14 years as a class teacher, as well as participating on management and administrative committees including the College of Teachers and the Board of Trustees. Prior to Waldorf teaching, Tom had a number of careers including bank management; residential construction; and work with private institutions as a counselor, experiental educator and wilderness-trek leader for adolescents. He is a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Tom has three grown children and two grown stepchildren, and he and his wife Gina are the parents of a high-school age son. He enjoys camping in the Sierras, woodworking, taking long walks, gardening, reading and road trips.






Administrative Director 

 

Tim Connolly

     Tim joined SWS in 2011 as the Administrative Director. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco, where he studied Business Economics; and the Rudolf Steiner College, where he earned his Waldorf Teacher's Credential. His 20+ years of background in Waldorf education include being a founding parent of the Cedar Springs Waldorf School, serving as the lead teacher at the school and graduating the school's first 8th grade in 1998. Thereafter he served in various administrative capacities over the years at Rudolf Steiner College, Sacramento Waldorf High School, Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork and the Journey School. He has most recently returned from Nigeria where he served as a volunteer working with UKAID to support educational initiatives in the northern regions of the country. Tim lives in Encinitas with his wife, Patti, and has two grown children who are both Waldorf lower- and high school graduates. His hobbies include traveling, reading classic literature, trekking, taking adventures and the pursuit of seeing the best in life!
Email Mr. Connolly




Director of Enrollment & Marketing 

 

Emily Towe

     Emily joined the Sanderling Waldorf School administrative team in 2007, after first spending two years getting to know the school as a parent. She has watched her two children continue to blossom as Waldorf students, and is delighted to encourage and support the school's growth in the North County community. She has a degree in English/Creative Writing; and more than 15 years’ experience working and writing for various newspapers, magazines, corporations and web publications. Emily, her husband and their elementary-age children live in Carlsbad.
Email Ms. Towe

Facilities Manager 

 

Vanessa Anderson

     Vanessa -- also the Spanish teacher at Sanderling Waldorf School -- has worked in various capacities at the school for more than four years. She received a B.A. in Spanish and Communication from Arizona State University, and is continuing her studies in Waldorf education and pedagogy. She has completed Spanish-teaching courses at Rudolf Steiner College for the past two summers. She has a working background in elementary education. Vanessa and her husband moved to San Diego in 2005 from Willcox, AZ, where they both were raised.
Email Ms. Anderson

Bookkeeper 

 

Kim Paterson

     Kim joined the Sanderling Waldorf School administration in 2010. She was born and raised in Southern California and has two children, ages 7 and 5. She has a degree in Finance and worked in the financial industry for a number of years before taking time off to stay home with her children. She enjoys playing with her children, spending time at the beach, reading, and gardening.
Email Ms. Paterson



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