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• Dir. of Diversity

Meet the Staff
• New Faculty/Staff
• LRP Bios

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• Thank You

SFDS Summer
• Programs
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• PA Pres. Letter
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• 2008-09 Events

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Week Ahead,
August 31 - Sept. 6

SFDS eNews Homepage

New Faculty and Staff Profiles

Kindergarten Associate
Beth Hatem holds a BA in English and Studio Art from Middlebury College. Her previous teaching experience includes working as an Associate Teacher in both the first and third grades at Beauvior, The National Cathedral Elementary School in Washington, DC. Beth has also worked as a tutor, a camp counselor, and has extensive experience in the publishing field. Her interests include reading, cooking, gardening, hiking, drawing, writing, camping, skiing, yoga, and visiting museums.

Kindergarten Aide
Nora Roach recently earned her BA in Dance Performance from the University Of California, Irvine. In addition to starting her 2nd year at the Day School, she teaches ballet and is in a dance company.  She is very excited to begin her new position this year as Kindergarten Aide.

First Grade Head Teacher
Nicole O'Hay  has been teaching K-5 for the past ten years.  After receiving her teaching credential from Saint Mary's College in Orinda, she taught for three years in Alameda at Washington School.  In pursuit of combining two of her passions, teaching and travel, she spent five years teaching in international schools in Europe.  Nicole spent three years in Italy, and most recently she taught at the American School in Paris.  Nicole is thrilled to be joining the community at SFDS, and to be back home in the Bay Area.

First Grade Co-Teacher
Hope Van Sciver holds an MA in Elementary Education from Rhode Island College and a BA in Sociology with a Minor in Creative Writing from Ithaca College.  Hope has taught at Henry Barnard School in Providence, RI, for 2 years and also was a substitute teacher in the Dixie School District in San Rafael, CA.  She has also worked at Nueva School and was a long-term substitute at SFDS this past school year.  Hope is a Certified Yoga Instructor and has taught yoga for 3 years to all age and ability levels.  Hope's interests include yoga, creative writing, hiking, snowboarding, and fitness. 

First Grade Aide
This is Sean Boylan's first full year at SF Day School.  Sean graduated from Bard College in 2006 with a BA in both Studio Art and Philosophy.  He has been an art and music teacher for the past 10 years.  He moved to San Francisco in 2006, and has since been making movies, paintings, and music as well as teaching for the past two years. Last year, Sean worked recess and lunch duty during the day, assisted Sheri Leavitt in AEP after school, and in the spring completed freelance video work for the school.  This year, Sean will be the First Grade Aide during the school day and transition to AEP in the afternoon.

Second Grade Associate
Zanetta Harris holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies from Claremont McKenna College. She has worked with young people as an Elementary Aftercare Assistant at Paideia School, a tutor in HMC Upward Bound, a Hip Hop Instructor at Camp Isidore Alterman, and a Resident Advisor at the Center for Talented Youth. Zanetta was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to California for college. After four years in Claremont, California Zanetta is excited to be living in Oakland, working in San Francisco, and exploring the Bay Area. She is most excited to join the San Francisco Day School community.

Third Grade Associate
Erin Geld holds a BA in English from Cornell University. She has worked as a tutor at 826 Valencia, assisted 9th grade Social Studies and GED preparation classes with the Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Ithica, NY, worked as an intern with The League for the Hard-of-Hearing, and served as a residential counselor and class instructor at The Teen Program at Cornell University.

Third Grade Associate
Angela Acosta holds a BA in International Studies from The College of William and Mary and has a 30-day Substitute Teaching Credential. She has worked as a substitute teacher and classroom volunteer for both the San Francisco Unified School District and the Burlingame School District and as an instructional aide at Happy Valley Elementary School in Lafayette. Prior to teaching, Angela worked over ten years in the Corporate Finance and Energy Project Development fields.

Fifth Grade Head Teacher
Leah Shoaff is excited to be a member of the San Francisco Day School community! She was born and raised in Point Lookout, New York, a quiet town with a speed limit of 15 MPH, just outside of the city. After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont with a major in english literature with a focus on creative writing, Leah began her student teaching in a small country school. She spent two years ski instructing in Tahoe--her first hint that California might be an interesting place to live. Upon her return to Vermont, Leah taught for three years in the upper elementary grades. Last year, Leah moved back across the country. She explored San Francisco by substitute teaching in the public school system including several months in a third grade classroom at El Dorado Elementary School. Leah feels extremely lucky to join such a talented staff and student body at SFDS. During visits to the school, she was immediately impressed by the motivated students. She looks forward to fostering relationships with the families and forming a strong sense of community in the classroom. In her free time, Leah loves to read, bike, hike, and visit her family and friends.

Fifth Grade Associate
Greson Torchio holds a BA in Anthropology from Kenyon College. He has worked as an instructor with the SF Maritime National Park Association, teaching children about maritime history and helping them learn sailing and nautical skills. Greson has also taught sailing lessons at the Treasure Island Sailing Center and has led canoe and kayak camping trips in Northern Minnesota and Western Ontario with Camp Kamaji.

Upper School Science Associate
Ashley Harsh holds a BA in Neuroscience from Colgate University. She has worked as an apprentice teacher in the Summer on the Cuyahoga/ Aspire Program and as a teacher for the Czech Republic Mission Trip, leading a summer class of nine adolescent Czech students. Ashley also has extensive tutoring experience and has worked as a mentor in the SideKick Program at Colgate University.

Bilingual Spanish Instructor
Natalia Mansilla holds a University Degree as an English Language and Culture teacher from the National University of Cuyo in Mendoza. She was also part of a program at Norbridge School, oriented to the learning of English as a Foreign Language in a holistic, dynamic, creative and enjoyable way. Before her recent arrival in San Francisco, Natalia taught future English teachers at the tertiary institute Rosario Vera Peñaloza in her hometown of Eugeno Bustos. At Wells Institute, Natalia built on her experience, teaching English courses to both children (ages 8-10) and adults. Natalia is excited to be part of the Exchange Teacher Program because she has always been interested in learning about the language and customs of different cultures as well as sharing her own.

Music Instructor
Nancy Linford holds an undergraduate degree from UC Santa Cruz in vocal performance and a master’s in music pedagogy with Kodály emphasis from Holy Names University. For the last fifteen years, she has taught elementary vocal music, first in Hayward and then in Piedmont.  She also works with the Piedmont Choirs, as director of the girls’ intermediate level of their training department.  She has two grown (twenty-something) children and lives in Albany.

Art Instructor
Sharon Virtue holds a BA in Fine Art from the Sheffield City Polytechnic in England, and a Diploma in Dance Studies from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. Sharon has conducted ceramic programs, earth architecture projects, and community mosaic projects with children and adults in San Francisco, Brazil, and Africa.  Sharon has been awarded several grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Haas Foundation, Grants for the Arts, and the Vogelstein Foundation.  In 2007 and 2008 she worked with over 300 orphans in Kampala, Uganda, as an art teacher for In Movement, a non-profit organization based in Spain. Sharon teaches and creates work at Ruby’s Clay studio, a non-profit artist co-operative in San Francisco, along with being involved in various projects throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Executive Director, Breakthrough San Francisco
Originally from the New York City area, Andy Shin got his start in education as an undergrad at Brown, teaching at the Breakthrough programs in Long Island and Cambridge. After graduating in 1999, he became a Teach For America corps member, teaching math and science at Havenscourt Middle School in East Oakland. Andy returned to the East Coast in 2003 to get closer to his girlfriend (now fiancee!). While there, he served as Program Director at Breakthrough Cambridge, and this past spring completed a Masters in School Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is excited to join the Day School community and help lead Breakthrough San Francisco into its next stage. Andy loves music, the outdoors, and food... which makes the Bay Area a very good spot.

Director of Annual Fund
Prior to SFDS, Karen Swing worked as the Asian Law Caucus' Director of Individual Giving, where she focused on donor cultivation and Major Gift solicitations. Karen also served as Assistant Director of Development at The Urban School of San Francisco, where she oversaw the school’s annual giving program and its annual fundraising gala. Karen has worked in the San Francisco non-profit community for over 10 years, building her skills as a fundraiser and communications officer in the areas of education, arts, journalism and the Asian American community. Karen received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of San Francisco, then entered the Master’s program in Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a proud board member of Kearny Street Workshop, the Bay Area's oldest Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary arts organization.

Afterschool Enrichment Program Coordinator
Erin Daly holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her experience in education includes working as an After School Instructor at the Sunset Beacon Center, teaching Literature & Biology to high school students at Lydian Academy, providing one-on-one support to foster children as an Educational Therapist at Children’s Learning Services, and teaching communication and job related skills as a Job Coach for the San Mateo Union High School District. Erin has also worked with the ACT Young Conservatory, ACT Summer Training Congress and BATS Improv.

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