Directory

Dr. Kathleen Jeremiassen earned her B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from Rutgers University.  Attending graduate school, she earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision from University of Houston-Victoria, and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, with a specialty in Curriculum and Instruction, from UH-Clear Lake.  She is passionate about education and working with the school community in her role as Principal.  Her first priority at NDE is to ensure that students receive the most well-rounded, holistic, yet personalized, education possible. She enjoys time with her family, hiking, traveling, and reading.

kjeremiassen@nde.org

Mrs. Sara Maennle is our Vice Principal, 8th grade homeroom teacher and upper school Social Studies teacher.  She has been teaching at Notre Dame Elementary for over 15 years and also attended NDE.  Mrs. Maennle graduated from Sacred Heart High School and Santa Clara University, with a B.S. in Anthropology and French.  She has her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from NDNU.  She has an ECE Certification for Teaching and Administration.  She is currently doing on-going professional development from San Mateo Community College District, working towards a Single Subject Credential and furthering Early Childhood Education best practices.  She has two children and a dog, Ruby. She likes to cook, read, hike, and travel!

smaennle@nde.org

Mrs. Maureen Smith recently joined Notre Dame Elementary as the Director of Admissions.  She is a graduate from Notre Dame High School and the University of San Diego with a degree in Business Administration.  She spent 10 years in event marketing. Maureen loves to travel and spend time with her husband and three young daughters.

msmith@nde.org

Mrs. Sarina Moreno has a degree in Hospitality Management. She has been in the hospitality industry for 10 years. She and her family have relocated to the Bay Area from Los Angeles. Sarina enjoys exploring new restaurants and staying active with her son and husband!

ndeoffice@nde.org

Mrs. Steed recently moved to the United States from London and enjoys exploring California. She has a BsC in Psychology from the University of Exeter and earned a postgraduate qualification in child education. Mrs. Steed enjoys getting to know all her students and creating a calm, welcoming classroom environment. She also loves reading different fiction with her students and is very excited to be teaching at Notre Dame Elementary. In her spare time, Mrs. Steed enjoys playing netball, reading and hiking with her rescue dog, Ducky.

esteed@nde.org

Ms. Ortisi graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Educational Foundations, and the University of San Francisco with a Master’s in Teaching. Ms. Ortisi has spent this 21-22 school year working at both NDE (in 1st grade) and another local school. She has been a joy to have on our campus. We are so pleased to have her as our First Grade teacher next school year. In her free time she loves to spend time with her family and friends. She also enjoys reading, puzzles, working out, and exploring different cities.

kortisi@nde.org

Ms. Ashley Dean is excited to be joining the NDE family as a Second Grade Teacher for the upcoming school year. She has received a Master of Arts degree in Teaching Reading from the University of San Francisco, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. When Ms. Dean is not in the classroom, she is probably playing soccer, exploring the Bay Area via bike or binge watching a new Netflix series. In the classroom, she is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and academically challenging learning environment for all of her students. 

adean@nde.org

Ms. Klaiman graduated from University of Portland in 2022 with her Bachelors in Elementary Education. She is from San Francisco and is excited to be back in the Bay Area. In her free time, she enjoys going for walks with her dog and watching Netflix. She is very excited to be teaching 3rd grade and is looking forward to getting to know her students. 

sklaiman@nde.org

Mr. John Schiller is our 4th grade teacher and is in his third year at Notre Dame Elementary. He enjoys teaching to the whole child.  In his free time he enjoys traveling, playing tennis and golf, and spending time with his son, Joel.

jschiller@nde.org

Mr. Charlie Skidmore teaches fifth grade, this is his second year at NDE.  Previously he worked as a Campus Director and Professional Development Coordinator for Citizen Schools, an extended day school program.  Before moving to California, Mr. Skidmore worked as a teacher and administrator in the Boston Public and Arlington Public Schools.  He holds lifetime certifications from Massachusetts in English, English as a Second Language, General Science, French and Spanish.  He is the co-author of Skill Sharpeners and In Good Company, both of which were designed for English Language learners.  In his spare time, he enjoys visiting the parks and beaches of California with his family, especially his grandson.  In addition he enjoys solving the NYT crossword puzzle daily and coin collecting.

cskidmore@nde.org

Mrs. Julie Kanzaki teaches 6th grade homeroom and upper school English Language Arts. This is her 5th year at Notre Dame Elementary.  Previously, she taught preschool through high school students in public and private schools in the Bay Area for over 20 years.  She holds a bachelor's degree from USF and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Santa Clara University.  She is a certified ESL teacher with a Language Development Specialist certificate, a master teacher and mentor teacher, certified in Conflict Resolution, and is a master Catechist in the SF Archdiocese.  She likes to spend time with her family including her husband, three children and dog.  They enjoy going out to eat and going to the beach. 

jkanzaki@nde.org

Mr. Joseph Paine is our homeroom teacher for 7th grade.  He teaches upper school Math and 7th grade religion.  Mr. Paine has been teaching since 1997.  He has a Liberal Arts Degree from Sonoma State and earned his credential from Chapman University.  Mr. Paine is a family man, teacher, angler and enjoys puzzles, the Giants and Warriors.  

jpaine@nde.org

Mrs. Marsha Malacina teaches upper school Science. ​​She has taught Science for more than 20 years.  She has coached Science Olympiad, Lego Robotics, and began a Science Fair at her school in Indiana.  She has a passion for all academics, but she prefers math and science. She is very excited to be joining the NDE family.

mmalacina@nde.org

Mr. Contreras will join the Upper School Team. He will teach three sections of Algebra I in addition to music. Besides his musical talent and experience, he also worked this past year in Mr. Paine’s math class. Mr. Contreras worked four summers for the Jose Valdes Math Institute, working with elementary and middle school students at Stanford. He has several years of experience as a private tutor for students in grades fourth through tenth grade. We are very excited to have him support our NDE math program as a team teacher. 

fcontreras@nde.org

Ms. Katy Schwarz is the teaching assistant for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. She loves spending time with her friends and family, which includes her dogs and pet shrimp. She also enjoys crafting and photography.

Ms. Navarro will be an additional Teaching Assistant at NDE. She is excited to be joining our community! She graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Ethnic Studies and Sociology. Ms. Navarro is multilingual and has worked as a 5th Grade Teaching Assistant and Extended Care Aide in Catholic schools. She enjoys supporting and building relationships with students inside and outside of the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys running, playing guitar, and watching the 49ers and Warriors.

Mrs. Haydet Giulianetti is our Director of preschool.  She has her degree in Early Childhood Education with emphasis on Early Reading Skills. This is her third year at Notre Dame Elementary.  She has been working with young children for the past 20 years and loves the energy and spunk they bring.  She is passionate about ECE and hopes to continue to mentor teachers who want to work in this field.  On her time off she loves spending time with her husband and two boys. They love cooking and staying active.

hgiulianetti@nde.org

Ms. Irene Vega is our Transitional Kindergarten teacher at our preschool.  This is her second year and she loves teaching our youngest learners at Notre Dame.  She has three associates in Liberal Arts, Social Science, Early Child Education and her B.S. in Business Psychology.  She also has her certificate for Early Childhood Education.  She plans to pursue her doctorate in Education Leadership.  She strongly believes that parents and teachers need to partner together in order for children to thrive, so communication and transparency are very important.  In her spare time, she likes to hike, go to the beach, read, draw, journal, walk her dog, spend time with family and friends, and try new restaurants.

Ms. Rhonda Choeun will be joining the Notre Dame Preschool team as the Preschool Teacher. She has earned her degree in Child Development with a focus in Family Relations and obtains a Child Development Site Supervisor Permit. She has been working with children between the ages 3 to 15 for the past 9 years in the Butte, Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Joaquin County. She loves helping children explore and develop skills to become self-sufficient learners. In her spare time she enjoys going to the gym, spending time with her family and cat, creating art, and exploring the Bay Area.

Ms. Dulce Contreras likes to play cello, bake, care for my plants and spend time with family, friends and my dog.  Her favorite thing about being shared between preschool and elementary is meeting kids of all ages!  

Mrs. Seema Patel has a true passion for working with our youngest learners! She has a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been working with children for the last 15 years. Helping each child progress in all areas of their development—academic, social, language, and motor—is a challenge that I am honored to accept daily. On her time off she loves to travel and spend time with her family.