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. Karagan is currently finishing an M.Ed. in addition to her credential at UCSB’s Teacher Education Program. She has one year of teaching experience. Before that, she graduated from the University of Toronto where she completed a major in English and a double minor in French and Philosophy. She believes in helping students reach their highest potential. Her mission in teaching is personal empowerment. Ms. Karagan aims to teach and listen with compassion to empower her students to become better critical and creative thinkers. In her free time, Ms. Karagan loves to do anything active, cook, read, and enjoy time in the sun!

jkaragan@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 third 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

Mr. Crouse is excited to be a part of the NDE family!  Mr. Crouse recently relocated to California from Austin, Texas where he worked as a teacher and a coach for three years. Mr. Crouse grew up in Kansas where he graduated from McLouth High School, and then Washburn University. He received a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in History. Prior to becoming a teacher, Mr. Crouse worked in the criminal justice career field for seven years. 

Mr. Crouse holds a teaching credential with certifications in Social Studies (4-8), Physical Education (EC-12), and an endorsement for Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice. Mr. Crouse believes in creating a safe environment where students can garner the appropriate skills to become lifelong learners and productive members of society. 

dcrouse@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. Julie Kanzaki teaches 8th grade homeroom and upper school English Language Arts. This is her 6th 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

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.

Ms. Cielo Contreras has prior experience as an Instructional Assistant and has worked in Catholic Schools the last few years.  Ms. Contreras sings and plays violin, guitar and some percussion instruments.  She also enjoys the arts, particularly, acrylic painting.  

Mr. Sanchez will be going into this third year of teaching.  Prior to teaching, he was part of the San Jose Earthquakes and coached soccer at the Liverpool Academy.  Mr. Sanchez holds a USS B License and an NCAA Advanced National Diploma.  He coaches club soccer and Manchester United is his favorite football club!  Outside of teaching and coaching, Mr. Sanchez loves karaoke and traveling. 

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 third 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. 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!  

Marisol Arenas grew up in the Bay Area.  She holds an Associate of Arts degree in Child Development. She has worked with children for over a decade. She has always possessed an inherent affinity for children and delight in engaging with children, having experience with infants up to five-year-olds. In her leisure time, she likes to spend time with her family, travel, cook, and visit the ocean. She is eager to meet her students and join this special community.

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.

extendedcare@nde.org

Alexa Randall just graduated from Cañada College with a degree in Psychology. She has always loved children and hopes to be a school counselor someday. In her spare time, Alexa shoots film photography, enjoys staying active, cooking, and exploring the San Francisco Bay Area. She is looking forward to making this school year the best it can be!

ndefinance@nde.org