Staff

Rina Woodfin is a seasoned and certified Early Childhood Educator and Director.  She has been teaching at MSP since 1993 and co-directing since 2002.   Besides being a gourmet cook, Rina appreciates listening to Jazz and classical music.  She has greatly enhanced the cohesiveness of the staff team with organization, dedication and her delicious baked goods.

Shirley Wong has an M.A. in Clinical Psychology and an Early Childhood Program Director Credential.  She was one of the founding directors of Little Sprouts Preschool in Oakland.  She has been teaching at MSP since 2001.  Her first love is teaching, but due to her role also as co-director, she only teaches in the classroom every other year.  She enjoys exploring the outdoors, hiking, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Sharon Lee is a certified Early Childhood Educator and has been teaching at MSP since 1993.  She is a graduate of Sook Myong University in Korea, in Art.  This is the 7th year that Sharon co-teaches the Roo class.  She is wonderful and warm with toddlers and creates strong bonds with them, inspiring trust and affection.  She is calm and skilled in helping these toddlers transition through the separation process.  She is fluent in Korean.  Her excellent Korean cooking brings special warmth and laughter to our staff team.

Shirley Wong is a certified Early Childhood Educator.  She taught the Roo class with Sharon many times.  Shirley is very observant of the ways children express their thoughts and feelings and responds to their needs through redirection and extension of their play.  She is particularly attentive to children’s nonverbal communication and encourages their language expressions through modeling and reflections. She finds great joy in getting to know each child’s personality and learning style. 

Monica Pelucchi is a certified Early Childhood Educator.  She has been teaching at MSP since 1996.   Monica works diligently, patiently, creatively and flexibly with children.  Her teaching combines love & humor with developmentally appropriate limits.  She has a contagious enthusiasm and enjoys the outdoors and social gatherings.  Monica is a dedicated teacher at MSP and a loving wife and mother to her husband and two children.  She is a great cook and baker.  She is Italian and speaks her language fluently.

Megan DeRouchey has Early Childhood units.  Megan has experience teaching toddlers and older preschoolers in the morning and afternoon programs.  She was also our gym teacher six years ago.  She is kind, loving and energetic in the classroom and maintains appropriate boundaries with the children.  Megan has a daughter (Johana) who will be 18 months in January ’09 and ready to start school at MSP.  It brings her great joy to spend quality time with Johana and simply “being” a mom when she is not working.

Vicky Brodt is a certified Early Childhood Educator.  She is in her 7th year of teaching at MSP.  Vicky also works with children’s ministry at Berkeley Covenant Church.  She brings a diverse and rich training in Early Childhood Education, along with her creativity, to the classroom.  Also a certified horticulturist, she enjoys gardening, quilting, and spending time with her two kids; Sean (15) and Chelsea (7).  She produces the MSP newsletter “Seedling”.

Monica Eng has Early Childhood units.  This is her first year at MSP, but she has years of experience working with toddlers and older preschoolers.  Monica values the importance of creating a positive atmosphere that would nurture a child’s growth and love for learning.  She works well with a team and appreciates the dynamic of being mentored and in turn mentoring others.  Monica has four children and is intentional about spending quality time with her family. 

Meri Thwaites is a certified Early Childhood Educator and Director.  She has been teaching at MSP since 1986 and has years of experience teaching the Pre-K class.  Meri is warm-hearted, hospitable and humorous.  She welcomes children and families into her life and keeps them in her spirit.  She shares her gift of music and singing in the classroom and combines welcoming warmth with loving/healthy boundaries with the children.  Meri is grandmother to her first grand-daughter Johana.

Erwin Vista is a certified Early Childhood Educator and has a B. A. in Music.  He is in his 4th year of teaching at MSP.  He brings wonderful music skills and talents as well as a love for children to our teaching team.  He also teaches children piano outside of MSP.  He has an even temperament that brings calmness to the classroom.  His awareness of children’s different temperaments makes him especially attuned to children who may need an extra word of encouragement and individual attention on a particular day.  He also brings silly jokes to the children on a daily basis.

Kristen Matarazzo is a certified Early Childhood Educator and has a B. S. in Fine Arts.  She is in her 5th year of teaching at MSP.  She taught Karate to children 4 - 11 year-olds at the Academy of Martial Arts.  Kristen is a keen observer of children.  Children feel an instant comfort with her and she balances humor with the setting of healthy boundaries.  She is sensitive to provide activities that both encourage and challenge children to discover their potential.  She is a leader and a ready public speaker.  She enjoys reading, having coffee with friends and laughing. 

Helen Wu is a certified Early Childhood Educator and Director.  She has a B.A. in Art and Psychology and is currently working toward her Master of Fine Arts Degree.  She has taught at MSP from 1989 to 1996 and co-directed the preschool from 1996 to 1999, before moving on to become the Children Ministry Director at a local church.   Having raised her two sons to adulthood, Helen holds a deep passion for nurturing children and helping them to cultivate their multi-faceted potential.  With her warm and loving nature, she brings a nurturing presence that children can readily sense in the classroom. 

 
Myrna Shadley has a B.A. in Education.  She has worked in Early Childhood Education since 1980, both as a teacher and Director.  Myrna is also our Resource Specialist.  She is in her 6th year at MSP.  She is delighted to be part of the Mustard Seed community and enjoys getting to know the children and families in the Rabbit class.  Myrna is a mom to six children and grandma to three.  She enjoys gardening, spending time at the beach and being with her family.