Jesus Mendez
Food Service Manager
My name is Jesus Mendez and I am the Food Service Manager at St. Mary’s Montessori Schools. I have been in the food industry for the course of 30 years and the entirety of my life has been dedicated to nutrition. In that time I have gained a passion for creating menus, catering, and learning many styles of cooking. My favorite style of cooking is Italian as that is where my foundation began. Being in the food industry I value nothing more than feeding the public nutritious food and I am ecstatic to share my love of cooking with your children. I am a father myself and I understand how vital it is to feed our children nutritious food. I believe creating healthy food habits is the foundation to a healthy lifestyle and mind that will last a lifetime. I look forward to this new opportunity and to getting to know staff and parents alike.
Melissa Barrales
Assistant Teacher
Hi!! My name is Melissa Barrales and I have been part of SMMS since April 2019. SMMS has given me the opportunity to work with all age groups (Nido through Elementary). I truly like working with the littles and helping them grow. I have always wanted to work with animals or children and decided working with children would give me a better impact of changing a life and show the goodness this world can have. Through my education process I have worked with children as a basic babysitter, at a gym and as a preschool teacher. I then took time off to raise my own daughter but still did many hours of volunteering in the educational field and at her schools. As she was becoming a teenager, it was time for me to head back into the teaching profession. I have been blessed at SMMS to work with the younger children, mainly in the Nido and IC1 classrooms but with gladly help out with all the other age groups. On my free time I love going to concerts and doing arts & crafts. I also enjoy going on family adventures and playing with my pets. Writing and music are also big parts of my life. Volunteer work was put on hold due to the pandemic but slowly coming back. I am glad and hope to make special connections with all the children and adults throughout my SMMS career. Thank you.
Kayla Morrill
Lead Teacher for Oak
My name is Ms. Kayla Morrill and I am the lead guide in the Oak Community. I received a B.S Degree in Child and Adolescent Studies from California State University, Fullerton. I also received my AMI 6-12 Diploma from Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies. My love and passion for working with children ages 6-12 stems from wanting to create a safe environment for children to feel comfortable and heard. As an elementary lead in our Oak environment, it is extremely important for me to create strong positive relationships with both my students and their families.
Nancy Morales
Lead Lower Elementary Teacher
Hello, my name is Nancy Morales. I joined St. Mary’s Montessori School in 2016 and I am thankful for the opportunity to work in a nurturing and loving place where children experience new challenges that build their personality, confidence, and knowledge. The passion and sentiment of knowing one can make a difference in a student’s life is gratifying. My journey in SMMS began as a PM Care teacher for Primary age children (3 to 6 y/o), engaging them in the after-school hours with enriching crafts, songs, and care. A year after, I became an assistant in a Primary environment and after assisting for three years, I obtained my global American Montessori International diploma for Elementary (ages 6 to 12) from The Montessori Institute of San Diego, CA. I have been guiding our second plane students since 2020. In 2003 I accepted an office job for a catholic school. Within my first couple weeks, I was placed in the first-grade classroom to substitute as the assistant. It was then that I knew this was my calling and started my child development education at East Los Angeles College. I worked for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 10 years as a teacher assistant, substitute, tutor, and taught Kindergarten for three years. I am Mexican American, born and raised in East Los Angeles, CA. I have three awesome children who keep me on the “know” on the “go” and “coffee”! I enjoy drawing, painting, and organizing! If I had any spare time I would pick up on playing tennis again, spend more time with my siblings and travel. I feel blessed to work alongside our amazing staff and support our SMMS community by providing a safe, nurturing, and educational environment for our children to self-construct and thrive in. Looking forward to another great school year!
Sherangi Perera
Lead Guide for Marigold
Hello, My name is Ms. Sherangi Perera and I have been working at St. Mary’s Montessori School from 2018. It has been such an amazing journey with the staff and the children! I started my journey at the St Mary’s Fontana campus as an assistant teacher and then I moved to the Rancho campus. I became a lead guide in 2022 with a brand new class named 'Marigold'! I have always wanted to be a teacher. My grandmother had her Montessori training and her own school. She was my inspiration to become a Montessori guide. I got my Montessori diploma/ training at 'Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Center, Sri Lanka'. It was a very inspirational and fascinating experience. In my spare time, I like to read books and listen to music. I'm grateful and thankful for all my experiences and the memories that I gained from the staff and the kids here at St. Mary’s and I look forward for more exciting times together!
Jessica Barrett
Assistant Teacher
Hello, my name Ms. Jessica Barrett and I have been with St. Mary’s since 2021. I started as an assistant teacher and my goal was to eventually lead a classroom. I have gotten the opportunity to take the AMI training and become a lead guide. I have been enjoying learning more about Montessori education. My priority is to create a safe, healthy, and educational environment for your child. I am mother of two beautiful girls that are 11 and 2 years old. I studied early childhood education at Cerritos College. I have worked with children from the ages 6 weeks old to school age children. I’ve also wanted to teach and inspire young children. On my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I love to have picnics at the park and go on walks. I am looking forward to this journey on guiding and caring for your children.
Maryanne Surendranathan
Lead Primary Guide
Hello, I am Ms. Maryanne! I am an AMI certified Montessori teacher with over 35 years of Experience. Through my training I have picked up many valuable subjects, such as child psychology, history and geography. The added knowledge I have in these subjects areas has helped me better my teaching skills through the years. As an added perk I ask so hold a certificate for Music and Drama. I am also an accomplished piano player. During my spare time, I enjoy gardening, cooking, and reading. I I am very passionate about my work and deeply enjoy what I do!
Achala Karunarathne
Lead Primary Guide
My name is Achala Karunarathne, I have been a member of St. Mary's Montessori School since 2019 and I am an AMI Montessori teacher with 11 years of teaching experience. I obtained my AMI diploma for primary age from Good Shepherd Maria Montessori (AMI) training center, Sri Lanka. Teaching is a childhood passion which I have developed into a career. I believe it's a service rather than a career as this is the starting point of education of every human in this world. I am very excited being around kids and teaching them by applying my skills and teaching experience. Also, I really enjoy the time I spend with children as their curiosity leading me to research on new things which help me to enhance my knowledge. I like exploring and learning new things in my spare time and cooking is one of them. I look forward for all the adventures at SMMS!
Tania Galan
Infant Community 2 Guide
Hello, my name is Tania Galan. I’m the Lead Guide in the Peach Blossom Environment. I was born in Austin,Texas. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for 27 years. I’m a proud mother of three. My oldest who graduated from Baylor University and my two daughters which my second is soon to be graduate at Berkeley and my youngest at UCLA. I moved here four years ago. I found St.Mary’s and have been with the company for four years. St.Mary’s gave me the opportunity to earn my AMI diploma one year ago. I earned my Child Development Certification at Austin Community College. I have over twenty years working with young children. I have the passion of working with young children. I truly enjoy my value time with my family and enjoy traveling.
Deseree Jones
Director
Hello! My name is Ms. Deseree Jones, and I have been part of St. Mary's Montessori School since 2017. Since joining, I have had the opportunity to support and collaborate with children of various ages which influenced my passion for working in our 0-3 Assistants to Infancy Program. Since working at St. Mary's, I have served many young children and their families through guiding children in the growth of their independence. My objective as an Early Childhood Educator, Montessori Guide, and Administrator is to create physical and psychological safe havens for children thrive and grow, and to act as a mentor and resource for parents and fellow educators. In 2021 I received my AMI 0-3 Global Diploma at The Montessori Institute of San Diego under the instruction of Dr. Silvia Dubovoy and am blessed to be the Director of our North Fontana Campus. In my free time I enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, and attending live events. I look forward to building a strong partnership with you and your family!