Classrooms
Take a Look Inside our Classrooms!
Our Classrooms
- Preschool
- Primary (TK/K)
- Lower Elementary (1-3)
- Upper Elementary (4-6)
- Adolescent (7-8)
- Special Day Classroom
Preschool
Welcome to the Preschool
Classroom!
Meet Our Preschool Teacher
Ms. Sonia Bon
Room 5
sbon@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Classroom 5, a safe home for our youngest group, the preschoolers!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to creating, playing and working with your children in a family like atmosphere, which allows them to grow and learn individually and collectively.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love and enjoy music-- singing and dancing.
Preschool Information
Overview
Parkside offers both a part-time (8:30a-12:00p) and full-time (8:30a-3:00p) preschool. Children entering preschool for the 2022-2023 school year must be 3 years old by September 1, 2022. All children must be fully potty trained and bathroom independent. For an overview of the program, please check out the flyers below.
Enrollment
The San Mateo Foster City School District offers both a fee-based and state-subsidized preschool at Parkside Montessori. The enrollment period for the preschool program typically starts in January/February. For more information, please click on the link below. Please email any questions to smfcsd-preschool@smfcsd.net.
Primary (TK/K)
Welcome
to the
Primary Classrooms!
Meet Our Primary Teachers
Miss Castiglia
Becky Castiglia
Room 3
rcastiglia@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 3! I'm excited to cultivate a classroom of warmth, inclusion, and curiosity!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to connecting children to the earth, each other, and all living things through real life experiences.
Unique fact and/or favorite hobby
I love creating things from nature, finding animals in the wild, and rock climbing!
Ms. Crisostomo
Christina Crisostomo
Room 1
ccrisostomo@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 2, a safe space where we celebrate the uniqueness of every child.
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to nurturing a community of kind, curious learners.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I am a mom of two. I love a well-organized spreadsheet, and boba always sparks joy for me.
Ms. Sanders
Lily Sanders
Room 2
lsanders@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to TK/K in Room 1!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to creating a space where students can explore their interests and enjoy building their skills.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I enjoy all kinds of music, building and design, and learning about the science of health.
Classroom Information
Newsletters
Monthly newsletters will be sent to parents via ParentSquare.
For login instructions and tips, please check out our ParentSquare page.
Homework
Lower Elementary (1-3)
Welcome to the Lower Elementary Classrooms!
Meet Our Lower Elementary Teachers
Mr. Breon
Brett Breon
Room 15
bbreon@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Lower Elementary in Room 15.
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I am looking forward to having a class with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade together.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
At home, I enjoy gardening and going on hikes or bike rides.
Ms. Chen
Janet Chen
Room 13
janetchen@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 13! I cannot wait to connect with your students and build a strong, caring community together!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to guiding the students in their learning journeys and watching their passion for understanding the world around them grow.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I was a student at Parkside myself!
Ms. Freeman
Megan Freeman
Room 6
mfreeman@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 6! I'm excited to build a friendly, engaged, curious, and open-minded classroom community.
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to guiding students in their learning, facilitating "big work", and cultivating a community that supports each other in all areas of their learning.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love exploring, whether it's new countries, park trails, shops on a familiar street, or topics (like Montessori).
Mrs. Griddaluru
Nirupama Griddaluru
Room 8
ngriddaluru@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 8! I am excited to get to know you and your student!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to watching students discover new things and working with them to create a safe, warm, and inquisitive classroom community!
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I named my dog after one of my favorite foods, Tacos! :)
Mrs. Majumdar
Suranjana Majumdar
Room 11
smajumdar@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 11, a place where we learn, laugh and grow!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to building a strong partnership in your child's education.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love to travel, explore and have fun with my friends and family.
Mrs. Moreno
Gina Moreno
Room 9
gmoreno@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 9! I am excited for a great year of getting to know new friends and learn many new things!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
This school year, I look forward to building a tight classroom community.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I have two beautiful boys and one of them is becoming a Parkside Tiger! I also love the color purple!
Classroom Information
Newsletters
Monthly newsletters will be sent to parents via ParentSquare.
For login instructions and tips, please check out our ParentSquare page.
Homework
The Lower Elementary Classrooms will have the following homework:
- ST Math (Log in via ClassLink)
- First grade: 15 minutes every night
- Second/Third grade: 20 minutes every night
- Reading
- First grade: 10 minutes/night
- Second grade: 20 minutes/night
- Third grade: 30 minutes/night
- Typing.com (Log in via ClassLink)
- Second/Third grade: 10 minutes/night
- Cultural
- Periodic cultural assignments will be sent home with the students in their Thursday green folders
If you have any access issues or questions, please reach out to your teacher.
Upper Elementary (4-6)
Welcome to the Upper Elementary Classrooms!
Meet Our Upper Elementary Teachers
Miss Wendy
Wendy Derish
Room 24
wderish@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 24. I'm so excited for a great year in 4/5/6.
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to everything! I'm just so thrilled to be here!
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love yoga, skiing and hiking and I live in Oakland with my son, daughter and 2 doggies.
Ms. Holewa
Picture coming soon!
Lisa Holewa
Room 22
lholewa@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to the upper elementary in Room 22 -- we are ready to learn and grow together!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I look forward to getting to know my amazing students and their families, to forming partnerships, guiding learning and generally being there to provide support and compassion during these years of growth.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love biking, hiking and exploring as well as sewing and reading. I have three young adult children -- a daughter working back home in Milwaukee, a son at the University of Wisconsin and a daughter who just started at UC-Berkeley.
Mrs. Long
Natalie Long
Room 20
nlong@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to upper elementary in Room 20, a community of curious, caring learners.
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I'm really looking forward to guiding your child as they learn and grow this year.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love learning new things, especially about the human brain or how we grow and learn. My favorite place to be is outside in the woods, and I love to travel.
Ms. Learned-Matsuda
Marje Learned-Matsuda
Room 26
mlmatsuda@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 26, a community of hardworking and joyful learners.
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I'm looking forward to learning with and growing with your child.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
Swimming in a lake or reading a good book brings me joy. I escape by listening to podcasts when I cook or go on a run.
Classroom Information
Newsletters
Monthly newsletters will be sent to parents via ParentSquare.
For login instructions and tips, please check out our ParentSquare page.
Homework
The Upper Elementary Classrooms will have the following homework:
We highly encourage our upper elementary students to use their daily “30 minutes of concentrated work time” on ST Math (Log in via ClassLink). Students may also work on writing, finishing an assignment from school, or other projects that build concentration. In addition to this daily concentration work, students should be reading for 30-45 minutes each day.
Adolescent (7-8)
Welcome to the Adolescent Classroom!
Meet Our Adolescent Teacher
Sara-Rachell Grunow
Room 19
sgrunow@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to our Adolescent program!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I'm looking forward to the opportunity to grow this adolescent program. The chance to work with 7th and 8th graders is a dream and I am so excited for what is to come as we grow this program.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
Three fun facts; I lived in China for three years right out of college. I am a HUGE sports fan, Go Pack Go! And I have a two year old tabby cat named Sputnik
Special Day Classroom
Welcome to the Special Day Classrooms!
Meet Our SDC (K-2nd) Teacher
Philip Nunag
Room 7
pnunag@smfc.k12.ca.us
Meet Our SDC (3rd-5th) Teacher
Emily Posk
Room 17
eposk@smfc.k12.ca.us
Welcome to Room 17! I am excited to see you all again and meet our new students!
What do you look forward to most for this upcoming school year?
I am looking forward to creating a supportive and caring classroom community.
Interesting fact and/or favorite hobby
I love nature and taking photos of the things I see on trails.