The Desert Willow Classroom

 Ms. Wendy was born in Brooklyn, New York. She later relocated here to New Mexico where she met her husband and started substituting for APS. She was eventually introduced to the Montessori Method and fell in love. Ms. Wendy received her National Center for Montessori Education (NCME) Primary Certification in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She is also a current member of the American Montessori Society (AMS), The Montessori Foundation, The New Mexico Montessori Network, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Ms. Wendy has two daughters, a dog, and is a grandmother of four. In her free time, she enjoys leisurely reading, interior decorating, and fashion design. 

Ms. Donna is from Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico. She graduated from Bernalillo High School and has lived here in Albuquerque for a little over twenty years. She has been working at MVM since 2013 and absolutely loves it! Prior to working for MVM, Ms. Donna ran an in-home daycare for six years. The Montessori Philosophy was very new to her, but with good practice and help from other staff members she has come to find she can easily use her Montessori knowledge not only at school, but in other areas of her life. Ms. Donna’s leisure activities include anything to do with the outdoors. She especially loves camping and barbequing with her family.   

 Ms. Renee was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her 3-6 certificate from the World Wide Montessori online training program. She also has her certificate in Early Care, Education and family support. Ms. Renee has been working for over 18 years as an assistant and lead teacher in toddler and 3-6 environments and absolutely loves it. She and her husband have been married for twenty years and have two wonderful sons. Both of her children attended Montessori schools and are now excelling academically. In her spare time, you can find Ms. Renee volunteering at her church. 

Ms. Rebeca was born and raised in Santiago, Chile. After high school Ms. Rebeca studied and worked as a dental assistant in Panama City, Republic of Panama. She moved to New Mexico in 1998.  Ms. Rebeca began her Montessori work at Montessori of the Rio Grande as an assistant teacher in the toddler program for 8 years. She has taken several early childhood continuing education classes. 

Ms. Rebeca also comes to us from Academy Montessori, where she worked for the last 2 years. 

In her free time, Ms. Rebeca enjoys gardening and landscaping, working out, bicycling, and camping in the Carson National Forest. 

   Ms. Sam grew up in Hilsboro, Oregon and studied Cultural Antropology at the University of Oregon in Eugene. It was in college where she decided she would like to open a non-profit for underprivileged youth. This began her journey of working with children and homeless teens in schools and shelters. Although, she has learned much from these experiences, she would like to learn more about the Montessori method. She looks forward to absorbing all that she can, while sharing her interests with staff and children. Ms. Sam's interestes include song writing, singing, yoga, print making, and learning about cultures different than her own. 

Ms. Sam & Ms. Rebeca will be teaching basic Spanish. The children enjoy learning how to count, their colors, animal names, familiar household items, as well as greetings and goodbyes in Spanish!

Ms. Donna G. Will lead the children through some child friendly Yoga poses.