Elementary Faculty

lower elementary
	Kathy Kolata, Lower Elementary Teacher Kathy Kolata is a Lower Elementary Teacher in Room 107. Kathy graduated with honors in December of 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She received her American Montessori Society Lower Elementary certification in April of 2004 from the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center, which is based in Illinois. She is currently working on completing her Masters in Elementary Education and hopes to begin work on the Upper Elementary training sometime in the near future. She has lived in the South Bend area since 1977 when her father began his teaching position at Notre Dame. Previous to working at TMA, Kathy traveled and recorded as a professional violinist and violist. In April 2007, Kathy and her husband, Brian, welcomed their first son, Cooper James. He is keeping Kathy on her toes and will be joining the Toddler classroom with Lori Twining next year. Kathy’s daughter, Dana, is a 5th year in Becky Dennis and Jayne Dregit’s class. Kathy is proud to be a member of the awesome faculty and staff at The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes! (Bio updated June 2008)
	Helen Muffoletto, Lower Elementary Intern Helen Muffoletto grew up in the small town of Whiting, IN just outside the city of Chicago. Being the daughter of Greek immigrants, she and her siblings were the first in the family to graduate high school, let alone University. She speaks Greek fluently and is a member of St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church. She attended Valparaiso University, earning a degree in Communications/Journalism and a minor in Political Science. She was an active leader in social/communications activities in the Alpha Xi Epsilon sorority. Her first career was in advertising at Landon Associates for nearly nine years. She became the first woman president of the Newspaper Advertising Sales Association in the mid-1980s. Her life at Montessori began with her children Maria and Tony. Maria completed her 12-year cycle here at The Montessori Academy and began attending Penn High School in the fall of 2005. (Yes, Miss Twining was her toddler teacher.) Mrs. Muffoletto began substituting and then went to full-time Toddler Assistant when her son began to attend TMA. After four years in the Toddler room and one in a 3-6 year old classroom, she made the leap to Upper Elementary assistant. Her Montessori education includes the Montessori philosophy course through MTA/IUSB, annual assistant workshops, and she is well read on autism spectrum disorders. After 6 years as an assistant in Upper Elementary, Helen went back to school during the summers of 2006 and 2007 to complete her Upper and Lower Elementary Montessori teacher training. She will be in her third year partnering with Kathy Kolata in Lower Elementary, room 107. She is an avid reader, a grammar policewoman, an enthusiastic Chicago Bears/NFL fan, and a Chicago White Sox and Bulls fan. (Bio updated June 2008)
	Rhonda Reynolds, Lower Elementary Teacher Rhonda Reynolds is a Lower Elementary Teacher in Room 106.
	Terri Foley, Lower Elementary Assistant Terri Foley is a Lower Elementary Assistant in Room 106, starting her 28th year at TMA. Her love of Montessori started while observing and volunteering in her oldest son, Shawns, 3-6 classroom. She started in the Toddler program, progressed to 3-6, and then skipped to Upper Elementary, where she has partnered as an assistant with Connie Richardson for 15 years. All three of her sons attended TMA, known then as Little Flower Montessori pre-school. Her youngest son, Tate, attended elementary when it was located on Notre Dame Avenue. The tradition continued when Colton, son of middle child, Scott, attended TMA as a pre-schooler. Terri, a life long resident of South Bend enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren, Colton, Chloe and Kendall and their families. She also enjoys visiting Shawn in Phoenix, chatting with her five sisters or her great love, reading.
upper elementary
	Becky Dennis, Upper Elementary teacher Becky Dennis is an Upper Elementary teacher in Room 103. She received her degree from Indiana University and her Montessori endorsement from the Midwest Training Center in Chicago at DePaul University. Becky has four children whom have all gone to TMA. She began teaching in the public schools and then discovered Montessori. She began teaching a 6 to 9 class and slowly, as the school grew, taught the upper elementary and junior high. She loves to read, go to movies, and travel.
	Michael Poole, Upper Elementary Teacher Athletic Director/Coach Michael Poole is Athletic Director/Coach and Upper Elementary teacher in Rooms 102 and 103. He received his degree from Butler University in Indianapolis and received his Montessori training for both 6-9 and 9-12 in Evanston, IL at the Montessori Training Institute. Michael is also the founder of an organization called Positive Outlook, Inc. (a motivational organization mainly working with young people). Michael is a life long resident of Michiana. Mr. Poole was one of eight recipients to receive an award from Riley High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 for his athletic accomplishments. He also received an award from the Urban League for his contributions to the youth in our community. (Bio updated Feb. 2008)
	Connie Richardson, Upper Elementary Teacher Connie Richardson is an Upper Elementary teacher in Room 102. She graduated from Hanover College with a degree in education. Her teaching career began in the Cincinnati Public Schools where she taught grades 4, 5 and 6. She earned her Masters Degree at Xavier University and continued with the Cincinnati Public Schools in administration, supervising new teachers, teaching at Xavier University, and writing a math series for public television in Ohio. Connie joined the Montessori Academy the year the elementary facility opened on Day Road. She completed her 6 to 12 Montessori training at the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center in Chicago. Her career has included teaching the 9 to 12 program, being a part time Director of Education, Curriculum Director, and chairing the accreditation of TMA by both AMS and ISAACS, and serving on other visiting accreditation teams for other schools in the Midwest. Connies family includes her husband, Tom, her two sons and their wives, and one grandson. She considers herself lucky to be a part of not only her immediate family but also her TMA family.
	Jayne Dregits, Upper Elementary Assistant Jayne Dregits is an Upper Elementary Assistant in Rooms 102 and 103. She began her career at TMA in 1983. The first seven years were spent working as an assistant in the early childhood environment. In 1990 she became an assistant to Becky Dennis in the Upper Elementary. She was a part of that team until 2002 when she decided to retire from TMA. She missed working with children as well as the TMA family, and after three years is returning to work with Becky Dennis in Upper Elementary. Jayne and her husband of 32 years, John, have two children, Casey, 25, and Cara, 29. Casey was a student at TMA for nine years and now works for a mutual funds company in Indianapolis and is pursuing an MBA degree. Cara and her husband, Brian, are missionaries serving in Russia. Jayne and John have now filled their empty nest with a new baby, their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Madie.