Sally attended Gonzaga University and received her B.S. in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She completed her Montessori Early Childhood training and received her certificate in June of 1972. Sally taught at the Flathead Montessori School until 1977. Sally and Terry began the Kalispell Montessori Center in 1977 and they have been co-administrators since that time. Sally has done additional graduate work in the field of education and business management at the University of Montana. Sally has been treasurer of the Flathead Child Care Association, instrumental in forming the Montana Montessori Educators Organization and a past president to Glacier National Park Associates. In 1993, Terry and Sally were hosts to the American Montessori Society heads of school retreat in Whitefish. Sally is also the director of our Teacher Education Program and an evaluator for the Montessori Accreditation Council on Teacher Education (MACTE).
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Michelle completed Woodland’s Montessori teacher training program at the beginning of her career, and then moved to Gilbert, AZ where she has spent the last 33 years as a Montessori teacher and administrator! Michelle is so excited to be at WMS again and to become better acquainted with your children. When not at school, you will find Michelle outdoors - walking, riding her bike, and water and snow skiing are her favorite activities! Most of all she loves to spend time with her family, which is the true reason they moved back to Montana!
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Kara holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder (2000) and an AMS Early Childhood Montessori Credential. After many years working in various children’s programs, she began teaching at Woodland Montessori in 2005. In 2022 Karlaynn stepped away from the classroom to start a new passion of teaching Adult Education. Karalynn teaches in our Teacher Education Program and teaches our in house Positive Discipline Class.
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Andrea moved to Kalispell from her native Mexico in 2010. In 2011 she joined the Woodland family as a Spanish teacher and while doing so found a new passion in teaching young children. She decided to pursue a career in education and received her Early Childhood Certification through Montana Montessori Teacher Education Institute in 2016. Andrea is a Montessori parent to her two children. She is very excited to share her language and culture with our community!
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Jen Cozad joins the Woodland Montessori School community from Chicago, IL, where she has lived with her family for the past 18 years. Jen's in-laws live just south of Bigfork, and she and her family are thrilled to now reside nearby. Jen is an AMS certified, 3-6 teacher with 15 years of teaching experience. Before discovering Montessori, Jen completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she majored in Dance. Jen often draws on her dance background when working with students and weaves her love of movement and creative expression into her classroom. Jen is also pursuing her Masters in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Social and Emotional Learning from the Erikson Institute in Chicago.
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Kris completed her Early Childhood Montessori training in Kalispell. She has been in early childhood education for 19 years. Kris has developed and taught preschool curriculum, and has completed coursework in the following areas: Infant Toddler Caregiver, Early Childhood Leadership Connection, Assessments, Curriculum, and Beginning Sign Language. She previously ran a day camp for children and volunteered in Special Education Classes. Kris enjoys watching the growth of each child and sharing their enthusiasm for learning.
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Heidi followed her granddaughter to Woodland Montessori over ten years ago, and has been a part of the Woodland family ever since. She started as our chef and with her great skills with children we encouraged her to join the classroom as an assistant a few years later, and now assists in the Apple classroom. Heidi is excellent at helping children feel part of their community as they are often found helping her with tasks around the school. Heidi has taken our Positive Discipline course and has perfected helping the child feel important and confident. She also received an American Montessori Society certificate for completing a 16 week Introduction to Montessori course through our in-residence teacher training program. Heidi spends much loved time with her grandchildren and enjoys fishing in the summer.
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Emma has lived in the Valley since 1995 with her husband and two children (ages 15 and 13). Emma had the privilege of working for eight years in School District 5 as a substitute paraeducator and school bus driver. She is so excited to be back in the classroom with our wonderful Woodland students and looks forward to pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education in the future. In her free time, Emma loves hiking, singing, sewing and spending time with her family.
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