We pride ourselves on having an award-winning faculty and staff. Below you will find lots of information about our wonderful team.

Susan Brookes Grade 5 Room 2

Mrs. Brookes is a Nebraska native, born in Omaha and a graduate of the University of Nebraska, with a Teaching Credential from Mills College in Oakland. She lived in England from 1977 to 1980. Mrs. Brookes hopes to spark each child’s mind and to aid them in their quest for knowledge. She believes that true learning is self-initiated, so philosophically is a constructionist. Her goal is to meet each child where they are, to see them as individuals, and to go forward. In order to do this, Mrs. Brookes has tempered her constructivist ideas with good old-fashioned explicit instruction. Teaching the older students is a great opportunity; the curriculum includes more science and social studies. The class has a wonderful annual overnight to the Gold Country for 5th graders, and many opportunities throughout the year for them to be leaders here at Montclair School. Mrs. Brookes is a Martin Luther King Junior Coordinator, the Math Teacher Leader, and she participates in OUSD Teaching American History Grant. An aspiring history buff, Mrs. Brookes also enjoys reading, walking and traveling.

Kathleen Buty Grade 4 Room 1

Mrs. Buty was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She went to elementary and high school in Madison, Ohio, and graduated from Miami University and California State University, Hayward. She has taught a wide array of subjects (junior high and adult education art, P.E., and science), grade levels (Kindergarten through Adult Ed.) and at many different schools in the OUSD before taking a position at Montclair. Ms. Buty has a child centered-standards based classroom where learning occurs with guidance and love. She serves on the Montclair School Site Council. In her spare time she enjoys a variety of artistic pursuits, drawing, painting, and photography as well as hiking and skiing.

Julie Chanter Grade 3 Portable F

Ms. Chanter was born and grew up in Charlotte, NC. She got her B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Teaching Credential from the University of San Francisco. Ms. Chanter worked in book publishing for many years-Random House, then Chronicle Books and is still an avid reader. She’s taught all grades from Kindergarten-6, but most of her experience is with grades 3-5. She’s had assignments at Ulloa Elementary and Chinese American International School in San Francisco, and taught 4th grade intervention in the Mount Diablo Unified School District. She likes to have fun in the classroom, for happy students make the best learners. She works very hard to ensure that every child in her class does his or her best and experiences the feelings of pride and success that goes along with that. She particularly likes to teach writing because it is so important for students to know how to express themselves and to communicate well. Ms Chanter tries to incorporate art into her instruction, for it increases student engagement and the decorated walls of the classroom bring the class together as a community. She enjoys yoga and day hikes. She is really enjoying life on this side of the bay (she didn’t realize how much she missed “summer”).

Eulogio Gomez Grade 1 Portable A

Mr. Gomez was born and raised in Tulare, Ca. He attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia Ca and received both his BA and his credential from California State University, Fresno. Prior to moving to Oakland, Mr. Gomez worked for six years at a shelter for abused and neglected children who were being put into the foster care system. He also taught as a substitute for two years for Fresno Unified School District in classrooms from preschool to sixth grade. Mr. Gomez believes that every child has their own way of learning and just needs help finding the way that suits them best! Learning should be fun and exciting for kids. Mr. Gomez focuses on a positive classroom environment rewarding hard work and “catching kids doing something good!” He loves movies, great food, reading, and has recently taken up running again.

Aimee Green Grade K Room 14

Ms. Green was born in Lindsay, California and grew up in Tulare. She went to U.C.S.C, C.O.S., University College Swansea, Wales, and earned her teaching credential from Notre Dame de Namur. She enjoys movies, books, and is a huge A's fan! Ms. Green's educational philosophy is that learning should be fun. She believes that students should utilize higher level thinking and facilitates that in her classroom. Ms. Green has taught kindergarten in South San Francisco, a self-contained 7th grade class at Dolores Huerta Learning Academy in Oakland and a kindergarten at Anna Yates in Emeryville. She also serves on the Social Committee at Montclair Elementary School.

Robert Jue Grade K Room 7

Mr. Jue grew up in Oakland and attended the University of California, Davis, and St. Mary’s University where he received a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. He has taught Kindergarten to 6th grade and worked at Grass Valley and Stonehurst Elementary Schools prior to coming to Montclair. Mr. Jue feels that “It is important for children to be encouraged, supported, and challenged with developmentally appropriate instruction in a caring, consistent and stimulating environment”. Mr. Jue is currently the Head Teacher at Montclair School. His hobbies are backpacking, camping, bike riding and photography.

Thomas Koltiska Grade 1 Room 9

Mr. Koltiska was born in Sheridan, Wyoming. His grandparents owned a ranch where he spent weekends and summers. He lived in the same house there for 21 years before moving to Bozeman, Montana to finish his teaching degree. Mr. Koltiska received his B.A. degree from Montana State University at Bozeman and has finished a Masters in Administration. Prior to coming to Montclair, he taught 2nd, 2/3 GATE, 3rd, and 3/4 combination classes in Montana, Colorado and California. His classroom philosophy is that he believes every child can learn, that every child should feel free to take chances and know that it is okay if we don’t succeed the first time. Learning can still be fun-and should be. If a child fails at something they should be in an environment that is nurturing and supportive so that they have tools they need to handle future failures. Mr. Koltiska believes in praising children for doing the best that they can and in nurturing life-long learners. Mr. Koltiska has recently taken up sailing as a hobby. He snowboards and is looking forward to taking up kite-boarding.

Sandi McClain Grade 4 Room 4

Sandi McClain is a Los Angeles native. Ms McClain graduated from Arizona State University and received her M.A. in 1991. She has taught everything from Pre-Kindergarten to 7th grade at Markham, Marshall, Grass Valley as well as Montclair in the OUSD. Her philosophy is that for students to be successful, the class must work as a team and have mutual respect. Children learn from their teachers and from their peers and must always come to school ready to learn. Ms. McClain is on the Teacher Advisory Committee at the Oakland Museum, and the Student Success Committee and Social Committee at Montclair School. She enjoys Jazzercise, photography, reading, cycling, shopping, dining out, and decorating her home.

Diana Metoyer Grade 2 Portable H

Toni Morozumi Grade 1 Room 8

Ms. Morozumi was born and raised in Oakland, an “OUSD kid” through and through! She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and received her Teaching Credential from California State University, Hayward. Her career with The Oakland Unified School District has included assignments at Melrose Elementary and Whittier Year Round School. She has taught Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. Ms. Morozumi wants her students to feel that learning is fun! She is currently Montclair School’s OEA representative and the faculty representative to the Health and Safety Committee. In her spare time she hikes and plays music, a talent she enjoys sharing with her students in the classroom.

Jeanne Mulgrew Grade K Room 11

Miss Mulgrew was born and raised in Oakland and graduated from Holy Names University. She’s taught Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades as well as combination classes, K/1 and 1/2. She has a very busy Kindergarten class. There is always a lot going on in Room 11! She is serving on the Staff Social Committee, and in her spare time enjoys going to the movies and all kinds of exercise, especially swimming and walking.

Karen Nicola Grade 1 Room 10

Ms. Nicola was born at the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital here in Oakland and grew up in Alameda where she attended Paden Elementary, Chapman Middle School and Encinal High School. She received her B.A., B.S., Teaching Credential and Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from California State University in Hayward. She completed the rigorous National Board Certification for Teaching. Ms. Nicola has taught pre-school through 3rd grade and came to Montclair Elementary in 1994 after assignments at Hintal Ku Ca, the Native American Children’s Center and Glenview Elementary. She “enjoys creating a classroom environment where children are encouraged to try new experiences. All students are taught at their own developmental level and lessons are differentiated and open ended to meet their needs”. Ms. Nicola served on the School Site Council and is the Second Step Coordinator and First Grade Circuit Chairperson. She designs jewelry for “My Heart Beads For You” which has been a creative and relaxing hobby, and also enjoys cooking, dining out, gardening, needlepoint, bike riding, walking and shoe shopping.

Lori Norris Grade K Room 12

Mrs. Norris was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area. She received her B.A. from Mills College and teaching credential from California State University East Bay (formerly CSU Hayward). Her teaching assignments have been at Parker Elementary School in Oakland, Saint Clement, Saint Paschal and Our Lady of Grace, working with Kindergarten through 8th grades. Mrs. Norris recognizes that each child is an individual who learns at his/her own pace and that all children can achieve success with guidance and instruction. She enjoys dining out, decorating, reading, shopping and weight training in her spare time. Mrs. Norris serves on the School Site Council at Montclair School.

Geneva Peare Grade 2 Portable I

Geneva Peare was born and raised in Michigan. She received her BA in business from Michigan State University. She worked as a Buyer for various companies—General Dynamics, Chrysler, and UCSF before becoming a stay-at-home mom to raise three children. In 2006 she earned her teaching credential from Chapman University. She substitute taught in special education until she obtained her current position teaching second grade at Montclair Elementary in 2007. Her education philosophy is to promote positive and caring attitudes, open minds, and high expectations in the classroom every day. In her spare time Mrs. Peare is an active volunteer for Special Olympics. She enjoys running, hiking, and yoga. Currently she serves on the Student Success Team for Montclair.

Lucina Pearson Grade 3 Room 5

Ms. Pearson was born and raised in Corte Madera, CA. She spent her high school years in San Francisco and followed that with college at California State College, Stanislaus (in Turlock) where she majored in Organizational Communication with a minor in human resource administration. Ms. Pearson then spent many years in the printing industry doing project planning, customer service, estimating, and job cost analysis as well as forays into training customers and coworkers on various aspects of the work and the systems used. In 2001 Ms. Pearson made a career shift into education, working as an intern and getting her teaching credential at California State University, Hayward (now East Bay). Ms. Pearson came into teaching, finally (she'd always wanted to be a teacher) because she enjoys being around children and sharing their enthusiasm for discovery and life. She believes that children thrive and learn in a relatively structured environment, where curiosity is nurtured and encouraged, but the expectations for showing what you have learned are high. She wants children who pass through her class to be life long learners with varied interests and the drive to excel in what they do. Ms. Pearson also wants them to learn to be compassionate citizens of the world, drawing on their experiences and learning to become aware of the world around them. She wants learning to be fun for everybody and, to that end, encourage students to collaborate with one another, to talk about what they are doing and how they arrived at their conclusions. Ms. Pearson incorporates music connections, movement and art into her class structure to give every child the opportunity to shine.   Ms. Pearson's non-school hours and days are spent with her husband and son, enjoying the music they make, and going to various music festivals. She enjoys sewing, gardening, working on her home, skiing, camping, canoeing, playing with her dogs and reading. Ms. Pearson does not limit her reading by genre, she reads everything: fiction, California history, politics, psychology, science, science fiction.

Saabirah Rasul Grade 2 Portable J

Mrs. Rasul was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She attended California State University, Irvine from September 1970 – June 1972, majoring in Social Science. Afterwards, she transferred to California State University, Long Beach in September 1972 and remained there until June 1973. Mrs. Rasul joined the Navy in 1973 and for a tour of duty for 2 ½ years. While in the Navy, she was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and traveled to other countries such as mainland Japan and Korea. After her discharge from the military, she returned to college, and received a BA Degree from California State University, Hayward. She also has a BA Degree in Information Technology from DeVry University, received in 1972, and a Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential from Patten University which she received in 2004. "Most of my formal teaching experience has been at Havenscourt Middle School, teaching High Point. My students were mostly second language learners." After Havenscourt, she taught at Melrose Middle School and for the school 2007-2008, she taught at Castlemont Business Information and Technology High School. In her spare time, she likes to make natural skin-care products and sew.

Lori-Jill Seltzer Grade 3 Portable G

Ms. Seltzer grew up on the East Coast. She received her B.S. degree from University of Maryland and a post graduate degree from Rutgers University. She worked in the health field and then in retail as a Buyer for two national retailers. She received her teaching Credential from St. Mary's in Moraga. She is thrilled to be a part of Montclair Elementary and enjoys making her students laugh as they learn!

Marilyn Spingarn Grade 5 Room 3

Mrs. Spingarn is a native Californian and grew up in the East Bay. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Hispanic Civilizations, she traveled around Europe, lived a winter in Portland, Maine, and finally returned home. She lived in Montclair for 15 years and received a teaching credential from Holy Names University. Mrs. Spingarn feels that learning should be exciting and challenging, and her goal is to create life long learners. In addition to teaching the core curriculum, she believes that it is essential to provide students with the 21st century skills they will need to succeed in tomorrow’s world. She is currently the Science Lead Teacher and the GATE representative. She keeps a menagerie of animals in her classroom and enjoys inspiring girls in math/engineering/science through Techbridge, an afterschool club for 5th grade girls. In her free time, Mrs. Spingarn loves to talk to her daughter in Germany on Skype, read good books in bed, work in her veggie and butterfly gardens, and ride her bike.

Bev Rubini Portable B

Bev Rubini teaches the Special Day (Pre-K) Program.

Marcella Wasson PE

Mrs. Wasson was born in Carmel and raised in Kensington. During her high school years she moved with her family to Europe and graduated from the American International School of Luxembourg. Mrs. Wasson received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and obtained her teaching credentials from Holy Names University. Mrs. Wasson has been with Oakland Unified for 5 years, before that she taught in Emeryville and West Contra Costa School Districts. In Mrs. Wasson’s Physical Education classes students will have fun being physical and healthy! Students will learn to cooperate with others, have a good attitude and gain self-confidence. Mrs. Wasson hopes students will learn to lead a physically active lifestyle which can positively affect their overall well-being. Mrs. Wasson is in charge of assemblies, fundraising and the ball room. Mrs. Wasson juggles her spare time around being with family, Little League games, sailing and playing at the beach. If she’s not playing in the sand with her two boys then you’ll find her kite surfing on the water.