ESCUELITA CLASSROOM

Head Teacher, Escuelita & Specialty Dance Instructor
Megan Forcum, BS UC Davis
Megan was born and raised in the Bay Area. She is a 2008 graduate from UC Davis with a major in Human Development and a minor in Spanish. Megan’s expertise lies in early childhood development and she has had nine years of experience working with young children. She has served as an intern at UC Davis Medical Center in the fetal assessment clinic and as a bilingual student aide/intern at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary. She has also lived and studied abroad in Argentina. Megan’s passion for working with children and her interest in the healthcare field are reflected in her childcare approach and career goals of becoming a family nurse practitioner.
In addition to leading the nursery program at Peregrine School, Maestra Megan will be teaching a specialty dance class in Primaria. She has had nine years of formal training as a Jazz, Hip Hop and Salsa dancer as well as five years of choreography experience. She is the director of a dance group at UC Davis and is a member of Salsamania’s dance company. She plans on introducing both Escuelita and Primaria to the diversity of dance and looks forward to forming a child centered dance program that invokes individuality, creativity and elements of performance art. “Dance is an art form that engages physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects while invoking freedom of expression. I hope to facilitate the creativity of our students through movement while allowing them the space to develop body awareness, positive self concepts and their own style."

3D Diverse Dance Dimensions is the only UCD dance ensemble that incorporates multiple dance styles and ranges of technique specializing in jazz, salsa, modern and hip hop dance. Founded in 2005 by Megan Forcum and Tiffany Ferry this dance troupe has performed for a multitude of events and audiences including university sponsored benefits, basketball games, multicultural nights, picnic days and fraternity/sorority events. 3D had their first showcase in the spring of 2008. Their second showcase will take place in the spring of 2010.

"The way that children grow, change, and learn is a wonder! Their energy is refreshing, their joy is catching and their spirits are inspiring. Not only do I love working with children for these reasons, but also because when around them, I feel as that I am constantly learning from their experiences. For enjoyment I love to choreograph and teach Salsa, Jazz and Hip Hop dance. I also love spending time with my family and traveling."

Teacher, Escuelita
Gabriela Valenzuela, BA UC Davis
"I was born and raised in Los Angeles to parents who were born and raised in El Salvador. I am the second child of 6 and helped to raise my younger siblings, which is where I believe my patience with children stems from. I have worked with children for many years through Boys and Girls Club of America, summer camps, tutoring in Los Angeles and Davis, Progress Ranch in Davis, and the Sexual Assualt and Domestic Violence Center in Woodland. I earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and English with an Emphasis in Teaching in June of 2008, and I plan to pursue a career in Child Development. In addition to the love and dedication I have for children, I love my family, friends, heritage, music, dancing, outdoor adventures, traveling, community service, and bringing all the people in my life together thus creating a close knit community."

Teacher, Escuelita
Charlotte Senior, BS UC Davis
"I was born in Epstein, West Germany to parents of British citizenship. When I was approximately 6 months old my family moved back to the U.S. and resided in Santa Barbara, Ca. For many years now, I have been known as the “mother” of the group; dating back to my elementary school days when I would care for my younger brother. I love playing with children, nurturing them, and learning from their experiences. In high school, I worked with children with disabilities, including head injuries and cerebral palsy. This experience inspired me to attend university to further my education. I graduated in June of 2009 from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development. I have spent the last 10 years working with children, either as a nature camp counselor, nanny, or physical therapy aide. It is an accumulation of creative and fascinating experiences with children, and a desire to want to improve the current education system that has led me to working as a teacher aide. It is my passion for working with children and understanding of their developmental needs that is reflected in my childcare approach and future goals of obtaining a Ph.D. in Child Development. I hope to one day write books on parenting and the development of children. When not working with children, I enjoy hiking, running, and any activity that gets me outdoors. I also love dancing, painting, traveling, and spending time with my boyfriend, friends and family."

Teacher, Escuelita
Uyen Pham, Cal State Sacramento
Uyen Pham is currently a junior at Cal State Sacramento working towards her B.A. in Liberal Studies. Her career goals include eventually teaching grade school children. Uyen is an experienced cook and in her spare time she enjoys reading as well as traveling. Uyen dreams of one day going to another country to experience teaching in a whole new culture; and to visit family members who still reside in Vietnam.

"I never realized what I wanted to do with my life, but I have always known, without a doubt, that I wanted to work with children. I truly believe that a child's experience shapes who they become, and it is up to the adults in their lives to guide them. Many people take for granted the intellect of a child and their individual ways of learning, but I am learning as I watch the mind of a young child work. I want to become a positive role model for the children so they can take advantage of the ample opportunity that life has to offer."

Teacher, Escuelita
Maria Cariaga, American River College

Teacher's Aide, Escuelita
Cristina Fraguio-Paz
"Hello Everyone!!! My name is Cristina Fraguio-Paz, and I’m going to be the new Teacher’s aide for the Spanish program. I am originally from Barcelona, Spain, and a year ago moved to Davis due to my Husband’s job at the University. Since then, I have been actively raising my 2 year old child while participating in a mother-child cooperative. My child, Nina, will be attending Escuelita while I will teach Primaria. I both look forward to meeting the pupils and you fellow parents of which I can share all of my customs, traditions, and culture. Hope to see you soon."

Teacher's Aide, Escuelita
Martha Saldate

PRIMARIA CLASSROOM

Head Teacher, Primaria
New Primaria Team to be announced soon!

Spanish Teacher, Primaria
New Primaria team to be announced soon!

Teacher's Aide, Primaria
New Primaria team to be announced soon!

SPECIALISTS

Yoga Teacher, Escuelita & Primaria
Sabrina O'Hanleigh, BA Recreation Administration
Sabrina is a credentialed teacher, an active substitute teacher, and has taught yoga in classrooms at Birch Lane, Willet, Chavez, and pre-schools. She has studied yoga since 1986 and enjoys sharing yoga with her two young daughters. Sabrina owned a family oriented massage therapy business for 10 years.

"I began a career in teaching at the age of 11, teaching swimming to young children. Since then, my life has been a journey through related, yet different fields of teaching, recreation, and the healing arts. I have taught pre-school, elementary school, taught and run swimming programs, taught and run recreation programs, infant massage, pregnancy and childbirth classes, and yoga to children. My BA degree in Recreation Administration, a pre-k/elementary teaching credential, doula and childbirth education training, and a massage therapy and health educator certificate, provided the background for a varied career that has culminated in a holistic approach to teaching children.
Yoga has been a part of my life for twenty years now. It has been a wonderful grounding tool throughout the different paths my life has taken. Yoga can bring a sense of self, groundedness, self-confidence, and a connection to the world for children. Including yoga in a child’s life early on can be very powerful. This is why I have chosen to share yoga with children."

Music & Drama Teacher, Escuelita & Primaria
Laura Sandage, BM, MA, Music Specialist
Laura Sandage is a Davis songwriter, musician and performer who produced her first CD of original songs in 2005. She sings and plays string bass with Teacher Katie in the local acoustic trio MudLark. She has worked with children, teens, and adults at the Davis Art Center, in public and private schools and programs, and in her own home studio. She is also a published poet and humorist, a not-yet-published novelist, and instigator of various local writing groups and improv troupes past and present. Teacher and Sierra North Arts Project (SNAP) teacher trainer.

"My method of making music with young children is not based on one particular training or school of thought. I incorporate elements I value in my own musical life, such as:

Creativity: I always include some songs that need ideas, rhymes, words, or names from the children themselves to be complete, giving them the opportunity to contribute to the class experience in a way that is real and immediate. As a songwriter, I create new songs to suit the classes and materials I am working with.
Physicality: Making music is physical, whether it is singing, plucking, striking or blowing. I get the children physically involved with hand and body motions, rhythmic clapping and tapping, manipulation of scarves, pipe cleaners, jingle bells or tambourines, hand-holding, and occasionally structured walking or dancing. I also bring a variety of my own instruments to accompany the songs, so that the children observe the physical act of music being made in many ways: voice, guitar, concertina, flute, drum, frog, sticks, etc.
Emotional Range: Music can create heightened emotion states, from humor to pride to melancholy, and more. I teach the children songs that tell stories, songs that are laughably silly, songs that are wistful and quiet, songs that are instructive or inspirational. I encourage the use of dynamic range in their singing and playing, which supports emotional expression.
Language: I enjoy singing with children at Peregrine in both English and Spanish, often including songs that are sung in both languages. I also enjoy playful language in songs and spoken rhymes, such as animal sounds and nonsense words."

Music & Art Curriculum Consultant
Crystal Olsen, PhD
Currently an Associate Professor at CSUS, Crystal passionately believes that the arts are an essential component of a full educational program for students of any age.  Crystal has traveled to other parts of the world to study education, particularly arts in education.  She has learned from students in Laos, Rwanda, and Mexico.  In Indonesia, she saw that everyone--from the youngest to the eldest--dances, makes music, creates visual art and theatre performances together in a caring community.  In 1994-95, she was a full time student in Music and Movement Education at the Orff Institute, Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria.  During that same year, when she studied Early Childhood Education in Reggio Emilia, Italy, she learned that in school, as in life, there should be “"Nothing without Joy!"”

Nutrition Program Coordinator & Lunch Cook
Julie House
Julie graduated in 2000 from the California Culinary Academy and has a BS in Chemistry from Colorado State University. She has over 8 years experience in food service operations management and currently is the Market Site Manager of Foothill Farmers Market Association in Auburn. In her past role as Kitchen Manager for Revolution Foods, Julie was responsible for creating nutritionally balanced menus according to the National School Lunch Program and managing the production and delivery of breakfasts, snacks, and hot lunches for thousands of pre-school through High School children in the Bay Area. Julie is very interested in local and sustainable farms and she believes in promoting a healthy diet that is also good for the environment and tastes great.

ADMINISTRATION

Academic Director
Lorie Hammond, PhD
Lorie is a professor at Cal State Sacramento specializing in science education, art education and bilingual education.  Lorie has taught nearly every grade level from nursery school to graduate school.  She founded the Winters Parent Nursery school in the 1970s, which was a bilingual parent co-op serving native English and Spanish students together.  Lorie has been working in public schools for quality education and educational justice her whole career.  Lorie is co-founder of Peregrine Project and a participating grandmother. She has 40 years experience teaching in every grade level. Her interests include anthropology of education, science and art education, gardening, cooking, and travel. Lorie has a lifetime passion for exploring the best ways to teach and inspire children.
Lorie's Resume

Executive Director
Elena Whitcombe, MD
Elena is a family doctor working for Sutter West Medical group in the Urgent Care department.  She has a strong interest in health and wellness education for children and families.  She believes that habits of good nutrition, physical activity and attention to emotional and spiritual health can be taught to children in the context of a strong academic education to foster life long health.  Elena also has a great appreciation of literature and a balanced liberal arts education.  In her spare time, she writes fiction novels. Elena is the co-founder of Peregrine Project and a participating parent.

Bookkeeper
Sue Esdaile 
Sue graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and is currently working towards becoming a CPA. She has 15 years experience bookkeeping in the aircraft repair industry. A graduate and past treasurer of the Woodland Parent Nursery School, she supports alternative education and home schools her two teen-aged children. Sue spends her free time playing with antique tractors, maintaining an elderly Victorian-turned-Craftsman home, playing the guitar, and taking her kids to assorted bluegrass-themed music camps.

Administrative Assistant
Lily Brown, BA UC Santa Cruz 
Lily recently graduated with a BA in Literature and is now completing an editing program through UC Berkeley Extension. Having studied some Spanish and Latin in school and learned German while living abroad in Berlin, she strongly believes in the importance of learning languages; next she intends to tackle Japanese. She has been riding horses since she was four, holds a private pilot's license, and plays a number of musical instruments -- music has alwaysbeen one of her great loves. Her mom, her little sister, and a menagerie of pets live with her in Sacramento, and in her free time she enjoys reading science fiction, watching anime, and doing
cross-stitch. She has always loved details and organization and is excited to be putting that to good use at Peregrine!