Dear Trinity Families,
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. It’s a tale of two campuses this summer with the Lower Campus totally immersed with summer camp and the Upper Campus so quiet that cars can be heard driving on Sand Hill Road as we plan for 2021 - 2022. It’s a time of playing and planning.
The intent of this lengthy note is to introduce you to new faculty and staff for 2021 - 2022. We’re thrilled to have landed our newest faculty and staff and look forward to beginning our work with them at Summer Institute on August 12 (first day of school is August 26). Before introducing the new faculty and staff, four quick notes:
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For new families, expect a note in early July from Kirk Gossman, Director of Admissions and Matriculation, regarding summer activities for new students.
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The annual Summer Mailer, with all the required forms and general back to school information, will be sent in the middle of July.
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Regarding COVID-19 and health and safety protocols for next year, we await information from the San Mateo County Office of Education and their Pandemic Recovery Framework. We do expect some changes such as restarting our after school program, the optional UC lunch service and the opportunity for cohorts to mix beyond their grade level classroom. However, as children will still be unvaccinated, substantive protocols will remain in place.
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Following this note, I will be sending COVID-19 information (from the June 7 Trinity Talk) regarding our start date on both campuses and student travel guidelines.
For 2021 - 2022 and as our enrollment has grown, we will welcome the new faculty and staff:
Denise Jison will be the Grade 2 Lead Teacher. Denise’s teaching experience has been at Citizens of the World Charter School in Mar Vista, Coeur d’Alene Avenue Elementary School in Venice (California) and Canyon Charter Elementary School in Santa Monica. Denise received her MA in Elementary Education Loyola Marymount University and BS from University of the Philippines.
Smriti Datta will be a Teacher at the ECP. Smriti’s teaching/education experience was at the Stratford School in the roles of Director of Early Childhood Education, Teacher/Mentor, and Director of Admission. Smriti also taught at KBNSM School in India as an elementary lead teacher. She received her BA from University of Burdwan (India).
Rose Le will be a Teacher at the ECP. Rose’s teaching experience was at Challenger School in San Jose and at Primrose School of Evergreen in San Jose. She received her BA from San Jose State University.
Xianjing Cao will be a Teacher at the ECP. Xianjing’s teaching experience includes Casa dei Bambini Preschool in Palo Alto. She received her BS from Fujian Normal University in China and ECE Credential from St. Mary’s College in Moraga.
Lina Perez will be a Teacher at the ECP. Lina’s teaching experience includes the Children’s House of Los Altos, Sunshine School and Action Day Primary in San Jose. Lina completed her Early Childhood Development studies at San Jose City College.
Ivy Gates will be a Teaching Assistant on the Upper Campus. Ivy’s experience in education includes the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. She received her BA from California State University, East Bay.
Stephanie De la Rocha will be a Teaching Assistant on the Upper Campus. Stephanie’s teaching and educational experience was at Terra Nova Christian School, the Tech Museum of San Jose and Galileo Summer Camp. Stephanie received her BA from Florida International University.
Yonas Kameda will be the Music Teacher. Yonas’ teaching experience includes time at Casa de Mir in Campbell, C.W. Haman Elementary School in Santa Clara and with Golden Acorn Music company. Yonas received his BA from the University of Oregon.
Alison McKee (announced previously) will be the Director of Development and Communication. Alison’s development experience has been at Village School in Pacific Palisades and St. James in Los Angeles. She has also worked in admissions at The Buckley School in Los Angeles. Alison received her MBA from Pepperdine University and BA from Pomona.
David Mutunga will be the Chief Financial Officer. David’s finance experience includes work at Blue Shield of California, Taproot Foundation, Union Bank and Well Fargo. He received his MBA from Cornell University and BS from UC Riverside.
Cody Schaffner will be the Development, Admissions and UC Associate. Cody’s experience includes the Center Director for the PACCC, Palo Alto; Assistant Director of the Learning Center in Palo Alto and the Director of Auxiliary Program at Keys School. Cody received her BS from San Francisco State University.
We are still determining the optimal classrooms for the new teachers at the ECP and the new teaching assistants on the UC. We’ll communicate those placements later in the summer.
That’s it for now and please know we’ll be in contact over the summer with assorted Trinity news. Meanwhile, if you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by and say hello, recommend a good book (see footnote below), restaurant or movie and have a fantastic summer.
See you around school,
Matt
