Garden and Workshop Coordinator - TBH
Maria Luna, Director of Spanish Program and Reggio Emilia Coordinator
Maria Luna has been at KMS since 1983, and is the parent of a KMS Graduate. She is a qualified teacher with over 25 years of experience and a BA in Humanities. Maria has been teaching children from Preschool to 8th grade in public and private schools in the Bay Area, she’s a professional dancer with Ballet Folklorico Ensembles. Over the years, she has developed creative, innovative programs and curriculums that have reached a large number of students.
Mrs. Luna has collaborated with educational organizations such as World Arts Wests and Young Audiences of Northern California.
Maria Inés Olhaberry-Tisker, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Ines Tisker joined the KMS Elementary teaching team for the 2022/2023 school year. Her full name is Maria Inés Olhaberry-Tisker, everyone calls her Inés. She is originally from Argentina and the parent of a KMS Alumni.
She graduated in Argentina with a Teaching Degree in 1989 and worked as a Pre-Kinder and Kindergarten teacher for 5 years before moving to San Francisco. In San Francisco she started to get involved in the educational field working as a volunteer in several schools in the bay area, including Buena Vista, Glenridge co-op, and KMS. She was also the co-owner of a children's bookstore in Oakland, and taught Spanish at a literacy enrichment program in San Rafael. In 2012 she joined Escuela Bilingüe Internacional, where she worked as a Head-teacher for the Pre-K and Kindergarten programs for the past 10 years.
"I believe my role as an educator is to guide students to develop their critical thinking and their empathy, supporting them socially and emotionally in the explorations of the world around them.
I am excited to join the KMS community and share my experience while creating a nurturing, safe and fun learning environment for the children.”
Aziza Hayes, Elementary Teacher
Aziza, identifies as ZiZi and they, joined KMS June of 2023. ZiZi graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Psychology. ZiZi joined KMS in 2023 because of their interest in working with children in different developmental stages and levels. ZiZi relates to neurodivirgent students and people overlooked or disadvantaged by the traditional education system. ZiZi previously taught at Buena Vista Child Care. As a result of attending Buena Vista Elementary School as a child, ZiZi is fully fluent in Spanish, values art and creativity and believes that every child is an artist in their own way. ZiZi also highly values social-emotional learning in the classroom and teaching students skills to understand and manage their emotions.
Daniel Larson, Elementary School Teacher
Daniel Larson joined KMS in January of 2024 as a literacy specialist with the elementary children. Daniel is a Michigan native and has worked and lived in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, and San Francisco. Daniel has an extensive background as an educator. He is a Michigan native and has worked and lived in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, and San Francisco. Having previously lived in the Bay Area, he is thrilled to be back and working with students in this beautiful city. Daniel has an extensive background as an educator. He obtained his Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education in 1997 from Central Michigan University. Daniel also completed his Master's Degree in Education from Georgia State University in 2005, with an emphasis on Reading, Language, and Literacy Education. He has served as a classroom teacher, tutor, homeschool teacher, and administrator. He has a wide variety of interests including hiking, mountain biking, astronomy, photography, film, literature, painting, and travel. Daniel is delighted to be a part of the KMS team.
Ricky Alexander Bac, Elementary School Teacher
Ricky Alexander Bac joined the Teaching Team at KMS as an elementary math instructor in January of 2024. He joined the Teaching Team at KMS as an elementary math instructor. He is excited to join a wonderful team of teachers, administrators, and parents, working to provide education and enrichment to the kids of KMS. His pedagogical philosophy aligns closely with the Reggio Emilia approach, and he is thrilled to inspire KMS students to utilize their "100 languages" to express themselves and learn foundational math skills.
Ricky is a Bay Area native, having lived in San Francisco, Berkeley, the Peninsula, and the South Bay. He graduated from Santa Clara University in 2009 and comes to KMS with 13 years of experience as a classroom teacher and private educator. Over the years, he has worked with individual students and families on one-on-one academic tutoring, enrichment, organizational skills, and independent school/university admissions. He is knowledgeable regarding the K-8 mathematics curriculum and how to adapt it according to the learning style of individual children. In addition, he facilitates speech and debate clubs in San Francisco and has been a teacher at Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Academy.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, Ricky loves to travel to Latin America to visit family and enjoy time on the farm in Costa Rica. He enjoys incorporating multicultural components into his teaching, making learning fun, engaging, and interdisciplinary.
Jasmine Batiste, Elementary Teacher
Jasmine Batiste joined KMS elementary program in February of 2024. A San Francisco native Jasmine learned the ways education reached and was taught to children like her. In 2019 Jasmine was hired with SFUSD to become a paraprofessional. This work was yet another eye opening experience in her journey to becoming an educator .
“Every child needs a safe place to learn, feel, and grow. We all have a responsibility to each other. If you see a need, that's your calling to help.”
Working at Argonne Elementary with the SPED dept. Jasmine’s focus was giving quality education and experiences to children with different learning abilities.