Faculty & Staff

Kate Baldwin

Head of School

Kate has been dedicated to Montessori education for over 30 years. After graduating from university in Ontario, she completed her Casa training and began her career as a Montessori guide, working in both Casa and Lower Elementary classrooms alongside her mother, a Montessori school founder. In 1999, Kate relocated to British Columbia, where she earned her Elementary 6-12 certification. Since 2001, she has worked extensively with students at both the 6-9 and 9-12 levels.

In April 2023, Kate completed her Master of Education and embraced an exciting new chapter as Head of School.

Outside of her professional life, Kate is the proud mother of one daughter and enjoys hiking, cycling, and exploring new places with her family and energetic dog.

Julie Orr

Administrative & Financial Officer

Julie returned to BBMS as the Office Administrator in January 2020 after a 2 year absence. Originally from France, Julie has also lived in South Africa and the UAE and has many years experience as a school administrator. Her role includes responsibilities related to financial accounts, in addition to records clerk and staff support. In her spare time, she enjoys playing pickleball and walking her dog, reading and gardening.

Rhonda Cizmok

Casa Directress & Childcare Manager

Rhonda Cizmok is a mom of three amazing adult children, and has been a Montessori Directress for over 20 years. She loves being with children of all ages and seeing them discover how wonderful the world is. To her, it is very important to take time to show children how to appreciate the intricacy with which everything is made. There is so much beauty in nature that it is awe-inspiring. Once children learn how special life is, they will work hard to cherish and protect all of creation.

Teaching children to communicate with the language of the virtues is very easy and valuable. They will grow up to be able to clearly express their emotions and they will make sure to care for the feelings of others. She believes that life is so much easier if we can slow down, listen and play.

Rhonda loves hiking with her family, having fires on the beach and going to museums. She loves to be around horses and enjoys reading.

Annie Lanteigne

Nido Directress

Annie is the second youngest of sixteen children from a French-Canadian family in New Brunswick. Having older siblings caring for her and teaching the younger ones was very much like growing up in a Montessori environment.

She obtained her AMI Montessori Casa (3 to 6 years old) diploma at the MTCBC in 1989 and has been working in the field of early childhood for 35 years in Delta. She got her infant and toddler certification in 2021. Working with this age group deepened her understanding of early years development and has had a profound effect on her. She is in awe watching the children’s ability to learn so naturally; moving from one discovery to another while building crucial skills.

Phyllis Hsu

Nido Directress

Phyllis was born and raised in Taiwan and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. Since moving to Canada in 2016, she has pursued her passion for early childhood education, completing an Early Childhood Education Certificate and  Montessori certification.

She loves creating a warm, safe, and respectful environment where children feel valued, supported, and free to explore. Phyllis enjoys guiding children as they develop confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of learning.

Outside the classroom, she enjoys traveling and exploring the world—experiences she shares with children to inspire curiosity and broaden their understanding of life.

Karen Gaitens

Casa and Kindergarten Directress

Karen joined BBMS as a Casa/Kindergarten Directress in 2019. She has extensive teaching experience, having taught in Montessori classrooms for 14 years in Scotland and the US. Since relocating to Canada in 2015, Karen has taught at BBMS in the Lower Elementary class as well as Kindergarten. She has worked in a learning support capacity at IB schools. Karen is well versed in inquiry-based learning and is excited to explore and incorporate BCs new curriculum into our Montessori environment. Karen holds a BA in Education and an AMS Montessori Early Childhood/3-6 teaching credential as well her BC Independent teaching certificate. Karen has a passion for teaching/learning and building an inclusive classroom community that fosters learning as well as having FUN. Karen likes to travel, walk  and spend time in nature with her husband and son.

Rachel Chen

Casa and Kindergarten Directress

Rachel completed her Bachelor degree with a focus on Cultural Studies in 2021, after which she entered the field of Early Childhood Education and discovered the Montessori method. Rachel finds great joy in interacting with children, and has been truly amazed by how these little human beings thrive within a Montessori environment. Rachel was particularly impressed by the interconnectedness of the Montessori curriculum areas and how the curriculum facilitates the development of independence, concentration, coordination and order within children. Driven by her passion, Rachel took her AMS 3-6 training and after graduating, she took on a dual role as both the head teacher and manager at a Montessori school. In this position, she was responsible for leading the classroom, setting up the prepared environment, and implementing the Montessori curriculum. Rachel is excited to bring her passion, training, and leadership experience to BBMS. As a directress, she looks forward to supporting the growth and development of each child, nurturing their curiosity and love of learning.

Olga Margaritis

Casa Directress

Olga joined BBMS in 2020.  She obtained her Primary AMI Diploma as well as her Early Childhood Education in 2007 from the Montessori Institute of BC. She also holds a TESOL Certificate which gave her the opportunity to teach English as a Second Language in her home country of Greece for four years. Since returning from Greece she realized that she had a passion to continue working with children of the preschool age. The Montessori approach to “follow the child” has helped her to appreciate and trust the child’s instincts through observation. As a Casa Directress for the past fifteen years she has collaborated with staff in several schools and fulfilled the role of Directress, as well as Manager. She is delighted to continue to guide and foster children’s growth. As a mother of one daughter, she enjoys spending time with family, travelling, and cooking.

Harleen Kaur

Casa Directress

Originally from India, Harleen moved to Canada in 2017, bringing with her a passion for teaching and a commitment to nurturing young minds. Holding a diploma in Early Childhood Education, she is a certified Early Childhood Educator (ECE) with additional certifications in Infant Toddler care and Special Needs. Harleen has cultivated a profound appreciation for the Montessori philosophy, particularly its emphasis on fostering curiosity and discovery through hands on learning.

A strong advocate for equity in education, Harleen is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where every child has equal opportunities to thrive.

Harleen views learning as a lifelong journey, one she is honoured to share with her students, empowering them to become compassionate, curious and great leaders.

Lynne Pettigrew

Casa Directress

Lynne discovered her love of Montessori when she was hired as an Infant Toddler assistant in an inner city Montessori school in Michigan, USA. After obtaining her Infant Toddler Certification, Lynne assumed the lead position, working alongside other dedicated Montessorians until the school closed in 2016. She believes that the foundational Montessori philosophy serves not only to encourage independence and nurture children, but also support those children who are in need of more specialized aid to meet milestones, and overcome struggles.  Lynne has a son and daughter that live locally, and a daughter, her husband, and two grandchildren in Michigan. Lynne recently relocated back to Beautiful BC, from Michigan, and has earned her ECE Assistant Certification. She looks forward to this new chapter in her life where she can continue to nurture children as they explore and experience all the world has to offer them.

Nej Pannu

Lower Elementary Assistant Directress

Nej fell in love with the Montessori philosophy over 15 years ago and completed her AMI Primary Diploma (3–6) in 2011, alongside her Early Childhood Education training. Her deep passion for working with children led her to spend several fulfilling years in the Casa classroom. Curious to explore another path of supporting children, she pursued a career in paediatric nursing and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2019.

After becoming a mother, Nej felt a strong pull back to Montessori and the classroom environment that first inspired her. She is now excited to begin her Elementary Montessori training and return to where she truly feels at home—guiding and learning alongside children in a Montessori setting. She looks forward to joining the BBMS teaching family and continuing to grow as an educator.

Bella Zhao

Lower & Upper Elementary Assistant Directress

With over a decade of experience in the field of early childhood education, Bella is a dedicated Montessori-certified teacher and a holder of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Infant-Toddler (IT) certificates. Her expertise extends beyond the classroom as she also served as an instructor for the Early Childhood Education Program at the college level, where she guided and mentored future educators in implementing best practices within the field. Her passion for Montessori philosophy profoundly influences both her professional approach and personal life. She is deeply committed to integrating these principles into all aspects of her work and daily routine. Residing with her husband and two wonderful children, she continuously draws inspiration from her family life to enrich her professional practice and contribute meaningfully to the field of early childhood education.

Jennifer McDonald

Lower Elementary Support

Jennifer is happy to have relocated back to B.C. after 21 years away.  She is the proud mother of 2 boys, 20 and 16 years old. Jennifer had the pleasure of working as an Educational Assistant in Ontario, and is happy to be at BBMS. Jennifer quite enjoys working alongside bright, young minds. She has previously worked as a bi-lingual qualified Flight Attendant, and spent many years as a parent volunteer at her sons’ French Immersion school.

Cathy von Ende

Upper Elementary Directress

Cathy has a passion for learning. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Waterloo (1990) and then a Master of Science at the University of Guelph. She has also taken many courses over the years at UBC and University of Calgary. Cathy’s journey to teaching was sparked by what she saw in her children’s Montessori classrooms, first in Ontario and then in BC when her three young children joined the BBMS community. Intrigued with the Montessori teaching process and how well it fit with learning theory, she completed her Montessori Elementary Credential (AMS) and a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Montessori Education through Simon Fraser University. Cathy joined the BBMS staff in 2005, spending time first in the Casa and Lower Elementary classrooms. In addition, Cathy has worked one-on-one with children with learning disabilities as a Certified associate Orton-Gillingham tutor (Canadian Association of Therapeutic Tutors – CATT). She holds a BC Independent Teacher Certificate from the Ministry of Education and joined BBMS as a Directress in the Upper Elementary class in 2021. Outside the classroom, Cathy loves cycling, paddle boarding, photographing local landscapes, knitting, exploring new places, and learning new things.

Eileen Wilson

Upper Elementary Directress

Eileen returned to BBMS in 2022. She has a long history with the school, and was first exposed to Montessori education, as a parent, when her eldest child was enrolled at BBMS the year the school opened. She came to the school with a background in teaching, having received her Bachelor of Education from UBC. She worked for seven years in the public system in a variety of teaching roles before discovering Montessori, and finding BBMS. She has always had a deep love for education and teaching but was hooked by the Montessori approach that used concrete materials to teach very abstract concepts across the curriculum. It was the concrete materials that were appealing, but she quickly came to appreciate the depth and wisdom of the Montessori approach, a method that is as relevant today, as it was one hundred years ago. When Eileen decided to return to teaching full time it had to be in Montessori. She  took her Montessori training (6-12 yrs) through AMS. Eileen has worked in both the Lower and Upper Elementary classes.