Meet the Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten Team
Here at Kavod Charter School, our Teachers are at the heart of all that we do. Our staff are strong, passionate and caring, and want to see all children be successful. Our Kinderland team brings their expertise, playful activities, enthusiasm, all while building a collaborative, foundational community for our younger students.
Get to know 3 of our Teachers who work with our Transitional-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes and you’ll see why our teachers are the heart and soul of our tuition-free school.
Tell Us About Yourself!
I am Marie Bartz (soon to be Marie Panico), and I am a Kindergarten teacher at Kavod. I have been at Kavod Charter School for seven years. I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago, and moved to San Diego after college. I love going to the beach, reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. I have a dog named Roo who I love to spoil!
What playful activities do you use in your classroom to engage your students?
In math we play pop it numbers. We sit in a circle and the explorers practice route counting. We have a “pop it” number. If you are the “pop it” number you get to pop out of your spot in the circle. We practice this with numbers 1-5 to start, and get to larger numbers throughout the year. We even try going backwards!
What do you love about teaching kindergarten at Kavod?
I love teaching Kindergarten because it’s a chance to instill a strong foundation of knowledge for my students to build upon as they get older. I have experience teaching upper grades as well so I have an understanding of how important foundational skills are across all grade-levels.
How do you collaborate with the Kinderland Team to create a cohesive and supportive environment?
The Kinderland team is constantly meeting to discuss learning goals and different approaches or strategies in the classroom. We have a strong team and we lean on each other for new and different ideas.
What sets Kavod apart from other kindergarten programs?
We end the year learning about the 7 continents. It is amazing to see their minds open to other people and places around the world. With our focus on different cultures at Kavod, students are able to make a lot of personal connections or build on prior knowledge!
How do you balance structured activities with spontaneous play to keep explorers engaged & excited during the school day?
We have multiple recesses a day. This helps break up academic work time with play time and energizes the explorers throughout the day. We also have an opportunity for students to play with classroom toys once their work for the day is finished. This is a daily reward that students work hard to earn!
How do you foster a sense of community in your classroom?
We always start the day with sharing time. This allows students to learn about each other and the experiences of their classmates.
Why is Kavod the Best School to Send Your Child?
“We try our best and never give up!” We say this together every morning and it is the guiding principle throughout our day!
Tell Us About Yourself!
I am Mrs. Whitelock the Transitional Kindergarten Teacher and this is my 7th year at Kavod. I enjoy anything outdoors: beach, hiking, biking, and scuba diving. I also enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
What playful & engaging activities do you use in your classroom?
We love to play “I have… Who has..” We often do it as a letter game, for example: “I have the letter P, who has T?”
What do you love about teaching Transitional Kindergarten at Kavod?
I am very passionate and have a love for teaching Transitional Kindergarten! I love that we get to dive into more social and emotional lessons that help students develop skills that improve their academic performance, relationships, and mental health. I also love creating activities that engage students by learning through play! We have such a wonderful Kinderland team that is constantly collaborating and supporting each other.
How do you foster a sense of community in your classroom?
The Kavod Kinderland teams fosters a sense of community by building a strong relationship and partnership with students and their families.
What Sets Kavod Apart from Other TK/K programs?
We have many lessons that are about Global Awareness learning what makes each of us unique and beautiful. I specifically love the lessons we teach on being unique like a snowflake.
How do you balance structured activities with spontaneous play to keep explorers engaged & excited during the school day?
We focus many of our Transitional- Kindergarten lessons on learning through play. Nothing fires a child’s learning like play!
Why is Kavod the Best School to Send Your Child?
Your child will learn global awareness and multiple languages while having a loving community who respects each other’s beautiful differences.
Tell Us About Yourself!
My name is Ms. Talavera. I’m the Transitional-Kindergarten Teacher Aid at Kavod Charter School. This is my third year working at Kavod.
I embroider and color as hobbies. I love the idea of travel, and I love teaching others about wildlife/nature.
What playful activities do you use in your classroom to engage your students?
I love “Simon Says.” This helps our explorers move their bodies and helps them practice being good listeners.
What do you love about teaching Transitional Kindergarten at Kavod?
The different personalities! Each child is so unique! I love building connections with our explorers, and to be part of the positive change in their social/emotional development.
How do you collaborate with the Kinderland Team to create a cohesive and supportive environment?
Communication and supporting each other is what builds our cohesive Kinderland Team.
How do you balance structured activities with spontaneous play to keep children engaged and excited during the school day?
Transitional-Kindergarten is all about learning while playing so it is easy to make our lessons fun and educational.
How do you foster a sense of community in your classroom?
To be kind is the main thing I like to enforce in our classrooms.
Why is Kavod the Best School to Send Your Child?
The staff is great, our diversity is unique, and we try to make sure every explorer and Kavod family feels included and accepted in our classrooms.
Caring, engaging and playful Teachers are what makes Kavod a rigorous TK-8 school. We encourage you to take a tour and get to learn more about Kavod Charter School! Check us out anytime – our enrollment is open now. Tuition-free, bilingual, and spots available in TK and Kindergarten!
About Kavod
Kavod is a tuition-free public charter school in San Diego committed to growing the next generation of bilingual, globally aware leaders who will make the world a more respectful place. We offer modern Hebrew and Spanish to diverse TK-8th graders alongside a rigorous curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, and enriching electives. As a small, non-religious elementary and middle school, we are consistently ranked as a top 10% charter school in California and the nation. Kavod means respect – we believe respect makes a world of difference. Enroll with Kavod today!
